We are thrilled to announce that Sound Water Stewards was awarded a grant from Re/Max Community Chest (via Stanwood Camano Area Foundation) in support of Marine Education for the public via Pop-Up Stations at County Parks on Camano and Hamilton Landing Park in Stanwood. The grant pays for key supplies (like the new lightweight portable pop-up station tables, underwater camera and more), and it underwrites pay for a contract educator.
After the grant was awarded, the SWS Board decided to augment and shift funds to make it possible to run pop-ups all summer. And as a result, we are so excited to announce that former State Parks Interpreter Tina Dinzl-Pederson has been hired on a contract for the summer 2022 pop-ups!
One day each week, Tina will bring a highly portable pop-up educational booth to an Island County Park on Camano or Landing Park in Stanwood offering an opportunity for park guests to learn about the local marine ecosystem. Tina will also train and mentor SWS volunteers to be involved. Joan, Camano Coordinator, will coordinate the schedule of volunteers. Most pop-ups will occur on THURSDAYS., We are currently making plans to coordinate with partners such as the YMCA and their Summer Camps. The first publicized pop-up will be Thursday, June 23 at Barnum Point, 10 am to 3 pm.
If you would like to participate anytime this summer, please contact Joan right away. Here is the schedule:
- June 16 – Barnum Point Preserve – Find Tina near the sign that holds the park map in the parking lot.
- June 23 – Barnum Point Preserve – Find Tina near the sign that holds the park map in the parking lot.
- June 30 – Iverson Preserve – Find Tina near the sign and picnic table in the small parking lot
- July 7 – Cavalero Beach & Boat Launch – Tina will be easy to find at this small park
- July 14 – Iverson Preserve – Find Tina near the sign and picnic table in the small parking lot
- July 21 – Barnum Point Preserve – Find Tina near the park map sign in the parking lot
- July 28 – Cavalero Beach & Boat Launch – Tina will be easy to find at this small park
- Aug 4 – Hamilton Landing Park, Stanwood – tentative
- Aug 11 – Camano Island State Park
- Aug 18 – Iverson Preserve – Find Tina near the sign and picnic table in the small parking lot
- Aug 25 – Camano Island State Park
- Sep 1 – Barnum Point Preserve – Find Tina near the park map sign in the parking lot
Stewards: Tina offers personalized customized training for YOU:
- Sign up for a date and come. With a kit presentation, you can read the script/instructions and we discuss how to engage people. Watch Tina for a while and help when you are comfortable.
- Stewards pick a topic of interest or expertise; Beach walk, plastic trash, habitat, changing environment, wrack and detritus, animals found at the beach, shellfish and toxins, plants at the beach, forest/bluffs relation to beach, art in nature. At the site we discuss how to talk about these topics to people of varying ages and respect people’s time with short information sessions. When possible we do some of this together with our audience before we move to separate presentation locations (one person will sit at the pop-up table and others will move into the field for talks & ID).
- Schedule a session or multiple training sessions soon where people can come get this training ahead of time without having the pressure of having people there watching. We can do some interactive training with group divided into audience and SWS educators.
SWS extends warm appreciation to Re/Max Community Chest for the grant that helps make this project possible!
See all grant recipients in the photo below. Camano Coordinator Joan Schrammeck is seated in the front row next to Renae Kettler (in the reddish pants), founder of the Re/Max Community Chest Fund.
