Sustainability in Prisons Project
Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report2017-2018 was a year of centering SPP’s incarcerated and previously incarcerated partners by providing new educational programs and partnerships. Inside SPP programs, partners increased and formalized educational content andactivities for several programs. We offered first-ever special events such as Astrobiology lectures and a day-long
Climate Symposium (pictured above). Outside of prison, both SPP-Evergreen and WA Corrections took part in building
coalitions and collaborations to bring more benefits to justice involved individuals. Photo by Ricky Osborne.

Sustainability in Prisons Project
Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

Cedar Creek Corrections Center (CCCC) Officers Epling and Kennedy survey the newly installed honeybee hives at McNeil Island.
This new program represents collaboration among community beekeepers, staff and inmates from CCCC, Correctional
Industries, and WA Departments of Natural Resources and Fish & Wildlife. Photo by Bethany Shepler.

Contents

Executive Summary: Sustainability in Prisons Project, FY18 ........................................................................ 5
1. Background Information ........................................................................................................................... 7
SPP Mission ............................................................................................................................................... 7
SPP Vision .................................................................................................................................................. 7
SPP Staff and Organization Chart .............................................................................................................. 7
Partnerships .............................................................................................................................................. 8
SPP Alignment with WA Corrections’ Mission & Vision ............................................................................ 9
SPP Alignment with Evergreen’s Five Foci ................................................................................................ 9Advisory Panel ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Coalition Building .................................................................................................................................... 11
Washington State Policy Updates ........................................................................................................... 11
Staff Development: training, safety and security ................................................................................... 11
2. Budget ..................................................................................................................................................... 12
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report23. Environmental Education Programs ....................................................................................................... 13
Academic Credit & Certifications ............................................................................................................ 13
Community College Courses ................................................................................................................... 14
Environmental Engagement Workshop Series ....................................................................................... 15
Astrobiology Lecture Series .................................................................................................................... 17
Roots of Success ...................................................................................................................................... 18
Creating and Piloting New Curricula ....................................................................................................... 20
4. Ecological Conservation Programs .......................................................................................................... 21
Biological Science Programs at LCC and CCCC: Western Pond Turtles, Woodpecker Nest Monitoring,and Aquaponics ....................................................................................................................................... 21
Sheep Conservation Program ................................................................................................................. 23
Sagebrush Conservation Nursery ............................................................................................................ 24
Prairie Conservation Nursery Programs.................................................................................................. 24
Emergent Pre-Vegetated Mat (EVM) Production ................................................................................... 25
All Conservation Nurseries, Training and Education............................................................................... 26
Animal Feed Programs ............................................................................................................................ 28
Honeybee Programs................................................................................................................................ 28
Pacific Northwest Monarch Butterfly Program ...................................................................................... 29
Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly Program ................................................................................................. 30
Wildlife Habitat Programs ....................................................................................................................... 32
5. Restorative Nature Programs ................................................................................................................. 33
6. Community Contribution Programs ........................................................................................................ 35
Dog and Cat Programs ............................................................................................................................ 35
Reclaim, Repurpose or Restore, and Donate Programs ......................................................................... 37
Community Work Crews ......................................................................................................................... 42
7. Sustainable Operations ........................................................................................................................... 43
Energy ..................................................................................................................................................... 43
Waste ...................................................................................................................................................... 44
Water ...................................................................................................................................................... 46
8. Sustainability Job Programs .................................................................................................................... 47
9. Evaluation ............................................................................................................................................... 49
Research with External Partners ............................................................................................................. 49
Program Evaluation & Data Requests ..................................................................................................... 49
Student Theses ........................................................................................................................................ 50
10. SPP Network.......................................................................................................................................... 52
SPP-WA ................................................................................................................................................... 52
SPP Network-International ..................................................................................................................... 53
11. Dissemination ....................................................................................................................................... 57
Presentations .......................................................................................................................................... 57
SPP Tours................................................................................................................................................. 58
Media Coverage ...................................................................................................................................... 60
Outreach ................................................................................................................................................. 62
Appendix 1. SPP Program in Washington State Prisons FY18..................................................................... 64
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report3Appendix 2. SPP Programs Partners in Washington State Prisons ............................................................. 71
Appendix 3. Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... 75
Year in Photos ............................................................................................................................................. 77

A prairie nursery technician sows native buckwheat seeds in to "cone-tainers" at Washington Corrections
Center for Women. Photo by SPP-Evergreen staff.

Olympic Corrections Center staff describe their composting program to Joslyn Rose Trivett; they process
the most organic waste of any prison in the state. Photo by Ricky Osborne.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

4

Executive Summary: Sustainability in Prisons Project, FY18
Fiscal year 2018 (FY18, July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018) was another successful year for the Sustainability in
Prisons Project (SPP). The SPP partnership was founded by Washington Department of Corrections (WACorrections) and The Evergreen State College (Evergreen) in 2003, and has grown to include manycollaborators. The full SPP annual report aims to acknowledge all contributing partners and describe allscience, environmental education, and sustainability programs in WA prisons. This year, SPP partners
reported 191 programs and 158 partner organizations statewide. Our executive summary highlights
select FY18 programs, partnerships, and developments and goals for FY19 (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019).
SPP Mission and Vision Statements: Partners from Evergreen and WA Corrections engaged in several
productive conversations, culminating in updates to SPP’s mission and vision statements. In addition, we
set the stage for strategic planning with shared sessions on SPP branding, values, and program model.
College Credit for SPP Certificated Internships: Building on several years’ work, we solidified a proposal
to award college credit for SPP-certificated internships during incarceration. WA Corrections partners
have offered strong support. We are working with Evergreen to identify a viable process for credit
awards. In the interim, certificates will be reviewed for pre-determined credit awards post-release.
Renewable power contracting: WA Corrections contracted with Avista’s Solar Select program topurchase 1.2 million kilowatt hours of green power annually to be produced by the state’s largest solar
installation project. WA Corrections is pleased to support development of clean, renewable energy.
Coalition Building: SPP-Evergreen staff have been investing in and building relationships among reentry
experts, justice-involved students, corrections-involved programs, faculty, and administrators to bolster
support for education and employment post-release.
Gardening for Communities: Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW), Stafford Creek
Corrections Center (SCCC), Washington Corrections Center (WCC), and Mission Creek Corrections Center
for Women (MCCCW) have new partnerships that increase their capacity to grow food for area foodbanks: Kitsap Conservation District’s GRACE Project, Mother Earth Farm, and Harvest Now give access togarden plots and vegetable seeds so that prisons can do more for their communities.
SPP-Evergreen as College Service Center: July 2017, the Evergreen Board of Trustees approved aproposal to change SPP’s designation from a faculty project to a staff-led Service Center. This
designation recognizes SPP’s service-based model and well-established partnerships.
Partnership with WA Dept. of Transportation (WSDOT): SPP initiated a promising partnership with
WSDOT Environmental Services; the shared goals are to provide education and training during
incarceration and to reduce employment barriers for WSDOT career pathways post-release.
Statewide Beekeeping: The number of beekeeping programs and partnerships established to support
them has increased significantly in a short period of time; there are now 13 healthy programs supported
by incarcerated beekeepers, corrections staff, and partners.
Executive Order 18-01 State Efficiency and Environmental Performance: WA Corrections helped
develop, and is implementing the Governor’s Executive Order for reduction of carbon emissions andtoxic pollution produced by state government. Multiple WA Corrections staff serve on work teams toidentify effective waste, emissions, and pollution reduction strategies.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report5Astrobiology for the Incarcerated: In partnership with NASA and University of Utah, SPP offeredastrobiology workshops in multiple prisons in Washington, Ohio, and Utah. Five special events were heldin Washington prisons reaching over 450 incarcerated students and 52 corrections staff.
Sheep Husbandry: WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), corrections staff, SPP-Evergreen, andpartners launched a new Sheep Husbandry program at Washington State Penitentiary (WSP). The
program aims to raise domestic sheep free of a pathogen that is lethal to wild bighorn sheep.
Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly: It was an outstanding year for the program at MCCCW. Incarcerated
technicians set a new record, yielding 8,000 butterfly eggs in one season. Also, they hosted many highlevel visitors and toured WDFW prairie sites.

Anticipated Programs Highlights, FY19
Program/Project
Enhanced curriculaPartners and facility
MCC, SCCC, Oregon Food Bank,
incarcerated students

Planned outcomes
New gardening curricula based on Seed toSupper; draft compost curricula for statewide
programs; new resources for existing
conservation programs
New certifications with pre-determinedcollege credit value for participants in sheep,
gardening, and composting programs

SPP certifications sheep,
gardening, & composting

WSP, MCC, SCCC, WDFW, sheep
husbandry experts, incarcerated
students, Sustainability Fellow

Increased operationsalignment

All facilities

WSDOT education,
training & employment
pilot projects

WSDOT, SCCC, Cedar Creek
Corrections Center

Publication in Princeton
book

Incarcerated participants at most
WA facilities

Draft essays for inclusion in national
publication on science in prisonsCertifications andacademic credit

All facilities and academic partners

SPP Strategic Planning

SPP Advisory Panel and Evergreen
leadership

One or more partnerships review and award
academic credit for participation in select SPP
certification programs
Functional strategic plan to guide organization
development

Shared policies and protocols adopted by WA
Corrections, SPP-Evergreen, and respective
program partners for increased operations
efficiency
New education and training, identified
environmental career pathways, and increased
outreach to potential participants

Conclusion

Our collective accomplishments in FY18 are thanks to the contributions and expertise of many different
organizations and individuals. Programs including diverse partnerships among incarcerated people,
corrections staff, scientists, students, and program partners are having meaningful, positive impacts oncomplex environmental and social issues.
As we celebrate our successes, we are also mindful of challenges and the need for continual
improvement. Partnerships require diligent attention to ensure all contributors feel valued and torecognize every partner’s limitations. We remain committed to addressing all stakeholders’ needs,
fostering a culture of mutual respect, leveraging resources, and prioritizing initiatives best aligned withSPP goals. Together we are creating positive change for people and the environment.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report61. Background Information
This report provides information on Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) activities during Washington
State fiscal year 2018 (FY18) which includes the period from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018.
Washington Department of Corrections (WA Corrections) considers all sustainability initiatives in
Washington (WA) prisons to be part of the SPP partnership regardless of which partner(s) leads andoperates the program. The primary objective of this document is to update all collaborators andstakeholders on SPP-WA activities. This report represents the most complete information available withcurrent reporting mechanisms.
Scientists, incarcerated people, students, prison staff, and community partners in all 12 Washington
prisons work together to change lives and make positive contributions to people and the environment.
For FY18, partners reported 191 programs and 158 partner/ally organizations. Working lists of all SPPWA programs (Appendix 1) and partners (Appendix 2) are included to recognize the impressive diversity
and number of opportunities offered. Appendix 3 lists common abbreviations.

SPP Mission
The Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) is a partnership founded by WA Corrections and The
Evergreen State College (Evergreen). Our mission is to empower sustainable change by bringing nature,science, and environmental education into prisons.

SPP Vision
In response to the dual crises of ecological degradation and mass incarceration, we aim to reduce
recidivism while improving human well-being and ecosystem health. SPP brings together incarcerated
individuals, scientists, corrections staff, students, and program partners to promote education, conserve
biodiversity, practice sustainability, and help build healthy communities. Together, we reduce theenvironmental, economic, and human costs of prisons.

SPP Staff and Organization Chart
The organization chart in Figure 1 includes staff as of July 2018. This chart is limited to core staff at WA
Corrections and Evergreen (SPP-Evergreen), only hinting at the many corrections staff involved; there
are many more corrections, academic, conservation, and community organization staff contributing toprogram success. During this reporting period, SPP continued to be co-directed by Evergreen and WA
Corrections. At Evergreen, long-time co-Director Dr. Carri LeRoy continued in her role until March, 2018
when Kelli Bush took on the position. Mr. Steve Sinclair represented WA Correction throughout theyear, and Rob Herzog, Assistant Secretary for the Prisons Division, served as advisor to Evergreen on
corrections operations. SPP leadership meetings are held quarterly.
Program Coordinator positions are staffed by Evergreen graduate students working 20 hours per week.
Student-staff are typically recruited from the Evergreen Master of Environmental Studies and Master of
Public Administration graduate programs, and work for two-year terms. Each summer several students
complete their work with SPP and train new students to the positions. During the reporting period, 9Program Coordinators worked for SPP: Alexandra James, Bethany Shepler, Keegan Curry, Jacob Meyers,
Amanda Mintz, Jeanne Dodds, Hunter Henderson, Erin Lynam, and Jessica Brown. Former Program
Coordinator Sadie Gilliom stayed with SPP through October, 2017 and worked on reentry resources andlast year’s annual report.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report7Figure 1. SPP Organizational Chart

Partnerships
Partnerships andcollaboration are an
essential component of SPP
work and nearly every SPP
program. We continuallywork to identify new
partners and mutually
beneficial programs. A
working list of SPP
partnerships is included as
Appendix 2; during FY18
more than 157 different
organizations contributed
to SPP programs in WA.
At the programmatic level,
the founding partners areoften joined by one or more
The Roots of Success program at SCCC is a model of partnership, both within the prison—
where staff, incarcerated instructors and students work together to make the program
additional partners who
exceptional—and with partners outside the prison including SPP-Evergreen, Roots ofbring vital expertise,
Success’ Director, and frequent visitors from near and far. Photo by Bethany Shepler.
resources, and/or abilities
to the program. Each partner is recognized for playing their role and the program is co-owned by all.
Figure 2 (next page) offers an illustration.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report8Figure 2. SPP generalized program structure.
Roles played by each partner vary to fit the program focus and needs. In general, WA Corrections andpartner organizations provide primary leadership for Sustainable Operations and Community
Contribution programs, and Evergreen takes the lead on Environmental Education and EcologicalConservation programs. However, input and expertise from all stakeholders is critical to program
success, and those communications are ever-present and ongoing.

SPP Alignment with WA Corrections’ Mission & Vision
From WA Corrections’ website:
Mission: To improve public safety
Vision: Working together for safe communities
The Department of Corrections is committed to the mission of improving public safety and working
together for safe communities. A key value of the department is the belief in people’s ability to growand change. Through partnerships, SPP brings science and nature into the state’s correctional facilities.
These educational programs provide opportunities for incarcerated individuals to learn and achieve
academic and vocational accomplishments. These beneficial skills can aid each participating individual in
successfully reentering back into their respective communities. SPP assists in facility and community
safety by offering positive, pro-social educational and training programs that reduce idleness; SPP
programs help keep participants intellectually and physically active with meaningful and constructive
opportunities.

SPP Alignment with Evergreen’s Five Foci
Evergreen’s mission is best described by The Five Foci of Learning. From Evergreen’s website:
We believe the main purpose of a college is to promote student learning through:1. Interdisciplinary Study: Students learn to pull together ideas and concepts from many subject
areas, which enables them to tackle real-world issues in all their complexity.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report92. Collaborative Learning: Students develop knowledge and skills through shared learning,rather than learning in isolation and in competition with others.
3. Learning Across Significant Differences: Students learn to recognize, respect, and bridge
differences—critical skills in an increasingly diverse world.
4. Personal Engagement: Students develop their capacities to judge, speak, and act on the basisof their own reasoned beliefs.
5. Linking Theory with Practical Applications: Students understand abstract theories by applying
them to projects and activities and by putting them into practice in real-world situations.
SPP engages incarcerated students and technicians, enrolled Evergreen students, faculty, corrections
staff, and non-profit organizations in collaborative, interdisciplinary learning across differences. Ourscience and sustainability education programs are aligned with the social justice, diversity,
environmental stewardship, and public service elements of Evergreen’s mission.
SPP’s Environmental Education and Ecological Conservation programs are coordinated by Evergreen
graduate students whose experiences encompass and exemplify all five foci. Since 2009, SPP-Evergreen
has employed 45 Evergreen students. Through SPP, the incarcerated participants of these programs also
gain access to this model of learning, and thus share in the benefits of Evergreen’s innovative andeffective approach. An increasing number of former SPP program participants are attending Evergreen
post-release—contributing their valuable experiences, assets, and skills directly to the campus’ learning
community.

Advisory PanelIn FY18, SPP’s Advisory Panel was comprised of fourteen participants including SPP’s two co-directors.
Panel members represent formerly incarcerated partners, corrections staff, conservation specialists, andeducation professionals. The Advisory Panel provides expertise, creative thinking, advice, and assistancewith SPP initiatives and program development. Members of the Advisory Panel in FY18 were:
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−
−

Steve Sinclair, SPP-DOC Co-Director, Secretary Washington State DOC
Kelli Bush, SPP-Evergreen Co-Director, The Evergreen State College
Carri LeRoy, Member of the Faculty at Evergreen, Senior Science Advisor
Kevin Francis, Master of Environmental Studies (MES) Program Director, Member of the Faculty at
The Evergreen State College (Evergreen)
Carolina Landa, undergraduate student in Environmental Studies and pre-law at Evergreen, former
SPP Butterfly Technician
Jim Lynch, Biologist, Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) Fish and Wildlife
Sadie Gilliom, MES alum, former Turtle Conservation Program Coordinator
Fawn Harris, MES alum, former Prairie Conservation Nursery Program Coordinator
David McAvity, Academic Dean, Evergreen
Eleanor Vernell, Deputy Director- Prisons Command B, Washington State DOC
Mike Obenland, Superintendent, Monroe Correctional Complex, Washington State DOC
Robert Herzog, Director of Prisons, Washington State DOC
Reed Schuler, Senior Policy Advisor for Climate and Sustainability, Governor’s Office
Liz Louie, Culinary Program Manager, Fare Start, former SPP Butterfly Technician

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report10Coalition Building
During the reporting period, SPPEvergreen—now recognized as a
Public Service Center for thecollege—forged stronger
connections with other Evergreen
centers, faculty, and students tobetter serve justice-involved
people. This was largely thanks to
the outreach efforts of a newstudent group at Evergreen,created and led by justice-involved
students. The new group’s
collaborative, strengths-based
approach assisted in developmentof an informal coalition at
Evergreen.

Washington State Policy
Updates

WA Corrections and Evergreen partners and others learn about capabilities of
Education Navigators from Gerald Bradford of Renton Technical College. Photoby Keegan Curry.

