"The map draws accurate, real-time air quality data from our network of 80+ monitoring stations. It displays a color-coded guide to pollution levels based on the national Air Quality Index (AQI)."
An introduction to the complex ecologies and human experiences of theSalish Sea region. This interdisciplinary course introduces students to content in the natural and social sciences, and integrates experiential learning through local regional field trips, including cross-border experiences.
This course is about examining the Salish Sea through multiple disciplinary lenses in order to appreciate the complexity of this region. This project will allow you to dig deeper into one facet of this region pursuing an area of interest by asking a question to which there is no apparent known answering an effort to expand our larger collective knowledge about this region. This project is both a way to synthesize much of what you've been learning in this class through a multidisciplinary lens, but it also will help you practice other important life skills like effective communication and building collaboration skills.
Rockfishes (Sebastes spp.) are a group of long-lived Pacific fishes that are susceptible to overharvest in commercial and recreational fisheries due to their life history and site fidelity. Different histories of rockfish fishery development throughout their range have led to varying management challenges for these species, including the listing of two rockfish species under the Endangered Species Act in Puget Sound. In this talk, I will present stories of rockfish fisheries in Puget Sound from community, policy, and science perspectives. Using examples drawn from our research over the last decade, I will highlight ways in which fishers’ knowledge, stewardship, and innovation are contributing to improved conservation and management of rockfish.
With over 400 miles of marine shoreline located in the heart of the Salish Sea, nearshore habitats in the San Juan Archipelago play a key role in local and regional marine ecosystem recovery. Learn more about collaborative shoreline research, protection, and restoration efforts in the islands, including successes, challenges, and opportunities for the future.
At the core of marine resilience is a thriving portfolio of marine species and habitats and our strong connections to them. At Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF), this tenet drives our work - collaboratively spearheading a diverse set of in-water projects throughout the southern Salish Sea. Our main focus is restoring living marine habitat and species, using structure forming species (Olympia oysters, bull kelp) and habitat enhancing species (pinto abalone), but also with a keen eye to species of paramount importance to Tribes (heart cockles) and other communities Sound-wide (Dungeness crab). These species are critical to the food web, too, and maintain the living marine architecture that supports the marine ecosystem in Puget Sound and beyond. Robust restoration of these core elements has ripple effects, boosting function and providing direct and indirect support to fish and marine mammals throughout the food web as they face compounding effects of climate change. In this talk, I will highlight the work that PSRF and partners are doing in service of: improved water quality, increased abundance of native species, additional acres of restored habitat, enhanced ecological benefits, and re-forged connections with healthy marine resources.
Join Ron as he describes the modern construction techniques used and the features incorporated into new vessels being constructed by local Bellingham boat builder, All American Marine, Vessels and features discussed will include catamarans, hydrofoils, hybrid boats and the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell powered passenger vessel.
If you're surprised to hear that the 2nd largest fish on the planet used to be abundant in the shared waters of British Columbia and Washington, you're not alone! Now almost forgotten, the Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) - which reaches sizes of up to 12 m (40 ft) - used to be abundant from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico. Although these giant filter-feeders are harmless to humans, they were hunted and persecuted throughout much of the 20th century, first for their oil-rich livers and then because they were impeding profitable salmon fisheries by getting tangled in gillnets. In British Columbia in 1949, they were put on the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans list of 'destructive pests', and from 1955 to 1969 a Federal eradication program was directed at them. Today, only a handful of sightings are reported from throughout British Columbia and Washington each year. Can this enigmatic wonder of our ocean world that has survived as a species for at least 30 million years recover here in the Northeast Pacific? How has our treatment of them shifted and what might we do to better understand them and their habitat, and 'turn the tide' for them, and for us?
The breadth of the economic impact of the maritime sector in Whatcom County is wide, and the Port of Bellingham has a dominant role as owner of most waterfront properties in Bellingham and Blaine. In this talk you will learn about the many aspects of a working waterfront, including major development projects, environmental clean-up programs, introduction to the local commercial seafood industry and stream rehabilitation and salmon enhancement. The Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition is made up of over 120 members (companies, associations and individuals) that help keep Whatcom’s waterfronts working. Learn how the Coalition is involved in these various projects and works alongside coastal leaders to catalyze community sustainability and ensure thriving and diverse waterfronts that all can enjoy.
