MAPLE ELEMENTARY’S EXPERIENCE ON THE DUWAMISH RIVER

For millennia, Coast Salish peoples lived in relationship with Seattle’s only river – the Duwamish River. Then, the city of Seattle was established and the river was straightened, industrialized and subsequently polluted, leading it to be named a Superfund Site by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2001.

Since then, clean-up and restoration efforts involving the Duwamish Tribe, King County, Boeing, City of Seattle, the Duwamish River Community Coalition (DRCC), and many other dedicated individuals, government entities and community-based groups have led to significant improvements to the ecosystem.

With our unique Duwamish River Program (the only IslandWood program led on a boat), students learn about this social and environmental history of the river, as well as the ongoing efforts of local community groups to continue to care for it. One of our program objectives is for students to understand that they can have individual impact as changemakers in their community, just as others in the Duwamish River Valley have done.

The video below features a 5th-grade class from Maple Elementary and their recent experience with the program!

Special thanks to the following people and organizations:

• Micah Ventura, 5th Grade Teacher at Maple Elementary
• Chapin Pier, Seattle Public Utilities scientist, who came aboard as an expert presenter
• Jeraldi Gonzales, an environmental justice advocate in the Duwamish Valley who came aboard as an expert presenter
• Seattle Public Utilities, for helping to fund this program and bring it to life
• IslandWood educators, Andrea Hildebrant, Karen Andres, and Louise Prescott