2020 Timber Harvest

A big, heavy limb like this could fall anytime.

In 2018, the day after Christmas, a very large hemlock was blown over and cleaved the lumber shed roof in half. Thankfully, we were able to repair this prior to the big snowstorm of 2019 which would have surely caused more damage. Unfortunately, that snowstorm and aftermath took down a maple which completely destroyed our only waterfront building. We have only recently been able to entirely clean up what’s left of the foundation.

The leaning, moss-covered maples and alders are most noticeable this time of year.

We have a lot of trees at Sound View Camp. Since the Presbytery of Olympia purchased Camp Wakoma from Campfire in 1985, we have pretty much let the forests grow. There has been some minor tree harvests to address road safety and one pocket of laminated root rot, but Sound View remains heavily forested even in areas where there are guest cabins, platform tents, and lodges. Many of these trees are alders and maples which are at the end of life and are apt to let fall large heavy limbs or lose their tops entirely.

In the summer months, while the breezes are gentle, this is not a problem. However, with our growing outdoor environmental education program resulting in hundreds of students visiting Sound View in the Spring and Fall - when the breezes often blow - these large trees pose a serious safety concern.

We have requested a permit to to undergo a timber harvest over the winter of 2020. The results of this harvest will include:

1. Removing “danger” trees,

2. Creating a new road to allow traffic, delivery trucks, and most importantly, emergency vehicles to loop around camp safely with access to all lodging areas. This will eliminate semi-trailers (food delivery trucks) having to back up on our dirt roads, especially when guests are present.

3. Thinning out wooded sections of the camp which are closest to guest lodging - especially trees leaning towards buildings.

4. Creating more of a “grove” atmosphere in our main area of camp instead of swathes of impenetrable forest. By doing so, we can carve out attractive tent campsites among trees. Presently, the scouts that run events at Sound View have to pitch their tents on the playfield which limits its use.

5. Reclaim playfield areas that have shrunk in the last thirty years.

6. Remove smaller Douglas firs in the ropes course area to allow others to thrive. This is important if we need to move high ropes course elements in the event of losing a key tree due to wind or disease.

7. Planting numerous saplings to create more diversity in our forests.

There will be NO clear-cutting at Sound View. The harvest will focus on danger trees, Douglas fir, hemlock, and maple. We love our iconic cedar which defines our entryway into camp. Cedars will be generally left alone as they are thriving with the exception of those in the path of the new road. Also, the lowland forests (about 33% of the property) will not be thinned.

The white sap is an indicator of a larger problem with this fir.

The decision to harvest trees at Sound View has not been taken lightly. No one likes to remove a tree. But, as I walk through the camp and see the marked trees, I take time to look up - and then I understand. My primary concern is the safety of our guests and I will work hard to ensure that they can safely walk our trails and explore our property while they are here.

Sound View will be holding an Open House on Saturday, December 28, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm so that neighbors and friends can walk the property and have their questions answered. Please feel free to stop by.

If you have questions/concerns before then please email me at director@soundviewcamp.com and I will do my best to answer them. Specific tree-related questions can be asked of our forest managers (Hopkins Forestry) at hopkinsforestry@yahoo.com .

Cyber Monday

PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS!  We have all the 2020 programs listed and each has some kind of a Cyber Monday discount!

Register for WINTER CAMP to get 10% off as well as a "sibling discount" for extra family members.  How cool will it be to spend New Year's Eve at camp?

SPRING BREAK CAMPS return in 2020 with a 15% Cyber Monday discount as well as a sibling discount.

SUMMER OVERNIGHT CAMPS include a 15% early bird discount plus an extra 10% Cyber Monday savings for:

• Youth Camp (check out this NEW PAGE - a week at Sound View - to see what we're cooking up)

• Expedition

• Mini Camp

• Leaders in Training (LIT)

NEW this summer - DAY CAMP.  Do you live on the Key Peninsula? Our day camp is limited to 20 kids and includes free transportation from Purdy, Key Center, or Lakebay.  10% savings on Cyber Monday and yes, a sibling discount.

