Robert off to Tibet!

Our fearless leader is off to the Tibetan Plateau for most of June.  He will be advising and evaluating work done by international and national NGOs in response to the 2008 earthquake.  He will also be consulting farmers and herdsman in sensitive Snow Leopard and Tibetan Brown Bear habitat.  Robert has done similar work in the past with Panda habitat.  Robert's rich history with global sustainable development was a huge factor in the founding of the Pacific Rim Institute.  His hope is that PRI will eventually become an organization that prepares students and others to serve in a Global context.

Robert will not have access to email in June, so any urgent concerns can be addressed to Holly: [email protected] 

May Prairie Celebration - Great Success!

Thank you to everyone that came out for our 'Picnic on the Prairie'!  The rain may have kept us from eating our picnic outside, but everyone that came braved the weather and traveled out to the prairie remnant to get a first-hand look at the precious plants found there.  Many individuals made generous donations to the institute, and several won some great raffle prizes.  Keep an eye out for our fall event on September 17: Whidbey Raptor Day.

Rocky Mountain College visits

Five students, lead by professor Dan Albrecht, traveled from Rocky Mountain College to spend a week with us.  Our Board of Trustees Vice Chair, Dr. Joseph Sheldon, accompanied them as they explored Whidbey Island, the Puget Sound, and the Olympic National Forest.  This trip was made possible through a connection with the Global Travel Alliance.  

Intern hellos and goodbyes

This past month we said goodbye to our intern Caitlin Peterson.  As you may recall, Caitlin joined us for four months from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  We were very thankful for all her work and support.  In June we will welcome two more interns (from Minnesota and Iowa), as well as a local high school volunteer, to the ranks.  They will be critical in supporting our greenhouse, native plant work, garden, and prairie restoration work.  Will you consider making a $25 gift to support our work with interns?

Dr. Randy Van Dragt coming out for the summer

The Chair of our Board of Trustees is coming with his lovely wife, Gloria Van Dragt, to spend the month of June here on the Prairie.  He will move several large projects forward as well as providing leadership in Robert's absence. Gloria will be assisting with food service planning as we prepare for students in July.  Their leadership and support has been a critical foundation for the success of the Pacific Rim Institute.

Volunteers

This past month we were blessed by the work of many volunteers.  Several community members came to help us plant Roemer's fescue and remove fencing from the property.  This work is part of our USDA-WHIP grant, which means that not only did we make good progress on habitat restoration, we also received some funding for this work.  Pictured is a group from the Navy that came out several days to help us accomplish our work.  We could not have finished it all in time without them and our community volunteers!

Donors 

13 new donors joined the Pacific Rim Institute community in May, bringing our total number of individual, household, and company donors to 123!  Thank you so much to everyone that has given this month.  Your donations are critical to the survival of this place.