A group of ten First Creek Middle School students from the eastside of Tacoma got the chance to get outside and connect with wildlife as part of the new Wildlife Watchers Program the Nisqually Land Trust launched this spring. The Land Trust teamed up with the Greentrike and Tacoma Schools’ “Club Beyond” afterschool program. The kids learned about wildlife and nature through hands-on activities and field trips to the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge and the Nisqually Land Trust’s newly acquired property on the Nisqually floodplain at Brighton Creek. 
In addition to Land Trust staff, partners from the Nisqually River Education Project, the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Wolf Camp, and the Nisqually Tribe all took turns leading activities including nature hikes, wildlife tracking, bird identification and calls, salmon life cycle, salmon dissection, native plants identification, and traditional tribal uses, and the ten essentials for outdoor exploration.
“It’s been fun to see the kids who at first were apprehensive and quiet enjoy themselves and see the enthusiastic students from the start get into observing wildlife,” said Maya Nabipoor Nisqually Land Trust’s Americorps Service Member who organized the new outreach program. “We hope that they will carry this experience with them and continue to find opportunities to get out in nature and connect with wildlife.”
All the participating youth also received a package of outdoor gear that they can use after the program is over. Patagonia generously donated backpacks and coats for the students, MiiR donated water bottles, and funds from the WDFW grant supported the purchase of hiking boots and other outdoor essentials from REI.
“Organizing this program has been one of the highlights of my service with the Nisqually Land Trust,” says Maya Nabipoor. “Being able to provide these students with opportunities and experiences they don’t normally get through their school was so rewarding, and it feels good to think that they might remember this experience for a very long time.”