Interview with Gerry Glenn, SPP Sagebrush Nursery Manager and Washington State Penitentiary (WSP) Contractor of the Year 

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in Conservation Programs Ecological Restoration

Could you tell us a little bit about your background and what brought you to SPP? 

I’ve been living in Walla Walla since 2007. My husband, who is from Seattle and is retired from the military, got a job at WSP, and we ended up moving to Walla Walla. I have my bachelor’s degree in animal welfare and science, but with my experience with dementia through my grandfather, I ended up working in a dementia care home. That experience made me consider nursing. I went through all the steps and was just about to apply and decided that no, I wanted to work with animals. 

So, I opened my own small business working with animals and was doing a lot of farm work. Ultimately, the farm work got me involved with the vice president of the Washington State Sheep Association. We became friends and he said, “Gerry, they’re opening a sheep project at the prison, would you be interested?” I’d learnt to sheep shear through going round all these farms and shearing, so I said “Yeah, I’m interested.” 

In 2017 they began the sheep program here at WSP, where participants could get 5 credits from Evergreen State College for completing the class. The incarcerated technicians were taking care of all the husbandry, and I oversaw them. I did that for four years and it was amazing. 

I wanted to keep the land going when the program ended and got approval to do so, but I decided not to because it was going to be a lot of responsibility by myself. Then I heard from Kelli Bush (SPP Co-director) that they were going to be doing a sagebrush program at WSP, and I was offered a temporary position until they found a teacher.  

Technician Marje McKenzie receives his certificate from Gerry Glenn at a Sagebrush program graduation ceremony. Photo by Emily Passarelli.

 What has your experience with the Sagebrush program been so far? 

With the sheep program I had been working with camp workers, which is minimum security outside of the prison on 40 acres of land with a guard. With the sagebrush program, it was a little daunting to work with medium security guys within the prison. I was nervous at first, but I settled down and immersed myself in the program.  

The animal welfare side of it is to help with conservation of the sage grouse, because we are planting the sagebrush that they require as habitat. So, if someone said to me, “How do you save the sage grouse?” This is what I would say. 

Kelli told me that there would be modules on education for the program. I remember asking Kelli if I could take the classes as well, and she said “no, you’re going to be teaching those classes.” I started doing my own research and everything. The first group was in 2023, and it was phenomenal. It was so great working with these guys and being with them 40 hours a week. You build up a different relationship than if you just come and go. You get to know more about them and the type of people they are.  

The first class was successful. We sent out 16,000 plants that year. Then Carl Elliot (SPP Conservation Nursery Manager) asked if I would be interested in assisting with the Foundations in Gardening class, which I did. At this point I had been offered and accepted the permanent sagebrush teaching position; I was very happy. We did the next sagebrush class in 2024 followed by an advanced sagebrush class last, and now I’m doing my third class.  

I’m much more confident now, and I know what I’m doing. We’ve got bigger expectations, we’ve got more space, we’ve got new hoop houses and it’s just fantastic what we’re doing. We have got 65,000 sagebrush plants growing right now. Before, I relied on the Sustainable Practices Lab staff to help me. Now they’re whittling down, and I have a lot more responsibility, and it’s great.  

I love being positive around the guys, and I encourage them to get credits from The Evergreen State College. There’s a lot of pride in what we’re doing. There are some guys who were maybe a little bit lazier at the beginning, and bam, all of a sudden, they’re experts at talking about the sagebrush. Just to see that progression for me is fantastic.

I opened an animal business because I love animals, and it was the best job ever for me. Having my own business is amazing. To have a second job which is equally as amazing… I feel very blessed right now work wise.  

Of course, you’ve got the SPP people, which is the other side. When I come over there and meet everybody, it’s fantastic. It’s so relaxed, but we all do our jobs and get it done, and it’s such a great atmosphere. I know I could call anyone on the team if I had an issue and it would be OK.  So, you don’t often get these great opportunities. I know how lucky I am. Every day I come in and I think this is great, I think it’s rubbing off. People see how I love what I’m doing, and I can’t help it, I’m not even pretending! 

Sagebrush plants at WSP. Photo by SPP staff.

 

SPP staff members at Millersylvania State Park for a picnic. Left to right: Anneke Wilder, Nat Kelly, Gerry Glenn, and Sarah Larson. Photo by Emily Passarelli.

 

That’s great, and that’s why you got contractor of the year! Because everyone can see how much you enjoy your job, and that inspires people, I think. 

I hope so! I hope that’s how I come across and not, oh, God, here she comes again, bubbling and yapping on about wonderful things.  

I still know these are incarcerated individuals. When I talk to my friends on the outside and I say, “Look, I’ve got this great job, I still know that they’ve done the things that they’ve done to get here. But I don’t know what they’ve done, I don’t check their records. It’s not my business. It’s how they treat me and what they give me regarding work, you know, their skills. So that makes a difference. You’re not there to punish them. Imprisonment is punishment enough.”

