By Sarah Brown
Stewardship Program Manager

Community Work Parties are the perfect place to reconnect to nature, steward the land and waterways around us, and meet others. This spring, we hosted 20 work parties across Whatcom County at 14 sites along 11 different salmon-bearing creeks, including the celebration of Earth Day.

The theme for Earth Day 2022, a day of global support for environmental action, was centered around preserving and protecting our health, our families, our livelihoods, and working to “Invest in Our Planet”. In this region, investing in our planet means investing in salmon, an irreplaceably important component of local ecosystems and cultures. Partnering with the Whatcom Land Trust, we hosted an Earth Day Community Work Party along California Creek where 156 people planted 700 willows and removed Himalayan blackberry from the riparian area. We ended the event with a raffle of prizes from both organizations, Backcountry Essentials, and Patagonia!

In total, we had 678 volunteers dedicate 1,979 hours to planting 2,653 native trees and shrubs, removing 8,560 pounds of invasive vegetation, and improving over one mile of streamside habitat. Volunteers continue to inspire and motivate us with their passion and work ethic. One community member shared what stood out to them about their experience - “What a spirited and fun morning! …Probably my favorite part of my day was watching the snowberry plants emerge right before my eyes as I whacked away at the blackberry branches in front of me.”

These events would be impossible without amazing partnerships. Thank you to BP, City of Bellingham, City of Ferndale, Cloud Mountain Farm Center, Whatcom Conservation District, Whatcom Land Trust, and private landowners that helped organize these opportunities. Thanks to Backcountry Essentials, the Community Food Co-op, Patagonia, and Tony’s Coffee for in-kind donations that made these events special. And thank you to the organizations and businesses that supported us through funding like BP, ERM, Phillips 66, and through direct participation – BP, Bellingham Technical College, Boys and Girls Scouts, Environmental Resource Management, Kohl’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Sustainable Connections, Western Washington University, and more!

Initiated in 2018, Washington State Legislature created a proviso to support climate science in education. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in partnership with the University of Washington offered grants to host “ClimeTime” professional development for teachers focused on Next Generation Science Standards, climate science, outdoor education strategies and an increased emphasis on traditional ecological knowledge through indigenous partnerships.

Four partner organizations, Common Threads, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, RE Sources, and Wild Whatcom, have joined together four years in a row to provide teacher professional development opportunities focused on bringing local climate change phenomena-based lessons to teachers of Whatcom County. This project, through the ClimeTime network, maximized the strengths and expertise of several community-based organizations while utilizing existing programming and relationships with school districts and teachers. Our unique approach provided teachers a multi session opportunity to build their science teaching practices during supported interactions outdoors on school grounds working with area tribal partners. Through assessment data teachers continue to report positive changes about their knowledge, behavior, and attitudes about putting outdoor learning and climate science into action in their classrooms.

This most recent year 49 teachers (K-8th grade) from Whatcom County participated with 98% of teachers reporting they feel increased confidence for incorporating climate science into their classroom after the training. Highlights included NSEA educators leading teachers through a tag game about marine food webs, connecting eel grass, salmon, and Orca whales. Tribal partners shared local resources of how to incorporate storytelling into ecological education, and expertise from the state shared how to connect resources with state science standards. 100% of teachers plan to use the outdoors in their lessons after attending and 100% would recommend to other educators.

Funding from OSPI will continue to evolve this project to serve teachers in the 2022-23 school year bringing more field based professional development to Whatcom County teachers. This will ultimately benefit students understanding of the effects of climate change locally and design solutions to take action through their educational experience at school.