Consistent information on ecosystem health is critical to inform actions that will ensure the long-term health the Salish Sea’s ecological functions and the human communities that depend upon them. Dedicated scientists and practitioners serve as the region’s eyes and ears to assess ecosystem status and trends, progress toward recovery, and effectiveness of recovery actions. The Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program (PSEMP) collects, organizes, synthesizes, and communicates the best available science to protect, preserve, and enhance Puget Sound’s vitality now and for future generations. The result of PSEMP’s approach of bringing together diverse partners and information is a more fully informed and broadly shared understanding of how the ecosystem functions. This talk will provide a high-level overview of the PSEMP program, highlight the successes of transdisciplinary collaboration, and note current challenges and barriers in meeting its goals.
Public lands conservation alone will never be enough to create lasting change on complex basins, such as the Salish Sea. Today, private individuals and corporations own approximately 60% of land in the United States. Conservation Districts aim to bridge this gap by being locally focused trusted resources for landowners. This is done by providing locally focused, voluntary, incentive-based programing and free financial and technical assistance. These local conservation efforts on each stream and watershed add up to larger benefits for the Salish Sea as a whole.
For decades, terrestrial wildlife centers and aquariums were the only places in the Pacific Northwest where a limited number of marine species could be rehabilitated. With the opening of SR3's sealife hospital in 2021 the number and diversity of species capable of receiving care has expanded dramatically. This talk will focus on 4 different types of animals SR3 has cared for, and what their stories can teach us about starting something new, growing, and working collaboratively.
"This talk will introduce you to the Salish Sea Institute, the work we are doing, and discuss the importance of a transboundary perspective on the conservation of the Salish Sea."
Born and raised in Washington State, Dr. Joshua L Reid (registered member of the Snohomish Indian Nation) is an associate professor of American Indian Studies and the John Calhoun Smith Memorial Endowed Associate Professor of History at the University of Washington. He holds degrees from Yale University and the University of California, Davis, and is a three-time Ford Foundation Fellow. His publications include the award-winning "The Sea Is My Country: The Maritime World of the Makahs" (Yale 2015) and "Violence and Indigenous Communities: Confronting the Past and Engaging the Present" (Northwestern, 2021), which he co-edited with Jeff Ostler and Susan Sleeper-Smith. He currently directs the UW’s Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest, edits two book series, and serves on the Board of Editors of the American Historical Review. Reid currently researches Indigenous explorers in the Pacific, from the late eighteenth century to the end of the nineteenth century.
My name is Jennifer Zovar, and I am an archaeological anthropologist born and raised in the Salish Sea region. I regularly teach many of the Anthropology courses at Whatcom Community College – Survey, Cultural Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Archaeology, World Prehistory, and Native Peoples of North America, and I am faculty advisor for ASWCC’s Anthropology Club. Although my early research focused on Andean South America, today I am working to better understand the peoples and cultures who have shaped the Salish Sea region since time immemorial and to protect the area’s cultural heritage. As a member of the Association for Washington Archaeology, outreach events include archaeology fairs at WCC and other community archaeology events.
nick works as an associate professor of environmental education at the College of the Environment at Western Washington University. His research uses an educationalist lens and participatory techniques to understand environmental sociology, ecological identity, transformative places, and Indigenous responses to climate change. He pursues projects that utilize his unique background as an ecologist, conservationist, educator, and knowledge mobilizer, and look for ways to support participants and provide nuance and complexity to pressing issues. He aims to understand, mobilize, and help create space for Indigenous communities to tell their stories of resurgence, cultural adaptation, and sovereignty all while helping find pathways, protocol, and critical understandings amongst settler-colonial communities.
Timothy Ballew, Lul hal man is my family name. Families, Balch/Celestine family (Swan Clan), Solomon/ Ballew Family (Eagle Clan). We are Lhaq'temish, Lummi people, or people of the Salish Sea. I served on the Lummi Indian Business Council for 11 years, a Law Enforcement background. Currently I am with the Northwest Indian College, as a faculty member in the Science department.
Jessica Hallenbeck (PhD, RPP) is a critical intersectional feminist geographer and filmmaker (Lantern Films) whose work brings together decolonial methodologies, the archive, and research-creation to represence connections to / with water.
Dr. Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles (they/he) is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Victoria. Their research interests are multifaceted but include critical Indigenous geographies, human-environment interactions, Indigenous cultural resource management, and science/technology studies. They are a citizen of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and currently lives in Coast Salish territories (Victoria, BC), where they are a grateful guest.