In 2018, two pieces of Washington State legislation passed that should positively impact formerly
incarcerated people. This legislation represents input from a broad range of stakeholders, including
formerly incarcerated individuals:
1. House Bill 1298: On March 13th 2018, Governor Jay Inslee signed the Fair Chance Act into law.
The Fair Chance Act, also known as “Ban the Box,” removes any question asking an individual
about past convictions from employment applications. Removing this barrier opens up
employment opportunities for justice-involved individuals. This is significant not only to formerly
incarcerated individuals, but to their integration into Washington’s communities for the benefitof all.
2. Senate Bill 6582: This bill known as the Washington Fair Chance to Education Act, is anadditional part of “Ban the Box”. This bill removes any question on a college application about
one’s past criminal conviction.

Staff Development: training, safety and security
Programs are operated in compliance with WA Corrections safety and security rules, SPP-Evergreen
protocols for working in the prison environment, and partner protocols for work with plants andanimals. All SPP-Evergreen staff complete required WA Corrections training. Security is a topic included
on every SPP-Evergreen staff meeting agenda, which are held every two weeks. SPP-Evergreen staff
have maintained our commitment to be adaptable to changing security needs including information
technology, research, and facility operations.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report112. Budget
This section of the report addresses budget resources available to SPP-Evergreen. The Washington
Department of Corrections (WA Corrections) dedicates significant personnel time, funding, materials,
and contract support for SPP-Evergreen—those critical contributions are not detailed here. While
Evergreen does not provide direct funding for SPP, they make important contributions by providing
space, payroll, access to students and faculty, human resource services, budget support, and more.
In FY18, SPP had approximately $574,000 in funds available from 15 sources. Available funding included
two contracts with WA Corrections that were spent on Washington State programs in accordance with
contract requirements. Other funding sources include state and federal contracts, grants, foundationand private donations. Following a pattern of annual giving, SPP-Evergreen received another generous
contribution from an anonymous donor at the Seattle Foundation in FY18. The donated funds have been
awarded for SPP’s general use initiatives and make a significant difference in the programming,outreach, and education available. In addition, SPP received a donation from Lamb Weston to establish
pollinator resources and native plants at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center (CRCC).
The percentage of funding provided by individual sources varies from month to month as sources
become available or close throughout the year. SPP staff continuously seek new funding and close out
existing grants and contracts. In FY18, SPP-Evergreen staff were responsible for stewarding funds from
15 different sources (see Table 1). Regular budget reports were sent throughout the fiscal year including
updates on current and pending grants, contracts, donations, and awards.
Table 1. SPP FY18 Grant and Contract Funding Requests (see Appendix 3 for abbreviations)
SourceDOC General FY 2018
DOC Green Track FY 2018

Program Area
SPP general
Roots and beekeeping

Funding Typecontract
contract

JBLM Plant Production 2016/2017
JBLM Plant Production 2017/2018
JBLM Wetland 2017/2018

Conservation nursery
Conservation nursery
Wetland matscontract
contract
contract

CNLM Plant Production 2016/2017
CNLM Plant Production 2017/2018
US Fish & Wildlife Service
US Fish & Wildlife Service
WA Dept. Fish Wildlife 2018
WA Dept. Fish Wildlife 2017
NASA/Blue Marble
Seattle Foundation
Foundation Donations
Lamb Weston Donation- CRCC

Conservation nursery
Conservation Nursery
Wetland mats
Butterfly expansion
Butterfly operation
Butterfly operation
Astrobiology education
SPP general
SPP general
Coyote Ridge native plant projectcontract
contract
grant
grant
contract
contract
grant/contract
donation
donation
donation

The majority of SPP-WA’s budget is dedicated to personnel expenses. A smaller but significant portion
goes to program materials such as supplies, small infrastructure projects, scientific equipment, printed
outreach, and prison libraries.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report123. Environmental Education Programs
Education is integral to SPP’s programs; our aim is to make the most of formal and informal
opportunities for education and to offer new knowledge and new practice to inmates, staff, andpartners. While our goal is to provide education within all SPP programs, education is the central focusof two Evergreen-led programs: Environmental Workshop Series (formerly the Science and Sustainability
Lecture Series) and an environmental literacy course called Roots of Success. Of course, education also iscentral to those community college programs related to nature and/or sustainability.

Academic Credit & Certifications
This past year, pursuing academic credit for SPP
certificated internships became a central focus,
and SPP-Evergreen’s primary objective. While
we have a reliable mechanism for awarding up
to 15 transfer credits to certificate holders who
enroll at Evergreen, that benefit is accessible torelatively few individuals and doesn’t recognize
the full potential of educational pathway
development. SPP has heard from certificate
recipients that credit awards during
incarceration would provide important benefits,
including encouragement and support forWorkshop series students at SCCC show off their certificates. Photopursuing additional education post-release. This by Liliana Caughman.
initiative recognizes existing, well-developed programming, requires no funding from Evergreen, andwould result in increased student enrollment at Evergreen and other academic institutions. SPP remains
committed to working with all partners to identify a mechanism for awarding credit for these valuable
education programs during incarceration.
In FY18, Senior Science Advisor and Evergreen faculty member Dr. Carri LeRoy oversaw revision of all
SPP certificates, resulting in improved program descriptions and clarified learning achievements. Also,
we finalized and awarded certificates in two new programs: Composting Specialist at MCC, andEnvironmental Education Teaching Practicum for Roots of Success instructors who have taught three ormore classes. In FY18, we awarded 113 SPP certificates that warrant consideration for college credit atEvergreen. Additional recognition certificates—not eligible for credit evaluation—were presented to
students to acknowledge other program achievements.
Table 2. SPP Certificate Awards, all facilities, for FY18Awarded
FY18
19

Academic
hours
30

Vocationalhours
0Conservation Nursery Technician

2

30

270

Conservation Nursery Specialist

18

60

740

Western Pond Turtle Care

Rehabilitation & Research Specialist

4

200

800

Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly

Rearing & Research Specialist

5

540

960

Roots of Success (Instructors)

Teaching Practicum

65

150

0

ProgramCertificate

Environmental Workshop Series

Student at 20 or more lectures

Conservation Nurseries

Total Certificates Awarded FY18

113

Total Certificates 2016-2018

226

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

13

SPP facilitates certificate awards from outside organizations in two additional programs:• Beekeepers are certified by Washington State Beekeepers Association• Roots of Success students are certified by the organization Roots of Success.

Community College Courses
Recent legislation changes afforded Washington State community colleges more flexibility in providing
two-year Associate degrees to incarcerated students. Their top priorities are adult basic education andvocational education.
In FY18, CCCC, OCC, WCC,
and WCCW offeredvocational horticulturalclasses. Those students gain
access to classroom
instruction and hands-on
work in extensive gardens.
At CCCC, students receive
instruction from Centralia
College. Horticulture
graduates from that
program may be hired as
Teaching Assistants wholargely oversee thegreenhouses, aquaponics
program, and vegetable andfruit production areas. At
Peninsula College horticulture student Mark Case talks about what he’s learned in the
WCC, students with
program at OCC. Photo by Bethany Shepler.
cognitive challenges receive
horticulture and literacy education provided by a Centralia College instructor. They also participate in
SPP’s conservation nursery, producing seeds of a prairie violet essential to rare and endangered
butterflies in the region. WCCW’s students are provided education and training by Tacoma Community
College. These students have access to diverse specialties such as flower arrangements, cultivatinghouse plants, and farming. OCC’s students receive education from Peninsula College to gain skills andknowledge working through a variety of stations such as aquaponics, container gardens, and grafting.
Through a partnership with Peninsula College, OCC also offers Green Building and Carpentry, with anemphasis on small-footprint structures that are affordable to build and maintain. Other facilities have
vocational building programs that include green building modules. Carpentry programs at WCC, CCCC,
and SCCC have engaged in new partnerships to start building tiny homes for the Low Income Housing
Institute; the partnership was initiated by Centralia College, and at SCCC has been embraced by
Correctional Industries and the carpentry shop. These same carpentry programs have taken on othersustainability-related projects as well, building bird boxes, bus stops, and planter boxes for community
organizations.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

14

Environmental Engagement Workshop Series
Since 2009, we have offered at least 239 lectures and workshops in six prisons from 222 scientists andpractitioners representing 94 agencies, businesses, and schools. We have recorded 2,598 incarcerated
students from the two main sites: 1,358 from SCCC and 1,240 from WCCW. Adding known students fromother facilities and years, we estimate at least 3,000 incarcerated students have attended the workshop
series. Most of those students have attended multiple presentations.

The Climate Symposium at SCCC was widely attended, and the event was both inspiring and effective. Photo by Ricky Osborne.

Fiscal Year 2018 highlights include: SCCC and SPP-Evergreen hosted the first ever Climate Change Symposium in a prison. This event wasa huge success, bringing together 91 students, eight SPP-Evergreen staff members, five guest
speakers, and five corrections staff. Participants were inspired to take part in climate justice andresilience.
In May 2018, partners relaunched the Workshop Series at
WCC. This time, Evergreen willplay a greater role, as comparedto earlier effort in 2016-17. The
first workshops were wellattended and received by
students and WCC staff. WCC
leadership and Evergreen staff
were delighted to renew theeffort.



Carolina Landa, SPP Advisory
Panel member, current Evergreen
WCC students and staff listening to Max Calloway’s workshop about Kelp
student, and former Butterfly
Forests; after the workshop, Superintendent White stated, “The presenter
Technician, led two workshops on was EXCELLENT!” Photo by Erin Lynam.
the Taylor’s checkerspot programat MCCCW. The first was at WCCW, where she co-presented with Keegan Curry; the second was at
MCCCW, and also included contributions from the current butterfly technicians. Carolina said about
the experience: “I felt so humbled to be there with the women. This was truly a full circle moment.”

FY18 attendance of the Workshop/Lecture Series was strong at SCCC, promising at WCC, and somewhat
reduced at WCCW. Specific attendance and topics are detailed in Table 3.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report15

Table 3. Workshop series attendance statewide, FY18 (see Appendix 3 for abbreviations)
Workshop Series at Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC)
Date

Presenter(s)Topic

7/20/17
8/17/17

Drissia Ras
Laurie Pyne

Friendly Water

Attendance
62

Beekeeping and Honey Tasting94

9/21/17

Peter Robinson

Perception

92

10/19/17

Erin Lynam and Joslyn Rose Trivett

Climate Change Symposium Debrief

52

11/16/17

Barbara Kincaid and Bobby Coleman

Housing Panel77

12/21/17

Vincent Perez

Mental Models

72

1/18/18

Scott Morgan

Tiny Homes and Green Houses

87

2/15/18

Max Calloway

Kelp Forests67

3/15/18

Kevin Francis

62

4/19/18

Sharon Wallace

Legal Models for Climate Science
GMOs: People and Pets

5/17/18

John Messina

Mycology

59

6/21/18

Bethany Shepler

Elwha Dam

71

Total

59

854

Workshop Series at Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW)
Date
8/1/17

Presenter(s)Cathy Bradley

Attendance17

Nicole Arroyo

Topic
Washington Conservation Corps andPlant Identification
Vaccination/Immunology

10/3/17
11/7/17

Jeanne Dodds

Nature Drawing

18

12/5/17

Jacques WhiteLong Live The Kings

23

1/6/18

Sadie Gilliom

Animal Husbandry26

2/6/18Carolina Landa & Keegan Curry

Taylor Checkerspot Butterfly

42

3/5/18

Fiona Edwards & Dennis Buckingham

JBLM Wildlife

39

4/3/18Max Calloway

Kelp Forest

27

5/1/18

Miranda Mellis

Nature Writing27

6/5/18Bethany Shepler

Elwha Dam

23

Total

8

250

Workshop Series at Washington Corrections Center (WCC) – program launch on 5/23/18
Date

Presenter

Topic

Attendance

5/23/18

Max Calloway

Kelp Forests27

6/27/18

Carl ElliottSouth Salish Prairie Lowlands

30

Total

57

Sustainability Lecture Series at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center (CRCC) – Sustainable Movie andDiscussion/Debate
Date
11/30/2017
3/28/2018

Presenter
NA
NA

Title/topic

Attendance

A Plastic Ocean

22

6/14/2018

NA

Solar Energy

46

Sustainable

50
118

Total

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report16Workshop Series Special Events at Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC) and Mission Creek
Corrections Center for Women (MCCCW)
Date
10/18/18

Presenter(s)Got Green & Thurston Regional PlanningCouncil (TRPC)
3/20/18
Carolina Landa and MCCCW Butterfly
TechniciansStatewide Total FY18

Title/topic

Attendance

Climate Change Symposium at SCCC

91

Taylor Checkerspot Butterfly at
MCCCW

30
1400

The series offers three levels of certification for attendance of 5 sessions, 10 sessions, and 20 or more.
Level 3 certificates have been successfully recognized as transfer credit for admitted students at
Evergreen. Certificates awarded since 2014 and in FY18 are detailed in Table 4.
Table 4. Students Eligible for Lecture Series Certification (see Appendix 3 for abbreviations)Awarded since2014Awarded FY18

Facility

Certificate

SCCC

Level 1 – 5 or more lectures

324

63

Level 2 – 10 or more lectures

152

36

Level 3 – 20 of more lectures (including two DOC
staff members)

54

Level 1 – 5 or more lectures

156

11

Level 2 – 10 or more lectures35

4Level 3 – 20 of more lectures

9

2

730

135

WCCW

Total

19

Astrobiology Lecture Series
SPP partners hosted five
astrobiology presentations
during the reporting
period. These
presentations were very
similar to the format andstyle of our Workshop
Series, described above.
However, they were
hosted by prisons that do
not have a workshop or
lecture series currently,
and were promoted as
high-profile special events.
Each event was 2-3 hours
in duration, allowing for a Students at MCC-TRU were fully attentive to the astrobiology presentation, and they asked
high quality and in depth
particularly insightful and interesting questions of the visiting experts. Photo by Joslyn Rose
Trivett.
exploration of the topic.
These events were part of a national program called Astrobiology for the Incarcerated (AfI), a
partnership co-founded by NASA’s Astrobiology Program, the Initiative to Bring Science Programs to the
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report17Incarcerated (INSPIRE) at the University of Utah, and SPP-Evergreen. WA events are summarized inTable 5, below. See the Network section for the overview of nationwide activities and events.
Table 5. Astrobiology for the Incarcerated events in Washington State (see Appendix 3 for abbreviations)PrisonDate

Presenter(s)

Topic

MCCCW

4/14/18

CCCC

4/14/18

MCC-TRU

4/16/18

MCC-WSR

4/16/18

AHCC

4/17/18

Daniella Scalice, NASA
Astrobiology Program
Dr Drew Gorman-Lewis,
Associate Professor in the
Earth and Space Sciences,
University of Washington

Astrobiology: the study of
how stars and planets form,
how that relates to life hereon Earth, and the search forlife elsewhere in the
Universe.

Total

Attendance:
Inmates
140

Attendance:
DOC staff
4

90

6

90

6

32

14

100

22

450

52

Roots of Success
Roots of Success is an environmental curriculum developed by Dr. Raquel Pinderhughes, Professor of
Urban Studies & Planning at San Francisco State University (more at rootsofsuccess.org). WA Corrections
began offering the program in July 2013, and interest and availability of the program has grown steadily
since. Staff and inmate responses to the program content have been very positive.
The program is delivered by inmates certified as instructors, a model we have found effective andsatisfying among students, instructors, and staff sponsors. We have five incarcerated Roots of Successinstructors certified by Dr. Pinderhughes to train and award certification to other program instructors,
known as Master Trainers.

The Roots of Success team—instructors and staff liaisons—at CRCC stands for a photo. Photo by Bethany Shepler.

SPP currently supports nine active, full-curriculum programs: AHCC, CBCC, CRCC, LCC, MCC-WSR,
MCCCW, SCCC, WCC, and WSP. In addition, there is a condensed curriculum program for inmates
involved with CI at CRCC. Since the start of the program in 2013, 1,291 students have received
certification for all ten modules of the curriculum, and 122 CI students have been certified for thecondensed curriculum. Details for FY18 are shown in the following table.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report18

Table 6. Summary of Roots of Success Graduates of full curriculum for FY18. (see Appendix 3 forabbreviations)
Facility

Numberof cohorts

Graduates

AHCC

2

CBCC

1

CRCC

3

LCC

3

11

Brian Winters, Johnny Hudson

MCC-WSR2

10

Eugene Youngblood

SCCC

6

66

WSP

2

30

Instructors

Staff sponsors

20

Richard Boothby and Charles Roark

Monica Cantrell and Robert
Mackey4

Tronie Young and Felix Sitthivong
Jonathan Bolden, Michael Johnson,
Ivory Berube, Jason Connelly

24David Duhaime, Grady Mitchell, Cyril
Walrond, Carlos Bernardez, andSteven Allgoewer
Michael Oakes, Kieth Parkins,
George Whipple

Total for all
165
19
facilities
Total grads
87
1291
since
beginning
Note: all Roots graduates receive a graduation certificate from Roots of Success.

Stephanie Stone
Gena Brock
Zack Wilcox and Caitlin Ribera
Keith La Munyon, Anthony
Robinson, and Jeffrey Swan

Kelly Peterson
Chris McGill

Table 7. Summary of Roots of Success Graduates of condensed curriculum for FY18.
Facility
CRCC

Numberof cohorts
3

Graduates
30

Instructors

Staff sponsors

Matthew Oden and Julian Reyes

Tara Proctor

MCC
1
12 Jeffrey Foxx
Total for all
4
42
facilities
Total grads
since
176
beginning
Note: all Roots graduates receive a graduation certificate from Roots of Success.

Jessica Lawson

It was a challenging year for the Roots program. By the end of the reporting period, partners madesubstantial headway in meeting these challenges, and a few remained. A summary:•••

A computer use policy brought to light late in 2017 showed several programs as out of compliance.
Most sites successfully transitioned from PowerPoint slideshows on a computer to DVD delivery.
WA Corrections research office reviewed the Roots program evaluation surveys. While thesematerials were reviewed and approved at program inception, current staff found causes forconcern, and directed immediate suspension of those surveys. SPP-Evergreen facilitated survey
revision, and those updates were approved near the start of FY19.
Following investment in a women’s instructor training, both women’s facilities have been slow to restart the program. Near the end of FY18, MCCCW re-initiated the program. WCCW and SPPEvergreen planned a meeting to address needs and create a plan for the summer of 2018.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report19•

There were no new instructor trainings this past year, and a few programs faced instructor
shortages as a result. In the previous four years of the program, 109 incarcerated individuals havebeen certified as Roots instructors.