Our FAMILY CAMP programs for 2020 each have Cyber Monday discounts.

• Mom & Me Camp (Mother's Day Weekend) - 10% discount

• Memorial Day Weekend Family Camp - 20% discount

• Dad and Me Camp (Father's Day Weekend) - 10% discount

• Labor Day Weekend Family Camp - 20% discount

A New Crop of Driftwood

Driftwood fascinates me.

We get a new crop of it into Sound View almost daily - especially when the tides are particularly high. If the piece of driftwood is small enough, I drag it off right away to another part of our waterfront where it won’t be in the way. If the driftwood is dangerous-looking - with nails and rusty fittings, I bring it ashore to be disposed of. Sometimes, if the driftwood is huge, I wait for a really high tide to send it on its merry way.

I am ever the storyteller and I guess that each hunk of driftwood has a story to tell. Perhaps a story of a gale and the longing of a tree limb to see new sights. Maybe a giant wave carrying away something foolishly left unsecured. Or could a sailor have attempted in vain to grasp what fell overboard? Sadly, the driftwood is silent about its tale so I can only create a new, and surely a more fantastic story.

Water, the universal solvent is bound to change what it soaks, Add in salt, wind, plankton, and whatnot and you end up with driftwood.

I have taken a fancy to pull blackberries

I have taken a fancy to pull blackberries.

One would think that no sane person would relish at this chore. After all, wild blackberries are an invasive species, with thorns, hard to eradicate, and yes - the thorns hurt. Also, to add more injury to injury, you have to haul what you pulled away to be burned.

Still, I have taken a fancy to pull blackberries.

It usually starts with an “ankle grabber”. I am happily walking down (or up) a trail and ouch - a trailer has grabbed me. I look at my attacker and its friends and wonder how that patch got there and how did it grow so fast? I also wonder why it was foolish enough to grab my ankle. Does it not know that I am usually armed with long sleeves in the fall and thick, yellow leather gloves?

Yet, pulling blackberry vines still, to me, is rewarding. Perhaps I am thinking of a future sermon to share with campers based on my experience of turning a snarling blackberry patch once again into usable space.

Why are the older, thicker ones, in the center easier to pull? These are the ones most rewarding as you can see the patch visually diminish as it, and numerous trailers come out. Perhaps addressing some of our seemingly older, worse attributes, sins, and failings can yield so many blessings. Perhaps they are not as deep-rooted as one believes.

Then again, why are the younger vines harder to pull? I tug - and they snap - and I just know that they will grow again to present me with another ankle-grabber next year. Perhaps our current fads, and desire to fit in with the crowd are more deep-rooted than we care to acknowledge.

Yet the one thing I have discovered is that at the heart of every unwanted, unplanned-for blackberry patch is some event - a fallen tree limb, or a poorly planned wood-pile. Blackberries thrive on such events that alter the natural order. Such events occur in each one of our lives and if not come to grips with - can too, produce unwanted thorny vines.

I wonder if that ankle grabber knows that I - the blackberry puller - will work hard remove the event that led to the chaos of the blackberry patch.

Perhaps, the sermon is about Jesus being every ready and willing to do the same in the chaos of our lives.

Just in case...

It was a brisk commute from Anderson Island today. Frost on the dock and in the dinghy greeted me but the trusty outboard started on the second pull. I putted my way out of Amsterdam Bay into the fog. Even though Sound View is only a mile and a half away, fog - even for that short distance - can prove to be a challenge. I pulled out my compass and steered Northwest and was rewarded about halfway across with clear visibility and the camp pier dead ahead. I tied up the boat, shouldered my backpack, and walked to the length of the pier - skirting the upside-down canoes secured to the edge.

Looking eastward was pretty so I took a picture.