We all work as a crew and so for me, contractor of the year means that I’ve got a great relationship with my crew. I’ve got a brilliant relationship with the staff who are working with me and that’s what makes me successful. If they didn’t care, then the project wouldn’t be successful. I won the award because I’m the face of the project, the teacher, but it wouldn’t work if I didn’t have everyone’s support around me. 

Eson Herr thinning sagebrush cones down to one plant. Photo by SPP Staff.

 
Can you tell me a little bit more about your day-to-day? What are some of the goals of the program as it relates to ecological goals specifically? Why is the sagebrush habitat so special? 
 
Number one goal, restoration of the sagebrush steppe. We’ve got an issue now where the sagebrush steppe has become so fragmented due to wildfires, invasive plant species, anthropogenic development, livestock grazing to name a few reasons, that species of fauna that require this habitat to survive, are disappearing.  

An example is the sage grouse, who are not officially classed as endangered, but should be. They are 100% sagebrush obligate, meaning they need it to survive. What we’re doing is replenishing the sagebrush. 

We grow the sagebrush from seed in April and then when ready in October, we take it up to a Spokane reservation where Airway Heights, another prison facility in the Spokane area, have a crew that goes out with DNR to replant the sagebrush.  
 
And yes, that’s great for the sagebrush and ecological goals of the program, but to me a big part of it is that the guys are taking responsibility for something and learning. There are so many issues facing restoration of the habitat, and they learn about that in class. We talk about other creatures that are becoming endangered – it’s not just big animals. It’s also reptiles and bugs and birds and other creatures that need this habitat. The insects and pollinators that come in, they feed on the sagebrush. They use it for protection. You know, they live in it.  

And that’s the side that I really love. The education. I’m also learning different things myself, and we’re all learning together.  

Photo of the endangered Sage Grouse on the sagebrush steppe. Photo by Bureau of Land Management Oregon.

 

Incarcerated technicians thinning the sagebrush down to one plant per cone and removing any cones that are empty (luckily not many!). Photo by SPP Staff.

Building sustainable Food Systems: Garden to Kitchen Workshop at Stafford Creek Correctional Center

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in collaboration Gardens Partners

By Laureen Dulo

You may not expect it, but Washington State prisons are full of a variety of gardens. Garden types vary depending on the facility’s climate, partnerships, goals, and programs. Most facilities feature a variety of gardens which may include educational gardens to accompany SPP’s Foundations in Gardening classes, produce gardens for donation or on-site use, herb and medicinal gardens, culture gardens for cultural groups, flower gardens, pollinator friendly gardens, small orchards, rental plot gardens, and drought tolerant native plant gardens. These gardens not only enrich the prison environment but also have positive effects on incarcerated individuals, correctional staff, and visitors.

By cultivating gardens and actively using or donating their produce, incarcerated individuals have the opportunity to gain valuable gardening skills, knowledge about healthy eating, and contribute positively to the local communities. Since 2020, almost 200 students have taken SPP’s 4-credit Foundations in Gardening course. In 2024, prisons reported donating 110,399 lbs. of produce to local food banks and using 131,482 lbs. of produce grown on site within the facilities. However, challenges persist, mainly related to incarcerated individuals having access to the fresh produce grown at facilities.

Some plants and flowers from the gardens at Stafford Creek Correctional Center. Photos by Emily Passarelli.

To address these challenges, SPP, with support from former Secretary Strange and other Department of Corrections (DOC) leadership, launched the ‘Garden to Kitchen Project’ (G2K Project) in the Fall of 2021. The goal of this initiative was to create a stronger link between kitchen managers, plant managers, incarcerated gardeners, and various stakeholders to tackle existing barriers and improve access to fresh produce in prisons.

The Garden to Kitchen Project began by collecting information on the challenges and successes associated with utilizing prison-grown produce in facility kitchens. To gain a comprehensive understanding, SPP reached out to plant and kitchen managers across twelve prisons to discuss the limitations and obstacles related to growing, cleaning, and preparing produce. Additionally, the G2K team conducted several in-person listening sessions with incarcerated gardeners to further identify challenges regarding produce access. These gardeners expressed frustration over the waste of facility-grown produce and the lack of formal education on cleaning and preparing it. They also highlighted issues such as staffing shortages, movement closures, small crew sizes, and quarantines. Concerns were raised about the lack of compost and fertilizers, the absence of a formal planting plan, unfair pricing of produce, and the inability to have produce in living unit.

Building on the insights gathered, the Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC) took the lead in piloting the Garden to Kitchen  initiative, with support from SPP. To address the challenges identified, SPP provided resources including composting tumblers, seeds, materials for garden beds, books, and garden tools. These contributions were designed to enhance the facility’s capacity to grow and effectively utilize produce, fostering a more sustainable connection between the garden and the kitchen. Through these efforts, the initiative aimed to overcome the previously identified obstacles and improve the overall efficiency and sustainability of produce use within the facility.

