“Sound Learning Communities: Exploring the Salish Sea”
August 13-17, 2012

The intent of the “Sound Learning Communities” project is to provide many more undergraduates with the knowledge, civic understanding, skills, and motivation with which to understand the threats to the Puget Sound ecosystem and both large-scale strategies and individual behavior-change required for restoring its health. Begun in the summer of 2009, the project’s strategy is to engage 100 college and university faculty members and regional resource experts as a community of learners in an exploration of Puget Sound’s ecosystems and human history, the current threats to its health, research on both the nature of the problems and the promise of solutions, policy alternatives, restoration initiatives, and the current state of education and communications regarding Sound restoration.  In 2009, the Curriculum for the Bioregion initiative held its first two weeklong field courses focusing on King County/Elliott Bay/the Duwamish Watershed, and on Pierce County/Commencement Bay/the Puyallup Watershed.  In 2012, we held “Sound Learning Communities: Exploring the Salish Sea,” which focused on northern Puget Sound and the Skagit Watershed. 

Course Syllabus: 2012 Puget Sound Summer Field Course- Salish Sea Syllabus

Instructional Team:

Ann Butler, People For Puget Sound
Jean MacGregor, Curriculum for the Bioregion, The Evergreen State College
Claus Svendsen, Skagit Valley College
Grace Wang, Western Washington University

Resource Experts:

Doug Bruland, Puget Sound Energy
Jenny Baker, The Nature Conservancy
Maddie Foutch, People For Puget Sound
Jennifer Gerend, The Evergreen State College
Nicole Hopper, Taylor Shellfish
Jewell James, Lummi Tribe
Matt Krogh, Re-Sources
John Lombard, Lombard Consulting LLC
Ralph Haugerud, US Geological Survey at the University of Washington
Fritz Stahr, Ocean Inquiry Project
Nathan Ahlgren, Ocean Inquiry Project
Jon Riedel, National Park Service
Lauren Rich, Upper Skagit Indian Tribe
Peter Selkin, University of Washington- Tacoma
Heather Trim, People For Puget Sound
Jon Vanderheyden, U.S. Forest Service

Participating Faculty:

Edmonds Community College: Bill Bettencourt, Christina Coiro, Amy Johnson, Carol Lewellen, and Melissa McKay.
Everett Community College: Robin Araniva, Ardi Kveven, Pamela Pape-Lindstrom, Josh Searle, and Diane Forson.
Northwest Indian College: Jeff Campbell, Nathanael Davis, and Terri Plake.
Skagit Valley College: Kurt Dunbar, Jason Graham, Chari McRill and Ernest Tutt.
Western Washington College: Michael Burnett and Mitchell Jancic.
Whatcom Community College: Rob Beishline, Wendy Borgesen, Caryn Friedlander, Doug McKeever, and Mark Van Dyke.

Photos of event:  More coming shortly!