By William Rathgeber, SPP Biological Science Technician. Photos by Marisa Pushee.
In early 2018, the Sustainability in Prison Project (SPP) partnered with Symbiotic Cycles to bring aquaponic gardening to Cedar Creek Corrections Center. I joined the program in spring of 2019 and I’m excited to be a part of this project because I view sustainability as a critical element of food security. This program exposes incarcerated individuals like myself to a new skill set required for maintaining alternative agriculture practices. I have also been excited to learn that this rapidly growing field is gaining momentum worldwide both as a backyard hobby and as a larger-scale means to harvest produce without tilling and weeding.
From left to right: SPP Biological Science Technician William Rathgeber, Symbiotic Cycles Co-founder Nick Naselli, and SPP Biological Science Technician Sanchez Bagley.
Aquaponic gardens can produce food naturally and organically
with much less water than a conventional garden. Aquaponics is also more
sustainable than traditional farming practices. The project comprises of an
aquaculture system based on a symbiotic relationship between bacteria, plants,
and fish in a closed ecosystem. The plants grow in a soil-free aquaculture and
the plant roots clean the water for the fish while the fish provide nutrients
for the plants. The plants and the fish work together so the water can be
recycled indefinitely. Only evaporated water needs to be replenished.
Environmental, economic, and health concerns are excellent reasons to adopt an aquaponic garden. Aquaponic gardening offers a chance to reduce our carbon footprint because the produce being harvested doesn’t have to travel hundreds of miles to your grocery store. It also doesn’t add fertilizers that can pollute the local water reservoir or harm the local flora and fauna. Additionally, aquaponics is becoming popular among young and old locavores (people who buy local) concerned with nutrition, avoiding artificial additives, and protecting the environment.
Kale has been a consistent success in the system, growing well through the winter.
In an increasingly environmental and sustainable focused world, these alternative agriculture practices prepare incarcerated individuals to have skill sets that will compete with the changing times. While incarcerated, we are not only educated in this alternative aquaculture practice but we get to provide the fruits of our labor to the kitchen for mainline meals. The Cedar Creek aquaponics system is supported by the design team at Symbiotic Cycles. They also provide consultation and informational on-site visits conducting hands-on question/answer seminars for Cedar Creek SPP Technicians and Centralia College Horticulture students.
The Nature & Health Symposium is organized by University of Washington’s EarthLab. Their Nature and Health Director reached out after seeing the SPP blog about screen-printed art created in the SPP Workshop Series.
Soon after, SPP-related artwork was featured at the Stafford Creek art show. In addition to a few of the screen-prints, colored pencil portraits of North American perching songbirds (passerines) and an Anna’s hummingbird by artist Michael Gorski were included.
Artist Edmund Ball crocheted a beautiful piece that featured flowers, a butterfly, and a bee against a backdrop of prison bars.Marvin Faircloth’s artwork
One particular artist, Marvin Faircloth, who has contributed his time and artistic ability to SPP previously, painted a colorful piece that he cut into business card sized squares to distribute to visitors to illustrate our interconnectedness. On the back of these cards, he included his name along with short quotes. I chose a card that said “Art is freedom,” which I think beautifully sums up the ability of art to reach beyond the walls of prison.
In addition to SPP art, the show included many more talented artists, some of which featured nature prominently in their work. Please enjoy the selection included below:
From the day as a chick, I have always been free. From glacier cap mountains, To sea to coral sea.
Brother species who play and breed below, Across fields and up rivers Migrating they flow. For thousand years Mother Earth grows, For thousand years climate change is slow.
For today my chick hasn’t a tree, Clear-cuts and mudslides left only for me. Snow cap mountains glaciers retreat, Dead baron seas with dried up reefs.
Polar bears, salmon, star fish, little honey bees, Man-kind harvest only greed selfish to you and me. In one hundred years Mother Earth slowly dies, In one hundred years climate change super sizes.
Bald eagle preparing to fly. Photo from wikipedia.
by Joslyn Rose Trivett, SPP Education and Outreach Manager, and Susan Goldwitz, Beekeeper and Program Coordinator
Susan Goldwitz stands with one of her hives. Photo by David H. Deininger.
Two-and-a-half years ago, beekeeper Susan Goldwitz traveled from Massachusetts to Washington State and attended the first-ever beekeeping summit in a prison. More than a few beekeeping programs were born that day. Delightfully, Susan Goldwitz took some of that inspiration beyond Washington!
