Season Finale - Living Lab Summer 2025
School's out for summer, but the Living Lab is alive and getting better with each 5th grade class that passes through Prune Hill each year! So much has happened in the past few months with the 5th graders along with a handful of individuals making HUGE impacts since our Spring event. First up - the students and leaders of Prune Hill Elementary!
A big focus of this year's crop of 5th graders in our summer close out session was the eradication of invasives. Students pulled, yanked and weeded like it was their job, clearing learning circles of pesky invasive plants to allow the Earth Day crop and last year's native plantings to thrive. In addition to their hands-on work, students took part in plant identification as the summer flowers are starting to bloom, learned about ecosystem food chains and even began exploring the basics of regenerative land management. Led by earth science teacher Colleen Rush, we gain more encouragement and excitement in helping her expand the learning experience these 5th graders receive through an expanding, inviting outdoor environment.
We wouldn't be able to take part in hosting environmental stewardship concepts at the Living Lab without the vision and commitment of Principal Julie Swan. We will miss her leadership as she moves into retirement, but are encouraged by Superintendent Anzalone's commitment that this activity will continue and even expand to other schools in Camas in the future. Oh, and we are eager to explore this series of outdoor sessions with Dr. Anzalone's fifth grader starting this fall!
While the focus is on the students and expanding their educational opportunities, we'd be remiss if we didn't thank our talented and hard working bunch of Camas Earth Day Society volunteers. One of our stalwart volunteers, Erin Figy, Macgyvered - er engineered, a drip irrigation system for the existing and new plantings on the hill. Her depth of knowledge and passion for native plant environments shows through in the thoughtful plantings. If you want to learn more about natives, you can find her at Frog and Twig.
The massive blackberry colony that once housed a few bunnies and an occasional song sparrow, but spread across the hillside is no longer around. As part of a massive undertaking, the founding owner of Viriditas - and Prune Hill Elementary's own - Drew Clarkson, reduced the blackberries to stubs, replacing the invasive blackberry thicket with a small willow/alder pocket forest. And if that effort weren't enough, he single-handedly re-sculpted a large terrace area which will serve as a planting deck to exhibit regenerative foresting, or "rewilding" as he calls it. This area will significantly expand the learning opportunities for students in the near future.
Last but not least, this year's educational and work efforts were assisted in large part by a generous educational assistance grant from the Washington Native Plant Society. The WNPS funded a wide variety of educational "enablers" which included an assortment of hand tools and gloves for the students along with native plant stock and irrigation equipment. We are thankful for their awesome support and look forward to working with them through the future to educate students about environmental stewardship and making a difference in their community!
A big focus of this year's crop of 5th graders in our summer close out session was the eradication of invasives. Students pulled, yanked and weeded like it was their job, clearing learning circles of pesky invasive plants to allow the Earth Day crop and last year's native plantings to thrive. In addition to their hands-on work, students took part in plant identification as the summer flowers are starting to bloom, learned about ecosystem food chains and even began exploring the basics of regenerative land management. Led by earth science teacher Colleen Rush, we gain more encouragement and excitement in helping her expand the learning experience these 5th graders receive through an expanding, inviting outdoor environment.
We wouldn't be able to take part in hosting environmental stewardship concepts at the Living Lab without the vision and commitment of Principal Julie Swan. We will miss her leadership as she moves into retirement, but are encouraged by Superintendent Anzalone's commitment that this activity will continue and even expand to other schools in Camas in the future. Oh, and we are eager to explore this series of outdoor sessions with Dr. Anzalone's fifth grader starting this fall!
While the focus is on the students and expanding their educational opportunities, we'd be remiss if we didn't thank our talented and hard working bunch of Camas Earth Day Society volunteers. One of our stalwart volunteers, Erin Figy, Macgyvered - er engineered, a drip irrigation system for the existing and new plantings on the hill. Her depth of knowledge and passion for native plant environments shows through in the thoughtful plantings. If you want to learn more about natives, you can find her at Frog and Twig.
The massive blackberry colony that once housed a few bunnies and an occasional song sparrow, but spread across the hillside is no longer around. As part of a massive undertaking, the founding owner of Viriditas - and Prune Hill Elementary's own - Drew Clarkson, reduced the blackberries to stubs, replacing the invasive blackberry thicket with a small willow/alder pocket forest. And if that effort weren't enough, he single-handedly re-sculpted a large terrace area which will serve as a planting deck to exhibit regenerative foresting, or "rewilding" as he calls it. This area will significantly expand the learning opportunities for students in the near future.
Last but not least, this year's educational and work efforts were assisted in large part by a generous educational assistance grant from the Washington Native Plant Society. The WNPS funded a wide variety of educational "enablers" which included an assortment of hand tools and gloves for the students along with native plant stock and irrigation equipment. We are thankful for their awesome support and look forward to working with them through the future to educate students about environmental stewardship and making a difference in their community!
Earth Day Celebration 2025
Students from the Prune Hill Elementary earth science classes enjoyed a spectacular pre-Earth Day gathering (on 21 April) at the Living Lab with the team from the Camas Earth Day Society. Led by Molly Williams and Erin Figy, students learned about native plants and ecosystem functions while also taking part in enriching the outdoor environment with some good ol' fashioned "sweat equity" by planting new native stock and trees, weeding out invasives and improving the mulching of trails and planting circles. Students were broken down into small groups at four different learning circles, creating focused, but short learning events to peak their interest in the environment and take part in small, but important local actions that create a better planet and community.
