Robert (Bob) Kirk, Staff Instructor

Pronouns: he/him/his

The Navy brought me out to this area in 1984 on a submarine (USS Georgia) that was homeporting on the Bangor submarine base. I retired from that life in 1998, and loved the outdoors in this area, completing my bachelors from WWU in Environmental Science, and Master’s in education from Old Dominion.

I started teaching outdoorsy stuff down the road at Suquamish Native High School in 2006, that was my first encounter with IslandWood along with coming to Mochi Festival with our Japanese foreign exchange students over the years. I have worked in various hands-on Alternative teaching endeavors over the years, creating native plant gardens to integrate for education for the Suquamish school along with the Northwest Indian college at Muckleshoot site of which I am still currently working out on side with Environmental science courses via zoom. I have enjoyed anything related to getting me outside to work, except in pouring rain, and enjoy camping especially to ocean with family.

My wife and I have fostered many children, adopting four, and learning to say no. I still have much to learn, like in area of native mushrooms, history, and ongoing with various plant and animals. I did have eye opener working in a treatment center southwest of Port Townsend during covid in Cape George area, where I am still hoping to observe “beaked Puffins” off the islands there as a checkoff on my bucket list. I look forward to this new part of my journey working here at IslandWood, and working with the many young people that come this way.