Orcas Island Youth Conservation Corps Begins New Season

— by Skylar Dalusio, Jackie Figueroa & Kayleigh Horton, with Mary Gropp —

Orcas Island Youth Conservation Corps, led by Mary Gropp and Phil Branch

A group of Orcas Island Middle and High School students have decided to dedicate part of their summer to helping their community by joining the Orcas Island Youth Conservation Corps. The OIYCC began our second season last week, and will be working every Wednesday and Thursday at various locations around the island through the rest of the summer.

On July 2 we gathered at Bob & Meg Connor’s property in Deer Harbor for tool training and orientation. While we were there, we learned about invasive plant species such as Himalayan blackberry and Scotch broom, and how to identify the two invasive thistles and our native thistle. We also toured the Cayou Lagoon estuary and the site of the proposed bridge replacement, and talked about habitat restoration. We ended our day by doing some invasive plant removal.

The next day we met at Buck Park, and helped the Orcas Island Parks and Rec program clean up the public park. We dug up and removed old posts, moved soccer goal cages and cleaned up trails. It took all 14 of us, plus two adults, to move the old soccer cages to the parking lot refuse pile.

We ended our week by joining in the Community Parade on Saturday, backed by the Bicycle Horse Brigade Marching Band. Watch for us around the island this summer, and stop and ask us about our work!