Did you know that Garry Oaks (also called white oaks) are the oak trees Oak Harbor is named for? Did you know that Whidbey Island savannah is the ideal habitat for Garry Oak trees and the oak trees there were once part of a much larger ecosystem stretching from British Columbia to California? Today only a few older Garry Oak trees grow in a very small park called Smith Park near old downtown Oak Harbor. The rest were chopped down to build buildings, homes, furniture or to burn for heat. Dedicated ecosystem restoration idealists wish to bring back a healthy ecosystem in which Garry Oak are a keystone tree species. Join Sound Water Stewards at 10:30 am on Monday, September 11 via Zoom to hear Dr. Robert Pelant and Jim Peskuric describe the oak planting and restoration work at Pacific Rim Institute on Whidbey Island and their needs for more volunteers to help restore the Garry Oak ecosystem. Find the zoom link at https://soundwaterstewards.org/event/monthly-member-meeting-sep11-2023/