Towards the end of March, NOSC staff made the transition from working at the office, field, and classroom, to working from home. As we have settled into our new work spaces and routines, we have each found things that we enjoy about working from home. We created a GIF to show you!
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Nate
: I really love sitting out here and listening to several different species of birds. Birds I've been hearing of late include American robin, spotted towhee, red-breasted nuthatch, song sparrow, and my personal favorite, the pileated woodpecker!
Rebecca
: Getting a reprieve from the standup work station in my bedroom. Editing the COVID safety manual in the greenhouse where it’s a lovely 80 degrees!
Rian
: While working from home, I have been making sure I always have a fresh bouquet of flowers from the yard and an assortment of drinks to keep me hydrated!
Sarah:
Spending time with my puppy Keta while she recovers from a big surgery.
Hannah
: Even though I am working from home, I still water and weed our nursery that has 1,000 native plants! I decided to take a detour to bike across Kilisut Harbor and check out our work there.
Olivia
: Now a days, my office is looking a little greener and a lot sunnier, thanks to working from home.
Kevin
: I get to visit my garden for breaks and lunch!
Catherine
: One thing I love about working at home is I can have my Irish Barry’s tea with full cream any time I want!
Libby
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At the end of the work day, I love getting to do a family yoga/Pilates combo stretch session on zoom!
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Kilisut Harbor Restoration Project Update
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Construction on the Kilisut Harbor Restoration project continues in the face of COVID-19. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), who is running the project’s contract, has deemed the work to be essential. While most WSDOT projects have halted, work to complete culvert work for fish passage continues in order to make progress on the federal court injunction deadlines and to comply with time-sensitive fish windows for “in-water” work.
Fish windows are times in which project work can occur immediately adjacent to water, and in the case of this project, below the high tide line when the tide is out. These windows are set by regulatory agencies to protect fish resources.
The contractor, Cascade Bridge, has COVID-19 safety protocols in place to protect workers and inspectors onsite. You can imagine the challenges this team faces as they are accustomed to sharing tools and cooperating on tasks that bring them closer than the social distancing requirement of 6 feet. While new protocols have not slowed work substantially, they have certainly presented challenges to overcome. We are so incredibly grateful for these hard workers and their efforts in the face of this pandemic
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With all the formwork and epoxy coated rebar in place, the deck pour begins. The big yellow “Bidwell” runs on rails and screeds the concrete driving surface into place with a whole bunch of help from the Cascade Bridge Crew.
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Currently the project remains on schedule with completion likely occurring by late October. The fish window is currently closed and so work has been focused on constructing bridge infrastructure. The bridge deck was poured in mid-April over the “span” of two days. The aerial photo shows the site on day two of the deck pour. The eastern half is poured and covered for appropriate concrete curing and the second half is actively being poured in this shot. Meanwhile, the North Channel is complete. The channel’s slopes and bed adjust with each coming and going of the tide and critters are settling into the restored shoreline. The South Channel is nearly complete but is currently just a pond awaiting summer low tides to perform the final connection to Oak Bay.
We extend a continued thanks to the hand waves of support and sometimes outright cheers from passing motorists and community members. Your appreciation truly does register and makes a difference to all of us involved in this challenging, landscape-scale ecosystem restoration project.
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During the month of April, while we all stayed safe at home,
Salmon Bingo
provided activities to get creative and get outside. Here are a few highlights!
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Rebecca taught Kevin about the plant boschniakia. Can you see it in the corner?
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Susan M. created this piece of art to show the connection between salmon ad forests.
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TJ P. created this sweet and simple piece of earth art.
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Theresa picked flowers from the yard to create a beautiful spring bouquet.
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Monthly Spotlight - Heather Hamilton
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The Salmon Coalition is grateful to work with so many inspiring and dedicated people. To celebrate the contributions of this community, NOSC selects someone each month to highlight and give thanks. This year marks our
30th Anniversary
and we will be highlighting different community members, staff, and partners that have helped make the Salmon Coalition what it is today through written and video interviews.
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In high school,
Heather Hamilton
was a student of NOSC's education program. These hands-on, outdoor experiences helped solidify her passion for the environment. After earning her college degree, she now works at another Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group, Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, where she does the important work of educating the next generation of environmental stewards.
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Learn more about Heather below.
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I grew up in Port Hadlock, and am a graduate of the Pi Program (Chimacum High School). In 2018 I graduated from Whitman College with a degree in Environmental Humanities and a minor in Creative Writing. I am a dancer, and write environmentally focused poetry and non-fiction.
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What was your first experience with NOSC?
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My first encounter with NOSC was in high school. I was in Kit Pennell's Environmental Science class and we went on monthly field trips to different sites with NOSC staff, learning about salmon and habitat restoration.
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Tell us your most powerful memory of working with NOSC.
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The thing that sticks with me most about working with NOSC when I was in high school is simply the feeling of being outside with a group of young people and educators trying to make a difference. The moments when we were muddy and tired, but learning so much about the environment and our responsibility to it. I can't emphasize enough how important it was to me to experience environmental education in a practical sense, to have the opportunity to use the knowledge we gained in class to be a part of actual restoration efforts.
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What was the Salmon Coalition working on specifically at that time you were involved?
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I remember participating in numerous invasive species removals, and tree plantings at Snow Creek and Discovery Bay.
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How did working with NOSC shape your education and career choices?
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Working with NOSC as a normal part of my school week had a significant impact on the future I imagined for myself while I was a student. By the time I graduated high school and entered college, it was almost automatic for me to seek a degree in an environmental field. Not only had I seen first hand the types of careers that would be possible in the future, but I had the chance to develop a sense of my own environmental values. Looking back, I can see that volunteering with NOSC led almost directly to my current career. It allowed me to feel like I was part of a greater effort to impact the world, and that I could continue being a part of that shift.
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What do you do now and what are some of your future goals?
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I am currently an AmeriCorps Sustainability Coordinator with the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group in Belfair. I help manage our organic U-Pick garden and teach nutrition and sustainability lessons to educate our community on the importance of growing food in ways that benefit both ourselves and salmon/salmon habitats. My goal right now is to continue educating youth and adults about sustainable agriculture and food access in order to keep our ecosystems (and bodies!) healthy. I am also exploring more artistic and creative ways to promote thinking about environmental topics, including through writing and dance.
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Is there anything else you’d like to share?
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I've been at HCSEG for the past year and a half working primarily with youth. It feels like a full circle to have the opportunity to provide the young people I interact with something that may be akin to what I experienced in high school with NOSC. I hope that my students can gain a sense of their place as a new generation of environmental stewards through their time growing food, exploring outside, and learning about the connections between what we do as humans in our everyday lives and the ecosystems that surround us.
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Base funding for the RFEG program comes from a grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, a portion of state commercial and recreational fishing license fees, and excess egg and carcass sales administered by the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
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Give Us Your Feedback
Questions or Comments? Let us know what you think!
outreach@nosc.org
360.379.8051
www.nosc.org
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