The Diary of an Intern, Big Kid, and Future College Graduate

By: Jackie Wenala, Education Intern

I never really knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. And now I’m still just a curious kid, who makes flower crowns whenever they see daisies, who makes terrible puns, and who asks “why?” all the time. I’m definitely that kid that asks, “What kind of tree is that?”, and, “what is a slough, exactly?” I mean that literally. I really asked those to the other interns and staff last week. I’m also a university student, so I get to learn all the time. My favorite classes are the ones with field trips though, cause I get to go outside and collect data in a lake or a stream or a forest, all probably while getting rained on or swarmed by bugs. Definitely the best way to spend a Wednesday afternoon. Honestly what makes it worth it are those moments where I go, “oh, so that’s why.”

Most of what I do as the new education intern is help with visits to classrooms to teach kids about salmon and restoration, as well as go on field trips, which (like the kids) is my favorite part. I have gone to creeks to release little baby salmon, pulled ivy, and led games with kids. Though I get to tell kids what I know about salmon and what they need in the environment, I also get to hear other people talk about our environment. So far I learned how to identify twinberry and alder trees, and when out on a field trip, I asked what kind of tree I was looking at, which is how I learned that my new favorite tree is quaking aspen. When I visit elementary schools, the students surprise me with their interest in salmon and their interest in what I do. One student asked about how and why I got to be there, standing in front of them, answering their questions. That was the toughest question I’ve ever gotten from an elementary student. I mean, where do I start? Their curiosity and intelligence was truly inspiring, and now I feel like answering their questions was the reason why I was there.

When people ask me, “What are you doing after you graduate?” it’s hard to answer. Of course what they really want to know is what job or career I’m pursuing, but I just want to keep learning about nature. But you know, without all the tests and paying thousands of dollars. I never really knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. Not that I really know now. But learning something new every day feels like it’s getting me a little closer. And now as an intern, I can spend time trying to learn a few new things, and maybe even passing on what I’ve learned, so that others can be just as curious about the world as me. And that will surely take me somewhere closer to answering the question of what I’m going to if I ever grow up.

May 8, 2018/by Oncorhynchus

Vegetation Monitoring Workshop

Are you interested in volunteering for us? Are you interested in plants or restoration projects? Come help us monitor our restoration plantings!

This workshop is a mandatory training for all volunteers and it will help prepare you for the monitoring season! But there is no obligation to volunteer if you attend the workshop.

Volunteers will learn both native and invasive plant ID during the class. In addition to a PowerPoint presentation, volunteers will test their skills by identifying plants that come from the SFEG Native Plant Nursery. The monitoring portion of the class will teach volunteers about SFEG field protocols, including percent cover, transect data collection, and health ratings. In the afternoon volunteers will practice their skills at an SFEG planting along Carey’s Slough in west Hamilton.

You must bring your own lunch, but we will be providing light refreshments. Please dress for the weather, we will spend half our time outside.

This workshop is FREE and a really great opportunity to gain more plant knowledge.

We also welcome those who are just interested in the workshop! There is no obligation to volunteer!

If you have questions, you may contact Kelsey Taylor at:

ktaylor@skagitfisheries.org

or

(360)336-0172

You must RSVP to attend. Contact: outreach@skagitfisheries.org

May 1, 2018/0 Comments/by Oncorhynchus

Earth Day Celebration

Earth Day @ Edgewater Park

Now is the time to celebrate the earth by doing some good work! This year’s Earth Day Celebration will be at Edgewater Park in downtown Mount Vernon.

We will be improving a walking path along the Skagit River which will help keep foot traffic away from a 3 year old restoration site as well as provide a better way to access the park to residents. Don’t know how to do any trail maintenance? No problem! We will have well-trained staff to help you along the way.

Invasive plant species have wreaked havoc on the park for a very long time. Invasive species are very good at taking over areas by pushing out our native plants. They do not, however, have any good impacts on our salmon habitat and need to go. We will be removing English Ivy, which is can actually be fun to remove when you roll it up into a burrito. Ivy specifically can take over trees, preventing them to get as much sunlight as they need as well as acting like a sail in the wind, causing trees to fall easier in storms.

Everyone who attends our Earth Day Celebration will receive one raffle ticket and a reusable grocery bag. We will be selling raffle tickets as well if you want a better chance of winning (must be present to win). This year we have great prizes from various businesses and organizations.

The prizes are:

Whale Watching tickets for two from Island Adventures

Gift card to Vital Choice Seafood

Girl Scout Cookies from Girl Scouts of Western Washington

Gift Card to Max Dale’s Steak and Chop

Mosquito-repelling shirts from the Mount Vernon Parks Foundation

We will have organizations dedicated to environmental stewardship and education at the event with informational booths that will have a STEM activity, great for all ages!

Booths:

Skagit County Noxious Weed Control Board

Mount Vernon Parks Department

Skagit Conservation District

Orca Network

Pacific Biodiversity Institute

Growing Veterans

Puget Sound Energy

Girl Scouts of Western Washington

Fidalgo Fly Fishers

Viva Farms

Swinomish Casino and Lodge

Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group

Not only will we have fun informational booths, but we will also have a couple of sessions for anyone to attend.

Native Plant Walk: Want to find out about the native plants in YOUR area? Our knowledgeable Riparian Restoration Coordinator, Kelsey Taylor, will be leading an easy guided walking tour about of the native plants around Edgewater Park! We’re hopeful that the plants will be in better bloom so that she can talk more about their foraging uses. Either way, this will be a fun and interactive tour!

Fish Seining: What is fish seining you ask? It is a way of fishing that uses a large net to pull in large quantities of fish. We will be using a much smaller version of a seining net in order to collect data about which type of fish utilize the slough. This is a great opportunity to get up close and personal with all different types of fish! Most salmon that will be found will be in a juvenile stage and so they won’t be full grown.

Non Native plant walk: Similar to the Native Plant walk, this guided tour will be centered around the non native plants that inhabit this area. This guided tour will give you a good understanding about the interactions between native and non native plants. Joseph Shea from the Skagit County noxious Weed Control Board will be leading this tour.

As always, we will have coffee and light refreshments for our volunteers including gloves and all other tools necessary tools needed to do the job. Lunch has been graciously donated to us from the Swinomish Casino and Lodge, which will be serving boxed lunches.

We wanted to thank our partners for this event:

Mount Vernon Parks Foundation