Even as we prepare Sound View for the winter months, we always consider the “just in case”. Just in case our amazing but unpredictable weather yields a calm day on the Sound - even in the dead of winter - we want to be prepared. Eight canoes are ready to be carried down the gangway and launched for school groups, retreats, and our own winter camp. Personally, I love canoeing. What other activity requires two people to work together in such a way as to move a vessel forward? The more folks able to explore the wonders of Sound View - even from a canoe - the happier I am.

Thanks for supporting this outdoor ministry!

From NOW until Cyber-Monday

When campers register early, we rejoice!

Parents can save a bundle by registering their kids for camp BEFORE December 3. Not only will the 15% early-bird rate apply, but also an extra 10% …. making a total of 25% off. Our sessions for 2020 are $425 (Youth Camp and Expedition). Registering by Cyber-Monday means that parents would only have to pay $319 for a full week of camp!

To take advantage of the Cyber-Monday discount, the camp fee must be paid in full when you register. If only claiming the early-bird discount (good until April 1), only the $75 deposit is needed.

So please, think SUMMER now.

Little Brown Bat

We found a special friend sleeping in the A-frame Chapel today....a tiny bat! We think it is from the species called "little brown bat," but we're not sure, so let us know if you're a bat expert and think it's something else. The scientific name for the little brown bat is Myotis lucifugus. "Myotis" means "mouse ear" in Latin, which makes sense when you look at the bat's ears in the picture! "Lucifugus" comes from the Latin "lux" (light) and "fugere" (flee). This species is nocturnal, so it flees from the light!

We love bats here at Sound View, and teach kids not to be afraid of them. They are a joy to watch flying around at dusk, and they help keep the insect population under control. A study done in a mosquito-filled room found that little brown bats can eat up to 300 mosquitoes per hour! This is probably not typical in the wild, however, since mosquito populations are usually (hopefully!) not that dense.

Idea 5

Now through September 27, we will be sharing ways that Sound View has been working to reduce our carbon footprint, and ideas for what we can all do at home.
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Idea #5: Reduce your food waste and compost the rest! We worked on educating campers about food waste this summer by implementing a system at mealtime called ORT. "Ort" is an Old English word meaning "a scrap or remainder of food after a meal." Before eating meals, we talk to campers about how between 30-40% of our food supply in the United States goes to waste. Much of this is wasted between the farm and retail stages and at supermarkets and restaurants, but 150,000 tons of food are also tossed out in US households each day. We encourage kids to think about how much food they take from the buffet line and how much they're throwing away by weighing our ORT after each meal. Campers are excited to waste less and less food each day, a lesson that we hope they'll take home with them after camp!

For those banana peels, apple cores, and veggie scraps that we don't eat, Sound View has a compost pile and worm bins. Composting food is better than throwing it in the trash because food in the landfill lets out methane (a greenhouse gas) as it breaks down, due to the anaerobic conditions of landfills. Plus, composting provides fertilizer for your garden!

Check out some of our worms and the beautiful soil they're creating for us out of food scraps. Amazing! Worm bins are great for people who live in apartments, don't have enough room for a compost bin, or don't have curbside composting. They don't smell at all, and they're easy to make out of household items! The worm bin in the picture in the comments was made out of a simple plastic tub with holes drilled into the top and bottom. Make sure to put something underneath to catch the nutritious "compost tea" that you can use as a natural fertilizer on your plants.

Idea 4

Happy first day of fall from Sound View Camp! Now through September 27, we will be sharing ways that Sound View has been working to reduce our carbon footprint, and ideas for what we can all do at home.

Idea #4: Drive less! It means slowing down a little bit, like this banana slug here, but using public transportation, biking, walking, and carpooling can also be tons of fun.

This summer, Sound View implemented an option to sign up for van transportation to camp. This option was chosen by many families because of the convenience, especially for those campers who come from farther away. Having the van option also helps reduce the emissions that come from so many cars driving to and from camp twice in one week. Make sure to consider the van option next year!