Dr. Kathryn Sobocinski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and the Marine and Coastal Science program at Western Washington University. She is an applied marine ecologist focusing on fishes, fish habitats, and impacts of human disturbance and climate change in coastal ecosystems, primarily in the Salish Sea.
This is a parallel track to ANTH 235, Cross Cultural Medicine that focuses on the health impacts of climate disasters, including trauma, grief and anxiety. Students then have the opportunity to visualize a future when the earth recovers its health. What does that look like? How does it happen?
Science director for SeaDoc Society, a marine conservation program, presents at the Western Washington University College of the Environment (previously Huxley) Speaker Series. Gaydos talks about impacts of human-caused changes on Salish Sea species and the importance of public awareness and education about the Salish Sea to address issues.
Chief Tsi'li'xw (Bill James) and Su'hun'up Hussmeen (Troy Olsen) of the Lummi nation present at the Northwest Indian College Salish Sea Speaker Series. They tell stories about the importance of the art of weaving with cedar and wool in the Coast Salish tradition and how the art is impacted by changing Salish Sea conditions.
Documentary on Salish Sea underwater biodiversity and the resistance of diverse communities and First Nations to the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline, who call attention to fossil fuel industrial development projects affecting local ecology, the worsening climate crisis, and the lives of future generations.
Town Hall Seattle and publisher Braided River present a panel discussion about the multimedia book and campaign We Are Puget Sound: Discovering and Recovering the Salish Sea. Hear from contributors from the Squamish Tribe, Washington Environmental Council People for Puget Sound, Orca Recovery Task Force, and more.
Engineer Melina Scholefield and ecologist Steven Apfelbaum discuss what the ecology and nature of Vancouver B.C. parks and recreation spaces looks like now and what it might look like in the future.
Young adult novel follows a teenage boy from a fictional bay in western Washington state near Olympia who is passionate about the Puget Sound and becomes a local celebrity when he discovers a giant squid on the shore.
The SeaDoc Society Science Director Joe Gaydos presents a trailer for Salish Sea Wild, a documentary series on the places, people, and marine wildlife of the Salish Sea. Episodes feature scientists and their work with Salish Sea wildlife.
Nancy Turner, an ethnobotanist and professor, presents at the Western Washington University College of the Environment (previously Huxley) Speaker Series. She talks about environmental change, incorporating Indigenous Environmental Knowledge systems into decision-making, and biocultural diversity.
Terrie Klinger, a professor and co-director of the Washington Ocean Acidification Center, presents at the Western Washington University College of the Environment (previously Huxley) Speaker Series. She talks about causes of ocean acidification, impact on marine and coastal communities, and recent science and policy actions.
Lynda Mapes talks about how she got to where she is and orca (killer) whales in the Salish Sea during her talk at the Western Washington University College of the Environment (previously Huxley) Speaker Series.
Valerie Segrest (Muckleshoot), a native nutrition educator and coordinator of Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project, presents about Coast Salish traditional food, food systems, and movements towards food sovereignty for cultures and health across Indian Country at the Western Washington University College of the Environment (previously Huxley) Speaker Series.
Lummi Elder and Fisherman Tim Ballew Sr. presents at the Northwest Indian College Salish Sea Speaker Series. He speaks about the meaning of being on the water and the experience of change across generations in connection with the water.
Anthropology journal article about community-based work for Edmonds Community College students’ place-based learning, Coast Salish partners’ and native students’ requests for involvement and “passing the mic,” and the role and uses of ethnography for tribal and non-tribal governments.
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Tribal Historical Preservation Officer Larry Campbell (Swinomish) and Environmental Community Health Analyst Jamie Donatuto present at the Northwest Indian College Salish Sea Speaker Series. They talk about why Indigenous-specific health indicators, respected stewardship, community connections, and diet matter.
Booklet on the community involvement shaping the 50-year plan for Seattle’s water resilience called Shape Our Water. In collaboration with Seattle Public Utilities, it provides goals for creating a water-resilient and equitable future in Seattle with infrastructure that supports community needs and addresses underlying issues.
Episode from the podcast Book Club with Jeffery Sachs features a conversation with author Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. They discuss myths, settler colonialism, white supremacy, and the history of erasure and exclusion in the United States.
Reimagining the history of Bellingham Bay and North Puget Sound and how it is taught, presented by Anna Booker, WCC history instructor, and the "Bellingham Working Waterfront Project" and David Jepsen, co-author of Contested Boundaries: A New Pacific Northwest History.