Grants by Year:
Paul Wiseman Conservation Education
Kwiaht
Kwiaht was organized in 2006 by Samish Tribal leader and environmentalist Ken Hansen, with the mission of ‘science for stewardship.’ The organization works with Indian tribes and local communities to protect and restore ecosystems and conduct scientific research that strengthens good stewardship of cultural and biological resources in the San Juan Archipelago. This program of ‘soundscape ecology’ is a highly efficient way of detecting and tracking otherwise fast-moving, nocturnal or hard-to-see animals.
Foundation funds will be used to:
- complete the installation of a network of acoustic recorders across the San Juan Islands programmed for year-round sampling of vocalizations by island birds, amphibians and small mammals
- support a public education and outreach program offering adults and students opportunities to piggyback their own studies on the first two years of baseline data collection
- make it possible for Kwiaht to use social media and public workshops to promote wider appreciation, monitoring, and conservation of soundscapes as a tool of ecosystem protection.
EarthCorps
“Blue carbon” refers to the ability of tidal wetlands and seagrass habitats to capture and store carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. Wetlands act as “carbon sponges”, soaking up atmospheric carbon at a rate ten times greater than old growth forests.
EarthCorps and its partners in the Puget Sound region spearhead the science and practice of blue carbon nationally, and recently found that restoring marshes store carbon at twice the rate of existing marshes.
The work in 2020 will continue the critical third year of the organization’s blue carbon planting trials effort in the Qwuloolt Marsh, a restoring marsh in the Snohomish River Estuary, to increase the efficacy of blue carbon processes at test sites in the Puget Sound region. This is part of a large collaborative project on the regional and national level to identify best practices in the emerging field of blue carbon restoration.
See EarthCorps’ video about blue carbon and the Snohomish Estuary.
Education
Camp Solomon Schecther
Funds will help buy equipment for their environmental education program, Osprey Camp – geocaching kits, watershed model, bird skull replicas.
Education Supporting Habitat/Wildlife
Whatcom Land Trust
Support for this organization to sponsor events at the Whatcom Water Week, celebrating local water resources. Events include tour of two land trust areas, production of a video for their website, educational materials, and volunteer work parties.
SR3-SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation and Research
Provides emergency care to sick, injured and entangled marine mammals. Funds will support 45 community events highlighting the negative impact of personal pollutants plus two beach clean ups.
Vashon Nature Center
Expansion of Vashon Salmonwatcher Program with DNA testing via fin clips of spawned out salmon. Data will be sent to WDFW and Cedar Coast Field Station in B.C. to contribute to Salish Sea genetic library.
Washington Environmental Council
Funds to support Orca Month (June) activities – a month of activities hosted by Orca Salmon Alliance (15 local and national non-profits). Fifteen events were planned for Washington state and ten events planned for Oregon. A small set of events were planned for British Columbia.
Washington Association of Land Trusts
Develop and host Shoreline Partner Training to help land trusts to develop tools and strategies to enhance shoreline protection, stewardship and outreach.
Student Conservation Association
Addition of a Citizen Science Initiative to the work projects at local parks and green spaces that this organization organizes. The organization is looking to develop a more consistent environmental educational component for the crews of high school students.
Education via Film, Social Media, Web, Art, and Hard Copy Publication Projects
TLP Media
Development of one-hour documentary film on southern resident orcas – how the health of the Sea is affecting the orcas and what can be done to improve their health.
Various
Great Peninsula Conservancy
Creation of kayak landing site at the new preserve area, Hahobas Shoreline Preserve Project. Also includes interpretive and directional signage.