Presenter - Bianca Perla, Vashon Nature Center
"Vashon Whale Project & Wildlife Camera Study" - April 14, 2025
"Shorelines are movement corridors for wildlife"
Our trained volunteers operate a wide network of wildlife cameras. Cameras at 26 + stations snap wildlife in a 2 km distanced grid over nine geographic sectors covering the entire 37 square miles of Vashon-Maury Islands. Our WildCam Network has captured sightings of many island species including: black-tailed deer, beaver, raccoon, coyote, river otter, great blue heron, salmon, black bear, and cougar. Camera data inspires wonder, acts as a first-detection system for animals that migrate to the island, helps us learn about animal behavior, and improves our understanding of wildlife/human coexistence in our shared community.
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"If half of American lawns were replaced with native plants, we would create the equivalent of a 20 million acre national park, nine times bigger than Yellowstone or 100 times bigger than Shenandoah National Park." - Doug Tallamy
Humans and their livestock represent 96% of all mammals on earth in terms of biomass, whereas all wild mammals represent only 4%.
"This whale washed up on a King County protected area and far from human inhabitants and so the decision was made to leave the whale on the shore, where it washed up naturally. This presents a unique and rare opportunity for learning. To get an idea of the decomposition process, Vashon Nature Center has installed motion-sensing wildlife cameras to document visits from scavengers. So far, cameras have recorded a coyote tearing off parts of blubber, a curious mouse scurrying up to the whale for a meal, and a blue heron taking advantage of the protected pool formed behind the whale’s body to hunt for fish. Check out our youtube playlist here for these and other whale cam videos."
Vashon Whale Project
“ We are grateful to have received this opportunity from NOAA,” says Bianca Perla, VNC Science Director, “this is a rare occurrence that we can learn a lot from. We don’t know much about a whale’s role in the ecosystem after death. And, there is something incredible about being able to not only see a large animal like this up close but also to actually hold his bones and learn about the intricate way these massive creatures are put together and how their bodies are so efficient for life at sea. While it is sad that he died, his death can be a gift that inspires awe for life’s complexity and respect for his species. We can all benefit from those feelings. We envision this opportunity as offering a rare glimpse into the life of one of the magnificent creatures we share our waters with.”
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Presenter - Jerry Gehrke, "Mason Bees" - March 10, 2025
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“Mason bee” is a general name for bees that build chambered nests in small crevices or holes using collected mud. Mason bees cannot create their own holes — they need pre-existing holes or crevices or nesting sites provided by a gardener.
What Are Mason Bees?
Mason bees are solitary, cavity-nesting pollinators that play a crucial role in your garden's health. Known for their gentle nature and impressive pollination abilities, these bees are incredibly efficient—pollinating up to 95% of the flowers they visit.
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Unlike Honey bees, Mason bees don’t live in colonies, but instead, each female builds her own nest to raise her young. By welcoming Mason bees to your garden, you're not only supporting the local ecosystem but also boosting your garden’s productivity with exceptional natural pollination.
Setting Up Your Bee House
Ensure your bees have a perfect home by following these steps:
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Placement: Attach your bee house to a stable object, such as a tree, fence, or wall.
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Sun Exposure: Face the bee house towards the morning sun to help warm up your bees.
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Height: Hang your bee house at head height for easy observation.
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BeePOP: Attach a BeePOP to the outside to help guide bees to their new home.
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Nesting Material: hollow reeds
Mason Bee Lifecycle
Mason bees are only active in your garden for about 4-6 weeks, starting in early spring when the daytime temperatures are a consistent 55°F/13°C or above. They spend the rest of their lives snuggled inside their nesting holes.
They undergo several developmental stages, including eating, growing, spinning cocoons, and developing into adults. Eventually, they hibernate as fully formed adults over the winter, waiting for the temperatures to warm up enough for them to emerge in the spring.
What key items does my yard need for success with mason bees?
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Moist clay soil
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Spring flowering plants close to nesting site; Adult mason bees are active from March through May or mid-June. Plant your garden so there are continuous blooms through the bees’ active season. Try to offer more native flowers and shrubs than showy hybrid or nonnative, double-blossom flowers—they may not provide adequate nutrition for bees.
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Desirable nesting sites
A key thing to note when selecting the right flower and plants for mason bees is accessibility. Flowers with a single row of petals are much easier to access for the smaller mason bee species. Composite flowers providing open petals and an easy route to the resources stored inside are ideal.