Beekeeping association partners, staff from every prison, incarcerated beekeepers, and the SPP team from Evergreen came together for an inspirational and productive day-long beekeeping summit at Washington Corrections Center for Women. Photo by Ricky Osborne.
For three years previous, Susan had been trying to create bee program in Massachusetts prisons and jails. She had been teaching literature and other classes in prison for nearly six years, but hadn’t yet found traction on adding beekeeping. After the summit, she returned home reenergized and with an improved, inspired pitch. She made her proposal more than a dozen times, to any facility willing to hear it.
As the “no”s and “maybe”s stacked up, she kept in touch with SPP. Susan is unusually good at asking for and receiving help — a strategy I admire — and I was happy to provide the advice and encouragement she requested. She also had the support of another ardent beekeeper, former Governor Deval Patrick; he encouraged her to “Keep pushing!” So she kept pushing. She knew how to take our optimism and translate it into programming success.
On her 12th or 13th try, at last, she found a willing host: Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office in Dedham, MA. They were willing to take a risk on this unusual program, to think outside of the normal menu of activities and educational programs for the incarcerated. The jail had an abundance of outdoor, open space and — bonus! — a member of the staff was already an enthusiastic beekeeper.
This summer, I
received a welcome update, which you may read below. It is so pleasing to share
Susan’s story of success!
“It’s been far too long since we connected and I’m taking this opportunity to send you a little note to let you know that persistence can pay off!
I was able to start a pilot beekeeping program at a jail in Dedham two years ago. It took the usual meetings and waiting, but finally (after three years of trying!) I found a jail willing to take a chance on this “out of the box” program.
I set up two little hives at the jail, paid for everything myself, and worked with a wonderful company here called Best Bees because they have an overarching insurance policy — helpful for assuaging the security concerns of the administration.
We had a great year; the bees might have known there was a great deal on their little shoulders. We had two thriving hives, a honey harvest, and only two little stings: one on an officer and one on a prisoner. That turned out to be a little blessing in a painful disguise: the men recovered, no one was in danger, and some institutional fears were allayed.
Both hives overwintered successfully (!) and the jail decided to take on the program themselves — to pay for and support it. Now I’m focused on getting a beekeeping school together to start (I hope) this winter. Small steps, as ever.
I’ve just set up a meeting with the Suffolk County House of Correction (Boston) to discuss starting a similar program there. Fingers crossed! I think I needed a sufficient track record at one facility before attempting to convince another.
I did talk to the head of a wonderful program here called the Urban Farming Institute about having a place for newly released prisoners to practice their beekeeping. We have just opened our discussion, but the President/CEO Patricia Spence was enthusiastic about the eventual opportunity and hopes they will be setting up hives at one of their gardens soon.
I wrote once more to our mutual friend, Governor Patrick, to let him know of the jail successes, and yet again he was encouraging and supportive.
That’s the brief news from here. Hope you are well and that you and your programs are thriving.
Let me thank you
and SPP once again for your unflagging support, expertise, and gentle
cheerleading. It definitely made all the
difference!”
Re-reading Susan’s news now, it’s no surprise me that she’s found success. Building programs in prison is really challenging. The best way to meet those challenges is large quantities of persistence, creativity, and positivity. Susan clearly has all three!
End Note
Susan’s other great love is poetry, especially Emily
Dickinson’s. The poet wrote about 100
poems concerning bees in her collection of about 1789 poems. Here are a few
delicious examples:
Identifying numbers are from Thomas H. Johnson, ed. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson.
A bee on flowers at Stafford Creek Corrections Center. Photo by Ricky Osborne.
#1627 Version II
The Pedigree of Honey Does not concern the Bee – A Clover, any time, to him, Is Aristocracy –
#1755
To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are few.
#676 Least bee that brew – A Honey’s Weight The Summer multiply – Content her smallest fraction help The Amber Quantity –
#1220
Of Nature I shall have enough When I have enter these Entitled to a Bumble bee’s Familiarities.
Text and photos by Marisa Pushee, SPP Conservation Coordinator.
Following some adjustments this past winter, the aquaponics system at Cedar Creek Corrections Center (CCCC) is now thriving. It took a lot of work and perseverance from Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) Biological Technicians, but their dedication has paid off.
Earlier this winter, SPP technicians noticed that these plants were looking a little yellow, an indication that they weren’t getting enough iron.
