Updates

Monthly Update – September 2021

Teachers participating in Stream Bug Monitoring training at Pioneer Park.

The new school year is here and SSG has hit the ground running! As with every school year, our first education session is not for the students, but the teachers. We offered our water quality monitoring training and stream bug training for Thurston County teachers in preparation for our flagship programs this fall. We couldn’t imagine how much we had missed seeing our teachers face to face!

And finally, after a year and a half of all virtual learning, SSG was back leading in-person water quality monitoring! In coordination with Nisqually River Education Project, we have started new programs to offer water quality and stream bug monitoring for every fifth grader throughout the North Thurston Public Schools. Immediately, we’ve been able to see the positive effect these programs have on students, who have been missing hands-on experiences (not to mention how delighted we are as well!).

If that wasn’t exciting enough, this month saw the first ever meeting of Teens in Thurston (TnT), a new student volunteer group at TCD. This was an introductory meeting to get to know one another, discuss the group’s priorities and goals, and, of course, enjoy some pizza. Our next meeting will be Orca Recovery Day on October 16th, 10 am in Watershed Park, which is a volunteer opportunity for all ages! If you’re interested, please reach out to Kiana Sinner at ksinner@thurstoncd.com.