WOWTA - a community event for years to come

Photo by Dorrena Ortega

Third Annual “Where Our Wild Things Are” Backyard Habitat Tour:

A Community Event This Year and for Years to Come

By Jennifer Rotermund, Habitat Steward and WOWTA Tour Coordinator

Photos by Dorrena Ortega

Last month’s Third Annual “Where Our Wild Things Are” (WOWTA) Backyard Habitat Tour took place on one of those perfect weather days that we Northwesterners look forward to all year.

Photo by Dorrena Ortega

Enjoyed by over 150 people, this year’s tour was made possible by a generous financial gift from our local Whidbey Island Bank, a partnership with Highland Terrace Elementary School which allowed us the use of their parking lot as a starting point, and an incredible community of volunteers.

The original core organizing team of volunteers (Afia Menke, Ann Erickson, Barbara Guthrie, Dan Thielman, Jennifer Rotermund, Judy Griesel, Krista Tenney, Loren Alexanian and Nan Skinner) happily took on giving their time for yet another year to put together this tour because it is so much fun to do (and there is always room on the team - please join us!).

Photo by Dorrena Ortega

Photographers Dorrena and Pax Ortega have generously donated their time, skill and photos each year, as WOWTA’s official photographers.

This year’s hosts (Judy Griesel and Grant Harken, Shirley Sidell, Larry and Sue Cook, Breen Lorenz, Claudia and Bill Turner, and Leslie Vietmeier) generously opened their habitats to the public for the day.

Photo by Dorrena Ortega

Our educators (Cass Turnbull, Erin McConkey, Michelle Bundy, Constance Perenyi, Zsofia Pasztor, Holly Kennel, Libby Fiene, John Ruby, and Nan Skinner), stationed at each site and giving free information, instruction and advice, made the tour not only fun and inspiring but sent attendees home with ways to create or enhance their own backyard habitats.

In essence, WOWTA is not only becoming a tradition in Shoreline, but it is developing a community - one that supports wildlife and a healthy environment as much as it supports each other.

Photo by Dorrena Ortega

Next year’s WOWTA Tour will take place on Saturday, July 13, 2013. Between now and then the organizing team will be selecting and introducing you to the next set of host habitats and educators as well as further expanding our efforts for protecting wildlife habitat and sustainable gardening. If you have an interest related to these topics please let us know and please join our fun WOWTA community! You can contact us by email and find us on Facebook by searching: WOWTA (Where Our Wild Things Are).