In January, Nick Naselli and Daniel Cherniske, co-founders of Symbiotic Cycles, assessed the state of the system and found that the pH, at 7.8-8, was too alkaline for plant life. The high pH had made the iron in the system inaccessible to the plants, resulting in yellowing of the leaves and stunted growth. In order to combat these problems, Symbiotic Cycles and SPP Biological Technicians changed the system’s bio-media from grow stones to red pumice rock and added iron nutrient to the system. Take a look through the photos to see the impact of these adjustments!
SPP Biological Technician, Lorenzo Stewart, situates the plugs in the system’s raft beds.With the adjustments to the pH and iron levels, the greens started to take off. SPP Biological Technician, Donald McLain, checks the plants for insects. Technicians spray plant leaves with a mixture of olive oil, garlic, natural soap, and water to deter the aphids. Symbiotic Cycles Co-founder, Daniel Cherniske, assesses system progress during a recent site visit to Cedar Creek.
Plants that do well in an aquaponics system include leafy greens like lettuce, kale, chard, mustard greens, and bok choy. Cilantro and chives also thrive, and they even help keep away aphids. The greens from this system are used in Cedar Creek’s kitchens to help provide the facility’s incarcerated population with fresh, healthy meals.
The greens are looking much better, well on their way to harvest.After a little TLC, the plants are looking plush! The fan in this photo helps improve air circulation, which is beneficial for the plants and can help deter aphids.
With summer around the corner, SPP Biological Technicians will soon have to combat rising temperatures and increased sun exposure, but the introduction of a fan and shade cloth will help maintain a healthy and productive system.
Text and photos by Erica Benoit, SPP Environmental Workshop Series Coordinator
In July, incarcerated students at the Stafford Creek Corrections Center had the unique opportunity to participate in a screen-printing workshop through the SPP Workshop Series. Emily Adams of the Evergreen State College graciously offered two separate workshops so that a greater number of students could participate. Emily gave an introductory lecture on the history and process of screen-printing and then the students had about an hour to create their own prints.
Emily Adams describes the history of screen-printing in a classroom at Stafford Creek Corrections Center.
For inspiration, students had a variety of high quality
images taken from SPP’s various programs to choose from as the subject of their
screen prints. In some cases, the students practiced the skill of grid drawing
while others relied on quick tracings due to limited time.
Once they had a drawing in hand, Emily put the drawing through a Thermo Fax Machine to create a “screen,” which each student ran ink through to create the final product. The image below illustrates this process, as one student uses a squeegee to push yellow-orange ink through his screen. For the first workshop, students were pressed for time, but almost everyone was able to complete a print before the session ended.
Emily and I worked through a few logistical challenges to make the second workshop an even greater success. Most of the students in the class were able to leave the workshop with two or more different prints. We hope you enjoy some of the great prints the students created, posted below.
Workshop student Colton Green happily shows off his first screen prints!
By Situe Fuiava, SPP Conservation Technician at Washington Corrections Center. Mr. Fuiava wrote this piece in response to a call for writing on “science in prison.”
Note: please be aware that individuals featured in this story and in these images have victims who are concerned about re-victimization; any sharing or promoting should keep that risk in mind.
My name is Situe Fuiava and I have been incarcerated since the age of 16. When I first came into prison I only knew about street knowledge. I didn’t really know much about anything academically let alone science.
Situe Faiva receives seeds picked by a program visitor; program technicians collect seeds from violets and other prairie plants for Salish lowland restoration efforts. Photo by Ricky Osborne.
What led me to this path of learning is when my nephew asked me to help him with something in school. I couldn’t even answer him. I glamourized and answered everything he asked me about the streets, but could not give him anything academically. That was one of the worst feelings I have ever felt. That was when the light finally turned on for me. I knew that I had to change something before I was going to have a family reunion in prison instead of the community.
During my time of incarceration, one of the programs that dramatically changed my life is the Sustainability in Prisons Projects (SPP). The SPP program is responsible for involving incarcerated individuals in multiple sustainable programs in the United States. In Washington State, in conjunction with Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) and the Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM), this program is working towards the restoration of prairies in the greater Northwest. To assist with the program, at Washington Correction Center (WCC) incarcerated individuals work with the largest violet nursery in the world. We also have created the very first demonstration prairie in Department of Corrections (DOC).
