Year in Review
PEI’s Top 5 Stories of 2025
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From a student summit in January to PEI’s Asynchronous Course in November, our team has experienced memorable moments throughout 2025, including navigating state and federal budget challenges. Here are our top five most-read stories from this year along with two honorable mentions:
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#1. Bidding Farewell to Half the Team
Our most-read story of the year was a tribute to those PEI team members who moved on in June, July and August.
From the story: 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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#2. Taking Learning Outside
PEI’s Lower Columbia FieldSTEM Coordinator Emily Newman has been part of this innovative workshop series for Southwest Washington educators, designed to provide practical strategies and activities for getting students outdoors.
From the story: Meyer observed the power of connecting like-minded educators. “We’ve seen that teachers find this really valuable but often feel isolated and like they might be the only person in their building who was driving this work,” she explains. “This workshop series brought teachers together to hear from other educators at other buildings or in other districts who had the same kind of passion, so they know they’re not the only ones.”
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#3. Nisqually Tribe Fisheries Co-management Workshop
In August, the Nisqually Tribe invited educators to Nisqually Red Wind Casino for a workshop to provide resources and training for educators to integrate local Indigenous and state histories of treaties, salmon fishery co-management and tribal sovereignty into their curriculum.
From the story: “I was really inspired by our panel today and thankful that they took the time to be here with us,” said Heather Akiyama, a 7th and 8th-grade science teacher in Hood Canal School District. “I learned a lot from their perspective on history. I’m coming away with an idea for a simulation about co-management of fisheries that would give real-life challenges and an opportunity to communicate, look at data, to make decisions together with the idea that nobody wins unless you both win.”
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#4. Tribes and Climate Change Workshop
In June, PEI collaborated with This is Indian Country, the Suquamish Tribe and Washington Wild to host a two-day, in-person ‘Tribes and Climate Change’ workshop. Teachers learned how the Suquamish Tribe is both adapting to and combating climate change and explored This is Indian Country curriculum.
From the story: From there, the group got a tour of Suquamish Seafoods and learned that China is the biggest market for the company’s geoducks, with shipments traveling from Kitsap County to mainland China in less than 24 hours. They also visited oyster bags (and a lounging elephant seal!) and heard about predators who can endanger them. Recently, the most danger has come from climate change. Heat domes have become increasingly common, leading to a 40% loss of oyster harvest during the last major event. “The gentleman at the fishery was great and he gave real insight into the impact of current political events,” one participant shared in an evaluation.
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#5: YESS Program Recap
In 2025, 112 students participated in eight Youth Engaged in Sustainable Systems (YESS) programs across Washington State. Each program was a partnership between PEI, school districts, and at least 87 local community partners.
From the story: Spokane’s YESS students were able to spend time working with the N-RAP apprentices, visit Dishman Hills Natural Area, learn about GIS, remove trees, and even complete a grocery store botany lesson with Amy Dawley, PEI’s Eastern Washington FieldSTEM Coordinator. One student said, “It helped me feel confidence and independence, not just in a job but in real life. It helped me feel responsible. This also opened many [job] opportunities, because it’s opened my eyes to how great conservation work really is.”
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Learn about our 'honorable mentions' here.
Thank you for being part of PEI’s community. We look forward to collaborating for more community-based outdoor learning in 2026!
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Community Partnerships in Action
SW Washington Educators Explore Birds as Indicators of Climate Change
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Birdwatching is never a sure thing, especially in the Pacific Northwest in December. Throw in an atmospheric river dumping record levels of precipitation and the odds of observing local species in their natural habitat drop dramatically, as participants in a recent workshop learned when their outdoor bird observation activity transformed into an indoor classroom project.
‘Birds as a Window to Science: Observing, Understanding and Teaching the Local Avian World’ is the first of the 2025-26 Taking Learning Outside (TLO) workshop series. Originally, the first activity was scheduled to be a lesson on adjusting binoculars for different visual ranges, followed by outdoor bird observation. Instead, Vancouver Audubon Society board members Ken Pitts and Becky Boley adapted to the circumstances.
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Annual Campaign
Last Day to Join PEI’s Annual Campaign in 2025
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Looking to invest in a great cause that also happens to be tax-deductible? PEI’s Annual Campaign runs through December 31st. Invest today!
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Tools & Tips for Teachers
Activities for National Bird Day
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Photo courtesy of National Audubon Society.
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National Bird Day is January 6th. Check out these bird-related ideas and activities for students of all ages, courtesy of the Audubon Society!
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With Gratitude
Thank you, December investors!
Catherine Taylor
Chuck Lennox
Cindy Mitchell
Claudine Reynolds
Community Foundation of South Puget Sound
Dawkins Charitable Trust
Doug Hooks
Gail Kramer
Gareth Waugh
Heidi Smith
Jessica Josephs
John Ison
Joseph Kemmer
Krista Larsen
Laura Barnoski
Martin Fortin
Michi Thacker
Nisqually Indian Tribe
Roberta McFarland
Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund
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