A success of the previous year was launching an SPP certification for Roots of Success instructors who
have taught three or more classes. Each Teaching Practicum certificate represents academic
achievement equivalent to 5 transfer credits for enrolled Evergreen students. An instructor may receive
up to 3 certificates. In the first set of Teaching Practicum certificate awards, 65 certificates went to 35
individuals at 9 prisons.

Creating and Piloting New Curricula
With the increased focus on SPP
certification, SPP partners haveinvested more energy into
enhancingexisting curricula, and creating newones.
Composting Certificate
MCC’s new compostingcertification recognizes
achievements in a curriculum thatwas largely technician-created andpeer-taught. While this is far froma conventional educational model,
there is no question that students
Curriculum development and certification benefitted from inputs of many
who complete the assignments
partners; the work was led by the most experienced composting technicians andand assessments are worthy of
supported by Tilth Alliance, SPP-Evergreen, and MCC leadership and staff. Photoacademic recognition. This homeby Sadie Gilliom.
grown success, so to speak, hasemboldened partners—locally and in other facilities—to take on creation of additional curricula.
Ecological Conservation Programs
In SPP’s conservation programs, SPP-Evergreen staff began a process of formalizing and standardizing
each program’s learning objectives and educational materials. Our hope is that these efforts will support
greater access to high quality, engaging academic teaching plans and content, for the benefit of current
and future program coordinators and participants.
Seed to Supper
Partners at SCCC continued to make good use of OR Food Bank’s Seed to Supper; 65 students havecompleted the program so far, and it has been well liked and received. Current plans are to expand on
this curricula, adding sections and expansions on topics of greatest interest to participants. We hopethat this “expanded Seed to Supper” will become a gardening curriculum that we can offer to all
gardening programs in western Washington, if not statewide.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report20

4. Ecological Conservation Programs
SPP conservation programs represent ambitious collaborations among multiple partners. Each program
receives crucial support from a variety of contributors including incarcerated people, corrections staff,
students, SPP staff, scientists, and community partners. Program success is dependent on eachparticipant contributing their expertise and time. Programs are designed to maximize benefits for eachcollaborator by sharing workload and leveraging resources.

Biological Science Programs at LCC and CCCC: Western Pond Turtles, Woodpecker Nest
Monitoring, and Aquaponics
During the past year, partners added two new programs to complement the Western Pond Turtle
program. New partnerships brought Woodpecker Nest Monitoring to CCCC (and will soon add it to LCC
as well), and an aquaponics system for greens production to CCCC. Turtle Technician positions havebeen renamed Biological Science Technicians to reflect the wider range of education, training, andduties required for the position.
Western Pond Turtle Program
The western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata) is a state-listed endangered species and federal speciesof concern. Led by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), partners have been working
toward species recovery since the late 1990s. At the start of recovery efforts, approximately 150 turtles
remained in the wild in Washington.
In 2013, SPP joined the effort specifically to assist with the rehabilitation of turtles afflicted with a “shelldisease.” Affected turtles require a period of acute care provided by veterinarians. After receiving
veterinary care, some turtles from the Salish lowland population are moved to Cedar Creek Corrections
Center (CCCC, 2013) and some turtles from the Columbia Gorge population are moved to Larch
Corrections Center (LCC, 2015). Turtles at CCCC and LCC receive extended care provided by trained
incarcerated technicians. As each turtle heals, it can be released back into the wild (Tables 8 & 9) where
they are monitored by WDFW.
Technicians also receive a wide variety of science and sustainability education and training (Table 10).
Education, training, and experience in the program is acknowledged with a certificate eligible for limited
college credit at Evergreen post-release. Since the program started, 13 certificates have been awarded
to technicians (Table 10), six graduate students have provided program coordination, and sevencorrections staff have served as liaisons. Community partners for these programs include WDFW, PAWS
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ), and Oregon Zoo (OR Zoo).
Table 8. Western Pond Turtle Rehabilitation at CCCC, August 2013 - September 2018
Year
2013

Turtles Received
8

Turtles Released
2

2014i

28

28

2015

ii

8

6

2016

9

5

2017

4

10

2018

9

9

Total

66

60v

iii
iv

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report21Notesi Differs from reported 2016 totals due to the addition of previously missing dataii7 of 8 turtles were being re-treatediii One of these was humanely euthanized due to a neurological abnormalityiv 3 of 4 turtles were being re-treatedv 4 turtles were sent back to PAWs for exams and 1 was euthanized

Table 9. Western Pond Turtle Rehabilitation at LCC, December 2015- September 2018
Year
2015
2016

Turtles Received
5
11Turtles Released
0
9

2017

5

12

2018

11

11

Total

32

32

Woodpecker Nest Monitoring ProjectIn 2017, SPP began a woodpecker nestmonitoring project with biologists from the
U.S. Forest Service at CCCC. Other
participants in this project include enrolledcollege students at several academic
institutions. The primary goal of theresearch program is to learn more about akeystone species of woodpecker nesting in
the western U.S. The program involves
monitoring video footage of activity at 85
woodpecker nesting sites. Since 2014,
biologists have collected about 32,000 hoursof video footage that requires review
through human observation to document
woodpecker nesting ecology, behavior, andpotential predator activity. Information will
help state and federal landowners andresearchers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho,
and California to identify actions to that may
increase woodpecker nesting opportunities
and contribute to forest health.
The project at CCCC began in November
2017 with a 2-day training provided byTeresa Lorenz and Philip Fischer of the U.S.
Forest Service. The training was attended by 11 incarcerated individuals including turtle technicians.
Following the training, technicians have included a few hours of woodpecker nest video review into their
daily work routine. Their observational data has been an integral part of the woodpecker research study
and provides valuable education and training.
Adam MLady, Biological Science Technician reviewing woodpecker
nest videos. Photo by Jessica Brown.

Aquaponics Program
In FY18, CCCC also added a small-scale aquaponics system through partnership with Symbiotic Cycles
and SPP-Evergreen. Construction and installation of the system was conducted by Symbiotic Cycles with
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report22help from CCCC turtle technicians and horticulture students. March 2017, Symbiotic Cycles staff
provided a 2-day training for 8 incarcerated students. The students learned about sustainable foodsystems, soil chemistry, the decline of vital nutrients in most industrial crops, and wasteful overuse of
freshwater resources. Aquaponics offers a unique solution to these issues by creating a “closed-loop” ofrecycled water and converting nutrients from fish waste and bacterial respiration into a rich growing
environment. The goal of the aquaponics project is to teach technicians the value of sustainable foodsystems as well as provide nutrient-rich leafy greens to the CCCC kitchen.
Table 10. Program Education FY18 (see Appendix 3 for abbreviations)
Session (30-90 minutes)

CCCC
Woodpecker Nest Monitoring Training
Science Journal Readings
Science Article Discussions
Aquaponics Training
Turtle Field Work Field Trip
LCC
Western Pond Turtle Presentation
Science Journal Readings
Science Article Discussions
Turtle Field Work Field Trip
Total education sessions
Certificates Awarded
Rehabilitation and Research Specialist, over
1,000 hours

Numberof
Sessions

Incarcerated
Attendees

WA Corrections
Staff Attendees

SPP Staff
Attendees

3
6
12
1
1

11
3-5
5
8
2

1
1
1
1
1

1
1
1
1
1

7
1
1
1

2
1
1
1

1
9
6
2
2
3
1
2
33
Number of Recipients
4

Sheep Conservation Program
Historically, bighorn sheep were widespread in western North America. By the turn of the 20th century,
populations had dwindled to near extinction, and recovery efforts were needed to bring them back fromthe brink. Today, the biggest threat to bighorn sheep is pneumonia triggered by a bacteria
called Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, or M. ovi for short. The bacteria are commonly carried by domestic
sheep and goats. Raising M. ovi-freedomestic sheep can protect wild bighorn
sheep from the devastating pathogen.
Currently, there are no private domestic
sheep breeders that specialize inraising M. ovi-free animals.
In 2015, WDFW introduced
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP)
leadership to the idea of a pilot program
to breed M. ovi-free domestic sheep. In
Spring 2018, the ewes in the programgave birth to 28 lambs; 9 females and 19
males. Program partners include WDFW,
SPP partners at WA Corrections
An incarcerated technician holds a lamb birthed in the program at WSP.
and Evergreen, and local sheep
Photo by Kelli Bush.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report23husbandry experts. All animals in the new flock were tested for the M. ovi pathogen prior to arrivaland Washington State University provides pathogen testing and program guidance.
The program had a successful inaugural season. Program findings and protocols will be shared broadly
including with privately-operated breeders who may want to join the effort. Incarcerated participants
completed day-to-day sheep care tasks and received education and training on sheep husbandry,lambing, and bighorn sheep ecology. We are still developing protocols, education materials, program
certificates, and refining practices to develop a viable source of M. ovi-free animals available to small
domestic flock managers. Together, all partners are playing key roles in making this collaboration a
success.

Sagebrush Conservation Nursery
During calendar years 2015-2017, sagebrush conservation nurseries were operated in partnership with
the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Plants were grown tohelp restore habitat for the greater sage-grouse with most installed on wildfire sites. CRCC was the first
WA facility to host the program and WSP was added in 2017. Both Washington State programs havesince been discontinued. Sagebrush in Prisons nurseries continue to thrive under IAE leadership inOregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Montana—states with vast tracts of BLM acreage. The WA program
delivered approximately 22,000 sagebrush in the final 2017 season and provided about 68,000 plants
over the three seasons of the program.

Prairie Conservation Nursery Programs
Primary funding support for the Prairie Conservation Nurseries comes from Joint Base Lewis-McChord(JBLM), Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM), and WA Corrections. Plant materials produced
by SPP’s prairie conservation nurseries are used by state and federal agencies and conservation
organizations including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW), JBLM, WDFW, WA Dept. of Natural
Resources (DNR), and CNLM. Our nurseries will curate and supply plant material from Oregon tosouthern British Columbia.
Prairie Plant-Plug Production
The SPP nursery sites have anannual combined sowing
capacity of 520,000 plugs, andcan produce up to 300,000
viable plant-plugs annually.
This year, the nursery delivered
183,157 plant plugs of 62
species for Taylor’s
checkerspot recovery andlowland prairie restoration; see
Table 11 for more information.
The conservation nursery
program is actively working to
identify new education andtraining opportunities andrecruiting other cultivation
Volunteers from SPP-Evergreen joined the WCCW prairie nursery crew for a seed sowing
work party to help catch up on time lost to lock downs. Photo by Joslyn Rose Trivett.
contracts to fill our underSustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report24

utilized capacity. Cumulatively, the nurseries have delivered more than 2.5 million plant-plugs since
2009.
Plant-plug production remains a vital component of the regional recovery plan for Taylor’s checkerspot
butterflies. However, direct seeding has become the primary method of habitat restoration. Starting in
2016, the majority of SPP plant-plug production was to supply seed nurseries. As a result of reduced
plug production, plug production was concentrated at SCCC and WCCW; these facilities provide thegreatest opportunities for incarcerated technician education within the nursery programs.
Table 11. Conservation Nursery Regional Plug Summary, delivered FY18 (see Appendix 3 forabbreviations)
Total SCCC
Total WCCW
Total Sown
Total Delivered
Total Requested
Percent Delivered ofRequested# of species
48
41
67
62

Plants91,311
91,845
374,722
183,157

67

233,944
78%

Prairie Seed Gardens
SPP cultivated plants for seed at WCC and WCCW. Seed
production in a corrections setting has proven successful for
species poorly adapted to mechanical agriculture techniques.
The seed production gardens at WCC produced over 11 lbs. ofearly blue violet seed from 3456 sq. ft.; their harvest rate wasmore than three times the harvest rate of other regional seednurseries.
SPP has been so successful at cultivating early blue violet that
USFWS has asked us to add seed production for silverspot
butterfly (Speyeria zerene hippolyta) recovery, growing earlyblue violet seed from the Oregon coast. Eight garden beds
were planted at WCCW during 2018 with early blue violet
plants from Oregon coast genetic stock. Additionally, WCC has
been asked to cultivate 6 new species in their garden beds. All
will lend themselves to diligent hand cultivation.
We are now the only source of production for early blue violet
in the Western U.S. The continued success of the seed gardens
presents an excellent opportunity for WA Corrections tocontribute to conservation, and provide ecological education
for program technicians.

Technician Morris Talaga surveys the seed
beds in the world's largest native violet
nursery, at WCC. Photo by Alex James.

Emergent Pre-Vegetated Mat (EVM) Production
The EVM program is a research collaboration among CNLM, WDFW, and JBLM which began with theprimary objective to restore habitat for the Oregon spotted frog. A two-year grant was provided by the
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

25

USFWS to help fund the project.
Critical funding support has also
been provided by JBLM, WA
Corrections, and SPP-Evergreen’s
Foundation donations.
The goal is to develop a prevegetated emergent plant mat thatwill effectively suppress weeds andenhance establishment of native
vegetation. In FY18, we delivered
111 mats to three Oregon spottedfrog habitat experimental sites.
Monitoring for plant establishment
and weed suppression will occur
over a 2-year period to test theefficacy of the EVM.

Partners view the systems inside the EVM greenhouse. Photo by Ricky Osborne.

As part of her Master’s Thesis, EVM Coordinator Amanda Mintz quantified the effects of using compost
tea as a nutrient supplement for the pre-vegetated mats; results will be available late fall 2018. The
technical accomplishments of the project thus far bode well for positive results from this new ecologicalrestoration technique. The USFWS have been active in finding new regional partners to support ongoingproduction of mats; these include tribal nations as well as smaller, regional land trusts. The Washington
State Department of Transportation has also shown strong interest in partnering with SPP to connect
EVM technicians to related job training and employment opportunities post-incarceration.

All Conservation Nurseries, Training and Education
SPP’s Conservation Nursery Program Coordinators provide frequent guidance and education to inmate
technicians. They serve as the primary liaisons between partners, including the WA Corrections staff thatsupervise and counsel the inmates. In FY18, the students focused on providing unique and relevant
education for the programs and their efforts had superb results. Lectures and workshops offered within
the conservation nursery programs are detailed in Table 12.
Table 12. Prairie Conservation Nursery Education and Certification, FY18 (see Appendix 3 forabbreviations)
Sessions(30-90 minutes)
SCCC Conservation Nursery
Soil rhizosphere workshop
Insect pest management workshop
Sustainable agriculture
Scientific method workshop
Weed identification
Journal article seminar
Sowing workshop
Wetland ecology/plant ID
Ecology basics lecture
Botany basics lecture

Number of
Sessions

Attendees

1
3
1
2
1
1
2
1
2
1

14
14
12
11
10
8
12
12
8
11

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report26Endangered species lecture
SCCC Prairie sub-total
Seed to Supper
SCCC EVM
NW Earth Institute seminars: Seeingin Systems
Plant I.D. and ecology workshops
Insect pest management
Phytophthora monitoring
Data collection workshops
General aquaponics
Writing/reflection
Sowing workshop
Compost tea workshop
SCCC EVM sub-total
WCCW Conservation Nursery
What is nature workshop
Writing workshop
Plant I.D. and ecology workshop
Irrigation workshop
Prairie plant sowing and care
Prairie paper seminar
Wild seed processing lecture
Pest management workshop
WCCW CvN sub-total
WCC Prairie Seed Garden
Botany Basics & Plant Identification
Watering Procedures & Irrigation
Horticulture Harvesting
Seed Sowing & Sowing Techniques
Writing Workshop
Art Workshop
Integrated Pest Management
Constructing Herbariums
Designing a Garden
Aquaponics
Viola adunca care
Ecology and restoration
Scientific methods
South Sound Prairies
Careers
WCC Seed sub-total

1
16
11

14

7
2
1
1
3
1
2
2
2
21

3
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
4

2
1
2
1
3
1
1
2
13

2
2
5
5
6
3
2
4

6
2
2
2
2
4
1
1
1
1
1
8
3
2
1
37

10
13
7
11
15
30
17
5
5
5
7
30
11
12
11

Total education sessions
Certificates Awarded
SCCC Prairie Conservation Nursery
SCCC Emergent Vegetated Mats
WCCW Prairie Conservation Nursery
WCC Prairie Seed Garden
Certificate Totals

77
Technician 400 hrs
0
0
0
2
2

100 (estimate)Specialist 800 hrs
8
2
4
4
18

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report27

Animal Feed Programs
Several prisons raise high quality feed for animals
in the care of zoos and SPP programs. The mostprominent of these are the Plantain Programs.
Narrow leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata) beds
at MCCCW and at LCC provided larval food for
Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly rearing programs
at OR Zoo and MCCCW. Technicians cultivate andharvest plantain leaves during the growing
season. LCC staff provided vital support for larval
food transportation and logistics for OR Zoo.
Additionally, WA Corrections staff supported
Oregon Zoo research into plantain nutritional
analysis. LCC shipped a total of 13,700 leaves ofplantain to the OR Zoo for Taylor's checkerspot
rearing in 2018. Plantain harvested at MCCCWLCC technicians grow plantain to feed Taylor's checkerspot butterfliesat the OR Zoo and MCCCW. Photo by Keegan Curry.

was used for the butterfly program on site.