To address more barriers, SPP is actively leading sustainability workshops focused on addressing the challenges identified by gardeners, kitchen managers, and plant managers, like delivering dirty produce to the kitchens.

On April 2, 2025, Stafford Creek Correctional Center hosted an inspiring and thought-provoking workshop featuring Kristen McIvor, Director of Harvest Pierce County. Founded in 2010, Harvest Pierce County aims to bridge the gap between food, community, and the environment by engaging residents in creating a just and nutritious food system. With over 15 years of experience in cultivating sustainable food systems in Tacoma, WA, McIvor brought a wealth of knowledge and passion to the conversation, emphasizing the critical role of community engagement in creating a more just and healthy food system. During her presentation, she discussed the importance of building sustainable systems that promote transforming garden produce into healthy meals

Kristen Mclvor introducing herself to students from Stafford Creek Correctional Center. Photo by Emily Passarelli.

McIvor outlined key programs that were relevant to challenges identified by the facility. Essential practices like basic garden planning, recognizing planting schedules, and understanding food safety were highlighted, with emphasis on understanding your kitchen’s needs, barriers, and limitations

McIvor also shared practical tips that included harvesting techniques specific to various crops, with an emphasis on timing and handling to ensure food safety and quality. Participants were encouraged to engage with the kitchen staff to explore how to prepare their produce, understand any logistical barriers they may face and food safety practices like worker hygiene and proper harvesting methods to mitigate contamination risks.

Kristen Mclvor discusses the work they do at Harvest Pierce County with students from Stafford Creek Correctional Center Photo by Emily Passarelli.

The workshop sparked meaningful dialogue about the unique challenges of connecting prison-grown produce to institutional kitchens. Issues such as food safety regulations, kitchen infrastructure, and access barriers remain significant. Yet, with open communication and a commitment to collaborative problem-solving, progress is possible. Programs like those led by Harvest Pierce County, along with the efforts of the Sustainability in Prisons Project, continue to demonstrate how innovation, partnership, and equity can transform systems from within.

Kristen Mclvor discusses the various programs under Harvest Pierce County with students from Stafford Creek Correctional Center. Photo by Emily Passarelli.

The workshop was a remarkable gathering, attended by incarcerated students, SCCC staff, SPP staff, and Sally Brown, one of SPP’s long-term partners and a UW research professor. As the workshop concluded, students engaged with both Kristen and Sally, asking insightful questions that sparked meaningful discussions. Following this, Kristen and Sally enjoyed a visit to the beautiful gardens at SCCC, witnessing firsthand the incredible progress being made, an inspiring wrap-up to a productive day. To learn more about Kristen and her impactful work at Harvest Pierce County, please visit their website:https://piercecd.org/190/Urban-Agriculture

As we prepare for the next phase of the Gardens to Kitchens Project, we encourage stakeholders, community members, and partner organizations to stay engaged. Together, we can cultivate not only gardens but also thriving ecosystems that support health, dignity, and sustainability both inside and outside of prison walls.

Sally Brown (left) and Kristen Mclvor (right) answering students’ questions at the end of the workshop. Photos by Emily Passarelli. 

Interview with Mikala Waldrup, SPP’s Ecological Program Coordinator

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in Conservation Programs Partners

We sat down with Mikala to learn more about her role at SPP, as well as her SPP supported thesis work. 

Mikala Waldrup with a Western Pond turtle. Photo by Xitlali Herrera.

Could you tell us a little bit about your background and what brought you to Evergreen and SPP?  

After undergrad I joined a Conservation Corps, which was an AmeriCorps program that mainly focused on conservation, disaster relief, and wildland firefighting and fire mitigation. I spent three years with that program, mostly doing conservation, stewardship, and learning about management practices and restoration ecology through hands-on practice. But I didn’t feel like I had the science background, or the educational background, and I felt like to be more marketable to potential employers I wanted to pursue a master’s degree. 

 I also love learning, and I felt ready and excited to go back to school. I wanted to move the Pacific Northwest and Evergreen just spoke the most to me. My aunt used to live out here in Washington, and I would visit in the summers in high school. I fell in love with the flora and landscapes that are out here, and it felt right. I really love the Evergreen model in terms of not having grades or tests, and the learning community that it can create.  

I was looking for a new job in the transition and the SPP position that I’m currently in was open. I love doing environmental interpretation and education, and I also love doing hands-on conservation work. Getting to work with the western pond turtles and also getting to lead educational modules, seminars, and workshops has just been a dream come true for me.  

Could you expand a little bit on your program and the work you do with SPP?  

As the Ecological Program Coordinator, I facilitate the Western Pond turtle recovery program and coordinate the ecological programs at Cedar Creek Corrections Center.  

