Conservation Starters

This month on Conservation Starters, Nora Carman-White, Communication & Education Manager at TCD takes the reigns as host to interview your usual Conservation Starters host, Kiana Sinner. Together, we discuss the importance of connecting with our community and the strategies we use to reach out. We talk about our educational workshops, Native Plant Festival & Sale, and volunteer program. We delve into a few things we're especially passionate about and share our individual commitment to supporting the community we cherish. Kiana also teases the exciting things coming in Season 2 of Conservation Starters. Tune in to learn more about our Education & Outreach department and how you can get involved with Thurston Conservation District!

Resources:

• Kiana Sinner, [email protected]
• Nora Carman-White, [email protected]
• TCD workshop recordings
• Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter 
• Sign up to be a volunteer
• Check out our Native Plant Festival & Sale
• Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook
• Rock to Roots; Spokane Conservation District Podcast
  
  

 This month on Conservation Starters, we're joined for a second time by TCD's Senior Natural Resource Specialist, Adam Peterson. During this episode, we delve into the topic of soil health. Adam breaks down why soil health is so important and teaches us how we can make sure we're protecting the soil in our backyard! We also discuss the District's soil testing program and even analyze a soil test for Conservation Starters host, Kiana. Tune in to this episode to learn more about how you can get a sense of what's happening in your soil!

Resource:

• Adam Peterson, [email protected]
• Thurston CD's Soil Testing Webpage
• WSU's Growing Cover Crops Guide
• WSU's Plant Clinic Webpage
• DOE’s Web Map of Commercial Environmental Labs 

If you have a question about Conservation Starters or want to suggest an episode topic, contact [email protected].

 This month on Conservation Starters, we're joined by Washington State Orca Recovery Coordinator, Tara Galuska. During this episode, we learn more about our local Southern Resident orca pods, why they are endangered, and why it's important that we protect them. Tara shares the threats that Southern Resident orcas face and what we can do in our daily lives to make a difference for this vital species! We also talk about our upcoming Orca Recovery Day volunteer event, happening on October 15th at Squaxin Park and how folks all over the west coast can get involved in recovery efforts. Tune in to learn more about Southern Resident Orca Whales and how you can be a part of the solution to protect our pods! 

Resources:

• www.orca.wa.gov
•  www.thurstoncd.com/ORD - Orca Recovery Day in Thurston County -
• www.betterground.org/ord/ - Not located in Thurston County? Learn about Orca Recovery Day events in your neighborhood 
• Orcasound - Orcasound connects your headphones to live hydrophones (underwater microphones), your ears to an ocean of sound. 
• Orca Network - a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of the Pacific Northwest whales.

Questions about Orca Recovery Day? Contact Kiana Sinner, [email protected]

This month, on Conservation Starters, were joined by TCD's Conservation Program Manager Karin Strelioff, Engineering Geologist and Hydrogeologist Wendy Gerstel, and ISA Certified Arborist Ray Gleason. This second part episode takes a deep dive into our local shorelines. Wendy, a local geologist teaches us about the glacial formation of our Puget Sound beaches and delves into how water management plays a role in changes along our shorelines. We talk about the importance of vegetation along our shorelines and get some insight from Ray, a local arborist who shares his techniques for sustainably managing vegetation while also protecting property owners' views. Tune in to this episode to learn more!

Resources
Karin Strelioff, [email protected]
Shore Friendly Thurston
Northwest Straits Foundation - Shore Friendly
Washington Coastal Atlas for all things coastal.
Washington Geology Portal for all things geologic, and LiDAR.
T-Sheets for historic coastline information.

 This month, on Conservation Starters, were joined by TCD's Conservation Program Manager, Karin Strelioff, and Patrick Townsend, a Puget Sound shoreline landowner. During this episode, we learn about the Shore Friendly Program and how partners from around Puget Sound are working together to assist shoreline property owners to protect their property and the vital habitat that surrounds it. We discuss bulkheads, the benefits of natural shoreline, and learn about how a shoreline is always changing. Patrick shares the challenges he faced on his property and relates his experience working with our staff, and regional partners on his family's shoreline restoration project. 