A summary of animal feed programs is provided below.
Table 13. SPP programs providing food for captive animals (see Appendix 3 for abbreviations)
Food source
Mealworms
Plantain

Facilities
LCC, CCCC,
and SCCC
LCC

Plantain & Nectar Plants

MCCCW

Recipients
Western pond turtles and koi in prison facilities
OR Zoo’s Taylor's checkerspot rearing program
Taylor’s checkerspot rearing program at MCCCW, in collaboration with OR
Zoo

Honeybee Programs
Honeybee programs are an ongoing priority for SPP. These programs provide meaningful education andtherapeutic activities for incarcerated and WA Corrections staff beekeepers, contribute to honeybee
conservation and restoration, and have thepotential to create and contribute related goods(hives, honey, beeswax products) to nearby
communities.
Following 2017’s successful bee summit, facilities
and community partners statewide have added
many new beekeeping programs; this year, 11 ofWA’s 12 primary prisons host programs. Investment
in and devotion to these programs by WA
Corrections staff, incarcerated beekeepers, andcommunity experts is beyond impressive! And theylook like they’re having a great time with it, too.
Three new programs launched, at MCC-TRU, MCCSOU, and on DNR property on McNeil Island. The

An incarcerated beekeeper at CBCC gently pets a honeybee who
has landed on his shoulder. Photo courtesy of Faye Nicholas.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report28

McNeil Island program offers the region’s beekeepers rare access to many acres of pesticide-free bee
forage, and they are over-the-moon at the chance to support the program. Incarcerated beekeepers
from CCCC travel to McNeil and gain valuable hands-on experience and learning opportunities whileworking alongside the team of expert beekeepers.
In total, there are 60 healthy hives in WA Corrections facilities. Since fall 2015, 323 incarcerated
students became certified apprentices, 12 incarcerated students have become certified journeyman
beekeepers, and 25 staff have become certified apprentice beekeepers. A detailed summary of program
status as of June 30, 2018, is in Table 14.
Table 14. Beekeeping Certification Overview by Institution FY18 (see Appendix 3 for abbreviations)Prison
AHCC
CCCC
CBCC
CRCC
LCC
MCC-WSR
MCC-SOU
MCC-TRU
MCCCW
SCCC
WCC
WCCW
WSP
Total

Hives
12
1
4
3
5
Postponed
2
6
2
1
6
3
15
60

Partners
West Plains Beekeepers, CI, Inland Empire
Beekeepers
Olympia Beekeepers Association
North Olympic Peninsula Beekeepers Association
Mid- Columbia Beekeepers
Clark County Beekeepers

Incarcerated
Apprentices certified
since 2015
51
57
30
32
12

8
West Sound Beekeepers
Olympia Beekeepers Association
Olympia Beekeepers Association
Mother Earth FarmWest Plains Beekeepers Association, CI

21
47
14
7
37
323

Pacific Northwest Monarch Butterfly
Program
The BAR (Baker, Adams, Rainier) Unit
Monarch Butterfly Program at Washington
State Penitentiary (WSP) is a joint research
project with Washington State University(WSU). Program technicians are in a social
skills group in which mental health andprotective custody incarcerated individuals
work together to raise and care for Monarchbutterflies. From 2012-2016, the program
reared and released more than 1/3 of 13,778
butterflies. There are currently no updates
available for the most recent season.
When the program is active, about fifteen
technicians participate and they are able to

A Washington State University (WSU) tagged monarch; 60 of these butterflies
have been found in the wild. Photo from WSU article.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report29

observe the full 6-week life cycle, from egg laying to emerging adult butterflies. They tag adultbutterflies before release and WSU receives report sightings from the field, usually from California
overwintering sites. Offspring of these butterflies begin the migration back north in the spring.

Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly Program
Our flagship pollinator program is rearing and releasing Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies (Euphydryaseditha taylori), a federally-endangered species that once flourished from southern British Columbia tocentral Oregon. Only a few small, isolated populations of the butterfly remain. The SPP rearing facility at
MCCCW adds to the scope and resilience of recovery efforts and bolsters the original rearing program at
the Oregon Zoo. The end of FY18 marks the completion of the program’s seventh rearing season.
Program partners include WDFW, USFWS, JBLM/DoD, Oregon Zoo, and CNLM.

Left to right) MCCCW Superintendent Devon Schrum, SPP Co-Director Kelli Bush, USFWS Biologist Karen Reagan, Alexis
Coleman, Susan Christopher, Tracy Hatch, USFWS Division Manager Tom McDowell, Nichole Alexander, and SPP Coordinator
Keegan Curry stand in front of the butterfly lab. Karen and Tom from USFWS oversee Taylor’s checkerspot recovery on aregional level; they took time out of their busy schedules to visit the MCCCW captive rearing program and see firsthand thework that incarcerated technicians are doing to support endangered species conservation.

Since 2011, program participants have reared and released more than 18,000 caterpillars and adultbutterflies onto south Salish Sea prairies. More than 27 incarcerated technicians have received training,four graduate students have coordinated the program, and seven WA Corrections staff have served as
liaisons. Since 2013, SPP has issued 15 certificates for incarcerated technicians completing training in the
program. Rearing and breeding outcomes for this reporting period are summarized in Table 15. Percent
survival by life stage is available in Table 16.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report30

Table 15. Taylor’s Checkerspot Rearing and Adult Breeding at MCCCW FY18

Wild
CaptiveReared
MultiDiapause
Unknown
Origin (QC)
TotalsCaterpillars
Into Diapause
July 2017

Caterpillars
Released
Post-Diapause
March 2018

Caterpillars
Retained for
Breeding
March 2018

Egg-Laying
Butterflies
May/June2018

Est. # of Eggs
Produced
May/June
2018

Caterpillars
Released
Pre-Diapause
June 2018

3,023

2,713

300

20

3,739

0

146

146

0

30

4,532

2,671

120

8

108

11

2,577

336

76

77

0

N/A

N/A

0

3,365

2,944

408

61

10,8483,007

Table 16. Number of individuals and percent survival by life stage for wild and captive-reared Taylor’s
checkerspot butterflies at MCCCW FY18
Life Stage

Diapause to wake-up
Wake-up to release
Breeding colony
Returned to diapause
Caterpillar to pupae
Pupae to adults
Est. # eggs
Eggs transferred to OR Zoo
Eggs to hatch
Caterpillars released pre-diapause
Hatch to diapause

Rearing & Breeding Totals#% Survival
3,355
0.997
2,944
0.999
408
--110
--235
0.789
225
0.957
10,848--3,047--7,791
0.999
3,007--4,759
0.995

2018 was an eventful year for the butterfly program. In addition to the regular demands of the breeding
season:• Butterfly technicians crafted and delivered a PowerPoint presentation describing their work forthe general population (~30 attendees).
• During the height of the breeding season, technicians hosted a facility tour for managers fromthe USFWS who oversee species recovery region-wide.
• Near the end of the flight season, technicians were able to visit a Taylor’s checkerspot releasesite where they interacted with biologists from WDFW and learned about the butterfly’s habitatfirst-hand.
• To top it all off, 2018 was the most successful breeding year in the MCCCW program’s history,
with nearly 11,000 eggs collected by the end of the season!
Table 17. Education and Certification, Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly Program FY18
Education Sessions№(30-90 minutes)
MCCCW
Coyote ecology
Taxonomy and evolution of butterflies
Wolf biology and behavior

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

Sessions

Attendees

1
1
1

5
5
5
31

Crow biology and intelligence
Butterfly behavior
How to read a scientific paper
Evidence for Mate-Guarding Behavior in the Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly(Journal of Insect Behavior)
Evolution and speciation in butterflies
Comparison of genetic diversity in captive versus wild populations of thefederally endangered Quino checkerspot butterfly (Entomological Society of WA)
Total education sessions

1
1
1

5
5
5

1

3

1

3

1

3

9

5

№

Certificates Awarded
Butterfly Rearing and Research Specialist, 1500 hours

recipients5

Wildlife Habitat Programs
Several facilities have installed structures or plantings to benefit wildlife. A summary follows.
Table 18. New and ongoing efforts to provide wildlife habitat and forage, FY18 (see Appendix 3 forabbreviations)PrisonPrograms

Program Partners

AHCC

Pollinator forage &habitatMiller Homestead
LLC

CCCC

Pollinator forage

CBCC

Flower gardens

CRCC

Heritage Garden

CRCC

Plant and Animal
Habitat

CRCC

Land Restoration

LCC

Bird feeders

MCCWSR

Bird habitat

MCCCW

Flower gardens,
boxes, baskets
Bird boxes

MCCCW

Flower gardens

MCC

SCCC
SCCC

Pollinator-friendly
plantings
Pollinator plantings
Bird houses

WCCW

Pollinator plantings

OCC

Lamb Weston

Highlights
Pollinator-friendly plantings throughout the main & minimum
areas: flowers, herbs, pussy willow. Large woody debris andshrubby habitat in pond area.
~15,000 pollinator friendly annual flowers planted aroundgrounds each year
Planted 500 perennials this year; ornamental gardens incourtyard, access breezeway, MSC light yards; “worm tea" isonly fertilizer
Inmates designed garden, which honors the cultural andnatural heritage of our local area, using native plants tominimize water use.
Bird boxes, owl box, and pollinator box in garden; built 6 beeboxes in past year
Restoring native vegetation outside the fence; planted ~200
sagebrush plants and ~3 lbs of blanket flower seeds
Feeders throughout the facility; rehome baby birds that fallfrom nests
Bird houses and hummingbird feeders

Flower gardens to attract bees to pollinate the vegetables
20 bird boxes, 2 bird feeders
Added 6 new flowerbeds for the butterflies; every living unit
has a flower bed
All greenhouse plants selected to benefit pollinators, in past
year increased plantings for pollinators, including natives
Pollinator plants in every garden and next to greenhouses
More than 40 houses
Hanging baskets, perennial and annual flowers throughout the
grounds, selected to be beneficial to pollinators; other wildlife
also attracted, such as frogs, rabbits, and birds of prey

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report32

5. Restorative Nature Programs
SPP brings nature inside prisons with the motivation to relieve the stress of prison environments.
Scientific literature shows that when nature is available within institutional and urban environments,
inhabitants experience many positive, therapeutic benefits. In FY18, research on “vicarious” nature
exposure, in the formof nature videos in a
maximum security
prison, found beneficial
results for incarcerated
individuals and staff in
the area; these
programs aresupported by a Nature
Imagery in Prisons(NIPP) team, led by SPP
co-founder Nalini
Nadkarni.
Less formally, thetherapeutic value ofPrivacy, a comfy chair, and high quality nature videos are available to all residents of Cedar Hall at
SPP’s programs has
WCC. Photo by Classification Counselor Alejandro Fairley.
been recognized widelyand consistently by both incarcerated and staff partners. While all SPP programs are intended to offer
positive contact with nature, the programs detailed below include enjoying nature as
their primary function.
Table 19. New and ongoing Restorative Nature Programs, FY18
PrisonPrograms

AHCC

Flower gardens

AHCC

Diversity
GardenAHCC

Nature imagery

CBCC

Flower gardens

CCCC

Flower gardens

CRCC

Heritage
Garden

LCC

House plants

MCC
MCC-WSR

House plants
Flower gardens

MCCCW

House plants

Program Partners

Nature Imagery in
Prisons Project

Highlights
Flowers throughout the prison for human & wildlife wellbeing
Cultural groups grow food and flowers for their special
eventsInmates in maximum security area have access to nature
videosPlanted 500 perennials this year; ornamental gardens incourtyard, access breezeway, MSC light yards
Flower gardens throughout the grounds
Inmates designed garden, which honors cultural andnatural heritage of area, native plants minimize water
needs
Only known prison that allows houseplants in residents’
dorm rooms; last year were nearly 300 plants for 480
residents!
Grow plants for donation to hospital area
Flowers gardens to benefit human and wildlife well-being
All living units have houseplants and numerous staff haveplants in their officers

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

33

OCC

Water features

OCC

Flower gardens,
boxes, baskets

SCCC

Flower gardens

SCCC

Lifer garden

WCC

Nature Imagery

WCC

House plants

WCC
WCCW
WCCW

Flower gardens
Flower gardens
Chickens

WSP

House plants

NIPP team;
University of UT

Mother Earth Farm

Two living units have fish ponds; the other has a fountainand basin
Each living unit has several garden beds planted andmaintained by residents; hanging baskets and flowering
beds throughout staff and inmate areas
Flowers throughout the grounds for human & wildlife
well-being
Large garden space dedicated to Lifer gardens(incarcerated men not eligible for parole)
2 Nature Imagery rooms in Cedar Hall; hosted
documentary film makers and 2 information nights
focused on program
In all shared and staff areas; Grounds Maintenance crew
provides and maintains all
Flower plantings throughout the campus
Flower plantings throughout the campus
Program ended March 16, 2018
More than 600 potted plants inside, plus several
terrariums, provided by SPL

A gardener walks next to the meticulously cultivated Lifer Garden at SCCC. Photo by Ricky Osborne.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report346. Community Contribution Programs
Community contribution programs directly provide services and/or goods to nearby communities. They
train pets for adoption or service and donate crafts and products (firewood, quilts) derived fromreclaimed materials. Other community contribution programs provide services such as habitat
restoration and thinning trees.
Typically, these programs are partnerships between prisons and community organizations that helporganizations increase capacity and provide inmates opportunities to contribute to the world outside
the fence. Most of these programs predate the formal SPP partnership. SPP-Evergreen’s role is toacknowledge and support these productive partnerships and provide a comprehensive overview ofactivities taking place statewide.
SPP’s conservation and sustainable operations programs also make community contributions; forexample, the Conservation Nurseries provide hundreds of thousands of plants to regional restoration,and Sustainable Operations programs contribute by reducing prisons’ environmental footprint andsaving taxpayer dollars. See those sections for details.

Dog and Cat ProgramsDog and cat programs are common in prisonsacross Washington State. Nearly all ofWashington’s prisons have formed one ormore partnerships with community
nonprofits to create pet programs.
Incarcerated individuals receive support frompartner organizations to provide excellent
animal care and obedience training, and—ina few cases—service and/or therapy training.
We have heard from inmates and staff that
pet programs are a benefit to all directly
involved, and to the larger prison community
as well. Sometimes, participants of these
programs say that working with dogs or catstransformed them. An example from aparticipant of the Ridge Dogs program:

Mr. Mason has written several essays on CRCC's Ridge Dog Program,providing moving testimony on the value of these programs. Photo by
Lezlie Sage.

“I’ve had a chance to transform adog’s trauma into joy through love anddiscipline. In the end, my efforts liberated
not only the dog, but me as well.”In FY18, more than 550 dogs and cats were cared for and trained in WA prison programs. In the past
year, no programs were lost, and Washington State Penitentiary (WSP) added a kitten program in the
BAR Living Units. Details are shown in the following table.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report35

Table 20. New and ongoing Dog and Cat Programs, FY18 (see Appendix 3 for abbreviations)
ProgramPartners
Diamonds in the
Ruff andSpokanimal

PrisonProgram

AHCC

Pawsitive dog
training

CBCC

Dog training andadoption

CBCC

Cat program

WAGS

CCCC

Training dogs
for veterans

CRCC

Ridge Dogs

CRCC

Mother andkitten foster

LCC

Dog Adoption
ProgramLCC

Cat Adoption
Program

Brigadoon
Service Dogs
Benton Franklin
Humane, AdamCounty Pet
RescueBenton Franklin
Humane, AdamCounty Pet
RescueHumane Society
for Southwest
Washington
Humane Society
for SW WA, West
Columbia Gorge
Humane Society

MCCSOUCat program

WAGS

Highlights
Graduated 16 dogs in past year; 2 graduation ceremonies;
Humane Society hosted a “Yappy Hour” on September 5 toraise funds for the program.
25 dogs graduated from the program in past year; hosted
reunions for adoptive families and incarcerated trainers.
Hosted by two units in close custody; 17 cats gone throughprogram.
20 dogs trained to the needs of individual veterans in the past
year; 2 graduation ceremonies
105 dogs graduated from the program in past year; Supported
program volunteer helping to publish participant essays on
program experience.
20 kittens in the program in past year
Weekly classes and one-on-one training with handlers; 48
dogs and puppies in the program in past year.
Education and training every 2nd week; 46 kittens and cats
adopted in past year.
291 cats and 71 handlers in 3 years of the program.

Purrfect Pals

A cat handler holds a kitten in MCC-SOU's Purrfect Pals program.
Photo courtesy of Kathy Grey.

MCCTRU
MCCCW

Dog training andadoption
Pawsitive Prison
Project

OCC

OCC Dog
Program

SCCC

Freedom Tails

SummitAssistance Dogs
Kitsap Humane
Society
Olympia
Peninsula
Humane Society
Harbor Assn of
Volunteers for
Animals (HAVA)

16 dogs graduated this year; 4 graduations; 4 are presently inadvanced training to needs of individual recipients.
291 cats and 71 handlers in 3 years of the program.
167 dogs graduated 2010-17; data on available for FY18
34 dogs graduated; 3 graduation ceremonies

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

36

SCCC
WCC

Service dogs forveterans
Training dogs
for veterans

WCCW

Prison Pet
PartnershipWSP

BAR Units kitten
program

Brigadoon
Service Dogs
Brigadoon
Service Dogs

Blue Mountain
Humane Society

9 dogs trained to the needs of individual veterans .
Don’t have data for FY18First in-prison pet program in the country! In past year,
graduated 35 dogs, 23 incarcerated employees; one
scholarship for reentry
Socializing and raising kittens for adoption; ~70 kittens in the
program this past year

Reclaim, Repurpose or Restore, and Donate Programs

From above, the view of an area of WSP's Sustainable Practices Lab (SPL) gives some sense of the incredible
productivity and industry. Photo by Bethany Shepler.

