Here we are at the last installment of What Watershed? Water Year 2026! And what better way to finish than with… the biggest watershed on Bainbridge Island- Bainbridge Island itself! Watersheds are totally scalable. From as small as a single creek to a continent, a watershed is simply an area of land on which falling rain channels into a common water body- so Bainbridge Island can absolutely be thought of as a watershed, because all of it drains into a common water body, Puget Sound.
Over the past 11 months, we’ve visited most of the major stream systems across Bainbridge Island, and learned about who lives there- not only all of us, but all the things we share our watersheds with, from fish to fungi, plants to predators, algae to invertebrates. We’ve talked a lot about the many ways we can work together, as individuals, organizations, and a community to make sure our watersheds continue to provide clean and sustainable water for all of us, particularly in the face of a changing climate. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about our Island watersheds, and if you’ve missed any of the installments from our year, you can find them all on the Watershed Council’s outreach and education page. Thanks for coming along with us- I hope this journey has inspired you to get out and enjoy our watersheds!