The Prairie Conservation Nursery Crew: pictured from left to right are technician Fred Burr, TAs John Thompson and Situe Fuiava, and technicians Michael Johnson and Dustin Sutherland.
Situe Fuiava collects violet seeds in the nursery. Photo by Ricky Osborne.
I love that we have our own demonstration prairie garden here at this facility because it shows everyone the relationship between the violets and other species that are also found in the prairies of the South Puget Sound area. For me, the best ways of learning and teaching about prairies is by providing hands-on experiences and allowing people to see what happens in a natural prairie. This teaches us what species grow best around the violets and what species are not as beneficial for them. This is one of the few times being incarcerated has been a benefit to me. Having the ability to care for the violets around the clock (besides weekends) is pleasant as well as challenging. We have the ability to sustain life. We built the demonstration garden in 2018 and have seen it flourish in the first season. This is our way of teaching and learning; science in its finest form.
I have worked in many places in the prison system. Some of my jobs have been gym porter, barber, kitchen worker, unit porter, dayroom porter, and plumber. Only now do I have a job that challenges me mentally.
A good brother of mine was already working in the program introduced me to the SPP program and horticulture program. I decided to go into it without expectations and have an open mind. I was eager to learn something new and further my academic education, but I did not want to expect to get something from it and end up disappointed.
This job has been the best I have had. It gives me the opportunity to work and to gain knowledge I would have never taken the time to learn otherwise. Since starting my job with the SPP program, I’ve taken classes on bee handling, record keeping, seed germination, stratification process, transplanting, watering techniques planting depth, how to check the soil, water P.H levels, and when the first and last frost are so that we know when to sow.
I have also learned that everything is connected in one way or another. Everything has the same needs. These are things that we might not understand because we did not grow up learning them. All matter on earth is made up of one or more of the 118 chemical elements that are found on earth. The chemical element carbon is essential to everything because it is the building block for all living organisms. Just as carbon is vital to the foundation of an organism, water is also needed to sustain life on earth. We need soil because the soil is the building block for the evolution of vascular plants. Vascular plants played a big role in a plant’s ability to live further away from water. Without one of the three elements, life on earth as we know it would be nonexistent. Without carbon or water, life on earth would be stuck at the Bryophyte stage.
We need “Nature”. Nature is a great teacher of science. It has a way of creating great relationships within its own ecosystem. I find it interesting that this planet has been here for billions of years. Humans take up a small fraction of that timeline. With minimal time we inhabited the earth, we caused more harm than good to our planet. I believe that if we start paying attention to the relationships that happen organically and naturally in nature, that knowledge can give us the answer of how to prolong our time on earth.
Viola adunca blooms in the beds at Washington Corrections Center. Photo by Alexandra James.
Like I said, the more I learn, the more I believe that everything is connected.
When I first started talking about nature, I thought of nature as a place that hasn’t been touched or bothered by humans. I have learned that nature is everything. Nature is everything that the earth produces naturally. So if everything provided by the earth is considered nature, would we consider a manmade environment nature? If everything on earth is created on earth, why would we say that everything that is manmade isn’t nature when the things that we use to make these structures are from earth. In the wild, animals use everything within their means to survive. When we humans take from nature we take more than what we need. I believe that when we build man-made structures it’s still nature as long as it has a way to give back to nature, instead of just leeching off the eco-system.
When I think of sustainability I think of the ability to keep life going. What we are doing here at Washington Corrections Center is helping with sustaining the life of the silverspot butterfly by growing Viola adunca and Viola praemorsa. With growing these species we are naturally creating an environment for the pollinators.
Someone’s in-prison experience with science can positively affect his or her choices by simply using the scientific method. Most men incarcerated are here because we tend to make claims without even having any evidence to back up what we claim to have been real or true. If we are never taught to research or question what we learn, it can have a negative effect on our behanviors. What we display on a day-to-day basis are learned behaviors. If we are raised up and we see everyone doing the same thing, whether right or wrong, we automatically think it’s the norm.
Text and photos by Erica Benoit, SPP Environmental Workshop
Series Coordinator
Note: please be aware that at least one individual featured in this story and in these images has victims who are concerned about re-victimization; any sharing or promoting of images should keep that risk in mind.
The composting program started by two incarcerated men at the Monroe Correctional Complex (MCC) has fascinated many visitors and sparked international interest. Workshop students at the Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC) were no less eager to hear about this program directly from one of the founders: Rory Brown. Rory is currently incarcerated at SCCC, where he is a regular at the workshop series. In May, Rory got his first chance to stand up in front of the men he usually sits alongside. His compost program origin story was one of determination and resourcefulness.
