Interview with Salvador Hernandez, Conservation Nursery Program Coordinator    

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in Ecological Restoration SPP Network

A dedicated community of people is what powers the Sustainability in Prisons Project. We sat down with Sal Hernandez, one of our coordinators, to learn a little more about his background and role at SPP. 

Can you give us a little bit about your background and what brought you to SPP? 

I like working with plants and have been doing it for about a decade—mainly either identification, rehabilitation, or disease control. I managed and maintained a temperate woodland garden for a while. Recently I was an irrigation specialist, leading irrigation at an indoor nursery.  

I also believe in second chances. I was on a razor edge for a long time, and I could have ended up in a facility myself if I wasn’t on my game 24/7 as a child. One reason I’m here is because people were nice to me, and I want to be that for someone.   

Above: Sal Hernandez, Conservation Nursery Program Coordinator, teaching at WCCW. Below: Sal Hernandez with Michelle Nichols going over sowing logs. Photos by Emily Passarelli.  

What do you do at SPP? 

I teach students at Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) how to grow plants for prairie restoration and conservation around Washington. I teach how to maintain plants and look for disease, different germination practices, burning practices, and geology. I teach about the climate of Washington prairies and what a native prairie in Washington looks like, as well as how to preserve them.  

Why type of plants do you work with at the WCCW conservation nursery? 

We work with a variety of prairie plants. Several species of Lomatium and Quercus garryana (Garry oak) are two that we work with. Garry oaks are a longer-term plant that we’ll have for a couple of years. Those oaks pass hands because they will stay in the nursery for a long time, and many of the technicians will move on from the job or be released. So that care passes from team member to team member. We also grow strawberries, the native Fragaria virginiana, and Castilleja hispida (harsh Indian paintbrush). We grow those for the [Taylor’s checkerspot] butterflies. The paintbrush is also grown for seed collection since there are low numbers of that plant in the wild.  We grow a variety of other stuff too—whatever we need that year.  

Above: Garry Oaks (Quercus garryana) grown at the WCCW Conservation Nursery. Photo by SPP Staff. Bottom left: Harsh Indian paintbrush (Castilleja hispida). Photo by Rod Gilbert. Bottom right: Technicians plant seeds at the nursery. Photo by Emily Passarelli. 

What has been the biggest reward of working at WCCW? 

The biggest reward is seeing the technicians really latch on and get a lot from the program.  They are always wanting to know more and learning and progressing. Seeing them grow as people as well as students is rewarding.  

Students bring new ideas, or they try something new that works—they’re like “maybe this will make it easier.” Or they’re reading through books and they’re asking me questions like “How does this work?” and “What if we did that?”  

They are also curious about what they could pursue in the field post release and ask me questions about that process. I’m a big proponent of work, I guess, and I like people learning stuff that they can apply immediately. Getting hands in the dirt is very important to me, and I want to teach them skills that they can use afterwards. They’re very appreciative, and I like to see that they’re already planning beyond incarceration. And just from the few students released, their excitement to be out in the field growing stuff, touching dirt, that’s what is most rewarding. 

Above: Janee Medlock shows off two Garry Oaks (Quercus garryana). Below: Sal Hernandez working in the WCCW nursery. Photos by Emily Passarelli.  

What do you think is coolest northwest native plant adaptation? 

Oh definitely Castilleja hispida (harsh Indian paintbrush). It’s a hemiparasitic plant. It can grow on its own during the first few months of life, but it has to eat something so we intentionally plant sacrificial plants next to it that it will eventually kill. Typically, the sacrificial plant is yarrow because it’s a hardy plant.  I just think it’s funny that we have to plant other plants so they can eat them. Initially the paintbrush is a smaller plant, but once it connects to the roots of the yarrow it starts blooming thicker, and it grows greener and healthier.   

What do you do for fun outside of school and work? 

My main thing that I do is historical fencing. I get in full outfit. I fence with a local group that is part of a worldwide organization, and the local group has been great. It’s definitely a found family sort of vibe—a lot of us are really close and we hang out every Wednesday night. We go to tournaments all over the West Coast. During the adventure season we go camping, and we hang out by the fire at night and fight throughout the day. There’s a lot of singing and dancing, it’s really fun.  