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Try to plant a varied mix of wildflower species to ensure you give all pollinators ample opportunity to gather resources in your garden.
Here’s your list of the best mason bee flowers:
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Poppies
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Black-Eyed Susan
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Forget Me Not’s
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Jacob’s Ladder
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Lavender
Rent Mason Bees offers solitary bees to backyard gardeners and farmers. They are dedicated to educating and supporting solitary bee enthusiasts and focus on solitary bee conservation through collaboration with research teams and bee laboratories to combat the threat of harmful predators. With their program, you can release solitary bees and rent nesting blocks, all of which they clean and maintain. Join them in creating a more vibrant and sustainable garden ecosystem while securing the future of solitary bees and our environment.
Presenter - Steve Bergman,
Vashon Zero Waste Program - January 13, 2025
Steve Bergman, (PhD, Princeton Univ.), ZWV Secretary, is a research geologist and educator and settled in historic Chautauqua (Ellisport) with spouse Mary in late 2014. In 2016, he retired from a career in energy and minerals exploration research and teaching geology courses that included earthquakes and volcanoes, geology of wine, diamonds, and environmental geology at the University of Texas at Dallas and Southern Methodist University. His interest in recycling started in 1975 when he performed research on a Dept. Interior-funded project at the Univ. Dayton on the “Fate of Trace metals in sewage sludge-amended soils” and he recently completed two terms on the National Academies Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability (2012-18). He also serves on the board of Vashon Makerspace and participates in a number of neighborhood citizen science & history projects. He is interested in pursuing fundamental and applied geological research to increase Vashon’s sustainability and resilience and raising public awareness of the impact of geosciences on our lives.
Current ZWV Committees & selected projects:
• Compost-goal to establish On-Island Compost facility, currently working with
King County on Feasibility Study; Compostables subcommittee.
• Plastics/Reduce Single Use- BYO mug initiative 2019, Styrofoam/Plastics
Recycling since 2019; Choose Plastic Free Program since 2023; 2024
Supported Chamber of Commerce Reusable Stainless Steel Cup project by
Celia & Nadine
• Hard to Recycle – plastics reduction campaigns, annual electronics
recycling has diverted over 50 tons from the landfill; currently working on
starting a Re-use exchange program on island.
• Education-VHS Jerry Henley Scholarship, Hack Your Trash, Chautauqua,
McMurray, & VHS programs and green team collaboration.
• Communication [newsletters, website (extensive resources), Facebook,
trash talk, Island GreenTech movie nights Vashon Theater, Annie Crawley
VCA talk & school visits, etc.]
• Community Outreach-2018 Past Strawberry Festival Recycling, 2019 Zero
Waste Event Resource Guide, 2020 Vashon Parks in town center Recycling
Stations, Electronics Recycling, Earth Day Beach Clean-up events, Vashon-
Maury Land Trust Big Sky event recycling, WA Legislative initiatives with
ZWW.
King County Moves Forward on Vashon Community Compost Facility:
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Zero Waste Vashon is pleased to announce that the King County Council has allocated $3,006,102.00 to establish a Community Compost Facility on Vashon. This commitment to the project comes after successful completion of a two-part Feasibility Study, a Site Analysis, a Community Survey and a public meeting. The project, headed by the King County Solid Waste Division, is to build an organics processing facility in partnership with a third-party operator to be determined by RFP (Request for Proposal). The multi-phase project will include permitting, design and construction. Zero Waste Vashon has worked closely with KCSWD over the 5 years that this project has been in development and will continue to serve as the community partner to the County as it moves forward.
*** We have big plans for the future***
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Here’s what we have in the works!
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• The Feasibility Study for a Vashon Island Compost Facility is now completed. Report posted.
• ZWV is working with KCSWD and Waste Connections to bring organics collection (third bin) to residences and businesses.
• Building community awareness of Single-Use Plastics. Providing research for island restaurants on compostable options.
• Providing advice and assistance on Zero Waste practices for upcoming Island events
• Electronics Collection & Recycling Event
• Working with KCSWD to bring styrofoam recycling to the Vashon Transfer Station.
• Collaborating on the construction & installation of new Waste & Recycling stations for uptown Vashon – Finished!
• Awarding College scholarships for high school seniors intending to pursue environmental studies
• Educating our students, our community, and ourselves on better ways to turn island waste into a resource.