Consistent with the earliest days of SPP programs, WA prisons strive to “throw nothing away,” totransform potential refuse into something of value. In some cases, these programs’ creations directly
meet an organization’s need: donating quilts to a homeless shelter, refurbished computers for schools,
and growing produce for food banks. In other cases, programs donate handmade or restored creations
for organizations’ fundraising events. The productivity and generosity of these programs are best
illustrated by statewide numbers (below).
Table 21. New and ongoing Community Contribution Programs, statewide total for 12 prisons, FY18 (seeAppendix 3 for abbreviations)
Item
Garden area
Produce grown

Crafts & furnishings fromreclaimed materials
Refurbished bicycles andwheelchairs
Refurbished computers
Firewood
Water treatment systems
Flower & vegetable starts

Statewide totals (approximations)17.2 acres cultivated271, 120 lbs. to food banks & prison
kitchens
18,000+ items donatedLead Facility
WSP institutional garden: 457,380 ft2
WSP institutional garden: 151,470 lbs

847 donated

WSP’s Sustainable Practices Lab (SPL):
17,000 (that may be a multi-year total)
SCCC: 340

4,321 at-cost for School District
721 cords donated236 donated8,000 donated

AHCC: All
AHCC: 571 cords
WSP’s SPL: All
WCC: 7,000

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report37

Table 22. New and Ongoing Community Contribution Programs to Reclaim, Repurpose, Restore, orDonate, FY18 (see Appendix 3 for abbreviations)PrisonAHCC

Programs
SPL: Quilting

AHCC

Computers 4 Kids

Program Partners
Blessings Under the Bridge,
AHCC Medical End of Life
Patients
School districts – OSPI, DES

AHCC

Firewood donation

SNAP Spokane

CBCC

Vegetable gardens

Donations to Peninsula College
culinary program

CCCC

Gardens

Centralia Community College,
Littlerock School District

CCCC

Construction: tiny
homes, and wildlife
habitatCentralia CC; Low Income
Housing Institute

CRCC

Gardens: Minimum

CRCC

Toys for Tots

CRCC

Teddy bears fromreclaimed materials

LCC

Wood craft
donations
Gardens

MCCSOUMCCTRUMCCTRU

Tri-Cities Toys for Tots, Shriners
Hospital for Children
Hospitals, API events held at
CRCC, ARC of Tri-Cities, Franklin
County Sheriff’s OfficeGardens
Community Aide
Coalition: quilting,crochet, textile arts

Over the Rainbow Fabrics, Dolly
Haakenson, clothing and textile
advisors of Snohomish County
donate materials; crafts
donated to Interfaith Family
Shelter, Westlake Shelter, HopeCrew, Swedish, Evergreen,
Seattle Children’s andProvidence Hospitals, Rainbow
Center, Evergreen Hospice, Little
Bit Therapeutic Riding Center,
Summit Assistance Dogs, Holy
Rosary Church, Rotary First
Harvest, East Count and Monroe

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

Highlights
Inmates repurposed 320 lbs. of clothing and textiles(~60% of the waste stream); created 46 quilts for
donation; June celebration for all program partners.
In past year refurbished 4,321 computers for schools
plus 10,311 to surplus; incarcerated technicians learn
basic computer diagnostics. and can test forcertification, plus office and shipping skills.
Donated 571 cords of wood in past year to low
income families; DNR provides wildland fire trainings,
and prison staff provide firewood and chipper
trainings.
5,850 ft2 (additional 4000 ft2 unused); ~1,200
pounds of produce grown, ~43 lbs to culinary
program, 1,075 to the kitchen and 84 lbs to area foodbanks.
40,000 ft2 of gardens, grew ~8,500 lbs of produce forinmate kitchen in 2017; grew pumpkins for School
District.
Building tiny homes for tiny home villages; built bird
houses to native species' specs from scrap wood, for
onsite placements; built bee boxes for McNeil Island
program.
3,000 ft2 of gardens produced more than 5,000 lbs in2017.
Donated 150 toys and crafts in the in past year.
Donated 251 teddy bears to partners and benefit
events.
Created more than 50 Jewelry boxes and other items,
donated to non-profits.
Thriving program: tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers,
cabbage, lettuce, squash, and herbs.
Grew 850 lbs for inmate kitchen; every living unit hasgarden space; ~4,000 ft2 of gardens.
99 quilts and 229 crochet and fabric hats created anddonated in past year.

38

MCCWSR

Composting
programs

MCCWSRSPL Bicycles fromHeavenMCCWSRMCCWSR

SPL Wheelchair
program
SPL Wood Craft 4
Charity

MCCC
W

GRACE (Gardening
for Restoration andConservation
Education) Project

Senior Center, +many, many
more.
City of Monroe donates seeds
and soilBikes donated by Snohomish
County Sheriff, Monroe PD,
Marysville PD, Everett PD;
donated to Snohomish County
Boys & Girls Club and the City of
Sultan for National Night Out
Wheels for the World
Scrap wood from Canyon Creek
Cabinet Company; donate toChildren’s Hospital, YWCA,
Domestic Violence Services of
Snohomish County, Women's
Shelter of Monroe
Kitsap Conservation District,
Central Kitsap Foodbank

Donate worm castings and grew 1,000 begonias for
City; plan to grow many more next year -- built new
benches in greenhouse to accommodate 40,000
vegetable/flower starts.
Restored 130, shipped out 137, recycled 31 in pastyear.

Restored 165 wheelchairs, recycled 31; restored 45
walkers; restored 50 crutches; shipments to Peru.
Created and donated 101 toys and puzzles and 6 bird
houses.

Kitsap Conservation District 1/4-acre garden tended
by MCCCW crew, produced more than ~11,000 lbs infirst season! 10,800 donated to 4 food banks; 200 lbs
fresh produce to the prison kitchen; mid-October,food bank patrons can bring their kids to pumpkin
patch (pie and jack-o-lantern varieties).

Two gardeners work in the GRACE Project garden, growing food in a Kitsap Conservation District Program. Photo by Keegan Curry.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

39

OCC

Wood shop

OCC

Firewood

OCC

Food Bank
Fundraisers

SCCC

Gardens andgreenhouses

SCCC
SCCC
SCCC

Bicycle Repair
Wheelchair Repair
Construction:
projects to benefit
homeless
Gardens andgreenhouses

SCCC

WCC

Plant starts

Quileute High School
scholarships, Cherish ourChildren, Forks Lions Club, CASA,
Quillayute Valley School District,
Relay for Life, Forks Chamber ofCommerce, Timber Museum,
Olympic Anglers, Calm Waters
and Forks Soroptimists; woodfrom Westport Shipyard and
OCC Community Crews (DNR)
Department of Natural
Resources, Olycap, Quillayute
Valley Scholarship Auction,
Cherish the Children, Forks
Soroptimists
Giving Tree, Coastal Community
Action Senior Center,
Community Youth Services, Set
Free Christain Fellowship,
Coastal Harvest Food Bank,
Unidos Por Puerto Rico
Coastal Harvest Food Bank,
Harvest Now
Lions Club
Wheels for the World
Low Income Housing Institute,
Family Promise of Grays Harbor
Thurston County Food Bank, The
Saint’s Pantry Food Bank, The
City Reach Food Bank, Shelton
Community Kitchen, Harvest
Now
Hoodsport Kiwanis

In past year, donated 300, crafts, sculptures,
furniture, and signs to charitable and nonprofit
partners, all made from reclaimed wood.

Cut and donated 150 cords of firewood in past year.

Inmates and staff raised and donated ~$9,730 tonon-profits listed!

25,000 ft2 of gardens produced 20,314 lbs of
produce, all donated to food bank; starting in July,
portion will go to inmate kitchen.
193 bikes repaired and donated in past year.
147 wheelchairs repaired and donated in past year.
Tiny home construction beginning October 2018;
donated cabinetry for Day Center renovations.
FY18, grew 32,200 lbs; Harvest Now donatedvegetable seeds to increase production for foodbanks; garden area 43,560 ft2, greenhouse 1,440 ft2.
Grew 7,000 plants for 2018 Hood Canal Kiwanis
Spring Plant Sale! Built and donated 8 planters.

WCC has long grown produce for local foodbanks. In 2017, they started a partnership with Kiwanis Club and grew ~2,800 vegetable starts
for their spring plant sale; in 2018, they increased the number to 7,000 vegetable starts! Photo by Don Carlstad.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

40

WCC

Construction: busstops, tiny homes,
Neighborhood
Pantries, bird houses

Centralia College, Low Income
Housing Institute, Hoodsport Kiwanis,
Hoodsport School District

WCC

Shoe and clothing
repurposing

CI

WCCW

Gardens andgreenhouses

Tacoma CC, WSU Extension, Pierce
CountyWCCW

Bicycle Repair

Kiwanis Gig Harbor supplies bikes;
donate to “Gear Up For School”
program at KP Middle School; schools
in Peninsula School District; individual
kids

WCCW

Mother Earth Farm

Mother Earth Farm, Real Food
Network, Tacoma CC

WCCW

WSP

Sisters of Charity:
quilts, fabric crafts,
wildlife rescue
Gardens andgreenhouses:
Institutional
Sustainability Garden

Community members donate
supplies; West Sound Wildlife receives
nests and beds

2017 grew 151,470 lbs of produce in 457,380 ft2
of gardens, estimated savings/cost avoidance of$175,937.

WSPSPL

Overview

Donated to 530 charities since start of
SPL in 2012

WSPSPL

SPL: Bicycle
Refurbish

Bikes donated by Walla Walla Policeand Sheriff's Department

WSPSPL

SPL: Wood Shop

WSPSPLWSPSPL

SPL: Wood Carving
SPL: Aquaculture andAquaponics

WSPSPL

SPL: Furniture Repair

WSPSPL

SPL: Sign shop

Carpenters obtaining college credit whileworking on neighborhood projects: starting tobuild tiny homes; built and donated 3 bus stops;in past year, built 9 more pantry boxes for
Kitsap neighborhood food sharing; bird boxes
for WCC grounds.
DOC facilities send used clothes to WCC forreuse and recycling; repurposed 7,266 t-shirts,
26,260 boxer shorts, 11,483 pairs of socks
10,000 ft2 of growing space; summer of 2018
grew 7,385+ lbs of produce for inmate kitchen;
10 TAs maintain landscaping.
In past year donated 182 refurbished bikes toschool kids.
As of 12/2017 this program is no longer
sponsored by Gig Harbor Kiwanis; program
reduced to private donations.
Offsite crew of 9 organic farm students grew
100,000+ lbs for donation to 16 food pantries;
gave ~3,400 hours, estimated at $81,497 value;
formal education on 17 topics earns 9 credits
from TCC
Projected to donate 300-400 craft items(Christmas stockings, knitting, quilts, yarn nests
and animal beds etc.).

Simpli-Home Furniture LLC.; donations
to Habitat for Humanity, The Humane
Society, Veterans Housing Project,
Women and Children Rescue Mission,
Christian Charities Mission, and Teen
Aid

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

23 programs in past year donated 17,000 +items to non-profits; provided 8,500+ items forstate use; estimate $200,000+ savings/cost
avoidance for DOC.
Rebuilt and donated 30 bikes in past year.
Built custom wood signs, special furniture
items, and carvings; 194 projects this past year;
big cost savings for DOC associated.
Hand-carved 194 items for auctions this pastyear.
Produced 60+ heads of leaf lettuce every 90
days; maintain stock of 3,000+ tilapia and trout.
Donated furniture sorted, salvaged, andassembled for donation to 40+ charities.
Recycle metal signs, and re-size or remanufacture; produced 2,000+ signs in past
year, cost savings of $2,000.

41

WSPSPL

SPL: Parole-A-Bear

WSPSPL

SPL: Quilting

WSPSPL

SPL: Water
treatment systems

Project 41

SPL's most productive shop by # of items,
annually creating about 5000 stuffed bears andother sewing projects for charities.
From reclaimed fabric, in past year created~160 quilts, blankets, and wall hangings forcharity, including 120 blankets for homelessshelters and fine-craft times for auctions.
Low cost technology to produce water
treatment systems for export to Africa, humanpowered, built 236 units in past year!

Community Work Crews
Many incarcerated residents ofminimum security prisons (LCC,
OCC, MCCCW, and CCCC) and units(Minimum Security Unit = “MSU”)
may join offsite crews working on
public land and community
organization sites. The work canallow positive reconnection withoutside communities: providing
exposure to, and experience
outside the fence.
These crews employed 1,709
incarcerated individuals this fiscal
year. With so many participants at
hundreds of sites statewide, we
still have much to learn about
these programs, including how welleach does and does not fit the SPP
model. Reported details are shownin the table below.

Logs cut by AHCC forestry crew are processed into firewood by a different crew at theprison, and then donated to low income families in the nearby community. Photo by
Ricky Osborne.

Table 23. Community Work Crews, Special Projects FY18 (see Appendix 3 for abbreviations)PrisonPrograms

AHCC

Forestry

MCCCW

Conservation crews

MCCCW

GRACE Project

WCCW

Mother Earth Farm

Program Partners
Department of Natural
Resources
Kitsap Conservation District,
Great Peninsula Conservancy,
Jefferson Land Trust
Kitsap Conservation District,
Central Kitsap Foodbank
Mother Earth Farm, Real Food
Network, Tacoma CC

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

Highlights
Forest thinning produces logs for
firewood program.
Planting projects and invasive weed
removal for partners.
Rotating crew growing vegetables forfoodbank donation.
Offsite crew of 9 organic farm
student-workers.

42

7. Sustainable Operations
Sustainable Operations programs are led by the Washington State Department of Corrections (WACorrections) and this section of the annual report is authored by WA Corrections’ Sustainable
Operations Manager. While other programs included in this report are also led by WA Corrections orother outside partners, Sustainable Operations programs statewide are unique as they are managed bya dedicated WA Corrections staff position; this position was created by WA Corrections to monitor andreduce the environmental, economic, and human cost of prisons. Major sustainable operations
initiatives include greenhouse gas emissions, energy, waste, and potable water use reductions.
Prison facilities are responsible for the vast majority of WA Corrections’ resource consumption andwaste generation. In 2018, these facilities occupied over 7 million square feet of conditioned space andhoused an average population of 19,000 incarcerated individuals. Prison age and design range from the
130-year-old first territorial prison in Walla Walla, to the nations’ first LEED Gold prison campus inConnell, WA. Facilities provide health and dental care, treatment programs, educational andemployment training, laundry and food services.
During the reporting period, WA Corrections worked closely on the development, and now the
implementation of, the Governor’s Executive Order 18-01 State Efficiency and Environmental
Performance, the focus of which is the reduction of carbon emissions and toxic pollution produced bystate government operations. WA Corrections is proud to have several staff serving on the Governing
Council, Guidance Team, and Subject Working Groups to develop and implement effective reduction
strategies and actions to reduce waste, emissions and pollution.

EnergyEnergy costs associated with the operations of correctional facilities are significant. Reducing energy
consumption is an ongoing priority for WA Corrections. The Capital programs division is constantly
engaged in evaluating and facilitating energy reduction measures such as:• Facility and systems maintenance• Energy Audits and resulting upgrades• High performance construction• Alternative energy investments• Promoting conservation behaviors
WA Corrections continues to take advantage of available and applicable innovation to reduce energy
consumption. The trend of significant reductions is due in large part to the use of the energy savings
performance contracting. This financing mechanism identifies and funds energy efficient facility
improvements and pays for project costs with the energy savings delivered by the project. WA
Corrections has completed 20 energy service performance contracts since 2005. In addition, our facility
managers operate robust maintenance programs, knowing that deferred maintenance results in higher
energy use and premature equipment failure. Our robust preventative maintenance programs haveresulted in more efficient building performance and energy consumption. Facilities also continue tomake good use of utility incentives to help pay for energy conservation projects.
WA Corrections has reduced energy consumption in prison operations by 24% since 2009. Energy use
continues to trend downward, decreasing steadily year after year with the exception of a slight uptick in
FY16.
Energy data

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

43

•
•
•

Energy use/incarcerated person/day showed a slight decrease of 0.3% from the FY17 rate of
52.8 kWh/incarcerated person/day
The FY18 energy use per/incarcerated person/day was 51.3 kWh/incarcerated person/day
The target energy use rate is 54.2 kWh/incarcerated person/day

This data represents power demands needed tooperate facility conditioned spaces, perimeter
lighting, food service, laundry, health care andindustrial operations. Power sources include:
electricity, natural gas, propane and fuel oil.
Consumption records for each facility for eachpower source are converted to equivalent kWhhours and divided by the number ofincarcerated people.
FY18 activities and initiatives
•

•

•

•

Lighting retrofits – Prison facilities
continue to use operational funds madeavailable for LED lighting projects,
resulting in significant energy savings.
Training and utility incentives – Facility
managers engaged in energy
conservation and building management
training and continue to use utility
incentives to fund small-scaleconservation and preventative
maintenance projects.
Energy project funding – WA
Corrections received special funding
through the Department of Commerce
LED light fixtures illuminate WSP's steam plant. Utility bill savingsfor the Pacific Northwest National
will pay off the cost of the retrofit in a little more than 3 years.
Photo courtesy of Jim Atteberry.
Laboratory to conduct detailed energy
use studies, develop an Energy Master Plan for the department and recommend best energy
conservation strategies and projects.
Renewable power contracting: WA Corrections contracted to purchase 1.2 million kilowatt
hours of green power annually, the maximum available through Avista’s Solar Select program at
this time. The power will be produced by the state’s largest solar installation in its last phase of
construction near Lind. WA Corrections is thrilled for the collaborative relationship with Avista
and the development of clean, renewable energy in Washington State.

Waste
The primary focus of WA Corrections’ waste reduction strategies includes appropriate management ofwaste streams and environmentally preferable purchasing. Managing waste streams includes separating
and shuttling waste to its next, most appropriate destination such as a recycle center, compost facility,
waste to energy plant, reuse/redistribution operation, or if no better option exists, to a landfill.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report44

WA Corrections is successfully
decreasing the amount of waste
generated and sent to thelandfills: since 2011, landfill
waste had been reduced by 20%.
Much of this progress is due tothe diversion of food waste tocomposting operations. Sortingand diverting recyclable items isthe second largest contributor tolandfill waste reduction.
Attention to environmentally
preferable purchase choices also
plays a large part in waste
reduction. Replacing disposable
items with durable, reusable
alternatives has been a
A MCC recycling crew transfers recyclable plastics from collection cans to larger
consistent strategy. Durable
containers. Photo courtesy of Julie Vanneste.
medical equipment repair
programs refurbish equipment to make it functional for use at the facility or to be donated throughcommunity partnerships. The program is an example of saving items from the landfill and sparing
facilities replacement costs. Challenges over the past year in reaching further landfill reductions include
the loss of cost-effective recycle opportunities for footwear, textiles, and mattresses and plastics.
Waste data••

Waste generated has decreased slightly over the past year from a rate of 1.9 lbs./incarcerated
person/day (FY17) to 1.8 lbs./incarcerated person/day (FY18)
The target waste goal is 1.5 lbs./incarcerated person/day

Data represents the amount of landfill or incinerator waste generated by facilities that was not diverted
to better solutions. These rates do not include wastes diverted to composting, recycling, and hazardous
and universal wastes, such as electronics and light tubes, which are captured and managed specially.
Table 24. Waste diversion, state-wide totals reported by 12 prisons for FY18
Target of Diversion
State-wide total
Lead facility
Commodities (e.g., metals,
cardboard, plastics)*
Organics (e.g., food waste, yard
waste, shredded paper)
Total waste diversion

3.362 million pounds(1,681 tons)*
2.211 million pounds(1,105 tons)
5.573 million pounds(2,787 tons)

AHCC: 858,000 lbs. (429 tons) to recycling in FY18.
OCC: 404,000 lbs. (202 tons) composted in FY18.