Incarcerated Individuals at Washington Corrections Center Connect to their Ancestral Traditions with the Tribal Sons Medicine Garden

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in Environmental Justice Gardens Incarcerated Voices

Nourished by the compost processed on site and tended to by caring hands, the gardens at the Washington Corrections Center (WCC) are impressive bursts of color against the green Pacific Northwest landscape. In the summer the beds are filled with marigolds, cosmos, sunflowers, poppies and more, and they are a source of pride for the incarcerated gardeners.

Flower beds at WCC. Photos by Emily Passarelli.

One garden in particular offers not only an opportunity to learn gardening skills, but a way for indigenous gardeners to connect to their community and culture. The Tribal Sons Medicine Garden is home to medicinal and culturally significant plants such as sage, lavender, and cedar trees. Creation of the garden was spearheaded by indigenous community members, and it now provides a place of solace, growth, and connection.

A sign created by incarcerated individuals for the Tribal Sons Medicine Garden. Photo by Emily Passarelli.

Some of the herbs grown in the garden are used for ceremonies performed by tribal members in the facility. Since Native Americans are incarcerated at roughly 3.6x the rate of white people1, it is crucial to provide opportunities like the Tribal Sons Medicine Garden that allow them to continue stewarding their ancestral lands.

An incarcerated contributor to the garden was recently quoted in a King 5 article regarding his experience of the healing powers of the medicine garden: “This is harmony, this is peace, this is serenity,” he said. “This is healing, this is restoration, this is rehabilitation.”

Medicinal herbs recently planted in the Tribal Sons Medicine Garden. Photo by Emily Passarelli.

During a recent Foundations in Composting class meeting, students performed a soil test in the medicine garden with the help of composting expert Sally Brown. Halfway through the test, the chunk of test soil dropped suddenly back to the ground. “They wanted it back,” one of the indigenous gardeners joked, “the ancestors wanted the soil back.” 

 

1 Vera Institute of Justice. ​ (2019). Incarceration Trends in Washington. ​ Retrieved from http://www.vera.org/state-incarceration-trends. ​

 

 

In the Field with the Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly Program  

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in Conservation Programs Ecological Restoration Partners

By Marisa Pushee and Courtney Murphy 

An adult Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly rests on a flower. Photo by Keegan Curry. 

On a drizzly morning in early June, SPP program partners gathered at Scatter Creek Wildlife Area to connect and share experiences working with the federally endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly (Euphydrayas editha taylori). Incarcerated butterfly technicians and Department of Corrections (DOC) professionals from Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women (MCCCW) gathered with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) biologists and The Evergreen State College (TESC) staff. 

SPP Butterfly Coordinator, Courtney Murphy, and WDFW lead the team as they delve into plant identification. Photo by Kelli Bush. 

With binoculars and plant ID guides in hand, the team was excited by the rich biodiversity and felt inspired to see checkerspot habitat up close. WDFW works diligently on restoration at Scatter Creek—planting native species that are critical for the Taylor’s checkerspot to use as host plants, for food, and for basking. The opportunity to see the butterflies’ prairie habitat first-hand proved an eye-opening experience for colleagues across the program. The butterfly program technicians at MCCCW work year-round to successfully rear and breed the endangered butterfly in captivity. Through their work with SPP, butterfly technicians learn extensively about prairie ecosystems. For many, this was their first opportunity to see essential native plants like paintbrush and lupine.  

Butterfly technicians touch native flowers that make up the habitat of Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies. Photo by Kelli Bush. 

Many of the program technicians expressed interest in careers in restoration and environmental studies, and the field visit offered an opportunity to further grow their professional network and gain more information about working in the sciences. WDFW biologists, Andrew Dechaine and Melinda Vickers, shared with the team the diversity of careers paths that can lead to work with wildlife and provided information on upcoming job openings.  

SPP Butterfly Technician shows her lupine tattoo next to lupine growing at the restoration site. Photo by Kelli Bush. 
The MCCCW SPP team from left to right (top row: Shelly Lagroone, Vickie Phillips, Karmen Moen, Dalynn Martinez, Jennifer Teitzel, Alivia Garcia, Courtney Robbins, Theresa Boyer ; bottom row: Trista Egli, Radalyn King, Kennie Calvert). Photo by Courtney Murphy. 

DOC Corrections professionals were also able to connect with the SPP team and learn more about the endangered butterfly that their dedicated work helps support, taking that knowledge with them to strengthen the program and support the technicians in their work. The Scatter Creek site visit provided an exciting opportunity for colleagues to build connections with one another and with the prairie habitat that the Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly calls home! 

