WSU Extension - Island County

08/28/2026

Our latest Shore Stewards Newsletter is on its way and you can view it here to read all about the upcoming events and program offerings that are available to fill your last days of summer and into the fall.https://wpcdn.web.wsu.edu/extension/uploads/sites/19/2026/08/Shore-Stewards-News-Summer-2026.pdf

08/27/2026

This is a great program. Dr Ashley Hall has implemented this program here in Island County, making our island homes safer for all.

We're proud to celebrate Dr. Jessica Willoughby, whose project, Safe Storage, Safer Communities: Messaging to Prevent Adolescent Firearm Injuries in Rural Households, has received funding from the Grandmothers Against Gun Violence Foundation.

Working alongside Dr. Elizabeth Weybright (WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences) and Dr. Ashley Hall (WSU Extension - Island County) the project will bring together rural Washington communities, firearm safety experts and researchers to develop and evaluate communication strategies that support secure firearm storage among families with adolescents.

Please join us in congratulating Jessica and her research team on this important achievement.

08/22/2026

Love Gardening and want to learn soooo much more? Enroll in WSU Washington Green School. Want to take all of that knowledge and help others? Become a WSU Extension - Island County - Master Gardeners Master Gardener! For Washington Green School see below. For that and so much more, start your Master Gardener journey here: https://extension.wsu.edu/island/mg/

🌱 REGISTRATION OPENS TODAY! 🌱

Ready to grow your gardening knowledge with science-based, research-backed information from WSU Extension?

Registration is now open for the Washington Gardener Certificate through Washington Green School!

This comprehensive online course uses a variety of learning methods to help you build practical gardening skills and deepen your horticultural knowledge.

🌿 Use what you learn to:
• Become a more knowledgeable and confident gardener
• Supplement your résumé
• Strengthen your horticulture-related business
• Build a strong foundation in research-based gardening practices

Whether you garden for yourself or want to expand your professional knowledge, the Washington Gardener Certificate is an opportunity to learn, grow, and put reliable horticultural information into practice.

📅 Registration is open!

👉 Find course details and registration information at:
https://greenschool.extension.wsu.edu

08/19/2026

Washington State University Extension - Island County provides unbiased science-based information to all residents and visitors to Island County - so they can make better and more informed decisions about where they live, work, and play.

08/19/2026

Become a certified Washington State Naturalist this winter. This course involves three components: seven modules of research-based online curriculum with bi-weekly discussion groups, 20 hours of field learning, and 20 hours of volunteering with the Whidbey Camano Land Trust. Find more information and the application here: https://wanaturalist.wsu.edu/about/

Washington State University Extension - Island County provides unbiased science-based information to all residents and visitors to Island County - so they can make better and more informed decisions about where they live, work, and play.

08/19/2026

Tobey Nelson gives a great talk at the WSU Extension Island County Master Gardener Education Garden this last Sunday.

Oh my gosh, Tobey Nelson was a fabulous speaker at Sunday's talk at the Education Garden. She offered great tips. saying we should be "guardeners" in our gardens, abandoning outdated notions like an idyll, perfect lawn, tidy beds, and "gumball" shrubs.

Instead, we should invest in a diversity of plants, including incorporating plants that are bordering on our region. As our climate changes, consider plants from Oregon and eastern Washington that don't require as much water and can contribute to beneficial soil-surface-active invertebrates.

07/23/2026

Whidbey Island Fair this weekend and Stanwood-Camano Community Fair next weekend = so much fun!!

🎡 DON'T MISS OUT—IN-PERSON ONLY! 🎡

Online ticket sales are officially CLOSED, but you can still grab your Presale Carnival, Parking, and Admission tickets in person at the Fair Office! 🎟️✨

⏳ Deadline: Presale ends Wednesday, July 29th at 8:00 PM!

While you’re picking up your tickets, don't forget to grab an Official Fair T-Shirt for only $20! 👕 Snag yours before your size sells out!

📍 Where to go: Fair Office
6431 Pioneer Highway - Bonnie Susan Cole Youth Exhibit Hall

⏰ Office Hours: Monday - Saturday 8am - 5 pm.

See you at the Fair! 🍿🎠

07/10/2026

Good educational opportunity!

Protecting our communities doesn’t happen by accident—it happens when people understand how decisions are made on the local level and become civically engaged.

Join Rebecca Martin, Beyond Plastics’ Director of Community Partnerships and Training, a community organizer with 20+ years of on-the-ground experience and a record of local, county, and state campaign wins, for our quarterly Grassroots Advocacy Training this July.

Learn how community members can move from concern to effective action by understanding how local government works—and how to use that process to win meaningful change.

In this training, Rebecca will cover how to:

• Understand how local decisions are made
• Navigate civic process with confidence
• Build community support
• Engage decision-makers effectively
• Start small with campaigns that can win

If you’re ready to move from caring about issues to influencing outcomes, this training is for you.

Sign up for one of the free virtual trainings at beyondplastics.org/trainings

05/21/2026

📸 Register now for the Washington State 4-H Teen Conference - June 22-25, 2026 🍀

Interested in inspiring the next generation of leaders?

High-school aged teens (those who have completed 8th grade and up) are encouraged to come to the Pullman Campus of Washington State University in June each year for the Washington State 4-H Teen Conference.

Some highlights include: touring the beautiful Pullman campus of WSU, staying in college dormitories, eating at WSU’s dining center, and attending workshops and tours to highlight career pathways and opportunities. We will include workshops to help youth begin preparing for college applications, scholarship applications, choosing a college major, and choosing a career pathway. We will also have opportunities for leadership development, service projects, team-building activities, and fun!

Date: June 22-25, 2026
Location: WSU Pullman Campus
Ages: High School students who have completed 8th grade through 12th grade
Registration: open via 4-H Online
Deadline to Register: May 31st
Cost Youth $295, Volunteers - no cost, Youth Conference Facilitator - $195

🍀All event information will be at our Teen Conference webpage: bit.ly/WAStateTeenConference

Register for WA Teen Conference: bit.ly/WATeenConferenceRegistration

05/21/2026

Beavers, and the dams they create, can have a significant beneficial impact on climate. They convert a simple stream into a complex network of wetlands that function as highly efficient carbon sinks, natural firebreaks, and strong defense against droughts and flooding.

First drafted in 2018, the dam project had a building permit but was delayed by negotiations over the land, long used by the military as training grounds.