PEI in Transition
Bidding a Grateful Farewell to More than Half of PEI’s Team
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On June 2, many of the PEI team gathered at Carlyon Park on Steamboat Island to connect one more time in person before heading our separate ways. It was great to gather, share food, kayak and enjoy each other, two playful seal pups, and friends and colleagues similarly affected by outdoor learning cuts.
Half of PEI’s staff will be gone by the beginning of August due to a 75% reduction in funding as part of the recent legislative budget, with the last day for most being June 30th. We have been fortunate to have such brilliant and dedicated people with a passion for outdoor learning and a gift for sharing that passion.
We celebrate the contributions of these outstanding individuals who are moving on to their next adventure.
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Community Partner Resource
WDFW Workshop Takes Pollinator Education Outside
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It’s one thing to theorize about bees and other pollinators or read about them in the abstract. It’s another to walk out into a schoolyard and look for plants that could provide pollen. The latter approach to learning was in full effect at a May workshop introducing the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW)’s new Second Grade Biodiversity and Pollinators unit.
“My teaching partner and I already do a bee unit primarily focused on research and writing a report to cite sources,” one participant reported on a post-workshop evaluation. “This [other approach] is FANTASTIC and we can’t wait to use it.” The online workshop introduced second-grade teachers to the new curriculum, currently available only in draft form. To begin, teachers reviewed the unit in teams and shared their summaries with the whole group. “This was a creative way to provide a deeper peek into at least one lesson while also covering this extensive 106-page document,” says PEI’s Eastern Washington FieldSTEM Coordinator Amy Dawley. “The engagement was high and I believe educators appreciated being invited to share their feedback and ideas for final modifications.”
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Indigenous Connections
Workshop Shines Light on Tribes’ Critical Role in Fighting Climate Change
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For the Quinault Nation, the impacts of climate change are personal. The tribe recently completed phase one of a multi-year project to move their entire lower village up the hill in response to sea level rise. On June 16 and 17, regional teachers toured that project and learned about the tribe’s role on the front lines of the fight against climate impacts. This is Indian Country and PEI collaborated with Quinault Nation leaders and Washington Wild for a two-day, in-person ‘Protecting the Circle: Tribes and Climate Change’ workshop.
“It’s different learning about the [impacts of climate change] when it’s coming from someone that we recognize and know who lives close by,” one participant observed in a post-workshop evaluation.
The goal was to recognize that tribes, who have had the least impact on our changing climate, are experiencing its greatest impacts, according to PEI’s Associate Director, Puget Sound Molly Griffiths. “We looked at the impacts and challenges, and how tribes are responding. When we talk about adaptation and mitigation in a non-Indigenous community, that might mean we’re not going to build a house on the coast,” she notes. “It’s a choice. But Indigenous communities have lived in these places since time immemorial, and they’re tied to the land. When it starts to erode, that impacts who they are as a community.”
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Tools & Tips for Teachers
Watershed Sleuth Challenge
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Summer is a great time to check out your local watershed, whether as a family or with students. This activity from the National Environmental Education Foundation helps students understand why watersheds are important, what they can do to help protect them, the health of their local watershed, and more. Plus, they can earn a watershed sleuth badge and wear it proudly to the event of their choice!
Source: National Environmental Education Foundation
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Note: None of our upcoming events are open to the public at this time. We will send out a notice when we open registration for our next workshop or event. Stay tuned!
PEI Calendar
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With Gratitude
Thank you June donors and funders!
Doug Hooks
Eric Barkman
Gail Kramer
Gareth Waugh
Gottfried & Mary Fuchs Foundation
Heidi Smith
Joseph Kemmer
Maria Cerdena
Martin Fortin
Norah Young
Olympic Peninsula Timberlands
Tom Shorey
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
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