Executive Director’s Report - Summer 2008

Dear Friend,
Welcome to the summer edition of my Executive Director’s Report.
After a chilly June we are so happy to see the sun! Programs are in full
swing and busier than ever with school being out. The sun will be
lending light and energy to all of us in the coming weeks. Thanks to
everyone for your continued support! Read on…comments, questions &
feedback always welcome. Cheers!
Nancy Whitlock

NC Film School
On Thurs. June 12th, students and staff hosted a special film screening to show the final projects from
the premiere session of NC film school. Led by teaching artist Reid Kuennen, students from the Southwest
Interagency Academy at Youngstown wrote, acted, directed, and produced two short subject videos. One was
a social commentary about teen pregnancy and the other was a suspenseful, special-effects laden, short
fiction about Youngstown being haunted by a ghost. The filmmakers also conducted interviews with each
other and learned about scriptwriting, camera techniques and editing. After the screening, the student film-
makers entertained questions from the audience. Plans to resume NC film school are in the works for this fall.

Hottest Shirt Going Do you have yours? Nature Consortium t-shirts come in all sizes from toddler to XXL
and women’s tees. Shirts cost ten dollars. Call or stop by the office today to get yours. 206.923.0853

Forest Restoration Project Update

The conifer revolution continues in the greenbelt as we host a
number of youth-focused work parties with teens from the Seattle
Youth Employment Project (SYEP) and Student-Teen Employment
Preparation (STEP) program. Restoration and maintenance are
continuing at our 3 main sites: 14th Ave. SW & SW Holly, Highland
Park Way, and Cooper Elementary. Many hands will help this
summer in maintaining all of the planting that was done this past
spring and winter.
A huge thank you to all of the students from Truman High School
in Federal Way who put in hundreds of hours of hard work and
dedication during the 2007-2008 school year. Truman students
worked with buphalo and Elizabeth along side their teachers every
Tuesday and Thursday. They gained experience in all aspects of
forest restoration and achieved great progress in many areas Orkestar Zirkonium performing
throughout the greenbelt. We look forward to their return this fall! for volunteers during the
Another dedicated group of youth and parents who have attended work party on June 7th!
multiple work parties in the greenbelt is the Seattle Homeschool
Group, led by Laura Gilliam. These families have literally dug into the
greenbelt, grubbing blackberries, planting trees and spreading the
mulch as well as spreading the word.
Other groups that have participated in work parties recently
include: Democrats Work, Safeco, Herrera Environmental, Cascadia
College, and REI. Thank you also to our core volunteers who have
continued to provide consistent and loyal support for multiple work
parties over the months: Tess Morgan, Danny Sanchez, Josh Mahar,
Seth Christian, Sarah Fowler, Alyssa Herbert, Isaac Boyovich,
James Oliver, Jamie Foote, Katie Pasomsouk, Rachel Myers, Tom
Morrow, Jim Jurey and Ken Tom.
Keep up with weekly happenings at the restoration site by
following our blog at: http://restoration.naturec.org/
Youth Art Program Update
Summer is the busiest time of the year for the Youth Art
Program. We have 2 classes a day at Rainier Vista and
Yesler Terrace and classes at multiple other sites through-
out Seattle. This spring we welcomed new partners: Tyee
Educational Complex-who hosted Spoken Word, Break-
dancing, and Martial Arts classes; Showalter Middle School
(Teen Art Studio), Adams Elementary (Illuminated Puppets),
and Sanislo Elementary (Poetry and Hip Hop Dance).
Look for a special exhibition of nature photos taken by
NC youth at Seattle Center’s Harrison Street Gallery,
305 Harrison St. (Seattle Center House second floor) from
July 22-August 17th.
JOIN US FOR AN OPEN HOUSE: Fabric Trees at Cooper Elementary
Student artwork will be on display in the hallway of the as part of the Earth Project.
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center beginning August 14th for
six weeks. Join us for an open house on 8/14 6:30-8pm! Photo by Susie Fitzhugh

