Ridge Dogs is the only inmate-initiated-and-operated pet program in WA Corrections, and has a strong culture of empowerment and transformation. They also have the attention of a really great professional photographer. Photo by J. Devine Photography.

Coyote Ridge is located in the desert. In the past few years, they have established Heritage Gardens: native plants, columnar basalt, and designs that honor the region. Responding to incarcerated residents' requests, they hope to add vegetable and flower gardens. Photo by Joslyn Rose Trivett.

Coyote Ridge Corrections Center (CRCC) was one of the first prisons to embrace Roots of Success, an environmental course. Since 2014, the peer-led program has graduated 226 students in 14 cohorts. Photo by Ricky Osborne.

CRCC was the first prison in the nation to be LEED Gold certified. Understandably, a high sustainability rating comes with water use restrictions, and the main campus cannot have the vibrant food and flower gardens typical of WA prisons. Instead, staff have focused on native plants and wildlife habitat structures, like this mason bee house. Photo by Ricky Osborne.

Coyote Ridge Corrections Center (CRCC)

Program	Program Partners (partner with DOC, Evergreen, or both)	Recent highlights – updated August 2019
Roots of Success, environmental course	Roots of Success	231 graduates since start of program; organizing instructor training to restart the program
Beekeeping	Mid Columbia Beekeepers Ass’n, Washington State Beekeepers Association	No bee classes in 2019; graduated 19 Beginners previously; 2 hives; former SPP program manager donated to the program
Plant and Animal Habitat		Bird boxes, owl box, and pollinator box in garden; built 8 bee boxes in past year.
Land restoration	Lamb Weston	Propagated and grew eleven native species for native plant restoration outside the fence
Heritage and bee gardens		Several pockets of native and polllinator-specific plants. Two Heritage Gardens, incarcerated designers, honor the cultural and natural heritage of our local area, native plants and chunks of columnar basalt
Garden: Main, maintenance area	Harvest Now	~1,000 ft2 of vegetables and pollinator plants; half to food bank and half to kitchen
Waste sorting & recycling		Sorted ~152 tons of recyclables in past year: metals, cardboard, paper, plastic
Toys for Tots	Tri-Cities Toys for Tots, Shriners Hospital for Children	Donated 150 toys and crafts in the in past year
Teddy bears from reclaimed materials	Hospitals, API events held at CRCC, ARC of Tri-Cities, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office	Donated 600 teddy bears to partners and benefit events
Ridge Dogs	Benton Franklin Humane, Adam County Pet Rescue	131 dogs graduated from the program in past year!
Service dogs for veterans	Brigadoon Service Dogs	New: Set up video conferencing with Brigadoon; currently training 2 dogs
Gardens: Minimum	Food pantries	2,200 ft2 of gardens produced more than 6000 lbs in 2018; half goes to kitchen and half to local food banks
Pollinator garden: Minimum	Lamb Weston	4 acre garden for bees and other pollinators!
Composting: Minimum	Food pantries	Produced 8.65 tons of compost in past year

Articles about CRCC

2018

Coyote Ridge Corrections Center looks gray, but it’s the “greenest” prison in the nation!

Liaisons are our Roots for Success

2017

Letter from one of the Roots Master Trainers

Fracking Lecture at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center

2016

Collecting Sagebrush Seeds

Prairie Restoration Lecture

Accountability: Brainstorming article

Sustainability & Justice

Climate Science at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center

A Master of Training

Sagebrush in Prisons Project

2015

Growing Sagebrush in Central Washington

Each One, Teach One

2014

CRCC Roots Course Leads to Inmate Interest in Sustainability

Reaching higher at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center