Blog

Usually, when teachers talk about holding a ‘professional development’ session at the beach, it’s wishful thinking and involves beverages with miniature umbrellas. For Grays Harbor educators, however, the Pacific Ocean is their backyard and the shoreline in front of Westport by the Sea condominium development is a perfect

Himalayan blackberries are notable for three reasons: they aren’t native to Washington State, they tend to take over whatever landscape they inhabit and, okay, they’re delicious. What to do about them? Teachers from two different schools in separate regions of the state grappled with this question at PEI’s

March 8th may have marked a turning point for community involvement with Theler Wetlands. For years, the Theler Wetlands Environmental Education Center served as a resource for educators and visitors in Belfair and surrounding areas. Located on 150 acres of wetlands at the tail end of Hood Canal,

In many ways, the experience of teachers who attend Outdoor School training mirrors that of their students. They begin the week as slightly reserved individuals and end it as an open, participatory and bonded group. “The journey of being together is impactful,” says Lauren Troyer, PEI’s South Sound

What a unique opportunity for a family event at Kennedy Creek! On a beautiful day in between stormy ones, approximately thirteen families totaling forty people got together to discover and enjoy the spring signs of life at the natural area in Kennedy Creek. With ten staff and volunteers

The La Salle High School campus includes a number of unusual features: a fish hatchery, a stream, and . . . screw traps. What are screw traps, you ask?  These large floating metal containers consist of a cone, a trap box and pontoons. When juvenile salmon and steelhead swim

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used for everything from traffic mapping and planning flight paths to plant identification and weather forecasting. The set of tools for collecting and/or mapping data have become indispensable within a wide range of industries, including real estate, urban planning and utilities. But few

It had been drizzling throughout the day during The Sailing Foundation’s Youth Sailing Leadership Forum – until, naturally, it was time to go outside for a field experience. Then, it started pouring.  “The participants were mostly sailing instructors,” says PEI’s Northwest FieldSTEM Coordinator Amy Keiper-Gowan, “so their response

Is erosion always bad? Eighteen teachers from eleven northwest school districts grappled with this question at an in-person Connecting Communities Through Wetland Education workshop in March, a collaborative effort between Padilla Bay Estuarine Reserve and PEI. The workshop’s focus was highlighting diverse perspectives of Skagit County communities impacted

From moderating a panel of natural resources and conservation professionals to sharing projects with their legislators, students took the lead at the 2025 Environmental & Sustainability Literacy Student Summit. PEI and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) co-hosted the annual event. Twenty-one student groups ranging