Author: Stephanie Bishop

As we embrace the warmth of March, it preludes the eagerly anticipated arrival of the 31st annual Student GREEN Congress! Over the past months, students dedicated themselves to meticulously gathering water quality data in anticipation of the event. Here, the collaborative efforts of South Sound GREEN, Nisqually River Education Project, and Chehalis Basin Education Consortium watershed programs were celebrated at The Evergreen State College campus, where they shared their discoveries and engaged in a plethora of enriching workshops hosted by esteemed community partners. This year’s Student GREEN Congress saw an impressive turnout, with more than 430 students and over 80 volunteers. It served as a vibrant platform for learning, collaboration, and the celebration of environmental stewardship. We would not have been able to do this without the support of so many community partners, including the Cities of Lacey, Tumwater, and Olympia, Trout Unlimited, the Thurston Conservation District, the Rose Foundation, the Nisqually Indian Tribe, Thurston County Stormwater, and countless others. We also extend many thanks to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and the Washington State Conservation Commission for their sponsorship of this year’s Student GREEN Congress.

As the warm weather rolls in, South Sound GREEN will be hosting other types of field programs to get hundreds of students outdoors! Students will venture to nearby beaches for Nearshore programs, immersing themselves in the study of the rich tapestry of marine life thriving within the intertidal zone and understanding how the water and land are connected ecologically. Joined by some of our favorite community collaborators, participants will delve into the studies of coastal ecosystems, fostering a deeper appreciation for our natural world. If you are interested in being a volunteer educator for some of these trips, reach out to Sam Nadell at snadell@thurstoncd.com. 

Spring is upon us! At South Sound GREEN we are all looking forward to warmer weather, sunny skies, blooming plants, and of course, the many exciting upcoming events! This past February has been very busy for Thurston County students as they have worked diligently to collect water quality data from local watersheds at various parks across the city. As this winter data collection comes to a close, we are quickly approaching many exciting events such as the Student GREEN Congress, South Puget Sound Envirothon Competition, and many other fun activities! 

This past month, the Teens in Thurston volunteer group (TnT) participated in a bonfire to restore native prairie lands with the Center for Natural Lands Management! By burning old Christmas trees, valuable nutrients were distributed across the area via ash and the land will be able to host native prairie species in the near future. And you can’t have a bonfire without smores! For more information on future TnT events, please visit the Teens in Thurston (TnT) webpage or follow us on Instagram.

We are excited to be approaching the Student GREEN Congress event which will be held on Thursday, March 21st at The Evergreen State College in collaboration with the Nisqually River Education Project and Chehalis Basin Education Consortium! Elementary and middle school students from throughout the area will come together to present and discuss their water quality findings they carefully collected during the winter months. They will identify, share, and discuss their data, possible causes of pollution or poor water quality conditions, and make recommendations for improving the health of their watershed and the Puget Sound. If you would like more information about this event please take a peek at the Student GREEN Congress webpage!

We hope that you all enjoyed the holiday season and that you are feeling renewed and excited for  this new year! At South Sound GREEN we have had quite the start to 2024 with an office move and some very fun classroom lessons! We met students in their classroom at the beginning of the month for a watershed model lesson with the Enviroscape and a stream bug lab. The Enviroscape is a 3D model that shows how common pollutants can enter lakes, rivers, and the Puget Sound via runoff. We also spent time talking with students about how they can reduce the amount of pollution in the water and what they can do to be good stewards of their environment. This class had some great ideas! South Sound GREEN has also been busy getting ready for winter water quality testing, Student GREEN Congress, the South Puget Sound Envirothon Competition, and the many spring field experiences we are offering this year!

Student GREEN Congress will be held on Thursday, March 21st at The Evergreen State College in collaboration with the Nisqually River Education Project and Chehalis Basin Education Consortium and we could not be more excited! If you would like more information about this event check out the Student GREEN Congress webpage.

This month, high school students with the Teens in Thurston (TnT) volunteer group worked on a wetland and beaver habitat restoration project with the City of Tumwater and Stream Team on MLK day. Next month’s event will surely be fun, as it will be with the Center for Natural Lands Management restoring native prairie lands by creating a bonfire at a former Christmas tree farm!  If you, or someone you know, is a high school student interested in community service hours in the outdoors, we would love to see you – please contact Sam Nadell at snadell@thurstoncd.com to learn more!

Another upcoming opportunity for high school students is the South Puget Sound Envirothon Competition which will take place on April 16th at Squaxin Park in Olympia. To learn more about the competition please visit the Envirothon Competition webpage. Use this link to register a team! If you have any additional questions please reach out to Sam Nadell at snadell@thurstoncd.com. 

December is a month for getting cozy by the fire and sipping hot chocolate, and at South Sound GREEN it is also the perfect time for tree planting field trips! This month we met students on the west bluffs of the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge and planted native conifers and deciduous trees with them. It was great fun and students worked hard to plant their trees correctly, giving them the best possible chance at survival. The bluffs are owned by the refuge and are currently undergoing a long-term restoration project. We were delighted to work with BFJNNWR, teachers, and students and assist in the reforestation of the area. Many of the students who came out to the bluffs also joined SSG for water quality testing and chum salmon field trips which offers the great opportunity to talk about how each of these experiences connects to one another. We were able to discuss how planting trees on the Nisqually bluffs improves the riparian zone, water quality, and salmon habitat in the estuary below the bluffs. These planting trips were the last outdoor field trips for SSG in 2023 and we think it was a pretty wonderful ending. 

Before we head into the new year, South Sound GREEN would like to say a huge THANK YOU to our community partners, volunteers, teachers, and, of course, students who helped with and participated in our programs this year! We had more than 6,200 student interactions in 2023 and we would not be able to do what we do without all of you. 

South Sound GREEN has a lot to look forward to in 2024 and we can’t wait to see you all in the new year! We are getting excited for, among many other opportunities, the 31st Student GREEN Congress and the South Puget Sound Regional Envirothon competition. We have plenty of field experiences planned for the coming year and of course there will be some great Teens in Thurston events to come. Happy New Year!