Cedar Creek Corrections Center (CCCC)
| Program | Program Partners | December 2020 highlights |
| Beekeeping: CCCC | Olympia Beekeeping Association, Washington State Beekeepers Association | No hives on site in 2019; education program continues to support the McNeil Beekeeping program: in 2020, graduated 23 incarcerated and 2 staff beginner beekeepers; 73 certified beekeepers overall so far! |
| Beekeeping: McNeil Island | Correctional Industries, Department of Natural Resources, community beekeepers | Team started program in May 2018; in 2019, CCCC beekeepers visit island program 2x month; program and partnership thriving. |
| Western pond turtle care | Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Woodland Park Zoo, and PAWS | 81 turtles cared for and released since 2013; program part of a much broader partnership; program temporarily suspended due to COVID-19, hoping to restart in mid-2021 |
| Woodpecker nest predation study | US Forest Service | This project successfully concluded in August 2020 |
| Aquaponics | Symbiotic Cycles | New 5ft x 20ft raft bed system to produce greens year round for facility kitchen; technicians received 2-part training from Symbiotic Cycles LLC. 2019: harvesting greens for kitchen use. |
| Vegetable gardens | Centralia College, Littlerock Elementary School | ~10,000 ft2 of gardens yielded ~15,000 lbs. of produce. Program also grew pumpkins for prison family events |
| Flower gardens | Centralia College | ~15,000 pollinator-friendly annual flowers planted around grounds each year (grown from seed in facility greenhouses); need to add more to support honeybees on site |
| Waste sorting & recycling | Due to COVID-19, primary focus has been pulling enough cardboard and paper to continue composting program | |
| Large-scale composting | ~150 tons of organic matter diverted to composting | |
| Training dogs for veterans | Brigadoon Service Dogs | Program currently has 5 trainers, 5 secondary trainers, and 5 dogs. 3 dogs graduated in 2020. |
| Community College Horticulture | Centralia College | Program cares for all of the greenhouses and vegetable gardens, propagates all annual flowers for the facility. Students earn 20 credits for the 10-week course. |
| Construction: tiny homes | Centralia College | Built 6 tiny homes for people experiencing homelessness in the community and 2 chassis for larger “tiny cottages” |
| Water use reduction and catchment | Catchment capacity: 45,000 gallons; replaced concrete and gravel around the wood shop with grass to reduce water run off. | |
| Waste water treatment | Department of Ecology (DOE) | DOE-recognized with Outstanding Performance Award; testament to work of facility staff plus incarcerated individuals who work at the treatment plant and gain valuable skills for post-release; recently installed a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) that improves quality of effluent |
| Forestry | DNR | Off-site crews are trained in and practice re-forestation, woodcutting, land clearing, and forest firefighting and fire prevention. Crews were dispatched to numerous fire projects and local wildfires, receiving recognition and appreciation from community members for their efforts. |
| Community work | 155 incarcerated individuals performed community work, providing a total of 16,050 hours of work for local, county, nonprofit and state agencies. Services included development of parks and recreational areas, litter clean-up, restoration at Mima Mounds, and removal of invasive/noxious weeds. |
Articles about CCCC
2019
Aquaponic knowledge, from one program to another
The Magic of Caring for Turtles
Turtle Release Day for Cedar Creek
Fine Tuning Aquaponics at Cedar Creek
Letter from a graduate: Centralia College Horticulture Program at Cedar Creek Corrections Center
2018
Aquaponics training at Cedar Creek
McNeil Island’s Newest Residents
Astrobiology for the Incarcerated – Washington
Technicians from Cedar Creek participate in turtle release
Biological Science Technician at Cedar Creek speaks about his time with SPP
Turtles plus woodpeckers plus…
2017
New Biological Science Technician Position, and One of the Newest is Feeling Thankful
New Woodpecker Nest Monitoring Project at Cedar Creek
Happenings at Cedar Creek Corrections
Cedar Creek Turtle Release 2017
New Turtles and New Technicians!
2016
Going Above and Beyond for Sustainability
A Technician’s Experience in a Room Full of Frog Scientists
New Program Offered by SPP: Bee Certification
2015
Frog Release 2015: Celebrating the Program that Paved the Way!
Buzzing With Success: Bees Help Inmates Learn Marketable Skills, Build Self-Esteem
Working with the Oregon Spotted Frog
A Big Thank You for the Amazing New Turtle Shed!
2014
First Beekeeping Certification in-prison for SPP-WA
New to the Frog and Turtle Program!
Cedar Creek Prairie Conservation Crew 2014
2013
Cedar Creek’s Roots of Success Graduation
The Wonders of In-Vessel Composting at Cedar Creek Corrections Center
Interview with Officer Glenn Epling, New Beekeeping Project Lead at Cedar Creek Corrections Center
A New Composting Facility for Cedar Creek Corrections Center
Collaboration at Shotwell’s Landing Nursery
Gardening with Sophie Hart at Cedar Creek Corrections Center (2013)
New Prairie Restoration Community Crew
2012
Composting and the Prison Experience
246 Oregon spotted frogs released on September 24th!
Perspectives from an Inmate Service Dog Trainer at Cedar Creek Corrections Center
Inmate perspective on a prison garden project
SPP Oregon Spotted Frog Program Transitions
59 Frogs released at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in March! )
Inmates Participate in Egg Mass Surveying at West Rocky Prairie
New Frog Rearing Practices at Cedar Creek
Inmate Frog Technicians Experiment with Cricket Rearing
2011
Inmate Technicians Attend Annual Species Recovery Conferences
DOC Enables Former Frog Technician to Join in the Annual OSF Release Event
Annual Oregon spotted frog release!
Sustainable Prisons Project Involved in Cutting Edge Research
Frog Predator Response Experiment at CCCC
Arboriculture Workshop at Cedar Creek Correction Center
Oregon Spotted Frog Egg Masses Discovered Near Release Site!
Frog Project Initiates New Research
2010
Outreach at the South Sound Science Symposium
Offenders Prepare for Frog Release
Cedar Creek’s Captive Crickets
Offenders take college credit at Evergreen
Frog Project Receives Grant from Oregon Zoo Foundation