The western pond turtle is one of two native turtles in Washington, and it is afflicted by a shell disease. It’s caused by a fungus (Emydomyces) that eats away at the keratin in the shells. It creates pits and lesions, and when that happens, it can create a fluid sack underneath the turtle’s shell. This can press against the lungs or the spinal cord as the turtle is trying to heal itself. If it’s left untreated it can kill the turtles. Wildlife biologists with Fish and Wildlife go out and catch the turtles in the wild, assess them in the field for shell disease, and then bring them to vet partners where they undergo CT scans. Infected turtles go through surgical debridement during which affected parts of the shell are removed. They then fill it with bone cement similar to how a filling is done in dental work. After they’ve been in care at the zoo and the vets for a period of time, they come to Cedar Creek for longer-term care. The technicians feed them daily, clean their enclosures, monitor health, and maintain environmental conditions. 

My piece of the puzzle is coordinating that effort between all the partners (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, PAWS, The Oregon Zoo, and Cedar Creek Corrections Center) and the technicians. Each week I go into the facility and lead education, and we talk about the turtle’s recovery. We note if there’s any health concerns, take pictures, and weigh the turtles. I also bring in outside partners to give the technicians a more well-rounded picture of the full recovery and the broader partnership.  

Western Pond turtle exhibiting signs of shell disease. Photo by Xitlali Herrera.

You also are doing an SPP supported thesis in restoration work. We’d love to hear more about that.  

Yeah, so I am doing a thesis on Oregon White Oaks (Quercus garryana), which is the only native oak species here in Washington, and their relationship to prescribed fire. Oregon white oaks are a transition species, meaning that they typically inhabit areas between open prairies to a more closed canopy forest. Conifer encroachment and fire suppression have really put the species at risk. I’m studying the effects of prescribed fire on both mature and immature (seedlings and saplings) white oaks.  

SPP grows this species in conservation nurseries at Stafford Creek (SCCC), Washington Corrections Center (WCC), and Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW). I think there’s several thousand that have been sowed within the last year, and they will be grown and planted back out into the prairies in oak savannah and oak woodlands here in Western Washington. My thesis is related to prairie oak restoration work. 

Mikala doing thesis field work at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). Photo by JBLM staff.

What are you hoping to do with your degree after Evergreen? 

Get a job (laughs). I would love to go into something related to restoration ecology or fire ecology. Ideally, I would be able to do some hands-on work, and my most ideal position would look something like half field/half office. I’d like to be involved in decision-making regarding restoration practices happening in the field. I also really love the work that SPP does and would love to continue incorporating ecological restoration with the human side of it—the human restoration and healing that can happen through nature. So, if there’s a way to marry all of those things that’s really a dream for me.  

What is your favorite reptile or amphibian?  

You know I wasn’t really into them before this position! I think turtles are pretty cool and yeah, I guess I would say the Western Pond turtle because it’s the species that I have worked most closely with and they’re just really cute. The corners of their mouths are turned up, so they always look like they’re smiling. They’re very photogenic whether or not they are smiling, maybe that’s anthropomorphizing them, but they’re a really docile, calm species. They have a lot to teach us in terms of the pace at which they move, as they are a slow growing species. They move slowly; they live long lives. They do everything really slowly. The shell disease comes on slowly. The treatment of it is slow. The recovery is slow. They have something to teach us in terms of moving slowly through our days and in our society. 

What kind of things do you like to do in your free time? 

I love to garden, do yoga, and watercolor. I also love exploring trails and our natural areas here. Grad school doesn’t provide a lot of time for extracurriculars or hobbies, but it is really nice to have a few things that bring me a lot of joy and stress relief. I also love making lots of vegan recipes.  

Anything else you’d like the readers to know?  

I think I just really want to emphasize the SPP model and how transformative it is—the partnership between biologists, veterinary partners, incarcerated technicians, our DOC partners, the coordinators, and SPP staff. The way the SPP model is built everyone should be benefiting if it’s working correctly, and if anyone within the partnership is not benefiting there’s something going wrong. And I just think that that model where the partnership is the project is so cool. Getting to work with such a diverse group of people with different backgrounds is something that I’m so grateful for, and I’m very grateful for the support that SPP has given me throughout my grad school career. I’m grateful for the gift of presence from the technicians I work with. I just want to express my gratitude for SPP and all that it does for so many people.  

