The Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society educates the community about the Garry oak tree. We maintain the native plant garden at Smith Park so that the public can enjoy many species of local plants, including the Garry Oak. Our members work closely with the Oak Harbor Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission to assist in the development of interpretive signs at Smith Park and at Windjammer Park, and other signage to increase Garry oak learning opportunities. The society maintains this website providing a wealth of free information to anyone interested to learn. We also work hand in hand with local schools on Whidbey Island to educate students about the Garry oak through oak planting events, and provide a generous scholarship to Oak Harbor High School seniors.
Oak Harbor High School – Senior Student Scholarship
Scholarship Amount: $200 – $1,000. The amount will be determined by vote of the board and will be based on the level that recipient meets or exceed the minimum criteria as well as OHGOS’ financial position at the time of voting.
Scholarship Criteria: Senior; 3.0+ GPA; Must be a member of OHGOS in good standing for a minimum of 1 year prior to scholarship; Must have attended 6 monthly OHGOS general meetings; Must have volunteered 12 hours towards OHGOS activities or other Garry oak tree supporting activities on Whidbey Island with other conservation groups or organizations such as the City of Oak Harbor, School District, Navy, etc. A minimum of 6 of the required volunteer hours must be toward OHGOS activities.
Anna Servatius – Class of 2024
Ben Servatius – Class of 2022
Zachary Badaouie – Class of 2021
Autumn Coker – Class of 2019
Smith Park Native Plant Garden
The Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society has committed to preserve and enhance the landscaping and educational elements in Smith Park – the very first park Oak Harbor acquired in 1916.
Society volunteers began by weeding and mulching the garden beds on the north side of the park. With generous community support, additional native plants were added. It’s amazing how many native plant species you can enjoy in this park! Society volunteers worked with the city to install a multi-panel interpretive sign in the park that includes IDs for native plants you can find in the park. Early spring is a great time to visit the park when the wildflowers are in bloom, but there’s always something neat to look at anytime of year. If you would like to volunteer to work in the park, please get in touch with us!
Garry Oak Planting and Education for Oak Harbor Students
Our children are the future. We are working to have Garry oaks included in school curriculums to educate future generations about our living heritage. So far we have been invited in a number of classrooms to teach about Garry oaks, and to plant either trees on the campus or acorns in pots to take home. We have also helped to bring partners together to facilitate educational field trips to Smith Park, Oak Harbor’s Garry oak arboretum park and living classroom. To lay the foundation for official oak curriculum adoption in the future, we have donated Garry oak age-appropriate books and lesson plans for every Oak Harbor school library.
If you are an educator and would like us to visit your classroom or looking for ideas on how to incorporate Garry oaks into your curriculum, please get in touch!
Garry Oak Books and Educational Resources for Schools
In collaboration with school librarians, books were selected and donated for students K-12 to enhance literacy and learning about oaks in general and focusing on Garry oak conservation. They give students ideas on how they can help our native oaks and inspire care for our shared environment. We supplied each school in Oak Harbor with two copies of each book, one for general library checkout and one professional copy to be available for teachers. Each school was also provided with one copy of the Garry Oak Educator’s Guide. Schools selected to receive the books are the six elementary schools, including the two private elementary schools, the Intermediary School, Middle School, and High School.
We were also able to fund quality wood specimen boxes with clear lids and divided sections in order to provide each school with a collection of Garry oak specimens. Examples of specimens provided are Garry oak acorns and caps, leaves, stems, mosses and lichens, small cross sections of wood, etc. These boxes introduce real-life oak tree and ecosystem elements to the lesson to help bring the learning to life for the students.
A huge thank you to Island Thrift for contributing funding for this project!
Community Essay Contest
As part of our 2016 Arbor Day celebration and in collaboration with the Whidbey News Times, the Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society held a Garry oak essay contest. Participants were encouraged to write about their favorite Garry oak tree and why they would like to plant a tree. Each of the five winners received a ten year old Garry oak sapling that have all been planted on Whidbey Island. Thank you to everyone who participated and shared their passion for the Garry oak, we loved reading your submissions!
Continue Exploring the Society’s Work