AHCC was statewide lead, even w/out composting(suspended until water clean);
SCCC 2nd, diverting 742,000 lbs. (371 tons) torecycling and composting combined.
*From Results WA database—likely more complete data—calendar year 2017 diversion to recycling was 1,868 tons

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report45

Activities and initiatives•••

Medication waste diversion – Random waste stream reviews over the past year revealed theabsence of any pharmaceutical or over-the-counter medications in the waste stream indicatingthat the diversion process for any unused or expired medications is effective.
Food waste composting and recycling – All facilities are expected to have recycle and foodwaste diversion programs.
Sustainable Purchasing – A major initiative over the past year was reducing consumption of
single-use plastics. Prisons replaced plastic bottles from vending machines with recyclable
aluminum cans, durable sporks or paper spoons replaced disposable cutlery, and facilities areworking toward elimination of plastic trash can liners. Efforts continue to improve and sustain
these measures.

Water
Prison facility managers know that conserving water can save money and be good for the environment.
Reducing water use at facilities also extends beyond resource protection and potable water cost savings
to savings in wastewater and energy costs.
Water data••••

Potable water use has increased from last year’s consumption rate of 135 gallons/incarcerated
person/day to a rate of 147 gallons /incarcerated person/day.
Consumption has risen steadily over the past 4 years. This may be due to the increase inirrigation and the expansion of garden programs across the state.
Metering and collection of water data has been improving.
Target goal is 120 gallons/incarcerated person/day.

Data represents the amount of potable water consumed by all prison facilities. It does not include
consumption of water from rainwater catchment systems, reclaimed water, or agricultural well water,sources, which some of the facilities use to reduce their demand on potable water.
In the past few years, gardening in Washington correctional facilities has increased exponentially,transforming lawns and gravel yards into beautiful, productive spaces. Programs include emphasis onvegetable production for food banks and facility food service operations. Water reduction goals will notdiminish support for garden programs, but rather will bring new opportunities for water conservation
innovations.
Activities and initiatives underway•••

Plumbing retrofits – A pilot program was implemented to install efficient valves and controllers
for showers, sinks and toilets. In the first month following implementation, a 35% reduction in
usage was realized. An average water saving will take some time to be determined.
Metering and facility water use assessments – Five facilities have completed metering of their
entire campuses. The meters will be used to monitor and reconcile water use to reduce
consumption and detect and repair leaks. Cost benefit analysis of the project may support
further metering of other campuses.
Water conservation landscaping – While garden programs depend on sufficient water use to
thrive, several facilities across the state are employing water conservation strategies including
drought tolerant landscaping/gardens and improved irrigation practices.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report46

8. Sustainability Job Programs
SPP job programs offer incarcerated participants job training, education, and sustainable living skills andways to contribute to communities and ecosystems. The list included in Table 25 shows all sustainability
job program placements in FY18 (data provided by WA Corrections staff’s OMNI system; where job
programs are known to be very similar, SPP-Evergreen combined those programs).
We include all jobs documented and reported by WA Corrections staff involving sustainability, science,and contact with non-human nature. This table leaves out some sustainability jobs that have been coded
in a non-sustainability category; for example, technicians working on composting and aquaponics at
SCCC, and electricians who install energy efficient fixtures. These job programs represent an enormous
variety of activities, most of which were initiated and run with little-to-no input from SPP-Evergreen
partners. SPP-Evergreen aims to promote and support the educational enrichment of every program,
and will continue to build partnerships and capacity toward this goal.
The approximately 4,084 inmates who held sustainability-related jobs during FY18 are approximately
22% of the ~18,970 men and women incarcerated in Washington State (excluding work release).
Table 25. FY18 SPP Jobs in WA Prisons: all inmate jobs involving science, sustainability, and/or contact
with living things. Note: Does not include students—see Education for those numbers.
Number of
NumberSustainability Job Program
participants,of sites
FY18
American Boarding Kennel Assc (ABKA)
2
52
programs
Aquaponics
2
6
Bee Conservation Tech / Class Facilitator
735
Bicycle Repair
326
Bike & Wheelchair Repair242
Butterfly Rearing Tech
1
9Carpentry – Tiny Homes
1
5
Cat Handler
4
63
Sustainability Clerk / Analyst
410Community Work Crews / Prairie
10925Conservation
Compost Worker / Food Waste Recycler
335Computer Refurbishing
1
13
Cultural Crafts Program1
7
Dog Handler Mentor
1
6
Dog Obedience Handler / Care and Service
9240
WorkerDog Service Handler
342
Dog Srvcs/Obed Secondary
345
Dog Walker
3
31
1
61
Organic Gardening
Fire Wood Stacker
1
11
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report47Forestry I Worker
Forestry II Worker
Groundskeeper I / Landscaping & Grounds /Garden Plot
Horticulture I Worker
Horticulture Worker II
Inside Groundskeeper
Plantain (grown for Oregon Zoo)
Recycling Worker / Recycling & Reclamation
Re-Use Fabric-Sustainable / Quilting
Root Of Success Trainer / Roots Lab
Sawyer
Sheep Farming
Teddy Bear Creations
Turtle Technician
Waste Treatment Helper
Waste Treatment Operator II
Waste Trt 1 Operator
Wood Working
Worm Farm Worker/Vermiculture
TOTAL

4
1

769
15

16

470

9
4
1
1
14
3
10
2
1
1
2
1
1
3
1
5

205
41
13
3
461
63
47
43
11
11
14
13
9
19
3
139
4,084

At the release site in the Columbia Gorge area, turtle technician Damian Larson releases a turtle that hehelped care for during its time at LCC. Photos by Sadie Gilliom.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report48

9. Evaluation
In FY18, changes in Washington Department of Corrections’ (WA Corrections’) requirements for
program evaluation and research continued to evolve. This required significant investments of staff timeby both SPP-Evergreen and the Research and Data Analytics (RDA) office at WA Corrections
Headquarters. By the end of the fiscal year, partners had reached shared understanding and achievableplans for moving forward.

Research with External Partners
Institute for Human-Animal Connection
Dr. Kevin Morris and colleagues with the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at Denver University(DU) continued the analysis of data gathered the summer of 2017, assessing social/emotional impacts
for inmates who participate in dog programs. They prepared to move into a second phase of theresearch; SPP-Evergreen and RDA supported Dr. Morris in shaping a data request for participating
inmates as well as a matched group. SPP-Evergreen will provide some financial support to help coverreview expenses for the project as well. When the study is complete, the partnership plans to publish
best-practices for prison dog programs.
University of Utah and NASATo evaluate the Astrobiology for the Incarcerated lectures, program partners created pre- and postprogram surveys to assess knowledge and attitudes about the topic, science in general, and related
education and employment. These surveys were used for all host states and counties. SPP-Evergreen
staff coordinated the effort for Human Subjects Review (HSR) in both Ohio and Washington. In
Washington, the surveys, associated methodology and consent forms required formal approval by
Washington State Institutional
Review Board (WSIRB). For
both Evergreen and WA
Corrections, this was thefirst—and thus the “test”—
case for the newly required
process. After mutual review
and consults with WSIRB, we
submitted our application inearly December 2017. We
received approval in January
2018.

Students at MCCCW fill out surveys intended to assess their knowledge and attitudes
about astrobiology and learning and doing science. Photo by Ricky Osborne.

Surveys were delivered at all
WA Astrobiology events in
April, submitted to Universityof Utah and NASA partners,
and are undergoing analyses
and review.

Program Evaluation & Data Requests
SPP-Evergreen’s existing program surveys had received RDA approval in the past, and thus continued.
However, following state policy, RDA’s current requirements call for review by WSIRB. As the intent of
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report49these programs is to assess program quality, and not to generalize results, we anticipate theseapplications will not be considered “research” and we will hope to submit applications that require only
the intermediate level of scrutiny.
Partners expect to repeat SPP-program data requests to better understand participant outcomes in July,
2019, following our biennial schedule. Likely, these requests will require a data-share agreement
between Evergreen and WA Corrections, but do not require WSIRB review.
A summary of program evaluation plans is in Table 26.
Table 26. Program evaluation plans for review and requests; plans created in FY18 for FY19.
Evaluation programcategory

WSIRB
review?

Next steps

Existing program SURVEYS
Workshop series surveys

Program eval

Yes

Conservation program surveys

Program eval

Yes

Nature imagery program surveys

Program evalYes

Roots of Success surveys

Program eval

Yes

Program evalNo

Program evalNo

Program evalNo

Repeating DATA REQUESTS
Roots of Success instructors:
demographics, infractions, grievances,recidivism
Roots of Success graduates: samemeasures as above
Conservation technicians: same measures
as above

Ask WSIRB for pre-submission meeting;discuss possibility of grouping these 4
survey programs under one application.

Submit for review early in 2019. Last
data request ended June 30, 2017; thisrequest will be for July 1, 2017 - June30, 2019 data.

Student Theses
Master of Environmental
Studies student andEmergent Vegetated Matt
(EVM) Nursery Coordinator
Amanda Mintz conducted
her thesis research on theuse of compost tea tosupply nutrients to the prevegetated mats at SCCC.
She offered participation to
the two technicians in the
program at that time, andthey enthusiastically joined
her in data collections. RDA
was notified of theirinvolvement. As theincarcerated technicians
were not themselves the

EVM technicians Bedilion and Fuller collect data with graduate student Amanda Mintz,
contributing to her Master in Environmental Studies thesis research. Photo by Carl Elliott.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report50

subject of the research, no HSR review was warranted.
Master of Environmental Studies student Bethany Shepler offered participation in her thesis to Roots ofSuccess instructors and graduates and associated WA Corrections staff at SCCC. Several individuals
volunteered to be informal advisors and contributors to Ms. Shepler’s research, which is focused on
environmental
motivation and identity
in relation to place oforigin for a target
population outside ofcorrections. During thereporting period, Ms.
Shepler met with theidentified advisors fouror five times; theirreview, feedback andideas have been valuable
to shaping the researchquestion and associatedsurveys andmethodology. As with
Ms. Mintz’s project, we
notified RDA of theincarcerated individuals’ Bethany Shepler (right) poses with some of her thesis advisors at SCCC. From the left, Cyril
involvement.
Waldron, Steven Allgoewer, David Duhaime (up), Anthony Powers, and Kelly Peterson. Photo by
Kelli Bush.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report5110. SPP Network
SPP-WA
Staff at SPP-Evergreen maintained contact with all Washington state prisons during FY18. With the
exception of OCC, every prison in WA hosts one or more program coordinated by SPP-Evergreen—suchas beekeeping, Roots of Success, and ecological conservation programs—and program contacts are
essential and routine. In addition, this has been an outstanding year for prisons’ responses to SPPEvergreen’s inquiries of all kinds, including to the asks that inform this annual report. This connectivity
has been hugely beneficial to boosting program recognition, and for creating greater capacity for betterand more programs. Partners intend to continue aligning goals and honing communications in the
coming year.
A summary of SPP-Evergreen’s significant new contacts within the state follows.
Table 27. Significant contacts in Washington State, SPP-Evergreen, FY18. (see Appendix 3 forabbreviations)
New contact in FY18: Title/profession,organization
Justice Involved Students at Evergreen
Gateways for Incarcerated Youth
Education Director, Washington
Beekeepers Association
Kiwanis Club for Federal Way
University Beyond Bars
Tilth Alliance
WA Corrections leadership
WA Corrections
Manager, Fare Start
Senior Policy Advisor for Climate andSustainability, Governor’s Office
GRACE Project
L’Honey
Director of Development, BentonFranklin Humane Society
Doris Duke Conservation Scholars
Community volunteer beekeepers
King County Dept. of Public Defense

Interest in SPP

Coalition Building to benefit currently and previously incarcerated
students, especially individuals interested in attending Evergreen
Gateways supported program at SCCC involves some SPP students andRoots instructors; sharing information and coordinating activities
Aligning plans and resources to maximize beekeeping education in WA
Corrections programs
Asked for and hosted SPP overview presentation
Identified overlapping interests and initiatives; began collaborating on
education and activities in MCC’s Sustainable Practices Lab andcomposting programs, and developing new curricula and certifications
Sought out new contacts who can inform and support composting andgardening programs at MCC
SPP-Evergreen made contact with incoming Directors and Administrators,
including Deputy Secretary, Educational Director, Grants Administrator,
Assistant Comptroller, Senior Research Manager, CI staff @ McNeil Island
SPP-Evergreen made contact with incoming Superintendents, SPP program
liaisons, and many other key facility staff
Former SPP Butterfly Technician now a Manager for Fare Start culinary
program, joined SPP Advisory Panel
Joined SPP Advisory Panel
Supported Kitsap Conservation District project coordinator in creating
media and outreach for the new program
Collaboration between L'Arche Farm and a local parish focused onbeekeeping education and inclusion of vulnerable adults
Consultation and support for developing and publication of essays
describing participant experiences in Ridge Dog Program
Hosted at Evergreen for presentation and discussion; offered to host anintern next summer
Supported their plans for beekeeping and education at McNeil Island
Stewardship program
Considering Nature Imagery Program for jailSustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

52

SPP Network-International
SPP-Evergreen continues to act as the primary point of contact for the SPP Network and is recognized byother countries, states, and counties for leadership in environmental education and nature programs inprisons. Interest and involvement in SPP-model programs continues to grow. New inquiries from otherstates and countries come regularly. Ongoing relationships and the learning exchange continues toflourish.

NASA Astrobiology Program's Daniella Scalice presents to a packed hall at Noble Corrections Institution in Ohio. Photo by
Joslyn Rose Trivett.

Many new and repeat contacts this past year were through Astrobiology for the Incarcerated (AfI). The
mission of AfI is to bring research and discoveries in astrobiology—understanding our origins andsearching for life elsewhere in the Universe—to incarcerated learners across America. The partnership
was initiated by NASA’s Astrobiology Program, University of Utah, and SPP-Evergreen in November,
2016, and program development required a full year of communications and planning. During thereporting period, SPP-Evergreen’s Joslyn Rose Trivett played the role of program coordinator for lecture
series in Washington State and Ohio, and this included overseeing Human Subjects Review for program
evaluation in both states (see Evaluations for more details).
Even though WA no longer hosts a Sagebrush in Prisons program, SPP-Evergreen maintains a productive
relationship with the lead organization, the Institute for Applied Ecology. This multi-state program
represents the most established ecological conservation programs outside of WA, and there is much togain from sharing their successes, updates, and best practices.
In FY18, nearly 30 new organizations and individuals contacted SPP-Evergreen to ask for information andresources, and all received substantive responses. Work with many established national andinternational partners continued as well, and those are listed in the second section of the table.
Table 28. National and International contacts, SPP-Evergreen, FY18. (see Appendix 3 for abbreviations)
New contact in FY18: Title/profession,organization

Interest in SPP

State

DOC Environmentalist, Alabama DOC

Learning about Roots of Success

Alabama

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual ReportCountry(if not
USA)

53

Assistant Director, University
Sustainability Practices, Arizona State
University
Landscape Architecture Master’s
students, UC Hastings
Santa Clara Sherrif’s Office

SPP as a reference for a Sustainable Forest
Initiative grant, to operate a nursery.

Arizona

Background for a thesis project, juvenile
detention center in San Mateo County
Staff turnover; updating contacts

California

Undergraduate Student, UC Berkeley

Looking for information on prison gardens
and farms to include in their thesis
Co-presenter for Earth Ed webinar

California

Provided interview on sustainability within
prisons and social impacts
Astrobiology in Prisons Program;environmental and science lectures
Studying sustainability in prisons. Husband isa Sgt in Idaho DOC.
Interested in sustainability programs in
Indiana correctional facilities.
Trying to start Master gardeners program in
Fort Leavenworth at Mid-West Regional
Correctional Facility
Looking into starting a beekeeping program in
one of their local prisons
Wants to do sustainability work in Maryland
prisonInterested in starting a similar program in
MichiganOpen to getting a butterfly program at MCFShakopee
Information about conservation nurseries inprisons
Start prison garden programs to grow for
prison kitchens and save resources.
Interview for Capstone: research on/proposal
for inmate-constructed, modular garden beds
Sharing organizational awareness; invitation
to visit their program
Reviewing and publicizing aquaponics
program and protocols, support for creating
national herbs behind bars contest andpresenting to national Aquaponics
Association; connection to national partners

Colorado

The Cultural Conservancy; American
Indian Studies, SFSU
Undergraduate Student, Colorado State
University in Fort Collins
Florida Department of Corrections
Master's student
Community & Mentor Engagement,
Indiana Department of Correction
SPC in US Army
Mental Health Therapist and Instructor,
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Former Evergreen student
Associate Certified Entomologist, Central
Michigan University
Adult Basic Education teacher, Challenge
Incarceration Program, MCF-Shakopee
Plant Conservation Program Specialists,
Bureau of Land Management, NM Office
New Mexico Community Foundation
Student, Parsons School of Design
Defy Ventures
Officer, Michael Unit, Texas Dept of
Criminal JusticeCalifornia

California

FloridaIdaho
Indiana
KansasLouisiana
MarylandMichiganMinnesota
New Mexico
New Mexico
New York
California
Texas

Officer McLeon of Texas Dept of Criminal Justicepresented at the national Aquaponics Association
Conference in 2018; his willingness to be acorrections-based spokesperson for aquaponics inprison is invaluable!