Turtle Release 2024!

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in Biology Conservation Programs Partners

By Mikala Waldrup, SPP Ecological Program Coordinator 

On Tuesday, April 2nd, the Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) team along with the turtle technicians from Cedar Creek Correction Center (CCCC), The Department of Corrections (DOC) Staff, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff (WDFW) visited the Pierce County Recovery Site to release western pond turtles (WPT) back to their native ponds after treatment from a shell disease. During this field trip, we released 11 turtles that received follow up care from incarcerated turtle technicians at CCCC after receiving acute veterinary treatment. These turtles, a Washington state listed endangered species, were found to have a shell disease that, left untreated, can be fatal. This shell disease is caused by a keratin eating fungus that infects the WPTs and creates lesions and pitting on their shells. These lesions make their normally hard shells soft. Turtles that show symptoms of shell disease are brought to PAWS Wildlife and Rehabilitation Center (PAWS) or The Oregon Zoo for treatment.  

Once treated, the turtles move to CCCC for longer term care. The turtle technicians prepared and fed the turtles a varied diet of smelt, mealworms, night crawlers, turtle pellets, mixed greens, and reptile gel. They also provided daily water changes and weekly tank cleanings to prevent possible infections in the turtles’ post-treatment wounds. With daily behavior observations, the technicians quickly learned the personality each turtle had—some were shy and preferred to hide while others were bold and sassy, preferring to bask all day.  

During the 2023-2024 season, SPP and the turtle technicians cared for 23 turtles both before and after the turtles received veterinary care. When reflecting on this season, turtle technician Robert Asagai wrote, “Although this was a program/job provided by SPP and DOC, I really enjoyed it and felt that it wasn’t. I looked forward to coming in everyday and doing something that was outside of everyday prison stuff. It felt like a safe place or a place of peace.” 

A WPT swimming away upon release.

Below: A WPT being swabbed to see if the shell disease is present post treatment prior to release.

Due to the pandemic, this was the first time the technicians and DOC staff have been able to attend a release since 2019, which added a special element to the day. Prior to releasing the turtles back into their ponds, the technicians and wildlife biologist swabbed each turtle to further study shell disease treatment. The technicians work so hard throughout the season caring for the turtles and ensuring they are recovering from their treatments, and it was so great to have them attend the release. It was also neat to see a lot of the concepts that we were learning about together, such as wetland ecology, in person at the recovery site.

During our visit to the Pierce County Recovery Site, the WDFW wildlife biologist took the team on a tour of the recovery area, and we were able to check on several nest sites that had teeny tiny turtle hatchlings. This was a highlight for everyone to see the next generation of a species we are all working to conserve and protect. Upon release, the turtles swam away and rejoined their population just in time for the summer and the WPT mating season. SPP and the Cedar Creek crew are very happy to see the successful release of the WPTs but will be missing the turtles until the next batch are trapped for treatment next season. 

Teeny tiny turtle hatchlings seen at the release site, each no bigger than a half dollar. Photos by SPP staff.

Welcoming Sarah Larson to the SPP Team

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in Education

Meet Sarah Larson, the new SPP Education Development Manager!

Sarah grew up in the South Puget Sound and considers Tacoma her hometown. Growing up in Washington, she has always been interested in the natural world. A few years after moving to Olympia, she learned about the Master of Environmental Studies (MES) program at The Evergreen State College. The program was a perfect fit, eventually bringing her to SPP in 2020 as the Program Operations Coordinator.

Sarah Larson and Carl Elliott load plants for the Conservation Nursery program at Washington Corrections Center for Women. Photo by Savannah Richard.

As the Program Operation Coordinator, Sarah assisted the SPP team with administrative tasks, reports, planning, and educational development. While she primarily worked at The Evergreen State College, she frequently supported other coordinators, helping with the butterfly, conservation nursery, and turtle programs, especially when the pandemic limited incarcerated technicians’ access to program areas. She helped ensure that endangered species like the Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly and Western Pond Turtle received vital care when technicians could not reach the program area. She really enjoyed working with other coordinators and supporting their programs, but it wasn’t until the incarcerated technicians were out of quarantine and able to work alongside her in the program areas that the full depth of the programs and what they mean became apparent.

