“Sound Learning Communities: Protecting South Puget Sound”
June 18-21, 2013
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 as many as 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. And in June 2013, we held “Sound Learning Communities: in South Puget Sound” whose focus included the Deschutes River and Capitol Lake, and the Nisqually watershed.
Course Syllabus: 2013 Sound Learning Communities Syllabus
Instructional Team:
Ted Whitesell and Jennifer Gerend, Faculty Members at The Evergreen State College
Jean MacGregor, Curriculum for the Bioregion, The Evergreen State College
Resource Experts:
Jesse Barham Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Harry Branch Engaged Citizen
Dave Burns Principal Planner (City of Lacey)
Nina Carter Washington State Growth Management Hearings Board
Gerardo Chin Leo The Evergreen State College
Anne Fischel The Evergreen State College
Karla Fowler LOTT Clean Water Alliance
Kim Gridley Salmon Recovery Coordinator
Jack Havens Capitol Lake Improvement and Protection Association
Jennifer Hopper Taylor Shellfish Farms
Peter Impara The Evergreen State College
Pete Kmet Mayor (City of Tumwater)
Caitlin Krenn Nisqually Community Garden (Nisqually Indian Tribe)
Ben McConkey LOTT Clean Water Alliance
Lin Nelson The Evergreen State College
Terri McCauley Pack Forest Conference Center
Sue Patnude Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team
Pat Pringle Centralia College
Patricia Pyle Storm and Surface Water Utility (City of Olympia )
The Resolute Sailing Foundation
Rob Rice Rob Rice Homes
Debbie Riley Mason County Public Health
Mindy Roberts Washington Dept of Ecology
Carl Schroeder Association of Washington Cities
Bob Simmons WSU Mason County Director
Amber Smith WET Science Center (LOTT Clean Water Alliance)
Barbara Leigh Smith Native Cases Initiative (TESC)
John Stark Washington State University
Ruth Whitener Squaxin Island Museum
Bruce Wishart Wishart Public Affairs
Participating Faculty by Institution
Centralia College:
Lisa Carlson
Liz Frey
Karen Goodwin
Patrick (Pat) Pringle
Saint Martin’s University:
Mary Jo Hartman
Joe Mailhot
Jamie Olson
Lynn Villella
South Puget Sound Community College:
Kathleen Byrd
Lynn Corliss
Kathryn (Katy) Fulton
Mike Leigh
The Evergreen State College:
Michelle Aguilar-Wells
Erin Ellis
Anne Fischel
Hirsh Diamant
Lin Nelson
Doreen Swetkis
Marxa Marnia (MES Student)