An Evening with Denis Hayes
Nearly 30 Camas residents representing all ages came out to spend an evening with Camas' own - Denis Hayes, the lead organizer for the very first Earth Day. This unique event was hosted by the Camas library and featured a zoom call segment with Denis Hayes. Denis graciously answered questions from students in grades 4-12 along with several adults in the audience who were all curious about the origins of Earth Day, what it was like on the 1st Earth Day, how it spread to over 180 countries and many other fascinating questions. Participants hung on every word spoken as Denis reflected on each question and gave profound, yet simple replies. His key messages reflected a spirit of individual action that leads by example in stewarding the precious resources each of us is given. For a recorded segment of this interaction, the Camas library recorded the event which is hosted here.
Amazing Art in support of Earth Day 2025 Exhibit
In preparation for Earth Day 2025 celebrations, students from Camas High School's Green Team along with local community residents took part in several focused, art-related activities. The student art created came from a theme centered around what each person envisioned as the most important environmental challenge(s) facing our community in the next 50 years. Using recycled materials, the students did a wonderful job assembling relevant material for a large display to be hosted in the Camas Library beginning April 4th. For local residents, they participated in a "willow art" session led by Erin Figy to build a chain of willow rings that represents the theme of this year's display in the library - "we are all connected."
Prune Hill Elementary Living Lab Autumn 2024
Building on the great foundation created from last year's 5th grade class at Prune Hill Elementary, the Camas Earth Day Society along with Erin Figy (from Frog and Twig) and volunteers from the Lower Columbia Nature Network put together a great outdoor learning event for the new cohort of 5th graders. Students got a chance to learn about native plants, creatures that live and thrive in these special ecosystems and then planted an expanded variety of new native plants to enhance the outdoor area. The goal is to create a thriving "backyard habitat" that expands their natural learning environment beyond the classroom, enabling hands on learning and growing an ethic of environmental stewardship to take forward into their community. Each year, they measure and record progress on the overall health of the plant and animal diversity found in this outdoor lab.
Brady Ridge Bioswale Reclamation ProjectThe Brady Ridge development in Camas (a NON-HOA neighborhood subdivision) had a neglected, malfunctioning stormwater treatment facility with no agreement in place to either rehabilitate it, or maintain it once repaired. The bioswale shown below was overgrown with dense vegetation, invasive species of plants and poorly graded, depositing large amounts of leaves that decay over time, releasing phosphorus which was then directly transported to other streams during heavy rain events. A Camas Earth Day Society (CEDS) member took on this challenge to voluntarily rally neighbors and contract with Kings Stormwater Services, LLC to rehab the facility, then put a maintenance agreement in place thereafter so it could function as originally designed. We're hoping to continue planting with native plants to assist in phosphorus uptake over time to limit the amount of nutrients being discharged downstream. The photo on the right reflects the final grown in/re-graded project. This is a major success story and one that CEDS is trying to use as a pilot project for other "orphaned" neighborhood stormwater treatment facilities throughout Camas. Stay tuned for updates as we are interested in expanding this program with the City of Camas!
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Prune Hill Elementary Living Lab Spring 2024
Reaching our youth is a foundational piece of our outreach to Camas - our youth are our tomorrow. Over the past year, the photos below show the results of many hands that built the Prune Hill Elementary (PHE) school's living lab Naturescape garden and our Earth Day living lab class event on Earth Day that reached over 90 fifth graders. This native plant garden is a collaboration between the Camas Earth Day Society and Prune Hill elementary and now serves as a vehicle to teach environmental science in a hands-on format. This project represents ongoing work to further develop this important program and maintain it throughout the school year. We'd be remiss if we didn't include PHE's rockstar earth science teachers, Ms Rush and Ms Boden. Their vision, support and collaboration have been instrumental to this effort and reflect how small but important local actions can make a difference not only today, but well into our future!
Pollinator Party - Earth Day Kickoff Event - April 21, 2024
The bees were singing like a choir today, eagerly anticipating the garden full of nectar planted below their hive at the Camas library to kickoff our Earth Day celebration. We celebrate and thank the more than four dozen volunteers from the community including cohorts from the Camas Lion's Club and Camas Key Club to name a few. Groups gathered to hear all about bees from the Camas Bee Lady and learn about planting native species and why these are important to our ecosystem. Young and old, we saw a gathering of folks who care about their community and investing in its future that delights our souls. Special thanks for the generous donations, mentoring, design and support from two incredible partners - Erin Figy (from Frog and Twig), a Pacific NW native plant enthusiast and natural gardening coach; and Jennifer, from Nature's Haven - a 6 acre Douglas fir forest nursery plot that specializes in raising and selling over 150 species of native plants.
Pollinator Party Prep - April 19,2024
In preparation for planting our pollinator garden/Earth Day event, a team of incredible volunteers from hp, Camas and several surrounding communities gathered for a Vinca pull out in front of the Camas library. The project helped us quickly realize two things: 1) the power of community and teamwork; and 2) the rewards of shared hard work to produce a better tomorrow. We are sharing this news to extend our heartfelt thanks to our volunteers, the City of Camas, the library and so many others working behind the scenes donating plants, mulch, time and incredible effort to make this event wildly successful.
