March 4-11 is AmeriCorps Week. Since 1997 SFEG has been fortunate to have one or more members of one or more branches of AmeriCorps serving to complete salmon habitat restoration and community engagement programs in the Skagit and Samish River watersheds.
KayLani Siplin and Taylor Schmuki
This year KayLani Siplin, serving through Washington Service Corps, is teaching local youth about salmon habitat and engaging them in service-learning projects to cultivate a sense of stewardship of our natural world.
Casey Costello, from WCC year 2011-12
Taylor Schmuki, serving through Washington Conservation Corps, is coordinating our native plant nursery and assisting our field staff with on-the-ground salmon habitat restoration projects.
In addition, each year SFEG employs the services of at least one Washington Conservation Corps crew of 6 individuals and others to help implement salmon habitat restoration projects throughout our project boundaries. Since 1997 no fewer than 36 young men and women have passed through SFEG’s doors as AmeriCorps members, and many more as members of AmeriCorps crews. Four of those were subsequently hired on as SFEG staff. In that time, they have potted and planted hundreds of thousands of native plants, counted thousands of spawning salmon, engaged thousands of people in stewardship, and much more. SFEG and many other nonprofits around the country
Mitch Biggs, WCC crew leader, shows that it’s not all glamorous work!
simply could not have done all that we have without them!
Katie Lutz, WSC 2011-12
Bowman Bay Volunteer Party May 9th
For about 5 years, SFEG has worked with partners like Washington State Parks and Northwest Straits Foundation to help restore rearing beach habitat at Bowman Bay. Thanks to our many volunteers, hundreds of trees, shrubs, and native beach grasses have been planted and now we need to maintain a good habitat for them to grow!
SFEG will be hosting monthly weeding parties through the summer from 10am-1pm to help give these plants a boost.
Join us at this beautiful site to help pull weeds, water plants and learn about some native beach plants.
Directions:
From Skagit County, follow Hwy 20 toward Oak Harbor; after Pass Lake turn right on Rosario Road, at the sign for Deception Pass State Park. Then, take the first left onto Bowman Bay Road and follow the signs for parking. Parking is limited; please carpool.
Click here for more information about this project.
Click here for more information about Bowman Bay.
Click here to check out our calendar for all our events.
With Blooming Plants Comes Blooming Volunteers
From the FieldThere’s a saying that goes “a harsh winter is always followed by spring.” What they don’t mention is with blooming plants comes blooming volunteers—ready and eager to work. This month we had two potting parties, along with weekly opportunities, for volunteers to come out and provide new homes for our baby plants. Despite rain, snow, and sleet, our volunteers stepped up to the challenge. Our first party started with a snow storm that turned into a sunny day; while the second party it rained the whole time. Still, we had record breaking numbers for the nursery. In March we had a total of 79 volunteers donating over 200 hours of work, potted 3,085 plants, built 18 capillary beds, staked 228 willows, and helped re-organize more than half of the nursery. Along with that, we had some great characters at the parties that prove anyone can help make a difference.
From Sedro-WoolleyHigh School students , Crown Distributing, Harvest Vision Ministries, to SFEG regulars, every single volunteer proved that anyone can give a baby planta new home. We had a volunteer who potted her very first plant to one who did their thousandth. There were kids pulling wheelbarrows twice their size and sometimes they would let one of our more mature volunteers assist them. Families brought their kids to teach the importance of service and kids spent their time trying to explain to adults how to pot. Crown boys were tossing pots without dropping a speck of soil and high school students left the day with their faces covered in mud. We even had one of our Dick Knight Award winners showing us his dance moves in one of our capillary beds. In fact, I had one volunteer messing around with me who just kept saying, “I just don’t want to let you down Taylor. I just want to make you proud.” Well, I am very proud and super grateful to all our volunteers for their help. What a perfect manifestation of what spring is really about: new life, new growth, and a little more sunshine in our lives.
By Taylor Schmuki
Shout out to AmeriCorps!
From the FieldMarch 4-11 is AmeriCorps Week. Since 1997 SFEG has been fortunate to have one or more members of one or more branches of AmeriCorps serving to complete salmon habitat restoration and community engagement programs in the Skagit and Samish River watersheds.
KayLani Siplin and Taylor Schmuki
This year KayLani Siplin, serving through Washington Service Corps, is teaching local youth about salmon habitat and engaging them in service-learning projects to cultivate a sense of stewardship of our natural world.
Casey Costello, from WCC year 2011-12
Taylor Schmuki, serving through Washington Conservation Corps, is coordinating our native plant nursery and assisting our field staff with on-the-ground salmon habitat restoration projects.
In addition, each year SFEG employs the services of at least one Washington Conservation Corps crew of 6 individuals and others to help implement salmon habitat restoration projects throughout our project boundaries. Since 1997 no fewer than 36 young men and women have passed through SFEG’s doors as AmeriCorps members, and many more as members of AmeriCorps crews. Four of those were subsequently hired on as SFEG staff. In that time, they have potted and planted hundreds of thousands of native plants, counted thousands of spawning salmon, engaged thousands of people in stewardship, and much more. SFEG and many other nonprofits around the country
Mitch Biggs, WCC crew leader, shows that it’s not all glamorous work!
simply could not have done all that we have without them!
Katie Lutz, WSC 2011-12