Sarah Larson and Kelli Bush learn about the Sustainable Practices Lab composting program from Chris McGill at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. Photo by Carl Elliott.

During spring and summer of 2022, Sarah stepped in as the Sagebrush Program Coordinator. She worked with incarcerated technicians at Stafford Creek Corrections Center to grow native sagebrush for restoration projects in eastern Washington. She also delivered educational content, allowing technicians to earn academic credit from The Evergreen State College. She appreciated the opportunity to coordinate a program and work directly with incarcerated technicians.

Sagebrush growing in a hoop house at Stafford Creek Corrections Center. Photo by Sarah Larson.

In MES, Sarah studied a wide variety of topics. She earned her undergraduate degree in geology at WWU and focused on a variety of topics during the MES program, including flood mitigation in the Chehalis River basin and red alder nitrogen inputs to Puget Sound. Sarah points to some of the amazing people with ecology and botany backgrounds she met in her cohort that inspired her to complete a thesis on plants. Her thesis focused on herb Robert, a common invasive plant in the region, and worked to identify what mechanisms it may use to outcompete native species and establish itself in relatively intact habitats.

Sarah is now taking on a new role at SPP as the Educational Development Manager! She is excited to help design fun and engaging educational materials for incarcerated students and unconventional settings. She recognizes that SPP does not exist in a vacuum and is grateful to continue collaborating with and learning from the many SPP partners and other education providers. Most of all, she looks forward to learning more about prison education and how best to serve the population.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys being outdoors and anything involving plants or rocks! She also teaches environmental science and geology classes for Centralia College at Green Hill School and Cedar Creek Corrections Center. She loves traveling, hiking, and camping with her two children (especially if there are opportunities to see new plants)

Tacoma Community College’s Horticulture Program is in Full Bloom!

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in collaboration Gardens Partners

Horticulture students and teaching assistants from Tacoma Community College (TCC) have been busy growing succulents, flowers, houseplants, produce, and more at Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW).

Some of the many house plants and flowers grown in TCC’s horticulture program. Photo by Derek Thedell.

The program, a partnership between WCCW and TCC, provides students the opportunity to earn college credit while developing hands-on skills. Students spend time in the classroom learning about horticulture techniques and practices with TCC instructors and a volunteer Master Gardener.  Students then implement what they have learned about plant production and care in two facility greenhouses and gardens throughout the grounds. 

Some of the many succulents and plants available for WCCW to purchase. Photo by Derek Thedell.

Produce grown in the gardens often makes its way to the WCCW kitchen and is incorporated into menu items.

Some of the produce harvested by TCC horticulture students. Photo by Derek Thedell.

Other plants, like the ornamental kale, go to local businesses and organizations for landscaping.

Ornamental Kale at WCCW. Photo by Derek Thedell.

Some of the plants and flowers even go to the Governor’s mansion for special occasions throughout the year!  Overall, TCC’s horticulture program is the perfect example of the importance of partnerships in delivering high-quality programs in WA prisons.

Gardens at Stafford Creek Corrections Center

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By Sarah Larson, SPP Sagebrush Coordinator

Incarcerated gardeners have been tending to their gardens since the season began this past spring. Despite delays in planting due to the unusually long and cool spring, the gardeners managed to plant a variety of vegetables throughout the facility. Harvests occur each Monday morning with the bounty being donated to the Coastal Harvest food bank in Hoquiam. As of mid-September, they’ve grown and donated an amazing 6,000 lbs. of produce! 

Gardens are placed throughout the facility wherever space is available. The incarcerated population has access to gardens in the main gardening hub and adjacent to individual living units. Photos by Sarah Larson. 

The gardeners don’t just grow vegetables, they also incorporate wildflowers and perennials. While this helps beautify the grounds, it also does an incredibly important job of supporting the Stafford Creek honey bees. The bees forage for pollen and nectar, while also pollinating many of the vegetables. 

A Stafford Creek honey bee visits a poppy flower in the pollinator garden. Photos by Sarah Larson. 

Gardeners often experiment with new plant varieties, giving them the opportunity to learn more about the needs of different plants and how to solve issues with pests and diseases. Gardeners also collect and store seeds that are then sown the following year. 

A wide variety of plants are grown in the hoop houses, which extend the growing season and protect plants from winter frosts. Maintenance crew gardeners, Robert Souza and Bob Covington, tend to the plants in one of the hoop houses (bottom left). Photos by Sarah Larson. 

