The Stream Stewards Program, originally developed by Washington State University’s Jefferson County Extension and now hosted by the Salmon Coalition, provides Jefferson and Clallam County residents with the opportunity to turn environmental knowledge into action. Through this 5-week course, participants learn about connections between our lands and waters by diving into topics such as stream ecology and restoration, salmon biology and habitats, managing urban watersheds, riparian forests, tribal roles in restoration, and fisheries management. You will connect with local natural resource experts in classroom sessions and field experiences and learn about opportunities to get involved in local efforts to steward and restore our local watersheds.
Upon completion, volunteers are asked to commit to 20 volunteer hours to an organization of their choice over the following year. Volunteer hours can be applied to a wide range of opportunities that work toward the larger goal of improving local ecosystem health. From getting involved in a citizen science project to engaging in public outreach, volunteers can connect with opportunities that fit their skills and interests. Through this program, we hope to connect you to many of these organizations that host volunteer opportunities.
Throughout the training, organizations will provide participants with information about local projects and offer exciting opportunities to plug in and make a difference on the Olympic Peninsula.
*SINGLE SESSION REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE* If you are only interested or available for a single or multiple session, you can register for a single session for $25.
The 5-week course fee will be $100 and classes will take place every Wednesday in September from 9am – 2pm at various locations in Jefferson and Clallam Counties
Course Schedule
Salmon Biology & Restoration
September 2nd, 9am - 2pm, Chimacum & Discovery Bay (Jefferson County)
Managing Critical Resources: Water & Salmon
September 9th, 9am - 2pm, Dungeness River (Clallam County)
Thinking Big: Watershed Scale Restoration
September 16th, 9am - 2pm, Tarboo Creek & Chimacum (Jefferson County)
From the Mountains to the Sea: Elwha River
September 23rd, 9am - 2pm, Port Angeles & Elwha River (Clallam County)
Caring for Urban Watersheds
September 30th, 9am - 2pm, Port Angeles (Clallam County)
Single session registration. This ticket is only for the September 16th class.
Class Description: Using Tarboo Creek as a case study, we’ll explore how to approach watershed-wide restoration, from stream restoration, land preservation, forest management, to invasive species management. Sometimes restoration efforts are small and focused on a small reach or specific area, and sometimes, we have the opportunity to think much larger!
We want to keep this program accessible to all who would like to take it. If the course fee is a financial barrier to you participating, please reach out to info@nosc.org.
Single session registration. This ticket is only for the September 23rd class.
Class Description: Take a deep dive into everything Elwha! We’ll start at the top, learning about glacial monitoring and how climate change is impacting the Elwha River before diving into the unique research opportunities tracking marine-derived nutrients post-dam removal. We’ll also take a look at the management of water resources and balancing the needs of people and salmon, before capping off the day looking closely at the next steps of Elwha River restoration.
We want to keep this program accessible to all who would like to take it. If the course fee is a financial barrier to you participating, please reach out to info@nosc.org.
Single session registration. This ticket is only for the September 2nd class.
Class Description: Learn the basics of salmon biology in our region and the science behind restoring salmon habitat. We’ll visit Discovery Bay to dive deeper into a case study of salmon restoration, learning about what the monitoring data tells us about salmon recovery in these watersheds and how lands and waters are managed for long term conservation.
We want to keep this program accessible to all who would like to take it. If the course fee is a financial barrier to you participating, please reach out to info@nosc.org.
Single session registration. This ticket is only for the September 30th class.
Class Description: Urban watersheds are some of the most complex watersheds to restore, protect, and steward long-term. Explore the junction of social and environmental issues that meet in the urban watersheds of Port Angeles and the people and organizations taking creative measures to care for these places. We’ll also zoom out and connect with WSDOT to learn about the culvert replacement projects happening in our region.
We want to keep this program accessible to all who would like to take it. If the course fee is a financial barrier to you participating, please reach out to info@nosc.org.
Single session registration. This ticket is only for the September 9th class.
Class Description: Take a deep dive into complex topics of managing our local natural resources. Learn about tribal harvest management of salmon and stewardship of land in the Dungeness Watershed. We’ll also tackle topics of water resource management and climate resiliency in the dryest part of the Olympic rainshadow.
We want to keep this program accessible to all who would like to take it. If the course fee is a financial barrier to you participating, please reach out to info@nosc.org.
Registration includes entire 5-week course.
The $100 course fee is significantly less than the cost to administer this program. Please consider making an additional contribution through the additional donation field. We want to keep this program accessible to all who would like to take it. If the course fee is a financial barrier to you participating, please reach out to info@nosc.org.