WASBA’s Annual Beekeeping Facility of the Year Winner 2024: Washington Correctional Center for Women 

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in Community Organizations Incarcerated Voices Partners

“Keeping bees is like honey for your soul” – Incarcerated beekeeper at WASBA’s Beekeeping Facility of Year award ceremony 

Written by Anneke Wilder

At the end of March, the Washington Correctional Center for Women (WCCW) celebrated an exciting achievement. The women’s facility won the Washington State Beekeepers Association’s (WASBA) second annual Beekeeping Facility of the Year award for 2024. In a gym beautifully decorated by the WCCW incarcerated beekeepers, attendees celebrated the partnerships and dedicated individuals that made it all possible. Attendees included DOC Secretary Tim Lang, WCCW leadership and staff, WASBA Vice President Ellen Miller, WASBA’s Education lead Sandy Fanara, Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) staff, and other volunteers and contributors.  

Educational tables set up by incarcerated beekeepers. Photos by Emily Passarelli. 

The beekeepers set up educational tables for attendees to learn about all aspects of beekeeping, complete with opportunities to view, touch, and ask questions about the tools and materials necessary to keep bees and extract honey. Varroa mites, the scourge of every beekeeper’s hive, were a significant topic of conversation. Incarcerated beekeepers hoped to raise awareness of the issue through their educational table as well as in speeches during the ceremony.   

SPP Coordinators Mikala Waldrup (left) and Anneke Wilder (right) found Varroa mites under their seats during a speech from an incarcerated beekeeper. The beekeeper hoped to raise awareness of the destructive pest. Photo by Emily Passarelli. 

Beekeepers also spoke about the benefits of honey and the importance of bees to both our global community and their community behind bars. Several incarcerated beekeepers emphasized the transformational power of caring for the bees, making connections between beekeeping and their own lives. One woman noted how the bee’s sense of community and dedication to their queen has helped her understand the importance of community in her own life. Another beekeeper warned that if humans don’t cultivate this sense of care for the natural world and each other, it could push our species to extinction.  

Incarcerated beekeeper Michelle Gabel shows off the Facility of the Year plaque. Photo by Emily Passarelli. 

The ceremony wrapped up with the award presentation, a honey tasting, and a gift from the incarcerated individuals to volunteer Sandy Fanara and WASBA: beautiful handmade quilts made by some of the beekeepers themselves.  

WCCW Liaison Lara Kempton (left) presents WASBA volunteer Sandy Fanara (right) with quilts handmade by incarcerated beekeepers. Photo by Emily Passarelli. 

Partnerships, like the one between WASBA, WCCW staff and beekeepers, volunteers, and SPP, strengthen our communities. The resulting patchwork of diverse, dedicated, and inspiring individuals helps to grow the practice of beekeeping within the state of Washington and ensure that our pollinators continue to be respected, protected, and cared for in the generations to come. 

WASBA vice president Ellen Miller (right) presents WCCW liaison Lara Kempton (left) with the 2024 Facility of the Year Award. Photo by Emily Passarelli. 

Taylor’s Checkerspot Post-Diapause Release 2025

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in collaboration Conservation Programs Ecological Restoration

by Xitlali Herrera

The 2025 Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly post-diapause release is complete! With the help of the Mission Creek butterfly technicians, SPP staff, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and many volunteers, we were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather last week to successfully release about 4,500 larvae across three sites over three days in South Puget prairies.

As part of the release, WDFW set up a total of 30 temporary enclosures that will allow them to estimate percent survival to adulthood. While at the release site(s), we were elated to find wild Taylor’s checkerspot larvae! This shows us that these larvae are not only surviving, but reproducing in the wild just as we had hoped. The Mission Creek Taylor’s checkerspot program has retained 511 larvae that will be bred this spring to continue the cycle of Taylor’s checkerspot rearing and conservation.

Samantha Bussan with Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) at the release site. Photo by Xitlali Herrera.
Xitlali Herrera, the Butterfly Conservation Coordinator for SPP, helps release Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly larvae. Photo by Samantha Bussan.
Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly larvae reared by incarcerated individuals at Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women. Photo by Xitlali Herrera.
Wild Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly larvae found at the release site. Photo by Xitlali Herrera.

How trees connect nature and people: Workshop at Stafford Creek with Nalini Nadkarni 

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in Community Contributions Education Nature inside

Nalini Nadkarni discusses the science of moss and ferns with students from Stafford Creek Correctional Center. Photo by Nat Kelly.  

In late February, a special workshop was hosted at Stafford Creek Correctional Center. Renowned ecologist and SPP co-founder Nalini Nadkarni gave a talk about how trees connect nature and people. Nadkarni herself has a very special relationship with trees: she pioneered research in the cloud forest canopies of Costa Rica, using mountain climbing equipment to reach high into the branches. This research helped scientists learn more about the role that epiphytes, which are non-parasitic plants such as moss and ferns that live on the branches and trunks of other plants, play in forest ecology.  

Nadkarni speaking about the connections between people and trees to a crowd of incarcerated students. Photo by Nat Kelly.  

Nadkarni spoke to the crowd about the importance of communicating science to the broader community, drawing on her experience collaborating with churches and prisons throughout her career. Through her work, she hopes to make scientific research and its implications more accessible to non-scientists. 

