By James van der Voort, Restoration Specialist/Crew Supervisor - Washington Conservation Corps Whatcom, Whatcom County Public Works & Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association
Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) is a subagency of the WA State Department of Ecology and is part of the AmeriCorps program. WCC works in partnership and with nonprofit and governmental organizations statewide who restore critical habitat, build trails, and respond to local and national disasters.
WCC’s mission is to conserve and enhance the natural resources of Washington while providing meaningful service opportunities to young adults and military veterans. NSEA has hosted a crew in partnership with various agencies since 1994. This year’s crew is sponsored in partnership with Whatcom County Public Works. We couldn’t do what we do with “The Crew”. Once the initial project site work is complete, we maintain and monitor them for three to five years to make sure the project is a success. The WCC crew maintains an average of 45 sites annually for NSEA.
Abby Dekoekkoek graduated from Western with an Environmental Science degree in 2020 completed one term with the WCC at NSEA. She liked it so much she is continuing on as the crew assistant this term. Abby loves being outside and learning new things about native plants and restoration. In her free time she likes to garden, care for her houseplants, sew quilts and love on her cats and dog. Abby says, “I excited about this upcoming year with a new crew and am looking forward to getting to spend more time at NSEA.”
Emma Olpinski is super excited to be working on the NSEA WCC crew this year. They are originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and relocated to Bellingham to attend Western Washington University. In June of this year, they graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies with a creative writing minor and immediately transitioned to a quarter-term position with WCC on a spike crew out of Skagit County. Emma explains, “through working outdoors, I have found a passion for environmental restoration, and am looking forward to learning and developing these interests through working with the crew and NSEA.” Fun fact: peanut butter is their favorite food and they eat it every single day.
Becca Pitts went to Western Washington University and majored in Environmental Education with a minor in geography. In her free time she loves rock hounding, fly fishing, skiing, mountain biking and all the crafts. She has been living in Bellingham for a little over four years and has grown to call it my home. Becca exclaimed, “I am stoked to be able to work with NSEA to do habitat restoration and ensure a safe and healthy future for the Salmon in the county I now call home.”
Shelby Sanders is originally from Indiana and went to Ball State University where she studied Biology and Natural Resources. She love being outside and learning about native flora and fauna. She is super excited to be on the NSEA WCC crew this year! She spent last summer working on a trail crew out of Skagit County but spent previous summers in the south working on research projects with marine species. When she’s not at work, she can be found reading, crafting or finding good trees to hammock in.
Shelby says, “I can’t wait to learn more about restoration and salmon this year.”