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report54

Recent Master’s graduate, Cleveland
State U

Working on a feasibility study for teachingcoding in a women’s prison

Ohio

Rehabilitation Technician & Trainer, Ohio
Wildlife Center & SCRAM! Wildlife
Control
Ohio Corrections, prison leadership at 6
facilities
Lettuce Grow - Operations Coordinator,
Growing Gardens
Local beekeeper from Philadelphia PA

Learning about WA programs

Ohio

Astrobiology in Prisons

Ohio

Wants to start a network of individuals andorg’s who work with gardens in prisons.
Consult on how to get prison administrators
on board with a prison bee program.
Offering arboriculture education and training
to incarcerated students
Interested in started a bee program

OregonManitoba

CanadaResearch project on Sustainable Prisonsinvolving multiple org’s like Dissertations for
Good (DFG) and the National Union ofStudents (NUS)
Exploring eco chaplaincy to complement
existing work

Cumbria

UK

Bristol

UK

Most active established partners
nationally and internationally, FY18
Multiple staff members at Institute forApplied Ecology
Associate Research Professor, Institutefor Human-Animal Connection, U of
DenverUniversity of Utah, all team members

Interest in SPP

StateCountry

SPP program certifications and curriculum
development
Studying impacts of pet programs in prisons;supplied funding for Phase 2

OregonNature imagery in prisonsnational

Sustainability Programs Manager,
Oregon Department of Corrections
Freelance journalist & author, consultant
at Shimane Asahi Rehabilitation Program
Ctr
Education and Communications Lead,
NASA Astrobiology Program
Energy Conservation & Sustainability
Administrator, Ohio Department of
Rehabilitation and Correction
Writer and Documentary Filmmaker

SPP-Oregon

OregonInterested in SPP programs in their area

International

Astrobiology lectures in prisons nationally

national

Astrobiology lectures, Roots of Success andsustainability program best practices

Ohio

Nature imagery nationwide

national

SPP-Tasmania, Churchill FellowshipAward 2018

Coordinated 8 week west coast tour: 6 WA
prisons, plus several prisons and jails in OR
and CA
Sharing contacts, best practices, and successstories

Tasmania

AustraliaEnglandUK

PA Department of Conservation andNatural Resources
Administrative Assistant, Stony Mountain
Institution, Correctional Service ofCanadaPrison Officer, MBA Student at Universityof Cumbria
Managing Chaplain, Chaplaincy
Department

Ecology Lead for the UK Ministry ofJustice Estates Cluster

Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

ColoradoJapan

National interest in SPP-model programming is also summarized in Figure 3 on the following page.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report55

Figure 3. Implementation (shown in darker green) of and interest (shown in lighter green) in SPP model
programs in the United States.

During his tour of sustainability programs in the western United States correctional facilities, Dean
Maddock of SPP-Tasmania listens to incarcerated beekeepers and Roots of Success instructors at AHCC.
Photo by Bethany Shepler.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report5611. Dissemination
Presentations
In FY18, SPP staff at Evergreen (SPP-Evergreen) presented at a variety of venues to highlight specificprograms or represent SPP as a whole. In addition, we attended numerous events at which we madeinformal or brief presentations representing the organization. A summary of presentations is given in
Table 29; this table excludes presentations made within established programs.
Table 29. SPP-Evergreen Presentations, FY18; does not include in-program presentations (see Appendix
3 for abbreviations)
Date

Presenter(s)8/2/17

Joslyn Rose Trivett

Title
New sources of leadership andinnovation: Community basedsustainability

Venue

Sustainability in Prisons Project

ACA in St. LouisSPP Overview

Kiwanis Club of Federal Way

SPP Tabling

Resource Fair, CCCCSPP Tabling

Evergreen Convocation

SPP Tabling
Welcome and facilitatedconversation

MCCCW Women’s Day

EarthEd Webinar, Security andSustainability Forum

9/29/17

Kelli Bush, Steve
SinclairErin Lynam, Emily
Passarelli
Sadie Gilliom
Kelli Bush, Sadie
Gilliom
Keegan Curry

10/18/17

Joslyn Rose Trivett

11/3/17Bethany Shepler

11/22/17

Kelli Bush

12/19/17

Joslyn Rose Trivett

1/10/18

Joslyn Rose Trivett

1/23/18

Jacob Meyers

Acknowledgements

2/6/18Kelli BushAcknowledgements

Beekeeping and prairie
conservation certificate
ceremony, SCCC
Composting Certificate
Ceremony, MCC

SPP Overview & Bees

CCCC STEM Fair

Butterflies
SPP Overview & Recidivism

CNLM Lunchtime Lectures
MPA ClassButterflies

MCCCW

8/20/17
8/30/17
9/15/17
9/20/17

3/10/18
3/10/18
3/14/18
3/20/18

Amanda Mintz, Jacob
MeyersKeegan Curry
Jacob Meyers
Carolina, Keegan, &Technicians

Acknowledgements
SPP Overview and Conservation
Programs
Nature Imagery: programs &benefits of contact with nature
Nature Imagery: programs &benefits of contact with nature

Climate Symposium, SCCC
Roots of Success Graduation,MCC
UW Restoration Ecology Class
WCC – SBU Classroom
WCC – SBU Classroom

4/5/18SPP Staff

SPP Overview

4/12/18

Bethany Shepler

5/10/18

Carl Elliott, Amanda
Mintz

Construction and Removal of Elwha
Dams

MES Admitted Students,
Evergreen
Lewis County Youth Detention
CenterSPP Tabling

Rachel Carson Forum, Evergreen

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report57

5/11/18

Kelli Bush and
WSDOT partners

6/6/18

Joslyn Rose Trivett

6/9/18

Carl Elliott

DOC, SPP, and WSDOT partnership
opportunities
SPP Overview & Brand; SPP Shared
ValuesPrairie Plant Interpretation

SCCC
Advisory Panel
Prairie Blitz, Wolf Haven

Table 30. WA Corrections staff and leadership presentations, reported for FY18 (see Appendix 3 forabbreviations)Date
6/11/18

Title/topic
Sustainable
programs and areas

Venue
CCCC/ Operational
Auditors

Focus areas
Aquaponics, Woodpeckers,
Turtles

Sustainable
programs and areas

CCCC/Local Family
CouncilAquaponics, Woodpeckers,
Turtles

05/20/18

Presenters
CCCC Supt
Flynn, CPM
Anderson
CCCC Supt
Flynn, CPM
Anderson
Kelly Peterson

All SPP Programs

06/19/18

Kelly Peterson

Joni & friends

Display of all SCCC SPP
programs – Community
awareness
Community recycle /Wheelchair Collection

06/29/18

Kelly Peterson

Joni & friends

Family Promise
Community dinner
fundraiser
Family Promise /Community HomelessMeeting
Landfill, local hospitals
and nursing homes

8/3/18Community recycle /Wheelchair Collection

SPP Tours
SPP staff from Evergreen, and WA Corrections staff at each facility regularly host visitors interested in
SPP programs. A summary of tours reported for FY18 is in Table 31; we believe this greatly
underrepresents tours conducted by WA Corrections staff.
Table 31. Tours of SPP programs, FY18 (see Appendix 3 for abbreviations)Date
7/27/17
8/28/17
9/19 – 9/21
2/15/18
3/09/18
3/29/18
4/04/18
4/09/18
4/20/18

5/11/18
5/11/18SCCC
SCCC

Visitors
Coastal Harvest
Local Family Council Members
Atsuko Otsuka
Max Calloway, MES student, kelp expert
SPP Wetland Mat Tour
JBLM, WDFW, Samish Nation and others
WA DOC Headquarters / Education
Family Promise Homeless Committee
Uganda Volunteers
Karen Reagan and Zach Radmer, US Fish andWildlife Service
WSDOT, WA Corrections & SPP
WSDOT and DOC

5/18/18

SCCC

Isabell Leigh, UW-Tacoma student

5/21/18
5/22/18
5/24/18
5/30/18

WSP
CRCC
AHCC

Dean Maddock, SPP Tasmania
Dean Maddock, SPP Tasmania
Dean Maddock, SPP Tasmania
Coastal Harvest

5/4/18Location
SCCC
AHCC
SCCC
SCCC
SCCC
SCCC
SCCC
SCCC
SCCC
MCCCW

SCCC

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

Program areas
All SPP Programs
MSU
All SPP Programs
EVM
All SPP Programs
SCCC and EVM
All SPP Programs / CI
All SPP Programs
All SPP Programs
Butterfly Program
All SPP Programs
SCCC and EVM
Roots of Success, other SPP
Programs
All SPP Programs
All SPP Programs
All SPP Programs
All SPP Programs
58

5/30/18
6/04/18
6/5/18
6/7/18
6/10/18
6/12/18
n/a
n/a
n/a

MCC
SCCC
CCCC
AHCC
SCCC
SCCC
CCCC
CCCC
CCCC

Dean Maddock, SPP Tasmania
Dean Maddock, SPP Tasmania
Dean Maddock, SPP Tasmania
Atsuko Otsuka, Japanese Ministry of JusticeTracy Grunenfelder
Joni & Friends Representatives
Local Family Council
Safety Audit Team
Operations Audit TeamAll SPP Programs
All SPP Programs
All SPP Programs
Main and MSU
All SPP Programs / CI
All SPP Programs
All SPP programs
All SPP programs
All SPP programs

Academic Publications, Projects, and Internships
Academic Publications
SPP-Evergreen did not write for academic publications in FY18.
Graduate Student Theses and Capstones
During FY18, SPP-Evergreen supported three graduate students in activities toward the culminative
academic work to satisfy their degree:• Erin Lynam, Master of Public Administration (MPA) candidate, completed her capstone
proposing a credit bearing, adult prison education program at Evergreen.
• Amanda Mintz, Master of Environmental Studies (MES) candidate, conducting thesis research on
the effects of using compost tea as a nutrient supplement for the pre-vegetated mats.
• Bethany Shepler, MES candidate, consulted with environmental education experts incarcerated
at SCCC on the research question, surveys, and methodology for her thesis research (seeStudent Theses for further details on both MES projects).

Erin Lynam presents her capstone at the Summit for Justice Involved Students at Evergreen. Photo by KeeganCurry.

SPP-Evergreen provided informal support to numerous additional students, some of which are describedin the Network section.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report59During the spring and summer 2018,
incarcerated technicians in MCC-WSR’s
composting program assisted a University ofWashington graduate student with scientifictrials in the prison garden. The research question
is to determine the impacts various soil
treatments on vegetables produced. The test
plots are treated with two types of finishedcompost from the prison program, andharvested vegetables will be tested for levels of
key elements that have been shown to improve
human health.
UW Faculty Dr. Sally Brown and a vermiculture technician harvest
from a trial plot. Photo courtesy of University Beyond Bars.

Internships
Kelli Bush supported the following internships with Evergreen Master of Environmental Studies
students:
Spring 2018, Keegan Curry, SPP Butterfly Program: Captive Breeding, Training Documentation, andCoordinating a Field Site Visit for Program Participants
Fall 2017, Jessica Brown, Endangered Western Pond Turtle Rehabilitation and Environmental Education
with Sustainability in Prisons ProjectMedia Coverage
In FY18, SPP-WA was featured in morethan 31 stories from local, regional, andinternational media outlets. The tablebelow includes all of the pieces SPPEvergreen staff tracked during FY18.
Links for each of the pieces are available
on SPP’s website in our press archive.
Table 32. SPP Media FY18

Washington Secretary of State published a blog on AHCC’s accomplishedbeekeeping program, including certification of 16 incarcerated beekeepers
at the journeyman level!

Date

Paper/Source

Author

7/19/2017

KATU News

Stuart Tomlinson

7/27/2017

Shelton-Mason Journal

Dana Kampa

8/30/2017

seattle refined

Kelly Blake and Sy
bean

9/1/2017

Nature News

Gabriel Popkin

9/10/2017

The Argus Observer

Hunter Marrow

9/30/2017

Pet Connection Magazine

n/aSustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

Title
Endangered butterfly lab at Coffee Creek
Prison nurtures insects and inmates
Tending to the bees – Mission Creek
Corrections Center turns inmates into
bee-lievers
Why locals are taking their pets to thisGig Harbor prison
Nature videos help to calm inmates insolitary confinement
Educating inmates — Lectures ‘bringscience and nature’ into prison
Freedom Tails: Second Chances,
Compassion, and Connections BehindBars
60

10/4/2017

Real Change

Taylor McAvoy

10/26/2017

Correctional Newsn/a

10/27/2017

Yes! Magazine

Sarah van Gelder

11/8/201712/12/2017
12/21/2017

Climate Interactive
The Planet Magazine
University Beyond Bars

Shanna Edberg
Jonathan Flynnn/a

1/2/2018

Jefferson Land Trustn/a

1/18/2018

Washington State
Governor's Officen/a

1/25/2018

GreenBiz

Sarah Hicks

2/21/2018

Wilsonville Spokesman

Corey Buchanan

2/23/2018
2/26/2018

Utrecht University
Teaching Academy
Washington Secretary ofState Blog

Chiara Robbiano
Sue Box3/2/2018

Works in Progress

Joslyn Rose Trivett

3/13/2018

docDIGEST

Kelli Bush

3/18/2018

Maine Press-Herald

Meredith Goad

3/20/2018

Wings Worldquest

Bianca Fortis

4/11/18

PBS Nature

Ann Prum4/16/2018

Jefferson Public Radio

Courtney Flatt

4/17/2018

Oregon Public
Broadcasting

Courtney Flatt

4/17/2018

Yak Tri News

Tori Youngblood

4/17/2018

Union-Bulletin.com

Andy Porter

5/1/2018

BioCycle

Nick Hacheney &Kelli Bush

6/5/2018

Yale Climate Connections

Daisy Simmons

6/22/2018

Washington State
University

n/a

6/28/2018

The Columbian

Annette Cary

6/30/201891.3 KBCSn/a

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual ReportFertile ground: Sustainable practices inprison lead to sustainable futures
Snake River Study Shows Nature Scenes
Help Calm Prison Inmates
How Inmates, Scientists, andGovernment Workers Are Teaming Up to
Save This Butterfly
Learning Conservation in Prison
The Gated Garden
UBB Student Spotlight - Nick Hacheney
Report from the Field: Mission Creek
Corrections Center Partnership
Trained for success: Corrections program
promotes rehabilitation, sustainability
Environmental programs grow a better
prison system
Coffee Creek inmates help sustain
endangered butterflies
A mind blowing visit to Evergreen State
College — a multi-authored report
Beekeepers at the Airway Heights
Corrections Center
The pursuit of happiness at the Stafford
Creek Corrections Center
Sustainability in Prisons Project at
Washington Corrections Center for
Women
The Trailblazer: Maine State Prison
teaches inmates to garden, compost,
recycleWomen of Discovery: Q&A With Nalini
Nadkarni
How to Save a Butterfly
Captive Raised Lambs Could Be The Best
Thing To Happen To Bighorn Sheep
Captive-Raised Lambs Could Be The Best
Thing To Happen To Bighorn Sheep
Prison inmates raise sheep for
conservation efforts
Domestic sheep program aims to easeproblems for bighorns
Science + Prisons Create Innovative
Solutions
These inmates are learning about climatechangeMonarchs ride west coast winds: Proof of
butterfly migration from WSU & citizen
scientists
Could monarch butterflies disappear?
Incarcerated Women: Sustainability In
Prisons Project61

Outreach
In-Print
Most of SPP-Evergreen’s printed outreach are intended for in-prison viewing and distribution. In FY18,
we produced and provided a wide range of outreach and education materials for several prisons,
including:• New SPP overview for wide distribution• SPP one-pager for inmates to pilot as part of reception at CRCC, SCCC, and WCC (general
population only), printed 1200 and distributed them to those facilities• New beekeeping posters for CBCC and MCCCW.
• Nature imagery flyers for WCC and MCC-SOU• SPP Overview slides for SCCC
• One pagers for new sheep program, prairie conservation nurseries, and EVM nursery• Five post-cards representing key themes, distributed to partners and within many programs• New thank you cards• SPP lapel pins
• SPP t-shirts• Summer 2017 and Winter 2018 Newsletters published on schedule and distributed widely via
email, website, and print
OnlineFor SPP’s website (http://sustainabilityinprisons.org), SPP-Evergreen staff wrote or adapted andpublished 50 posts. In addition, we made substantive changes to nearly every active page—and there
are more than 50!—updating information and improving accessibility. Based on excellent input from WA
Corrections Director of Communications, we entirely revamped the website homepage.
SPP’s main outlets for social media are Facebook (www.facebook.com/sustainabillityinprisons) andtwitter (twitter.com/SPP_WA). On Facebook, we posted on a wide variety of topics, and our Likes
increased from 1,781 to 1,925. The posts that attracted the most attention were:Table 33. Most popular Facebook posts FY18.
Subject

Origin# of People
ReachedFrom a new butterfly technician
working at Coffee Creek
YES! Magazine article with insights from
Fawn HarrisMore states restoring voting rights forformerly incarcerated
Article on the Oregon’s Taylor’s
checkerspot
Gazettetimes article on Sagebrush in
Prisons
Press Herald article on Maine’s DOC
success with gardening and horticulture
Video on Gateways for Incarcerated
YouthCarl Elliott receives restoration award

SPP-Oregon

3,300# of Likes,
Comments,
Shares113

Repost2,800

32

October 30, 2017

Repost2,700

18

November 9, 2017

SPP-Oregon

2,600

113

February 28, 2018

SPP-Oregon

2,200

10

November 9, 2017

Repost2,100

108March 19, 2018

Repost2,100

51

October 17, 2017

SPP-Evergreen

2,100

81

November 1, 2017

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

Date
July 20, 201762

Video on Yoga Behind Bars and some of
their students
Correctional Facility Adopts Multiple
Food Scraps Practices
John Fitzpatrick of Cedar Creek
awarded scholarship
New conservation program at Cedar
Creek
Jacob Meyers reflects on time at SPP:
Reducing Recidivism Part 1
SPP Evergreen’s directors – twoamazing women
What sagebrush means to me – froman incarcerated technician
First Climate Change Symposium in
October!

