In the coming week, representatives from the environmental organization Stewardship Partners will visit the island twice with information about their Salmon Safe certification program, part of an effort to get more island farms and other organizations to consider their environmental impact, not just on the island’s salmon streams, but on  Puget Sound in general.

With help from a grant from the King Conservation District, Stewardship Partners has already certified five island farms as Salmon Safe, meaning their practices protect water quality and fish habitat. Now, islander CC Stone is leading an effort to get more farms and other entities on Vashon certified. She has organized a community meeting for next Monday with Stewardship Partners, and Salmon Safe representatives will also be at this Saturday’s Farmers Market.

“I think that this is something that everyone can get on board with,” Stone said. “This could be a first step as a community to take care of the things that we treasure.”

Salmon Safe is a well established eco-label offered by an Oregon nonprofit of the same name. The Pacific Rivers Council of Oregon began the project of creating guidelines for land management practices in 1995, after researching and documenting the relationship between farmland management and stream health. Since then, the campaign has expanded to include vineyards, golf courses, urban developments and park systems, and has created a partner network of Salmon Safe certification organizations that extends from British Columbia to California. The organization has certified over 60,000 acres of agricultural and urban land, and the Salmon Safe brand can be seen on items in over 300 grocery stores.

Having already certified Plum Forest, Sun Island, Hogsback, Old Chaser and Pacific Crest farms on Vashon, the Stewardship Partners are returning to familiar territory. What’s new this time is Stone’s idea to get large, non-agricultural land holders on the island — specifically the park and school districts — interested in becoming certified as well.

Stone, a community activist who pays close attention to the Vashon Park District, learned about Salmon Safe after doing research about the potential environmental impact of large sports fields such as the new VES fields and their management. She said she would now like to see not only the fields, but as many farms and organizations as possible certified as Salmon Safe.

“This seemed like a good way to have a non-threatening discussion about how we as a community are dealing with the land we have and how that reflects our community values,” Stone said. “Can we find a way to make our maintenance programs more reflective of what we believe?”

Ellen Southard, who leads community outreach and development of municipal-wide programs for Stewardship Partners, said she believes Salmon Safe certification is important for both rural and urban land management, as both can contribute to the overall health of the ecosystem. She said salmon are considered an indicator species, meaning if salmon are not doing well, the rest of the ecosystem is in trouble as well.

“By meeting Salmon Safe standards, a landowner is ultimately protecting all habitat, including their own,” she said. “Bees, for example, gain as much benefit as salmon from the work done for certification, and we need bees if we want to continue to feed ourselves.”

According to Salmon Safe, getting certified can involve a variety of different management practices, depending on each site and its purpose. For example, certification for wine growers focuses on reducing water runoff from hillside vineyards and enhancing native biodiversity. For farmers, the concentration of livestock per acre is one factor, as is as pest management strategy. But as a rule, certification requires practices that protect water quality and restore habitat. For non-agricultural sites, this can include factors such as site design and pollution prevention.

Joe Yarkin, who owns Sun Island Farm on Maury Island with his wife Celina, said they were interested in having their farm certified as Salmon Safe particularly because it’s near Quartermaster Harbor and drains into a documented salmon-bearing stream. He said their farm met almost all of Salmon Safe’s standards already, but they had to make a couple small changes and document their practices.

“We did what we needed to do to have the farm certified because it was a good way to check ourselves and how we fit into the ecology of the local streams and water sources,” he said.

Yarkin will speak about his experience at Monday’s meeting and said he would like to see more farms or entities get certified, including the Vashon Golf & Swim Club, which has a large golf course close to his farm.

“Everything that happens on this island, because of its importance beyond our own streams, makes a difference,” he said. “Organizations like the park and school districts and the golf course control a lot of land here, and if we’re all on the same page, say, as far as pesticide use goes, it all helps the overall health of the sound.”

Southard agrees.

“Our mission is the health of Puget Sound, and we’re here as a resource,” she said. “Every single site counts.”

The Salmon Safe certification process is different for urban sites — such as schools, fields or golf courses — than it is for agricultural areas. Alex Ko, Salmon Safe and special projects manager for Stewardship Partners, said that the costs for the certification of Vashon farms have been primarily covered by the King Conservation grant, something that is not available to the non-agricultural sites. There are also retail benefits to being certified for farmers and winery owners, as they are able to use the Salmon Safe label on their goods, which could attract certain consumers.

Southard noted that Stewardship Partners work with their urban and non-farming sites for five years, offering support throughout the certification process and beyond, and do their best to help find funding whenever possible.

“The costs vary due to acreage and the level and scope of agency involvement,” she said.

She also noted that Salmon Safe certification can result in multiple benefits, aside from the direct benefit to salmon, including public credibility, saving on chemical costs and utilities, water quality protection, reduced water consumption, possible eligibility for grants or incentives and credit toward being certified in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) program.

Stone has communicated with officials from both the park and school districts about her effort. She says that both districts have been receptive to learning more about the Salmon Safe program, and both committed to sending representatives to the meeting.

Elaine Ott, executive director of the Vashon Park District, said she likes the idea and wants to learn more about what it would take to get the district’s properties certified.

“I am really looking forward to hearing about the strategies that are possible,” she said. “We don’t know much about it yet, but the purpose of the meeting is to find out.”

Ott went on to explain that two meetings ago, the park district voted to adopt a new mission statement that includes preserving the island’s natural and built environment through sustainable stewardship. Ott herself has an extensive background in sustainability practices, including having written a climate action plan for the city of Tacoma.

“I have real passion about this and am very excited about what this might open up for us,” she said, also noting that the biggest issue for any organization will be the costs.

“The park district has studied this a bit,” she said. “Adopting sustainable practices can be costly, and it takes time to transition into them.”

Stone is hopeful that Salmon Safe could be the way to find the funds.

“Broad community support and involvement is a better way to go than acting individually, for many reasons,” she said. “We just need a clear path that everyone can get behind.”

The Salmon Safe information meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, at the Vashon Library.