Nisqually Watershed Tribal Management and Rehabilitation (8am-8pm)
Tribal relations and self-governance were a hard-fought fight. The Salmon War of the 1970s was a battle between the Nisqually Indian Tribe and the State of Washington. Today, the Nisqually Indian Tribe is engaged in watershed rehabilitation in conjunction with the US Fish and Wildlife, US Forest Service, National Park Service and Joint Base Lewis McCord. The Department of Natural Resources, State of Washington is also a partner in watershed management. This field trip will include visit the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge on the Salish Sea, the Nisqually Tribal offices, the Nisqually River Basin, and Nisqually Tribe economic development sites. The trip includes a box lunch and a seafood dinner at the Red Wind Casino. Box lunch included. Trip will be led by Zoltan Grossman, Evergreen State geographer in native studies. www.nisqually-nsn.gov. The Nisqually Indian Tribe on the Nisqually River located on South Puget Sound, Salish Sea.
Squaxin Tribal Museum and Hike in Olympia National Park (8am-6pm)
The Squaxin Indians have slowly reclaimed their tribal lands and rights on the west side of Puget Sound, Salish Sea. Today, the tribe has a showcase museum, a successful casino, forestry and watershed protection plan, and an active program to restore the Puget Sound ecosystems. This field trip will visit the Squaxin Museum to learn about tribal history and contemporary programs in the morning. The trip will continue to the Staircase entrance to Olympia National Park to experience Park management and hike in the Pacific rainforest. A box lunch is included. Trip led by Ted Whitesell, Evergreen State geographer, Graduate Program on the Environment. www.squxinisland.org. www.nps.gov/olym
(images: Squaxin Island Tribal Museum near Hoodsport, Staircase Entrance to Olympia National Park, and trail through rainforest in the park.)
View of Puget Sound, Salish Sea from Squaxin Island and tribal lands.
Sailing on the Tall Ship Adventuress (2pm-5pm)
The tall ship, the Adventuress, will set sail from the dock within one block walk from the Phoenix Inn and sail for three hours through the South Sound. The Adventuress is owned and operated by the non-profit organization Sound Adventure. Their mission is to inspire people to take leadership positions in protecting and preserving the complex marine eco-system of the Salish Sea. The ship can accommodate 40 passengers.
(Images: Sailing in South Sound, Salish Sea from the Puget Sound port of Olympia.)
Remaking an Olympic Peninsular Town: Aberdeen Past and Present (8am-5pm)
The Olympia Peninsula, a temperate cedar rainforest, was traditionally the home of native groups including the Quinault, Queets, Skokomish, Squaxin Island, and James Bay tribal groups. During the 20th century, the peninsula was dominated by large timber companies and smaller private land owners who engaged in extensive clear cutting. Timber harvesting was supported by timber towns such as Port Angeles, Shelton and Aberdeen. Timber harvesting ended at a grand scale on the peninsula with final removal of old-growth timber and implementation of endangered species habitat management. This field trip will visit the town of Aberdeen, once a thriving timber town. After twenty years of economic decline, the Port of Aberdeen is investing in major infrastructure to become a major West Coast export facility including the potential export of coal to China. We will also visit the Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge on the north side of Grays Harbor to see one of the West Coasts primer shorebird habitats. A box lunch is included. Trip led by Martha Henderson, Evergreen State geographer, Graduate Program on the Environment.
(Images: Grays Harbor, Aberdeen, Washington)
Downtown Olympia Walking Tour (9am-1pm)
Olympia, capitol for Washington State and home The Evergreen State College, is one of the oldest towns in the Pacific Northwest. Originally a seafaring timber town, today it is the center of South Sound with over 100,000 residents. The downtown core offers an interesting cultural landscape of urban change. This field trip is a walking tour of the old downtown core, the working waterfront, views of the capitol complex, and visits with the progressive elements of regional fame including Procession of the Species art studio and the sister city tile project. The field trip includes a no-host lunch.
(Images: Scenes from downtown Olympia)
Local Sustainability: The Evergreen State College and Local Farms (9am-1pm)
The Evergreen State College is celebrating its 40 year of providing interdisciplinary, experiential learning. Today, the campus is recognized as a leader in both liberal arts education and teaching for sustainability. The campus itself is a leader in ‘green’ management and education. This tour will visit the main campus and its organic farm located on the 1000 acre campus. From there, the field trip will visit one of the local organic farms for lunch and experience of Evergreen alums in action.