Repost1,900

71

July 19, 2017

MCC-WA
Corrections
WA
Corrections
SPP-Evergreen

1,600

19

October 24, 2017

1,500

34

October 26, 2017

1,500

78

November 22, 2017

SPP-Evergreen

1,500

102

February 12, 2018

SPP-Evergreen

1,400

201

December 11, 2017

SPP-Evergreen

1,400

43

August 11, 2017

SPP-Evergreen

1,300

74

December 18, 2017

On Twitter, we increased our followers by 44 and had 1,790 people visit our page. Highlights:








SPP tweeted 94 times and made over 91,000 impressions
We gained an additional 44 followers (364 followers at end of FY 18)
1,790 people visited SPP’s twitter page
6 tweets made over 2,000 impressions
2 tweets made over 5,000 impressions
Our tweets that attracted the most attention:

Table 34. Most popular Twitter posts FY18.
Subject# of Impressions

SPP Evergreen’s directors – twoamazing women
SPP Summer Newsletter
Bethany Shepler’s first months at SPP
Earth Ed Webinar
Blog on sheep program
PBS features Taylor’s Checkerspot
rearing program at MCCCW

6,600# of Interactions/
Engagements
72

5,700
4,800
3,600
2,200
2,200

45
37
89
56
19

Date
December 11, 2017
September 5, 2017
November 28, 2017
July 26, 2017
April 13, 2018
April 13, 2018

AwardsFor FY18, three prisons were recognized for excellence; these awards are summarized in the tablebelow.
Table 35. Awards, FY18.
DateAwarding bodyMay 2018

SNAP Spokane
WA Department of
Ecology
WA Department of
Ecology

August 2017
2017

Recipient: person and/or
program
AHCC Firewood program
CCCC Waste Water Treatment
Plant
OCC Waste Water Treatment
Plant

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual ReportAward Name
Community Partner of the Year2017 Outstanding Wastewater
Treatment Plant Award
2017 Outstanding Wastewater
Treatment Plant Award

63

Appendix 1. SPP Program in Washington State Prisons FY18
We reported on 204 SPP programs in Washington State’s 12 prisons this year; see Table 36, below.
Several additional programs were in development during the reporting period, and most of those are
not indicated here. For links to programs, partner organizations, and highlights for each program, see
http://sustainabilityinprisons.org/what-we-do/spp-programs-in-washington-state-prisons-v2/
Table 36. SPP-WA Programs

Airway Heights Corrections Center (AHCC)
Roots of Success, environmental course
Beekeeping
Vegetable gardens: Minimum
Vegetable gardens: Main
Horticulture
Diversity Garden
Flower gardens
Pollinator forage and habitat
Waste sorting & recycling
Worm farm: MSU
SPL: Quilting
Computers 4 Kids
Pawsitive dog training – prison program
Nature imagery
Firewood donation

Clallam Bay Corrections Center (CBCC)
Roots of Success, environmental course
Beekeeping
Beekeeping students at CBCC examinematerials brought in by beekeeping
expert Mark Urnes of North Olympic
Penisula Beekeepers Association. CBCC's
bee program launched in 2017, and it isthriving. Photo by Bethany Shepler.

Vegetable gardens
Flower gardens
Ozette potato program

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

64Dog training and adoption
Cat program
Water catchment
Waste water treatment
Waste sorting & recycling

Cedar Creek Corrections Center (CCCC)
Community College horticulture
Aquaponics
Construction: tiny homes and wildlife habitat
Beekeeping – CCCC
Beekeeping – McNeil Island
Western pond turtle care
Woodpecker nest predation study
Vegetable gardens
Flower gardens
Waste sorting & recycling
Large-scale composting
Waste water treatment
Water use reduction and catchment
Training dogs for veterans

Coyote Ridge Corrections Center (CRCC)
Roots of Success, environmental course
Sustainability Lecture Series
Sustainability Passport
Heritage Garden
Gardens: Minimum
Plant and animal habitat: bird boxes, pollinator boxes
Native plant and pollinator enhancement, inside and outside the fence
Beekeeping
Worm composting: main and minimum
Composting
Waste sorting & recycling
Ridge Dogs
This is Bentley, a puppy Bethany
Shepler met on a tour of CRCC in
November, 2017. He made an
impression. Photo by Bethany
Shepler.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report65Mother and kitten foster
Toys for Tots
Teddy bears from reclaimed materials

Larch Corrections Center (LCC)

Roots of Success, environmental course
Western pond turtles care
Beekeeping
Plantain, food source for Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly
Bird feeders
Gardens
House plants
Large-scale composting
Waste sorting & recycling
Waste reduction
Food waste reduction
Wood craft donations
Larch Dog Adoption Program
Larch Cat Adoption Program

Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women (MCCCW)
Roots of Success, environmental course
Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly program
Bird boxes
Beekeeping
GRACE (Gardening for Restoration and Conservation Education) Project
Vegetable gardens
Flower gardens
Small-scale composting
Conservation crews
Waste sorting & recycling
Water use reduction & catchment
Pawsitive Prison ProjectHouse plants

Monroe Correctional Complex (MCC)
Roots of Success, environmental course
House plants
Bird houses and hummingbird feeders
Flower gardens, boxes, baskets
Waste sorting & recycling
Water use reduction & catchment

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report66Waste Water Treatment Certification
SOU
Vegetable gardens
Cat program
Nature imagery
Beekeeping
TRU
Vegetable gardens
Dog training and adoption
Craft donation
Beekeeping
Sue Collins andMichael Hathaway
promote MCC-TRU's
beekeeping programat the Evergreen State
Fair. Photo by Bethany
Shepler.

WSR
Composting programs: worm farm, black soldier flies, bokashi
City of Monroe public flowers
SPL Bicycles
SPL Wheelchair program
SPL Woodshop
Bird habitat
Vegetable gardens

Olympic Corrections Center (OCC)
Gardens

Community College horticulture
Pollinator-friendly plantings
Flower gardens, boxes, baskets
Water features
Large-scale composting
Waste sorting & recycling
Solar power
Waste Water Treatment
Water catchment
Wood shop
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report67

Dog training and adoption
Green Building
Firewood

Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC)
Roots of Success, environmental course
Environmental Workshop Series
Seed to Supper
Prairie Conservation Nursery
Emergent Vegetation Mats
Beekeeping
Gardens and greenhouses
Lifer Garden
Pollinator plantings
Bird houses
Food Bank fundraisers
Large-scale composting
Waste sorting & recycling
Water catchment
Bicycle Repair
Wheelchair Repair
Freedom Tails
Service dogs for veterans
Flower gardens, boxes, baskets
Construction: projects to benefit homeless

Washington Corrections Center (WCC)
Roots of Success, environmental course
Environmental Workshop Series
Prairie Conservation Nursery
Beekeeping
Horticulture
Gardens & greenhouses
Plant starts
Construction: bus stops, tiny homes, bird houses, Neighborhood Pantry project
Flower gardens
Nature Imagery
House plants
Large-scale composting
Waste sorting & recycling
Shoe & clothing repurposing
Training dogs for veterans

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report68Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW)Roots of Success, environmental course
Environmental Workshop Series
Prairie Conservation Nursery
Gardens & greenhouses
Pollinator plantings
Horticulture
Prison Pet PartnershipA dog gets a bath in the Prison Pet
Partership at WCCW, likely the firstprison pet program in the country. Photo
by Joslyn Rose Trivett.

Beekeeping
Chickens
Mother Earth Farm
Large-scale composting
Bicycle Repair
Quilts and other fabric crafts
Waste sorting & recycling
Electric vehicles
Lighting upgrades

Washington State Penitentiary (WSP)
Monarch program

Gardens & greenhouses: Institutional Sustainability Garden
Composting, main
Waste sorting & recycling
Electrical upgrades
Water conservation
Kitten program
MSU
Beekeeping
Sheep conservation program
SPL

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report69Bicycle Refurbish
Wood Shop
Wood Carving
Learning Center
Aquaculture and Aquaponics
Indoor plants
Worm Farm
Furniture Repair
Sign Shop
Teddy Bears
Quilting
Sagebrush Conservation Nursery
Roots of Success, environmental course
Green Zone
Green Zone composting
Water treatment systems

A Roots of Success student at WSP writes in his workbook. Photo by Bethany Shepler.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report70Appendix 2. SPP Programs Partners in Washington State PrisonsComplementing the efforts of founding partners, WA Corrections, and Evergreen, program partners
contributed to almost every SPP program. Most programs would not be possible without their input,
enthusiasm, and resources. In FY18, we have 158 known (reported) partners. Considering that WSP’s
Sustainable Practices Lab has donated program creations to more than 400 charitable organizations, weknow the actual number is far greater!
Table 37. SPP-WA Partners (Partnering with WA Corrections, Evergreen, or both)Adam County Pet Rescue
ARC of Tri-Cities
Bee Thinking
Benton Franklin Humane Society
Blessings Under the BridgeBlue Mountain Humane SocietyBlue Mountain Action Council
Brigadoon Service Dogs
Bureau of Land Management
Calbag Metals
Calm Waters
Canyon Creek Cabinet Company
CASA
Center for Natural Lands Management
Central Kitsap Food Bank
Centralia College
Cherish our Children
Christian Aid Center
Christian Charities Mission
City of Monroe
City of Sultan
Clark County Beekeeping Association
Coastal Community Action Senior Center
Coastal Harvest
Community Beekeepers
Community Youth Services
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Correctional Industries
Diamonds in the Ruff
Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County
Everett Police Department
Evergreen Hospice
Farm to School
Forks Chamber of Commerce
Forks Gamers Group
Forks Lions Club
Forks Soroptimists
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
Friends of Puget Prairies
Giving Tree
Gospel Mission
Great Peninsula Conservancy
Habitat for Humanity

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report71Harbor Association of Volunteers for Animals (HAVA)Harvest Now
Holy Rosary Church
Hood Canal School District
Hope Crew
Humane Society for Southwest Washington
LCC's dog and cat
programs are apartnership with the
Humane Society forSouthwest Washington.
Photo by Sadie Gilliom.

I-CON Systems, Inc.
Institute for Applied Ecology
Interfaith Family Shelter
Jefferson Land Trust
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Kalaloch Lodge
Kitsap Humane Society
Kitsap Conservation District
Kitsap County Public Works
Kiwanis Hoodsport
KNS Recycling
Lamb Weston
Lettuce Grow
Lions Club
Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center
Little Eoarth Farm
Low Income Housing Institute
Marysville Police Department
Master Composters
Master Gardeners
Mid Columbia Beekeepers
Millers Homestead
Monroe Community Senior Center
Monroe Police Department
Mother Earth FarmNASA Astrobiology Program
Nature Imagery in Prisons ProjectNorth Olympic Peninsula Beekeepers Association
Northwest District Beekeepers Association
OlycapOlympia Beekeepers Association
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report72Olympic Anglers
Olympic Peninsula Humane Society
Oregon Food Bank
Oregon State University Extension Service
Oregon Zoo
Over the Rainbow Fabrics
PAWS
Peninsula College
PPL Electric Utilities
Project 41
Providence Hospital
Purrfect Pals
Quileute High School
Quileute Tribe
Quillayute Valley Scholarship Auction
Quillayute Valley School District
Rainbow Center
Real Food Network
Relay for Life
Roots of Success
Rotary First Harvest
Sarge’s Place for Homeless Vets
School Districts—OSPI and DES
Seattle Children’s Hospital
Second Harvest Food Bank
See the Bees
Set Free Christian Fellowship
SimpliHome Furniture LLC
Shelton Community Kitchen
Shriners Hospital for Children
SNAP Spokane
Snohomish Beekepers
Snohomish County Boys & Girls’ Club
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office
SpokAnimal
Summit Assistance Dogs
Sunshine and Rainbows Child Development Center
Symbiotic Cycles
Swedish Hospital
Tacoma Community College
Horticulture students in Tacoma
Community College's program at WCCW
harvest potatoes from one of the many
gardens in the prison yard. Photo by Joslyn
Rose Trivett.

Teen Aid
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report73The City Reach Food BankThe Saint’s Pantry Food BankThe Shelton Community Kitchen
Thurston County Food Bank
Tilth Alliance
Timber Museum
Tri-Cities Toys for Tots
Tumwater School District
Unidos por Puerto Rico
University Beyond Bars
University of Utah
University of Washington Ecosystem Science Division
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Forest Service
Veteran’s Housing Project
Walla Walla Police and Sheriff’s Department
Washington Department of Ecology
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Washington Department of Natural Resources
Washington State Department of Transportation
Washington State University Department of Entomology
Waste Connections
Waste Management
Welfare for Animals Guild (WAG)
West Columbia Gorge Humane Society
Westlake ShelterWest Plains Beekeepers Association
Westport Shipyard
West Sound Beekeepers Association
West Sound Wildlife
Wheels for the World
Wolf Haven International
Woodland Park Zoo
Women and Children Rescue Mission
Women’s Shelter of Monroe
WSU Extension, Pierce County
YWCA
158 reported organizations + 100’s more charities receiving donations

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report74Appendix 3. Abbreviations
Table 38. Common abbreviations found in FY18 Report.
Prisons
AHCC
CCBC
CCCC
CRCC
LCC
MCC
MCC-SOU
MCC-TRU
MCC-WSR
MCCCW
OCC
SCCC
WCC
WCCW
WSP
WSP-MSUWSP-BAR
Organizations

Airway Heights Corrections Center, Airway Heights (near Spokane)
Clallam Bay Corrections Center, Clallam Bay (northwest Olympic Peninsula)
Cedar Creek Corrections Center, Littlerock
Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, Connell (south, central Washington)
Larch Corrections Center, Yacolt (northeast of Vancouver)
Monroe Correctional Complex, Monroe (northeast of Seattle)
Monroe Correctional Complex, Special Offender Unit
Monroe Correctional Complex, Twin Rivers Unit
Monroe Correctional Complex, Washington State Reformatory
Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women, Belfair (Kitsap Peninsula)
Olympic Corrections Center, Forks
Stafford Creek Corrections Center, Aberdeen
Washington Corrections Center, Shelton
Washington Corrections Center for Women, Gig Harbor
Washington State Penitentiary, Walla Walla
Washington State Penitentiary, Minimum Security Unit
Washington State Penitentiary, Baker Adams Rainier Unit

ABKA
CI
CNLM
DNR
DoD
Evergreen
IAE
JBLM
NSF
OR Zoo
SPL
SPP
USFWS
WA Corrections
WDFW
WPZ
WSDOT
WSIRB

American Boarding Kennel Association
Correctional Industries
Center for Natural Lands Management
Department of Natural Resources
Department of Defense
The Evergreen State College
Institute for Applied Ecology
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
National Science Foundation
Oregon Zoo
Sustainable Practices Lab
Sustainability in Prisons Project
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Washington State Department of Corrections
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Woodland Park Zoo
Washington State Department of Transportation
Washington State Institutional Review Board

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP): Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report75

Above, two students of SPP’s longstanding workshop series at Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC) show off theirprogram certificates following an award ceremony. Photo by Liliana Caughman.
This year, partners gave new focus to SPP’s certificate programs. Building on several years’ work, SPP-Evergreen solidified a proposal to award college credit for SPP certificated-internships during incarceration; the next step is to find a
viable process for these awards. We also launched two new certificate programs with awards for composting technicians at Monroe Correctional Complex (MCC; pictured below preparing an award ceremony speech; photo by Kelli
Bush), and to Roots of Success Instructors who have taught the 50 hour curriculum three or more times.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) Fiscal Year 2018 Annual ReportIn a new partnership with the US Forest Service, partners started a woodpecker video monitoring program at
Cedar Creek Corrections Center (CCCC). Biologists trained technicians to observe and record data from video
footage, for a study on woodpecker nest predation. Previously, only graduate students have contributed to theproject, but CCCC’s technicians have effectively embraced the program and partners are planning expansion toa second prison. Photo by Jessica Brown

Late in 2016, SPP-Evergreen and University of Utah joined NASA to found a national program called
Astrobiology for the Incarcerated. This year, Evergreen staff joined program sessions in Utah and Ohio, andfacilitated five sessions in WA prisons. In this photo, Dr Drew Gorman-Lewis of University of Washington
describes his research to students at Airway Heights Corrections Center. Photo by Kelli Bush.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) Fiscal Year 2018 Annual ReportOver the last few years, Washington State Penitentiary (WSP)’s Electrical Department has replaced many conventional light fixtures with more efficient LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). These retrofits require time and money up
front, but the expected payoff is substantial. Energy savings from each project should pay off installation cost in
one to six years and savings will continue beyond the initial pay back period. Photo courtesy of Jim Atteberry.

This past year, SPP’s Advisory Panel expanded to 14 members, representing formerly incarcerated partners,
corrections, conservation, and education. Pictured here, Reed Schuler, Senior Policy Advisor for Climate andSustainability for the Governors’ Office, talks about SPP values with a prison superintendent, three members of
SPP-Evergreen staff, and a member of Evergreen’s faculty. Photo by Joslyn Rose Trivett.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) Fiscal Year 2018 Annual ReportWA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, corrections staff, SPP-Evergreen, and sheep experts launched a new Sheep
Husbandry program at WSP in the fall of 2017. The program aims to raise domestic sheep free of a pathogenthat can be transmitted to—and is lethal for—wild bighorn sheep. The program required a few years ofplanning, and a successful inaugural season bodes well for 2019. Photo by Kelli Bush.

Following the statewide beekeeping summit in 2017, bee programs are booming! Eleven of WA’s 12 prisons
host programs. MCC hosts two, and incarcerated bee technicians from CCCC tend bees at the prison and at a
new program on McNeil Island, pictured above. Enthusiasm for these programs can hardly be overstated.
Photo by Bethany Shepler.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

Two community service crewmembers from Mission Creek Corrections Center (MCCCW) work in the GRACE
Project garden. The GRACE Project is a new initiative of the Kitsap Conservation District and stands for
Gardening for Restoration and Conservation Education. In the first year of the program, MCCCW has beenable to help grow ~11,000 lbs. of produce for area food banks. Photo by Keegan Curry.

It was an outstanding year for the Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly program hosted by MCCCW. Incarcerated
technicians set a new record, yielding 8,000 butterfly eggs in one season. They also hosted many high-level
visitors and toured WDFW prairie sites. In this photo, Biologist Mary Linders shows the technicians whichareas of the prairie are currently occupied by reintroduced butterflies. Photo by Keegan Curry.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) Fiscal Year 2018 Annual ReportThis past year, a group of formerly incarcerated students currently attending The Evergreen State College
formed a leadership group for justice involved students. Their work has catalyzed coalition building among justice-involved organizations and individuals, on Evergreen’s campus and beyond. For SPP-Evergreen staff, theirefforts and input have been invaluable. Photo by Keegan Curry.

In the wetland conservation nursery at SCCC, technician Brian Bedilion tells partners from WA Dept. of Transportation (WSDOT) and Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) about his experiences in the program. SPP has initiated apromising partnership with WSDOT Environmental Services to provide education and training during incarceration and to reduce employment barriers for WSDOT career pathways post-release. Photo by Ricky Osborne.
Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report