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Shelton-Mason County Journal
WHAT'SCOOKIN'
Former executive the projects we're working
on," she said.
director will join United aruber has always
worked with service orga-
Way ofTh nizations such as United
urston County Way, she said.
don't have any other
By NATALIE JOHNSON experience," she said. "My
work needs to have mean-
Friends and coworkers gave Jeannie Gr- ing. It needs to be based
uber a warm send-off last Thursday when Jeannie on helping people."
she left her post as the executive director of Gruber Gruber said several
United Way of Mason County. projects stand out from
Gruber left her position of just over three her years at United Way
years to accept a job as the director of the of Mason County. Ultimately, she said en-
retired and senior volunteer program at couraging communication between service
United Way of Thurston County. groups was one of her major accomplish-
Gruber said she has mixed feelings about ments.
moving on to the larger United Way office, "A year and a half ago we started having
but is excited about the new work she can a community services group meeting once a
do with the organization, month," she said. "We recognized a need for
"It feels exciting because there's a lot of the service providers ... to get together and
hope, but sad because I don't want to leave address community issues."
Together, the groups participating in these
discussions have talked about most effective
ways to provide services without doubling up
on scme services and neglecting others.
"We built a lot of partnerships and re-
lationships that wouldn't have been there
otherwise," Gruber said. "It also helps be-
cause some of the providers serve the same
clients."
In such small and close-knit communi:
ties, communication is vital, she said.
"You don't do anything alone out here,"
she said.
During Gruber's time as executive direc-
tor, United Way also restarted an older pro-
gram - the asset building coalition, which
is designed to help low-income people save
money through financial literacy programs.
"We try to buoy our working poor," she
Said.
In a similar effort, United Way is now
participating in a national program called
"bank on," which creates programs for peo-
ple with no bank accounts.
In Mason County the program repre-
sents a collaboration between many agen-
cies including United Way, Our Commu-
nity Credit Union, Habitat for Humanity,
Mason County Literacy and Mason County
Homeless Shelter.
"This would enable them to cash checks -
it encourages them to save," she said.
In Thurston County, Gruber will help
recruit senior and retired volunteers and
set them up with programs tailored to their
skills and experience.
While she will be based in Thurston
County, Gruber said the work will not keep
her out of Mason County.
• "My territory will be Thurston, Mason
and Lewis ... this is a big job," she said. "I'll
still be able to work in Mason County."
Gruber said that she has specific ideas
for programs with United Way, but also has
See Gruber on page 8-2
A new
HARST[NEISLANDNEWS
batch of
Master
Gardeners
Larger number
of Mason County
residents taking
up seeds, plants
By NATALIE JOHNSON
Wayward weeds, roots
and seeds beware - there
are new Master Gardeners
in town.
The Mason County Mas-
ter Gardener program,
founded by Washington
State University in 1973,
welcomed a new batch of 20
students to the first class of
its annual four-month pro-
gram on Friday.
During their first class,
which took place at the
Pioneer Primary School's
greenhouse, students
learned about propogat-
ing, or making new plants,
said program coordinator
Jeanne Rehwaldt.
"Most people think
seeds," she said. "We're do-
ing cuttings ... We're also
doing divisions of plants."
This year, more students
than usual are from North
Mason, Rehwaldt said, aid-
ing in the program's cur-
rent and future Belfair
projects. Half of the pro-
gram's classes take place in
North Mason, and half in
the south end of the county,
she said.
Throughout the next sev-
eral months students will
meet at many different lo-
cations throughout Mason
County, from the Pacific
Northwest Salmon Center
in Belfair for a class on soil
one week to Mason County
Public Works for water
quality workshops or Lake
Isabella for fruit tree prun-
ing classes.
Many of Mason County's
Master Gardeners took the
class simply wishing to
meet friends and learn a bit
more about gardening, but
now hold leadership roles
in the organization.
Rehwaldt took the class
in 1997 and by 1999 was its
program coordinator.
Karen King took the
class two years ago and
now helps teach the Mas-
ter Gardener courses and
helps with the nutrition
See Gardener on page B=2
ABOVE: Master
Gardener Lou
Schmidt teaches
students at last
Friday's Master
Gardener class at
the Pioneer Primary
School greenhouse.
BELOW: Master
Gardener Pat
Carpenter
demonstrates how to
propogate different
kinds of plants.
JOurnal photos by Natalie Johnson
Thursday,
September 22,
How did
Harstine
• Island get
its nam ?
I'm not sure what it is, but with
the change of weather, things on the
island have quieted down. It's so quiet
in fact that there just isn't much island
news. Consequently, this allows me to
explore a question I've had since moving
to the island -- just who was this Henry
J. Hartstein guy anyway? As most know,
there has been much discussion about
the spelling of Harstine Island and I
don't want to get into
that.
When Lt.
Charles Wilkes
cruised through
the south sound he
was captain of a
ship named the Por-
poise. He was charged
with surveying the
MIKE area. When he dis-
CALLAGHAN covered Harstine and
Stretch Islands the
two men he named
them after were not aboard. Wilkes
named the two islands after these men
because of their courage on an earlier
voyage.
I am going to take a passage from
Charles Wilkes' book "Narrative of the
U.S. Exploring Expedition, Volume
1." There on page 144 you will find an
explanation as to what these two men
did. It was written in 1845 and some of
the grammar shows that. It's kinda neat
to know that Hartstein was such a brave
soul.
"March 17th we had light winds from
the eastward, and a smooth sea, with
delightful weather. There was, however,
a heavy bank cumuli to the southwest-
ward and after a few hours' calm, the
wind came from that quarter and began
to blow fresh, accompanied with heavy
squalls. We did not succeed that night in
reaching New Island, where it was my
intention to have anchored and rode out
the gale. We in consequence found our-
selves the next morning 30 miles to the
eastward of our position of the previous
evening, having drifted at the rate of 3
miles an hour. From appearances, I in-
ferred that the gale had set in for several
days; I therefore determined to make for
Good Success Bay and await the break-
ing up of the storm ....
'Tee anchored in the bay early in the
afternoon, when we took our boats and
went on shore for a few hours. There was
but little surf when we landed, but it
rapidly increased, and one of the boats in
attempting to pass through it filled
See Harstine on page B-2
2011 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page B-1