NSEA made an impact beyond the classroom.

By Carolyn Davis
NSEA Board Member
30 for Thirty #12

As a kid my family often spent summer vacations fishing for salmon off the coasts of Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. My dad allowed me to drive the boat because I would get seasick otherwise, I loved those adventures catching and eating salmon.

As a fourth-grade teacher (now retired), participating with students in NSEA's Students for Salmon program was an annual highlight.  I taught at the Lynden School District 15 for 35 years, and Bernice Vossbeck Elementary for 15 years. It was important to me that students learn to respect our environment, including salmon and our local watersheds. I loved watching students get excited as they attentively listened to NSEA mentors, tested the water quality of the local stream, learned about native plants, cleared invasive ivy, and planted shrubs and trees (which are now mature and thriving). The kids loved these lessons, and became better able to understand the need to be good stewards of our Earth and its resources. It made an impact beyond the classroom.

Some years the fourth graders were able to plant along Fishtrap Creek. It is wonderful to see those seedlings and shrubs at 12-20 feet tall. My students made a difference.

Now I am a proud NSEA board member...delighted to watch programs adapt to a pandemic and continue making plans to educate our community and to help salmon thrive in the future.   

In the words of one of my heroes, Jane Goodall, "Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference." I hope I can make a positive difference by continuing to work with NSEA.

#12 THIRTY FOR 30

Setting Sail into Bellingham Bay

By Nathan Zabel
NSEA Environmental Education Coordinator

The 2020 – 2021 school year was a lesson in being adaptable and flexible in NSEA’s Environmental Education programming, and we were faced with a quick transition to remote learning and the inability to meet students in their classrooms and along waterways throughout Whatcom County. Yet, NSEA’s Education Team continued to embrace the importance of environmental stewardship even in a time of remote learning.

The school year ended with an incredible highlight – sailing excursions aboard Sound Experience’s Schooner Adventuress. This Spring, thanks to funding from EPA, we partnered with Sound Experience and offered a contest to incentivize continued environmental stewardship even in times of remote learning. Teachers submitted their projects, including this video (link) which was submitted by Harmony Elementary. These students created a mural showcasing the Pacific salmon lifecycle, then developed, practiced, and directed a video highlighting the lifecycle along with their “salmon pledges,” or actions they can take in their everyday lives to help salmon. In early June, these Harmony students boarded the 133 foot Adventuress, rigged the sails of the 108 year sailboat, and set sail into Bellingham Bay. While on board, they studied the local marine life, such as Orcas and Harbor Seals, and connected the importance of salmon to these marine mammals. Next, they tossed a plankton tow overboard to collect a sample of plankton. They took the sample to the video microscope, where they got to see tiny organisms like crab larvae and other plankton which salmon rely on as a food source. They looked out to the horizon and identified landmarks such as Mt. Baker and the Nooksack River – all components of their watershed.

This experience connected students to their sense of place from a unique perspective. It also provided a look into the marine environment that is such a crucial component of the salmon lifecycle. NSEA’s Students for Salmon program highlights stewardship that leaves a positive impact along riparian zones through removing invasive vegetation or planting native trees and shrubs. This experience connected those actions students take downstream, to the marine environment, and showcased how students’ choices not only affect the salmon living in their local creeks, but also in Bellingham Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

We are grateful to Sound Experience for their partnership, and honored to be able to continue meet students and their teachers in this unique capacity. For more information about NSEA’s Education programs, please contact Nathan Zabel at nzabel@n-sea.org or call 360-312-3094.