By Russell Rolffs. This article first appeared in the The Washington Island Observer. Winter evenings are best spent sitting near the stove and...
Winter is for planning and reflecting on the land
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News and Updates
Who is Gathering Ground? (Island mailer)
Hello Neighbors! We are Gathering Ground – the nonprofit that now manages the former Lyons vineyard on Lake View and Airport. We want to say hello...
Building a Pavilion
Gathering Ground is excited about building a pavilion that will serve as a site for our educational programs and as an outdoor classroom to augment...
Baa Baa Baa — Sheep at Gathering Ground!
In April, 2020, we will be welcoming six White Dorper hair sheep to Gathering Ground. We couldn't be more excited. A big part of our motivation is...
The Chestnut Orchard
2019 was an exciting year for the chestnut orchard. We planted 70 additional chestnut trees, bringing the total to 100 trees. It was very promising...
Community Compost
We will begin to accept compost materials at a new three-bin collection site located at Gathering Ground. Stay tuned for more information in the...
2019 in the vineyard
It was a year of challenges in the vineyard. The grapes had a hard time ripening due to the cold spring, and the lack of heat and sunlight made for...
The Understory on Butternuts
Did you know that butternut trees were once one of the most common trees growing in the understory of the forests on Washington Island? The wood is...
Raised Beds at the Island School
This spring, Gathering Ground will be working with Jessica Dennis at the Island School to get some early season vegetables sprouting up in the...
Vineyard: Update 2019
–Our goal is to grow grapes using low environmental impact management. Success with organic management starts with variety selection, and so, in...