By Michelle Smith
NSEA Board Member, Volunteer, Community Partner Representative
30 for Thirty #5
I’ve never been squeamish about worms. I grew up fishing in Oregon with a dad and brother that insisted I dig my own worms and put their wriggly little bodies on the hook if I wanted to fish with them. And so worms are a badge of both independence and belonging for me.
I took my grandson, Tyler, to his first NSEA work party when he was 3. He wore rain boots and tromped through grass taller than he was, his little legs tired but keeping up with the rest of the volunteers. We arrived at our tree planting spot and began digging holes in rich soil beside the water. The planting of a tree held little intrigue, but the worms in the hole, oh the worms! We carefully fished out these natural composters, each newly found one a victory that we showed to nearby volunteers, who were now friends if they showed similar enthusiasm. Surrounded by this community who had come together to plant trees and save salmon, he had found a new and important reason for all of us to be there together: worms. He raced up and down the river bank among the tree planting crews, showing off each find. His smile and wonder fostered more smiles and renewed energies to dig more holes and plant more trees. This became his gift to the team.
NSEA is an absolute investment in the future of salmon, the future of healthy ecosystems, and even the future of the planet. Clearly this investment manifests itself in the direct and tangible work performed to restore streams. But for me the most important outcome of so much of NSEA’s work is the promis of the future that happens with NSEA’s commitment to the community. My daughters came home from elementary school with stories of salmon lessons linking nature, science, salmon, art. Every year, NSEA educates hundreds of youth about salmon’s important role in the ecosystem, empowering them with scientific knowledge and curiosity. Every year, NSEA creates opportunity for our community to come together, young and old, to rebuild our planet. With the sense of despair we might feel over the future of the planet, NSEA brings us a tangible reason for hope.
This community is a critical component of our success and has brought us to a position of gratitude, empowering us for 30 years to make a difference. Whether giving time or giving money, the NSEA community is the power behind our strategy to achieve a better future. The UN has declared this the decade of action for environmental restoration, and now is the time to invest in salmon, restoration, education, and the youth to make differences that matter.
There is a phenomenon of the past we don’t see enough of anymore, where groups of people come together freely giving their time to be a part of something that matters, today and for the future. Since that first party, Tyler has participated in many more NSEA work parties, and each time we marvel at the worms we find and the friends we make. We don’t know these others that have also come to the work party, but together we all work on something that will make a difference. This is why I bring Tyler. Regardless of how many trees he plants or blackberry roots he digs, he is taking part in a community action that matters, and witnessing hope in these people that care. And if worms are the symbol of belonging, than I am happy for worms to be what NSEA means to me.