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Idea 3

Now through September 27, we will be sharing ways that Sound View has been working to reduce our carbon footprint, and ideas for what we can do at home. We still have a long way to go as an organization, but we are trying to improve every day!
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Idea #3: Grow your own food! Eating food grown locally is beneficial to the planet: it reduces emissions from transporting food long distances to get to our plates. Plus if it's done organically, it cuts down on pesticide, herbicide, and synthetic fertilizer use, which also produce a lot of emissions. Food picked and eaten straight out of the garden is also delicious, as any of our campers this summer could tell you :) We hope our camp garden will encourage youth to get interested in growing food from a young age!

Idea 2

Sound View staff cleaned up our beach and found all the trash that is pictured here.

Now through September 27, we will be sharing ways that Sound View has been working to reduce our carbon footprint, and ideas for what we can do at home. We still have a long way to go as an organization, but we are trying to improve every day!
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Idea #2: Today is International Coastal Cleanup Day. Sound View staff cleaned up our beach and found all the trash that is pictured here... Let's go beyond not littering and think about what we're putting into landfills in the first place. We can look for alternatives to plastic and Styrofoam, such as using reusable water bottles and grocery bags, bringing our own takeout containers to restaurants, and buying in bulk!

Sound View reduced our use of disposable plates, cups, and utensils over the summer during our waterfront barbecue day. It is definitely more work to transport the washable plates and utensils up the hill to wash, but we're stoked to be stewards of Creation!

Idea 1

Outdoor Environmental Education Director Nancyrose is in Seattle supporting the Global Climate Strike! Now through September 27, we will be sharing ways that Sound View has been working to reduce our carbon footprint, and ideas for what people can do at home. We still have a long way to go as an organization, but we are trying to improve every day!

Idea #1: Make your voice heard! Let leaders know that you care about climate change and our planet's future.

New Tent-Cabins

We wanted to take a moment to update everyone on the Tent to Cabin Conversion Campaign that took place last fall. Many of you may have seen the incredible changes when dropping campers off this summer, but we want to share this news with everyone! Thank you to those who donated - you will be receiving a thank you letter and your incentive gifts within the next week.

With the nearly $40,000 contributed, along with a loan from the Presbytery of Olympia, we were able to remodel four of our platform tents into cabins with sides made of heavy-duty reinforced vinyl, and a wooden front with a real door. The new tent-cabins keep the insects out and will be able to be heated in the fall and spring months, allowing us to expand our capacity. Converting the tents into cabins created a higher ceiling which gives a positive feeling of more space. New bunk beds finished off the remodel, allowing them to comfortably sleep twelve people instead of ten, with room to spare for a table in the middle!

Summer campers and their families raved over the new cabins. Counselors and campers enjoyed playing cards at the tables and hanging out on the porches on hot days. These new porches also allowed a place for staff to sit outside with homesick campers in the evening, so as not to disturb the rest of the cabin. The family campers, retreat groups, and schools that have used the new cabins so far love them, and are looking forward to a time when we will have all of the cabins remodeled!

Thanks again for your support of Sound View as we work on building capacity and improving our facilities. Your donations help keep us financially sustainable and able to serve more young people for years into the future.

It's a good feeling

As I write this, I am on the way to the mainland from Anderson Island … off to church. The wind is blowing and the rain is falling.

It is a really good feeling when Sound View's waterfront is buttoned up for the off-season. We experience relative calm in the summer weeks but really, Drayton Passage can be very rough especially when the wind is coming from the south. Wind waves and high tides move beach pebbles further ashore and even into the paddle shed.

It is good to know that the big floating pier is safely moored in the lagoon, the volleyball court is taken down, boats are stored upside down, and float lines are ashore hanging up.

Nancyrose and James moving the dock into the lagoon

I am not asking for big storms but at least we can weather them better.

