
Happy new year from South Sound GREEN! While 2020 was certainly not the year we were expecting to have, it was one that allowed us to explore new avenues of reaching students in Thurston County. In December, we hosted multiple virtual salmon dissections, with classes both familiar with and brand new to SSG programs. These virtual sessions, filled with plenty of “oohs” and “ewws” alike from students, were just as successful as our popular virtual salmon field trips from McLane Creek and our Digital McLane Creek Chum Salmon journal. In a month where SSG programs are usually limited, we were thrilled to be able to provide a variety of live experiences for students from their homes – and without the smell of salmon! And for people who were unable to attend any of our virtual sessions, you can find videos of each on our website!
Looking ahead, we cannot wait to get back into classrooms once it is safe to do so. Until then, we will continue leading virtual programs and expanding our catalogue of digital resources. And don’t look now, but Student GREEN Congress is right around the corner! Every year, South Sound GREEN Congress is an opportunity for hundreds of local students to gather at Evergreen State College to present their water quality data to their peers and participate in environmental-based workshops. Last March was the first Congress we needed to cancel in almost 30 years(!), and although this year’s event will take place online, we could not be more excited to have students share water quality data and brainstorm ideas about ways to improve the health of their watersheds. Keep an eye out for more information on Congress in the coming months!