Arts in Nature Festival Join us at Camp Long on

Aug. 23rd & 24th for the tenth anniversary of the festival!
This is an annual multidisciplinary event that takes
place in an urban wooded setting encompassing
music, dance, wandering performances, evening fire
performances, a "museum of sound" and interactive art
activities. Venues at the festival will include The
Lodge, The Pond, The Glacier and a 20-foot Geodesic
Dome at the south end of the Parade Ground, which
will host a myriad of performances and a “laughter
circle”. Special thanks to KUOW and KBCS for media
sponsorship of the Arts in Nature Festival!
Fest schedule will be posted soon at:
http://www.naturec.org/festival/festival_schedule.htm

Eco-hikes in the West Duwamish Greenbelt

Every third Friday of the month we head out to the woods for some fresh air and inspiration. We explore
the secret ins and outs of the greenbelt and point out the best wildlife and native plant viewing spots. There’s
also the opportunity to check out all the progress being made with our acres “in restoration.” Join us if you have
a chance on our next hike, scheduled for July 18th from 1-2:30pm. RSVP to lisa@naturec.org. Help stop the
spread of invasive blackberries – eat as many as you can along the trail!
See write up on hike in the West Seattle Blog: http://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=7594

Good news:
Thank you to our many generous funders! New grants have recently been received from the Peach
Foundation, Fales Foundation Trust, and multiple individual donations that will be matched by the Jack Johnson
All at Once Foundation. These amazing gifts have a tremendous impact on our programs! Combined with your
support this generosity makes all of our work possible.

Special Opportunity to Help Nature Consortium ~ Matching Gift Opportunity

There is still time to have your donation matched by the Jack Johnson All at Once Foundation. Click on the
donation button on our website at http://www.naturec.org/donate.htm or send your check today to double your
gift.
As you can see we have great things happening with all of our programs. I would love to hear from you.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments or if you’d like to go on a hike or visit one of our Youth Art
Program classes! We couldn’t carry out our mission without your support…so thank you from all of us!
With gratitude,
Nancy Whitlock

Scientific Illustration
Photo credit, Susie Fitzhugh
Dylan & Thomas from Truman High School
as Sasquatch (with invasive “sticky plant”)
on their last day in the greenbelt
for the 2008 school year.
NC Film School at Youngstown
www.naturec.org
Fabric Trees
Photo credit, Susie Fitzhugh
My two favorite moments over the past few months, since Earth Day
and my last ED report, were coincidentally on two different hikes:
On April 24th I was helping out with an eco-hike for 1st graders and
I was ‘bringing up the tail’ of the hike talking with one of the first grade
boys about the plants, trees and hawks...and at one point he stopped
in his tracks, turned, and looked me up and down real seriously and
asked, “Are you what they call a tree hugger??!”
I paused and thought about it, very briefly,
chuckled to myself and replied, “Yep, I
guess I am!” Smiling. He nodded happily,
accepting my response and we continued
hiking.”
Our Solstice Hike on June 20th was our
smallest monthly hike yet, only 5 attendees,
but we had the widest range of ages of
participants than we’ve ever had for any
Nature Consortium event. One of our
teaching artists, Amaranta Ibarra, joined us
carrying her 2-month old baby on her chest.
Amaranta spent the majority of the hike at
the front of the hiker’s-line speaking Spanish
with our board President, Sandra O’Connor,
who was hiking with her 5-year old son,
Micajah. I had the pleasure of bringing up the rear with Jeannine
Anderson, who is an avid and hiker and was joining us for her first trip
to the greenbelt. I discovered that she’ll be enjoying her 80th birthday
this year! I had the opportunity to hold Jeannine’s hand many
times on the steepest parts of the trail and she told me many
stories of her life. I absolutely love having an excuse to get out
in the woods on my work days. I continue to be fortunate for
having a claim on the best job in the world!
~May you have the happiest of summers, Nancy
Tess Morgan and Monica Thomas, two of
NC’s most dedicated volunteers!