PLEASE - Help Us Weather the Lean Months

We have mostly prepared Sound View for fall/winter and, as usual for this time of year, are worried about the lean months ahead. We are looking to bolster our SOUND VIEW FUND to help us keep up the good work and prepare for the busy season of 2020.

One hundred acres of woods, fields, farm, waterfront and numerous buildings is truly a handful to maintain. Sure - in the summer we have able-bodied college kids to help with the everyday tasks of keeping Sound View looking and functioning well - but, this time of the year we have only three staff members to do the work and deal with what nature hands out.

We do offer retreats into the late-fall which provides some income for salaries and maintenance needs but it is never quite enough. This is why we rely on contributions to the Sound View Fund to help us make ends meet . Every little bit helps and recurring donations (tax deductible) are easily set up. With your help we can -

• Tend the garden,

• Repair boats,

• Feed the animals,

• Paint,

• Deal with fallen trees,

• Fix buildings,

• Replace mattresses,

• Change batteries in dozens of smoke detectors,

• Maintain and widen trails,

• Water seal decks and stoops,

• Keep our year-round staff employed,

• Fill potholes,

• Pay dues,

• Print brochures,

• Replace equipment,

• and perform countless tasks required to keep Sound View the amazing place that it is.

So please - consider the SOUND VIEW FUND into your annual giving. This ministry means so much to so many and can really use your help.

Summer boredom should not be an option

Seriously!  Summer has just begun! Is your child this bored already?

Well then, send ‘em to CAMP!

Did you know that a FULL WEEK (7 days - 6 nights) of overnight (sleep-away) camp at Sound View is less than $400?  Yes - that’s right - and it includes……

• Tasty meals and snacks - not your typical camp food

• Awesome, talented  leaders and role models who are trained to provide the campers with the best experience possible.

• A hundred acres of woodlands, fields, and waterfront to play -  but not gazillions of campers. We like to keep our numbers less than 100 so we can get to know everybody.

• A totally “unplugged” atmosphere in the out-of-doors. 

• Archery and paintball.

• Canoeing, kayaking, polar bear plunge and corcling. (Only Sound View has corcls and we LOVE our corcl games).  We are on a sandy beach on Puget Sound.

• Arts, Crafts, Music.  (Come, learn to play the ukulele - it’s easy)

• Sports and games.

• High ropes course and zip line.  (Challenge by choice - way up in the trees)

• A mini farm and garden to tend. Come, take care of our sheep, goats, turkeys, chickens, and one lovable llama.

• Crazy evening games, campfires, and s’mores (of course!).

• All sorts of fun things to do with the friends you bring and new ones who you’ve just met.

• Optional shuttle from Olympia, Tacoma, Puyallup, Tukwila, and Seattle.

Looking Back

We tend to take pictures of the water at our amazing waterfront. However, the other day after putting away the boats on the dock, I was “drawn” to the view looking back.

Looking back from the end of the pier. One can either go off to the right back to the paddle shed and the waterfront field - or they can venture straight up the stairs to shaded, quiet places. Sometimes, the gulls perch along the rail daring you to disturb their resting time.

When you choose to go straight, you encounter these stairs. Every now and then, we try to control the moss and foliage growing on the steps - not too much however, they are pretty in a rugged, semi-neglected way.

I love this cedar tree. You encounter it after climbing the stairs. Of all the trees at Sound View, I believe this one deserves an Entish name. It is a good tree to sit under to enjoy the breezes which waft up from the Sound.

And the road (trail) goes ever on and on. This one continues up to the ropes course taking a dark, scenic, wooded way. One can imagine natives using this path to portage their canoes to the other side of the Peninsula to avoid the stormy Devil’s Head.

Float Plan for Expedition

I am so excited about this year’s Expedition program!