Students ask thoughtful questions at the end of Nadkarni’s talk. Photo by Nat Kelly. 

The workshop was well attended by incarcerated students, SCCC staff, and SPP staff. We were even joined by a film crew that is creating a documentary about Nadkarni and her work for National Geographic!  Students had the opportunity to ask questions for over an hour after Nadkarni’s talk ended, which made for a great learning exchange and wrap up to the workshop. To learn more about Nadkarni and her work you can visit her website: https://www.nalininadkarni.com/ 

A film crew captures Nadkarni speaking with students about her research. Photo by Nat Kelly.

Winter in the Native Plant Nurseries  

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in Conservation Programs Ecological Restoration

By Nathaniel Kelly, Mariana Cervantes, and Salvador Hernandez 

We often think of spring and summer as the busiest months of the year for gardens and gardeners, but working with native plants means that the work doesn’t stop in the winter! Technicians in SPP programs are busy gearing up for the seasons ahead. We were curious what it’s like at the nurseries during this season, so we asked some of SPP’s Conservation Nursery Coordinators what goes on in the colder months of the year.  

Castilleja hispida (harsh paintbrush) blooming near yarrow at the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW). Photo by SPP staff.

Although the winter may not seem like a great time for plants, this is a busy season for the technicians at Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC). The seeds of many species of plants native to Washington need to be exposed to a period of cool, moist weather in order to break their dormancy and sprout. The technicians have sown seeds from over a dozen species of plants into over 40,000 cones! Some of these plants are not frequently grown outside of native plant nurseries. Therefore, the specifics of their cultivation are up to us and the technicians to refine, which can be difficult but also very rewarding. The plants produced will be sent out to various partners working on south Puget Sound prairie restoration, Olympic National Forest trailside restoration, or to our own seed farm at a different facility. There may not be any pretty pictures of our plants right now, but we’re looking forward to spring when the hard work will pay off! 

Plantain grown at Stafford Creek was recently transferred to Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women for their Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly program. The plantain provides food for larvae that will be waking up soon! Photo by Nathaniel Kelly. 
Technicians at Stafford Creek sow plants during the winter months. Photo by Nathaniel Kelly.

The seed nursery at Washington Corrections Center (WCC) is currently cultivating Danthonia californica (California oat grass), Castilleja hispida (harsh paintbrush), Achillea millefolium (yarrow), Valeriana congesta (sea blush), and Silene scouleri (scouler’s campion). Since these native plants are well-adapted to the local winter conditions, we take a minimal approach to winterizing the garden. Maintenance efforts focus on consistent weeding and ensuring proper drainage to prevent rainwater from pooling, particularly because the nursery is situated in a flood-prone area. These measures help maintain optimal growing conditions for our plants throughout the winter season. To further support the ecosystem and suppress weeds, we planted cover crops, Phacelia tanacetifolia (lacy scorpion-weed) and Trifolium incarnatum (crimson clover), around the nursery rows. These cover crops help prevent invasive weeds from taking hold and will also serve as a vital food source for the honeybees at the facility. In addition to these ongoing efforts, we are excited about the expansion of our nursery to a new field. Preparations for planting in the new area are already underway. Soil samples have been collected, and we look forward to analyzing the results to determine the necessary steps for a successful planting season. 

Technicians at Washington Corrections Center are conducting a soil test in the area slated for nursery expansion. Photo by Mariana Cervantes.  
Non-native plants staying warm in the Sustainable Practices Lab greenhouse. Photo by Mariana Cervantes.  

A good portion of our winter at Washington Corrections Center for Women is to clean up and prepare for the coming spring. We power wash trays to remove old dirt and moss, while at the same time we remove broken cones and trays. If there are any plants to overwinter, we move them into our covered hoop house, but we keep the sides of the hoop house up so the native plants can still experience the cold. This helps us better control the water schedule. If we leave the plants in the rain, they will likely become too saturated with water, causing the plants to rot and die. Currently, we have Quercus garryana and Castilleja hispida in our protected hoop house. We also prepare plans that require cold stratification (a period of cold temperatures) by storing them in cones or in the refrigerator. Castilleja hispida likes to be in soil through the winter, so we sow it by early December. Others like Balsamorhiza deltoidea prefer to be put into a refrigerator around the midpoint of January.   

Interview with Michael Zirpoli

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in Ecological Research Ecological Restoration

We’re so excited to welcome Michael Zirpoli, SPP’s Ecological Conservation and Training Resource Manager, to the SPP team! We sat down to get to know a little bit more about him and find out what he’s been up to here at SPP.  

Michael Zirpoli, SPP’s new Ecological Conservation and Training Resource Manager, shows off truffle mushrooms foraged with the help of a truffle dog. Photo by Heather Stewart-Ahn 

Could you tell us a little about your background and what brought you to SPP? 