Rory recounted how he and his counterpart, Nick Hacheney, identified food waste as an issue at MCC. With staff support and no funding, they began to scrounge up discarded materials to create worm bins. After some trial and error, they were successful; from almost nothing, they created a system that limited the facility’s food waste. The program has continued to grow over the last 9 years and is now able to process 20,000 lbs. of food waste every month.
Along with his personal anecdotes, Rory brought an excellent demonstration that showed how worms break down organic materials and shredded paper to create high-quality fertilizer that can be used in gardens. He also passed around worm castings and the finished compost product for all students to examine.
The session was co-presented by Joslyn Rose Trivett. She provided an overview of SPP’s three spheres of sustainability as well as updates on MCC’s composting program since Rory left the facility in 2014. The current compost technicians at MCC also made an appearance through a video filmed at the facility back in January. In it, they talked through the process of composting with worms, as well as their most recent endeavors with other kinds of bugs that process food waste: Bokashi and black soldier flies.
The workshop concluded with an inspiring TEDx Talk by Nick Hacheney. One workshop student enthusiastically told us that the video should be required viewing at all prisons; it demonstrates that incarcerated individuals have the power to create sustainability.
Photos and text by Marisa Pushee, SPP Conservation Coordinator.
Symbiotic Cycles Co-founder Nick Naselli and SPP Biological Technician Donald McLain evaluate plant health.
The aquaponics system at Cedar Creek Corrections Center (CCCC) received a new lease on life this winter. With assistance from CCCC’s technicians, Nick Naselli and Daniel Cherniske from Symbiotic Cycles first built the system at Cedar Creek in spring of 2018. To give the system a much-needed boost, they returned this January for a series of site visits and problem-solving sessions.
Nick Naselli introduces a suckerfish to the system. This fish eats algae and will improve visibility by cleaning up the water.
Aquaponics systems can be a great way to harvest food year-round, but they require some care and fine tuning to establish a system. It can take up to a year for a new aquaponics system to stabilize! SPP Biological Technicians have been putting in the work to ensure that the system thrives. And with the help of Nick and Daniel, Cedar Creek’s aquaponics is functioning better than ever, producing healthy and delicious greens for the facility’s kitchens.
SPP Biological Technician Lorenzo Stewart tests the water’s nitrate levels.During this last winter, Symbiotic Cycles worked with SPP technicians to introduce the steel cables shown in this photo. The installation of this tensioning system to stabilize the raft beds will prevent further bowing of the system’s wooden sides. After a few adjustments, we saw fast and impressive improvements in plant health. Left to right: SPP Biological Technician Donald McLain, Symbiotic Cycles Co-founder Nick Naselli, SPP Biological Technician Lorenzo Stewart, and Symbiotic Cycles Co-founder Daniel Cherniske.
Stay tuned for an upcoming blog with more details on the plant growth in Cedar Creek’s aquaponics system!
Professor Winterbottom first came to WCCW early in 2016, along with Dr. Barb Toews of UW-Tacoma. Both academics saw potential for building restorative landscapes at the prison, for the benefit of both incarcerated individuals and prison staff. They also found willing partners among WCCW’s leadership, particularly Associate Superintendent Felice Davis, Facilities Manager Rod Coberly, and Superintendent Jo Wofford. Even so, it took three years of persistence before Professor Winterbottom had the go-ahead to make the prison the topic of his Therapeutic Master Plan Studio class.
Last month, he and his students presented their recommendations to WCCW’s leadership, which were met with further support and enthusiasm. The next step was to get feedback from the incarcerated individuals, the folks who might be most affected by the potential project. Luckily, there was an opening in the workshop series calendar, creating the perfect opportunity to bring everyone together!
The student groups, with architecture models and posters in hand, presented projects focused on designing a nurturing and healing environment as an exercise of rethinking the landscape of incarceration.
They proposed creating places that stimulate the senses, and that offer both respite and engagement through the garden. Each proposal offered different approaches and methods, but all were intended to create a more humane place for both residents and staff.
Workshop students were especially respectful of the time and effort the UW students put into their projects, and their comments and questions reflected that appreciation.
Overall, workshop students were engaged and excited to hear about the potential to transform their built living environment.