From Sunday to Wednesday, the Expedition campers will be living at the waterfront and following a unique schedule of learning camping basics - including outdoor cooking, planning and packing, taking canoe day trips, after-hours campfire talks, high ropes, paintball, and even a little bicycle repair.

Anderson Island is a perfect place to explore by bicycle.

On Wednesday, with their gear sensibly packed in panniers, they will venture off towards Anderson Island but this time take a north-easterly course towards Ostso Point, near Eagle Island. They will beach their canoes at the point and move their panniers to bicycles waiting for them on the Island. They will bike about a mile to the campground and set up their base.

From the base camp, they will be able to explore Anderson Island safely on their bicycles and visit the three fresh-water swimming holes, Johnson Farm, and other points of interest on the Island’s quiet roads. They will daily need to visit the Island General Store to purchase some food and supplies - working together to transport what is needed by bicycle back to the base camp. At night - campfires, storytelling, devotions - and maybe some special guests from Anderson Island Young Life.

On Friday, they will break camp and pedal back to the canoes. After a short trip to explore Eagle Island (a state park), they will paddle back to Sound View in time for the Friday beach party and closing campfire.

Expedition is not wilderness camping. The campground on Anderson Island is quite nice with grassy fields and hot showers. Instead, the program is designed for “tweens” and teens to go a bit past their comfort zones and accept a little more responsibility for the good of the group. It will be an experience to remember.

The Master Site Plan - Final

Our completed master plan map is now proudly on display in the dining hall. Beneath it are booklets to explain what this amazing map means. Orange dots represent existing structures whilst the red marks (there are a lot of them) would be new buildings.

This is the poster map which is displayed in the dining hall. You will have to zoom in a whole bunch to see the details and read the words.

We have the big map hanging in the dining hall to be a conversation-starter. The staff are always fielding questions about Sound View: Who owns it? What is the history? What else do you do? These questions are usually preceded with “We have had such a great time - this camp is so beautiful…” Our staff really enjoys working at Sound View and are anxious to share the master plan’s vision of the future. There is always the hope that a guest in the crowd could be the donor, mover, or shaker to help us along the way to a new lodge or program area.

It is also important to note that master plans do change. Trends change, building codes change, and what you see displayed may, or may not ever happen. However, it is wise to have a template for growth to refer to when opportunity knocks. Sound View has tremendous potential for youth/family ministry and environmental education. Naturally, the plan addresses growth in these areas - especially the need to build capacity to host larger groups which drive sustainability.

The Sound View Armada

The Sound View Waterfront looks across Drayton Passage towards Anderson Island.

One of my favorite times during a Sound View Camp summer day is “camper’s choice”. In the late afternoon, most of the camp is drawn to our amazing waterfront to explore beautiful Drayton Passage and the camp sand spit by boat.

As a not-so-young lifeguard, (and the boss), I take the cushy job of patrolling the perimeter in the speed boat so I can shepherd wayward craft back into the fold, or talk with and congratulate campers as they venture out to me, or occasionally rescue and right kayakers who forgot to negotiate waves head on.

“Corcls” are little, round, unsinkable boats

We have a lot of boats at camp and it is wonderful to see them all out at once. I always wonder what the passing boats are thinking when they see the splash of colorful canoes, kayaks, corcls, paddle boards, and safety boats swarming about. Maybe they hear the kids’ laughter first as sound carries very well over water. Most of the boats operating near camp are considerate enough to slow down and we appreciate that. We also enjoy the big boats operating far off - the ones who have no need to slow down - because their wake ends up as big waves for the fleet to practice surfing.

Our older kayaks will be replaced in 2020

Maintaining this large fleet is always a joy and a challenge but well worth it. The fact that camps such as ours integrate water safety with responsible, recreational boating surely helps prevent drowning accidents. Sound View serves as an excellent classroom for seamanship, small boat handling, and a paddling culture. We have a waterfront fund to keep this program up to date - to refresh paddles and PFDs especially.