I moved to Washington state in 2011 to go to Evergreen State College. I was in an alternative education class at Penn State, and they talked about Evergreen’s model of education, and I got really interested. I went home that night and did some research, booked a ticket out here for the next week, and ended up moving my life across the country and never looking back. That was the start of my journey with Evergreen, fourteen years later there is nowhere on Earth I would rather be.  

As a student, I took the Fungal Kingdom class with Paul Przybylowicz and Lalita Calabria. I ended up getting involved in a student originated independent research project with Lalita Calabria, investigating the effects of reindeer lichen aqueous extracts on Prairie plant germination and seedling growth. Part of that research involved connecting with Carl Elliott, the Conservation Nursery Manager for SPP.  

That was the first time I had ever heard of SPP. I knew people who had been involved in Gateways for Incarcerated Youth, and I always thought it was really cool that Evergreen did these programs that involved working in prisons. When I learned about SPP, it always sat in the back of my head as something to keep an eye out for if a job ever opened. Then a job opened up six years later!  

It’s kind of the perfect intersection of all of the work that I’ve done up to this point as well as a lot of personal stuff in my life. During a leave of absence with Evergreen, I had the opportunity, through an Americorps position, to work with the houseless population in the Olympia School District, which taught me a lot about working with marginalized communities in educational settings. I come from a family background of folks involved in law-enforcement and that side of the carceral system, I have also had family who have been incarcerated, so I’m familiar with the impacts the carceral system has on people‘s lives. SPP felt like an opportunity to take my interest in working in science and education aimed at underserved populations and do something incredibly positive and unique with it, all while still being involved in the Evergreen community. 

 

Michael with butterfly technicians and SPP Coordinators from Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women. (Top row from left to right: Xitlali Herrera, Michael Zirpoli, Shelly Lagroone, Jennifer Teitzel, Vickie Phillips, Mariana Cervantes. Bottom row: Kennie Calvert, Trista Egli) 

What’s your role at SPP? 

I’m the Ecological Conservation and Training Resource Manager for SPP, so my role is primarily focused on overseeing ongoing ecological conservation projects that SPP is involved in. That includes the Taylor’s Checkerspot butterfly program at Mission Creek and the Western Pond turtle program at Cedar Creek. I’m also involved in developing and disseminating SPP materials for the broader Evergreen community and broader community in general.  

What initiatives are you most excited about working on? 

I’m very excited to be involved in the Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly program. As I mentioned, some of my undergraduate research involved working on the prairies. The plants that we worked with in that study were all plants that are host or nectar sources for the Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly. It feels like an opportunity to get back into that world.   

As I’ve learned more about the Western Pond turtle program and about the fungal pathogen that attacks their shells, I’ve gotten excited about that initiative. I’m particularly excited to be involved in the rehabilitation of the turtles, as well as the chance to use my background in mycology to do independent education and research about the fungus itself. I can’t wait to learn more information about the fungal pathogen and teach the technicians about it! 

I also really love working with Evergreen students, they are some of the best students in the world. The fact that I get to work directly with our amazing graduate students is one of the best parts of the job for me. I also love that we get to work with state and federal agencies working on scientific conservation projects, not being expected to be the expert but more focused on disseminating that information to a broader audience. 

Michael at Cedar Creek Corrections Center on turtle intake day for the Western Pond Turtle program. Photos by Mikala Waldrup. 

What’s your favorite mushroom and why?  

Morels. I had the great fortune to catch morel fever from Mike Bueg, who’s faculty emeritus here at Evergreen. He was the first to teach mycology at Evergreen, and he was also Paul Przybylowicz’s mentor. I heard Mike talk about morels for the first time in fall 2016, and it started with being excited about picking morels for food. Morels are a great spring mushroom, one of the first things to get you out of the house after a long winter. There is a reason that there’s mushroom festivals across the world celebrating morels and the start of morel season! For me, morels are the harbinger of spring; it is life after the long winter.  

I was really into finding them and picking them, and then that turned into a multi-year collection project. I learned that the taxonomy regarding morels is in flux right now, and there’s a lot of research and not a lot of documentation of species diversity here in the Pacific Northwest, more people eat morels then collect them for science, go figure. So, the past five or six years I’ve spent every spring collecting samples from around Washington and preserving them. I ended up doing a multi-year research project investigating morel taxonomy, their characteristics in isolated culture, and methods for indoor and outdoor cultivation.  

One of the things I learned about morels is that people have been trying to cultivate them going back to the 1800s, but concerted efforts started in the 1970’s and 1980’s. There was one graduate student in San Francisco, Ronald Ower, who managed to cultivate them. He was the very first person ever to do it in the lab, but like in a broken-down freezer in the basement of his lab building with cultures he collected himself. I worked in the lab at Evergreen and thought, “I’ve got access to plenty of broken-down freezers, and a handful of morel isolations I’ve collected. I’m gonna try this.” I got close with my efforts, and then Covid happened. It slowed the process, but I’ve continued my work. I still have some bins in my backyard and I’m making plans to get back into the lab this summer to continue that cultivation research. I know this will be a project that follows me for the rest of my life. 