With sustainability in mind, the gardeners get very creative in repurposing old containers to grow plants in. Many items are repurposed, like recycling bins, water barrels, laundry tubs, as well as reusing black plastic nursery pots.

Clever and sustainable container solutions used throughout the gardens. Photos by Sarah Larson.
A weekly garden harvest packaged in reusable crates and ready to be picked up by the food bank (bottom). Photo by Sarah Larson. 

WCC Seed Nursery

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By Michelle Klim

This season, the sustainability crew at The Washington Corrections Center (WCC) in Shelton, WA planted native prairie plants for seed harvesting. These plants, which include Plectritis congesta, Collinsia parviflora, and Collinsia grandiflora, are being used in prairie restoration for the endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly. 

 

Despite work delays, the crew was able to sow the field and harvest the seeds-which are currently curing inside before they’re packaged and distributed. This process involved deconstructing old garden beds that previously housed violets, reshaping the soil, planting ground cover, sowing the seeds twice, and weeding the rows weekly.   

Technicians weeded the rows weekly (top). SPP Conservation Manager Carl Elliot and a WCC crew member discuss seed ripeness and harvest dates (left). A technician shows Plectritis congesta seeds. Photos by Michelle Klim.

 

Technicians harvested Plectritis congesta by knocking the seeds off the plant and into a bin. Photo by Michelle Klim.

During the harvesting process, the crew noticed that there were seeds being left behind. They came up with an innovative solution- using a wireless shop-vac to collect them. They separated the seeds from the soil by shaking them through sieves but still had some small debris in the mix. After some trial and error, they came up with a solution- submerging the seeds in water and collecting the ones that float or bunch together.

Seeds that were dropped while harvesting were vacuumed up and sorted through. Shown is what is collected by the vacuum. Photo by Michelle Klim.

A WCC Technician collecting Collinisia seeds from a water bath. Photo by Michelle Klim.

A technician holds the seeds that have been separated out by water. The seeds will dry and cure before they are weighed and packaged. Photo by Michelle Klim.

The work was not easy, but the team was able to work together to come up with solutions and complete the harvest.  

The Cedar Creek Turtles Return!

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Written by Marissa Scoville, SPP Ecological Coordinator

A Western Pond Turtle being handled by an incarcerated technician. Photo by SPP Staff.

After a long hiatus Cedar Creek Corrections Center (CCCC) and the Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) were happy to welcome back the Western Pond Turtle (WPT). The WPT program has been active since 2013, but due to Covid-19 SPP had to take a two-year break from the program. With the return of the program SPP has begun working with a team of incarcerated technicians to provide care to these turtles by helping them recover from illness so they can return to their native ponds and help the population grow.

WDFW biologist handling a Western Pond Turtle. Photo by SPP Staff.

The WPT are a Washington state listed endangered species. Biologists from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) trap the turtles and examine them for signs of shell disease. Shell disease is caused by a keratin eating fungus that infects the WPTs and creates lesions on their shells, left untreated it can be fatal. Turtles that are show symptoms of shell disease are then brought to PAWS Wildlife and Rehabilitation Center (PAWS) for treatment. This year all the turtles that received treatment were from Peirce County. After treatment the turtles have a long road to recovery, and this is where the technicians at Cedar Creek come in to play.

Veterinarian from PAWS teaching technician, Jason Matson, how to examine shell disease lesions on a Western Pond Turtle. Photo by SPP Staff.

At Cedar Creek, the turtles are kept in a small building lovingly dubbed by both staff and technicians alike, “The Turtle Shack”, which was renovated this year to house the turtles. Due to the two-year break in the WPT program and the new Turtle Shack, there was a lot of work to set up before the turtles could arrive! But supplies were quickly gathered, and the tanks and lights were set up as well, and pretty soon The Turtle Shack was ready to house the WPTs. On March 9th, 2022, the eight WPTs were transferred down from the PAWS facility to Cedar Creek by WDFW biologist Emily Butler.

WDFW biologist showing technician, Jason Matson, how to check the WDFW number on a Western Pond Turtle. Photo by SPP Staff.

Turtle technician, Heath McQueen, examining a Western Pond Turtle when the turtles were first brought to Cedar Creek. Photo by SPP Staff.