Resources:

• Karin Strelioff, [email protected]
• Shore Friendly Thurston
• Shorefriendly.org
• Northwest Straits Foundation - Shore Friendly
• Shore Friendly Kitsap
• Department of Ecology Coastal Atlas
• Northwest Straights Commission

 This month, on Conservation Starters, were joined by Stephanie Bishop and Sam Nadell, TCD's youth education staff. During this episode, we learn about the history of our k-12 program South Sound GREEN and how it has evolved and grown over the last 30 years to meet the growing need for hands-on science education in Thurston County. We also discuss the challenges our staff faced and the solutions they found to continue providing education to students during the pandemic. Tune in to this conversation to learn more about TCD's programs geared towards youth, teens, and young adults.  If you are a Thurston County parent, teacher, or student this is the episode for you! 

Contact Information:
Stephanie Bishop, [email protected]
Sam Nadell, [email protected]

Resources:
SouthSoundGREEN.org

•  Classroom Lessons
• Teacher Resources

Teens in Thurston
South Puget Sound Regional Envirothon

This month, on Conservation Starters, were joined by 5th generation farmer Carissa Miller who is the owner and operator of Withywindle Valley Farm and TCD's Senior Natural Resource Specialist, Marguerite Abplanalp. Together, we discuss the challenges and triumphs that come with being a farmer in Thurston County and learn about the Voluntary Stewardship Program - a program that offers local producers an alternative way to protect and voluntarily enhance environmentally critical areas while maintaining and improving the long-term viability of local agriculture.

Contact Information:
Marguerite Abplanalp, [email protected]
Carissa Miller, [email protected]

Resources:
Withywindle Valley Farm
Thurston Conservation District VSP Sign-up Form
Thurston County VSP

Interested in joining the VSP workgroup? Contact Marguerite Abplanalp, [email protected] for more information.

 This month, on Conservation Starters, we're joined by Adam Petersen who is one of Thurston Conservation District's Senior Natural Resource Specialists. Adam's background in GIS and crop science, coupled with his personal interest in climate change and emergency preparedness, makes him the perfect guest to discuss the local impacts of climate change and how our community can best prepare. During the episode, we discuss the current and projected increases in wildfire, flooding, drought, and extreme heatwaves due to climate change. Listen in to learn easy steps you and your family can take to be more climate-resilient! 

Contact Information: Adam Peterson, [email protected]

Flood, Fire, Drought, Heat, and other Emergency Preparedness Resources: Thurston Conservation District Emergency Preparedness Resource Webpage

Thurston County Mapping Resource: Thurston Geodata

Wildfire Preparedness Resources: Wildfire in Western Washington: A Different Animal (Webinar), Firewise.org, DNRFirewise  

This month, on Conservation Starters we're joined by Margaret Kreder our local stewardship forester. We discuss how forest landowners can be good stewards of their property whether that's in their back yard or their back forty. Margaret, who offers forestry site visits to local landowners, tells us what types of common problems she sees in forest stands and the best way to combat them. We also talk about an ongoing forestry webinar series that dives deeper into the world of forest health. Tune into this month's episode to learn more and see how to get involved!

Resources

Recorded Forestry Education Webinar Series: https://www.thurstoncd.com/education/workshops-tours/

Conservation District Forestry Resources: https://www.masoncd.org/forest.html

WSU Extension Forestry Resources: https://forestry.wsu.edu/

Thurston CD Contact Information: https://www.thurstoncd.com/about-us/contact-us/

Contact Information: Margaret Kreder, 360-427-9436 ext. 102 or email [email protected]

During this month's episode of Conservation Starters, we're joined by four guests! Mara Healy our Senior Habitat Restoration Specialist, Nick George & Cassie Doll from USFW Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, and Jake Yancey of Tracking Y Ranch. These guests join us to talk about the Frogs on Farms program. During this conversation, we discuss how local landowners and producers are working alongside conservation organizations to support the protected Oregon Spotted Frog through sustainable farming practices like conservation grazing. 

Resources:
If you have questions about the Frogs on Farms program or would like to learn more about how our organization can assist you with meeting your land goals, reach out to our guests using the contact information below.

Mara Healy, Senior Habitat Restoration Specialist: [email protected]
Nick George, Washington State Coordinator Partners for Fish Program: [email protected]
Cassie Doll, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Biologist: [email protected]