We talk about morel fever in the spring. In February, I’m like “I need to go walk around even though I know the ground is still frozen and mushrooms are still weeks away.” But that’s led me to finding and photographing morels in the earliest stages of their development, sometimes no more than a millimeter in size! I can admit it’s become a bit of an obsession. My wife could tell you it’s about this time of year when I start talking about all the plans for hunts, burns to check, meals to cook, and experiments to try. This is not a self-proclaimed title, but I’ve been referred to by Paul Przybylowicz as the local expert on morels.   

Michael with a box of morels foraged in Washington. Photo by Heidi Steinbach. 

What kind of things do you like to do in your free time?  

Aside from mushrooms? [laughs] Spending quality time with my best friend and wife, Heidi Steinbach, who also happens to be my former research partner. We have got two cats at home, so I spend a lot of time with them, I love a quiet day reading books on the couch with the cats. I love music, I like to play guitar, listen to records, and go to concerts. I enjoy being out on the water, especially whale watching and kayaking. I enjoy hiking and being out in the woods, camping, bird watching, foraging, and just general nature bathing.  

Tribal Sons and Evergreen Workshop: Plant Teachings with Kendra Aguilar 

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in collaboration Education Health

SPP recently had the honor of collaborating with Evergreen Native American and Indigenous Studies Faculty Kendra Aguilar to offer the first of many cultural workshops at Washington Corrections Center. The workshop was hosted by the Tribal Sons, a group of Indigenous incarcerated individuals at WCC. Tribal Sons was created to “promote the wellness and rehabilitation of [Indigenous] people through healing with Indigenous ceremonies and traditions.” We were joined by cultural leader Carolyn Hartness, Evergreen Tribal Relations Liaison Lyn Dennis, and DOC Director for Person Centered Services Megan Pirie.  

After introductions and a welcome led by Carolyn Hartness, Kendra Aguilar facilitated the plant teachings workshop. Students were able to touch and hold different native plant cuttings as Aguilar spoke about the social-emotional skills that can be learned from each plant. In recognizing the strengths that different plants possess and what they contribute to their environment, students were encouraged to apply those skills to their own lives as well. During a break, visitors got to hold some baby chicks from the Sustainable Practices Lab (SPL) too! 

The workshop concluded with a song and a tour led by Tribal Sons. SPP looks forward to expanding opportunities for cultural workshops in the future! 

Carolyn Hartness, Indigenous cultural leader and artist. Photo by Emily Passarelli.  
Cultural objects made by Tribal Sons members. Photo by Emily Passarelli.
SPP Coordinator Anneke Wilder and DOC Director for Person Centered Services Megan Pirie look at lichen during the plant teaching workshop. Photo by Emily Passarelli.  
A workshop student holds a rosebud. Photo by Emily Passarelli. 
 Lyn Dennis and Carolyn Hartness learn from a Douglas fir clipping. Photo by Emily Passarelli. 
Workshop leader Kendra Aguilar holds two baby chicks that are being raised in the Sustainable Practices Lab (SPL) at WCC. Photo by Emily Passarelli.
Workshop student and SPL member Juan Hernandez shows SPL’s vermiculture system to Kendra Aguilar and Lyn Dennis. Photo by Emily Passarelli. 

Nature Drawing at WCCW

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in Education Nature inside

SPP Workshops are starting back up in facilities after a hiatus, and we couldn’t be more excited! Recently SPP kicked off this initiative by hosting its first workshop since pre-pandemic at Washington Corrections Center for Women. 

The Introduction to Nature Drawing Workshop was a huge hit! Drawing from her background in scientific illustration, SPP Coordinator and artist Anneke Wilder led the workshop. Students learned about the history of nature drawing and illustration as well as some drawing tips and tricks. The second half of the workshop the students spent some time sketching from books or specimen that were brought in. Some SPP staff even joined in on the fun! 

We’re looking forward to bringing in more experts and educators that offer unique learning experiences to incarcerated students. 

Kelli Buggs Jones draws a few different specimen. Photo by Emily Passarelli. 

 

A student sketches a cedar frond. Photo by Emily Passarelli.  

 

Tatiana Baker shows off her drawing of a flower. Photo by Emily Passarelli.

 

SPP Coordinator and workshop host Anneke Wilder gives Michelle Gabel some tips on shading. Photo by Emily Passarelli.

 

Students got to choose from a variety of specimen for drawing subjects. Photo by Emily Passarelli.

 

Student Michelle Nichols and SPP Coordinator Laureen Dulo use images from books as references. Photo by Emily Passarelli.