Once the turtles arrive at Cedar Creek, the technicians work hard to care for this endangered species. The technicians prepared and fed the turtles a varied diet of smelt, mealworms, night crawlers, turtle pellets, mixed greens, and reptile gel. They also provided daily water changes and weekly tank cleanings to prevent possible infections in the turtles’ post-treatment wounds. With daily behavior observations the technicians quickly learned the personality each turtle had, some were shy and preferred to hide all day while others were bold and sassy, preferring to bask all day and would occasionally attempt to pick a fight with their tank mate. It is important to note aggressive turtles were separated in their tanks with Plexi glass to prevent potential injury (this would not stop them from endlessly hissing at each other though). Physical observations were also regularly made to ensure treated lesions were healing or if new lesions developed. These observations helped the technicians notice if a turtle acting differently and may need medical attention, thankfully no extra medical attention was required for this round of turtles. In what felt like minutes, the turtles were rehabilitated and ready for release.

Weekly photos of the carapace (top shell, image on left) and plastron (bottom shell, image on right) were taken weekly to track the healing process and reference in case of new suspected lesions. Photo by SPP Staff.

On May 5th, 2022, the turtles were transported to the Pierce County release site, where their native ponds are located. Here a small staff made up of SPP and WDFW members checked all the turtles prior to release. Unfortunately, the technicians were unable to join this year’s release. The pre-release checks consisted of weight and size measurements, Passive Integrated Transponders (PIT) scans and verifying each turtle’s WDFW number. After this the turtles were brought down to the ponds. At the Pierce County site each of the turtles were released back into the same pond which they were trapped in many months ago. Each of the staff took turns releasing the eight WPTs into their native ponds. The turtles swam away and rejoined their population just in time for the summer and the WPT mating season. SPP and the Cedar Creek crew are very happy to see the successful release of the WPTs but will be missing the turtles until the next batch of are trapped for treatment.

Western Pond Turtle released into Pond at Peirce County Peirce County site. Photo by Danielle Jimenez, Communications Consultant from Washington Department of Corrections.

From worms to flies, SPP is enriching the soil of 2022 with a new composting program!

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Written by Derek Thedell, Composting Education Coordinator

At SPP, we believe collaboration is key to successful, resilient programs. One collaboration we are excited to share about is the Foundations in Composting education course, which has been in development since the summer of 2021. With the support of a generous donor, many partners, and Institute for Applied Ecology’s Sagebrush in Prisons Project the new course will be available in Washington prisons and offered at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada!  

Greenhouse and thermophilic composting bins at WCC in Shelton, photo by Emily Passarelli.

This curriculum is modeled from the Foundations in Gardening course written in 2020 and focuses on the science and impacts of composting from small to commercial scales. The curriculum will also introduce careers in sustainability and include cultural and historical components throughout the curriculum. Additionally, once completed, we will present it to The Evergreen State College for review for college credit.

Module or chapter development is currently in progress and includes input and voices from experts in our communities including incarcerated individuals, corrections staff, formerly incarcerated individuals, Evergreen Master of Environmental Studies graduates, local composting experts, Tilth Alliance, Centralia College staff, and professors at the University of Washington. You might recognize a few faces and voices, including Nick Hacheney and Juan Hernandez who were composting leaders at the massively successful composting program at Monroe Correctional Center.

Alongside expert composters, Foundations in Composting will feature information from significant written resources, such as Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis.

Last November, SPP had the privilege of hosting a course planning meeting at the Washington Corrections Center (WCC) in Shelton. Collaboration is a fundamental part of the SPP program development process. Bringing in the voices and input of the incarcerated composting educators and technicians, Department of Corrections staff, and community experts helps assure that our program is inclusive and well-rounded.

Active worm bin compost managed by the sustainability crew at WCC, photo by Jennifer Bass.

Currently, the sustainability crew at WCC, led by Corrections Specialist 3 Jeff Sanders, has several active composting projects including thermophilic piles (pictured), bokashi, vermicomposting using worms (pictured) and black soldier flies. SPP hopes to provide an educational opportunity to supplement these active projects in the future using this curriculum.

The compost at WCC is utilized in their many gardens, and the black soldier fly larva are even used to feed the chickens! Photos by Jennifer Bass.

Development of the curriculum is slated to be finished by spring, with the pilot program in Nevada getting started quickly after that. Until then, we will continue to write, edit, and edit some more for this exciting new program. One thing is for sure, the future of composting education in prisons is bright!