Turtles and Plantain at Larch Corrections Centerby Kelli Bush, SPP Program Manager

WDFW Biologist Stefani Bergh, Facilities Manager Terry Hettinger, and the new turtle technicians discuss how to care forwestern pond turtles at Larch Corrections Center. Photo by Carl Elliott.

It has been an exciting year at Larch Corrections Center (LCC) as two new SPP conservation programs
have been established at the minimum security prison located east of Vancouver, WA. Prison staff andleadership have been excellent partners—they worked quickly to create a new turtle lab and buildplantain beds, and have been great collaborators and communicators.

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TurtlesThe first new program involves work with state-endangered western pond turtles (Actinemysmarmorata), that builds on the success of the turtle program at Cedar Creek Corrections
Center. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists have been finding turtles in the wild
afflicted with a shell disease. Sick reptiles are transferred from the wild to the Oregon Zoo to receive
acute veterinary care. After initial treatment, turtles are transported to LCC to receive extended careand monitoring. Inmate technicians are providing excellent care. Once recovered, turtles will be
returned to the wild. Currently Larch Corrections Center is caring for eight turtles which will likely bereleased late March or early April.

Taylor's checkerspot butterfly caterpillars munch on plantain at SPP's butterfly rearing program at Mission Creek Corrections
Center. Photo by Benj Drummond and Sara Joy Steele.

Plantain for butterflies
SPP and LCC have also teamed up with the Oregon Zoo to grow narrow leaf plantain (Plantagolanceolata). This plant is a critical food source for federally-endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies(Euphydryas editha taylori) which are being reared at the Oregon Zoo and at Mission Creek Corrections
Center for Women. LCC is growing about 3,500 plants to feed rapidly growing butterfly larvae at theOregon Zoo. One to two times per week, inmate technicians will harvest leaves from plantain plants
grown in 10 raised bed gardens at LCC.

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We are so pleased to collaborate with the fabulous folks at Oregon Zoo, Washington Department of Fishand Wildlife and others to bring these programs to LCC!

Planning action for Clallam Bayby Joslyn Rose Trivett, SPP Network Manager
After months of pre-meetings and scheduling, Clallam Bay Corrections Center (CBCC) hosted two days ofAction Planning: deciding next steps to expand SPP programs at the prison. The event brought together
many great minds and stakeholders: the Director of Prisons Steve Sinclair, prison Superintendent RonaldHayes, the well-stocked Sustainability Committee, visiting experts on beekeeping, rainwater catchment,
and the Makah tribe, SPP managers, and Capitol Programs staff from Headquarters. We were there
to plan for two or three new sustainability initiatives.
There was no shortage of excellent ideas in the room. We explored the merits of many, many programs
and strategies. Narrowing our focus was a real challenge—so many contenders, so many promisingavenues toward sustainability, how to pick which are the very best? At the end of Day 1, we held a vote,and it was a relief to see a few clear winners emerge.

After a day of good-natured debate over CBCC's sustainability priorities, the group gets ready to vote.

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When the votes were cast, the clear winners were water conservation/culture change and beekeeping.

Culture change through water conservation
The top choice was a hybrid focus: water conservation and culture change. At a prison where it
rains 95 inches a year (that's really wet), and pulls water from a salmon-bearing stream, thegroup was determined to use less tap water and catch more rainwater. Promoting thesechanges seemed an ideal way to promote sustainable choices in general.
To achieve this goal, we decided on several action items, including:create posters to display throughout the facility (see example below)
publish and distribute sustainability newsletters, with versions for inmates and staff
in each housing unit, hold Town Hall sustainability meetings

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This poster promotes saving resources at the prison, with an inmate audience in mind; the version for staff is slightly different.

