Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP) is hosting their annual fundraiser, Celebrate the Bounty of our Bays, on Feb. 29 at Pacific Restaurant. TEP will be sharing their 2019 Year in Review as well as hosting a happy hour, surf & turf dinner, and an extensive silent auction full of exclusive, outdoor activities like guided fishing trips, scenic hikes, and vacations to coastal resorts.
Executive Director Kristi Foster said the evening serves as TEP’s primary fundraiser, and the money raised helps the organization offer their educational programs to local students.
“We are a non-profit environmental organization so we rely largely on grants that we get from different agencies at both the state and federal level, but we are also looking for support from the community through donations and fundraising,” she said. “This community support helps us run some our other programs, specifically our Children’s Clean Water Festival and Down by the Creekside field trips.”
While TEP has existed in different forms over the last 26 years and didn’t become its own non-profit until 2002, they have always worked with different student groups to involve them in restoration projects around the county.
“We’ve had student groups help us with everything from putting wood chips down to planting trees along rivers and streams, and other stewardship activities that have impacted Hoquarton Slough, Alder Creek Farm, Kilchis Point and many other places that so many of us enjoy,” Foster said. “Education is a big piece of what we do every single day.”
On Feb. 29, you can join TEP for their 2019 Year in Review at 4 p.m. to learn more about the work they’re doing for all five watersheds, meet the staff, and ask questions.
Then, the ticketed event begins at 5 p.m. including a happy hour, silent auction and seafood dinner catered by Pacific Restaurant. The evening will continue with a cash bar after party from 8 – 9 p.m.
Tickets are $60 per person and include Surf & Turf dinner with two beer or wine tickets. Other drinks will be available for purchase at the bar. Limited tickets are available, and those interested are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance. You can purchase tickets online at www.tbnep.org.
In 2019, TEP hosted its first Celebrate the Bounty of the Bays fundraiser to honor the 25th anniversary of Tillamook Bay’s designation as a Bay of National Significance. Raising more than $29,000 to support clean water, healthy habitats and vibrant communities, the inaugural event was a great success. As TEP enters its 26th year, they look forward to the community joining in an even more engaging & exciting event.
The evening is made possible thanks to generous sponsors including: Visit Tillamook Coast; The Tillamook Headlight Herald; Near Space Corporation; Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks; the KTIL family of radio stations; Pacific Restaurant; Leatherman and Rainland Fly Casters. Pacific Seafood and Nehalem River Ranch are providing the “surf” and “turf” dinner options.
