Volunteering on National Public Lands Day

Lummi Island, one of my all time favorite kayak campsites in the San Juan’s, needed new picnic tables so we decided to volunteer on National Public Lands Day NPLD and give back to this splendid site.

DNR's Lummi Island due west of Bellingham. (Photograph by Jason Goldstein)

This site is a Natural Resource Conservation Area (NRCA) managed by the WA State Department of Natural Resources and managed by the agencies Natural Areas and Recreation Programs. NRCA’s were created via legislature to protect Washington’s outstanding native ecosystems that provide important habitat for fish and wildlife. More NRCA info here. Lummi Island is such an example, and provides mixed forest land that sweeps down to the ocean. Raptor sightings are common and a small recreation campsite sits above a majestic cove. Many thanks must be given to the Whatcom Association of Sea Kayakers WAKE for stepping up and providing campsite maintenance here at Lummi Island. If not for WAKE’s assistance this site would also have suffered seasonal camping closures along with other remote DNR sites.

The old table requiring a lot of maintenance now firewood! (Photograph by Jason Goldstein)

Judy and I from the South Sound Area Kayakers SSAK teamed up with 5 WAKE volunteers and 2 DNR staff on NPLD. The DNR motorboat greeted us on shore and we hauled the new metal and composite picnic parts up to the sites.

DNR's boat off loads new picnic table parts. (Photograph by Jason Goldstein)

The old tables were cut up and left as great firewood for campers. The new tables should last a lot longer and are virtually maintenance free.

New Metal and plastic tables go up with a view over Haro Strait. (Photograph by Jason Goldstein)

Below 7 volunteers managed to assemble all five tables in a single day. New Metal and Plastic tables go up with a view over Hale Passage. What are you waiting for? Come on out and enjoy the new tables and burn the old ones while stocks last. Thanks DNR staff for a great NPLD event and for keeping this NRCA site camp able and open year round.