5 win Kitsap Earth Day Awards
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Kitsap County officials recognized the work of five different people and organizations in this year’s Earth Day Awards.
The annual awards were created in 1993 to celebrate environmental stewardship throughout the county. Officials considered over 50 nominations.
First among those was the Clear Creek Salmon in the Classroom program, which has worked to continue salmon restoration efforts while educating youth in various Kitsap schools. A total of 1,300 students participated in the raising of salmon eggs donated by the Suquamish Tribe. The salmon grow from egg to alevin to fry in various classroom tanks before being released for downstream travel.
“There is a long list of people who make this what it is today,” said Mary Earl with the Clear Creek Task Force. “It’s a collaboration of many organizations that make this very successful.”
Kitsap also recognized Spread Supplies, a Bremerton business opened by Reama Schuldt that offers new and used art supplies as a way to combat affordability barriers and help community members recognize their potential as artists. The offering of used supplies that have been donated to the business keeps them out of landfills and puts them in the hands of artists in need.
People receiving awards included legacy forest advocate Joshua Wright, Central Kitsap High School senior Kai Brock, and middle school teacher Lisa Gordon Ramstad in Bremerton.
Wright’s efforts included work to preserve a portion of the Green Mountain State forest. The forest is home to a diverse mix of plants and trees, and Wright’s documentations included several rare plant communities to actively preserve.
Brock has joined local and international efforts, including counting Mariana fruit bats in Guam and participating in a variety of cleanups. He has also participated in salmon monitoring, macroinvertebrate sampling, beach naturalist volunteering and invasive species management, just a few of his over 100 hours of hands-on conservation efforts.
Randstad was recognized for her efforts to provide students with the opportunity to explore, creating an outdoor classroom space in partnership with Great Peninsula Conservancy.