Beekeeping
The other winner was beekeeping—all agreed that a honeybee program could bring numerousrewards to the prison. Corrections staff and inmates could gain recognized education andcertification. In-prison beekeepers could enjoy calming, meditative work with the hives. The
hives could contribute healthy bees to pollinate the prison's organic gardens and bolster local
honeybee population. All involved could help build the international effort to restore thepollinators on which we depend.
We settled on these actions to bring beekeeping to CBCC:


Create beekeeping posters
Write and submit a proposal to the prison Captain, identifying planned costs, siting, andsafety protocol
Consult with the North Olympic Peninsula Beekeepers on how best to offer certification
program at the prison

All in all, we were impressed by how much we were able to plan in two days. The actions taken
since also attest to Action Planning's worth: we have been busy as bees turning those plans intoreality.

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Washington State Penitentiary Collaboration for the Birds!
By Kelli Bush, SPP Program Manager
It’s always nice to do positive projects. It helps us do our time with rewarding accomplishment
knowing it helps the community and wildlife. ~ Michael Feeney
We appreciate the opportunity to work with the public for environmental causes. ~ RoyTownsend

Roy Townsend, Michael Feeney, Robert Beck, Robert Haugen, Luke Andrade, and Jose Ayala pose with the barn owl next boxes
they build in the Sustainable Practices Lab. Photo by DOC staff.

Inmates working in the Sustainable Practices Lab at Washington State Penitentiary (WSP) arebuilding owl boxes for the Blue Mountain Audubon. The boxes are installed in vineyards to helpwith rodent control—a strategy that will benefit viticulturists and owls alike. The boxes aredesigned to be suitable homes for barn owls. The Blue Mountain Audubon’s Owl Nest Box

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Project was inspired by
the Hungry Owl Project, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing theuse of toxic rodenticides while
promoting owl and wildlife
conservation.
Rodenticides can be slow topoison rodents. Poisoned rodents
are sluggish and debilitated—easy
prey for owls, hawks, eagles,
falcons and other wildlife.
Consuming contaminated rodents
can make predator animals ill andcan even result in death.
Barn owls have voracious
appetites. Installing barn owl
boxes can be a cost effective way
to manage a rodent
problem without relying on
rodenticides, and can support
healthy wildlife. According theHungry Owl website, a single BarnBlue Mountain Audubon installs a barn owl nest box in a Walla Walla area
vineyard.
Owl family can consume 3,000
rodents during their 4 month breeding cycle. Barn owls can have multiple clutches a year,
raising the total for possible consumed rodents to 6,000 - 9,000 a year per owl box!
According to WSP Corrections Specialist Chris McGill, the first round of owl boxes built
byinmates was “a big hit” and they have received a request for 20 more boxes. This is an
excellent example of a collaborative program to benefit people and wildlife. Great work WSP
Sustainable Practices Lab!

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New Program Offered by SPP: Bee Certification
By Emily Passarelli, SPP Green Track Program Coordinator
It is with great excitement that I announce: SPP is adding beekeeping certification to our lovely
list of programs. Our goal is to bring this program to every prison hosting beekeeping within thenext few years. As Green Track Program Coordinator, I have the amazing opportunity tocoordinate two programs: beekeeping certification and Roots of Success.

Staff and offender beekeepers take a break to pose for the camera. Photo by SPP.

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This beekeeping certification will be a 10-20 hourcourse taught by a local beekeeping volunteers.
Inmates and DOC staff will earn the title of"Apprentice." If they find that beekeeping is theircalling, they have the opportunity to advance to"Journeyman." If they're REALLY dedicated theycan even advance up to "Master" (though there
are only 6 Masters in the entire state ofWashington!). This class will be a spectacular
opportunity for hands-on experience in a green
jobs field. It will also be a great way for ourprisons to do more for honeybee conservation.
We hope that this certification program will givea chance for everyone interested to learn about
bees and their amazing life stories. To learn more
about these amazing creatures check out Joslyn
Trivett's recent blog or our new beekeeping
page!
We have already had two graduating classes atCedar Creek Corrections Center. That's almost 45
SPP feels very positively about work with honeybees inprisons. Photo by SPP staff.
graduates! Prisons next in line to bringin beekeeping certification are SCCC, WCCW,MCC, WSP, CRCC, and AHCC. We cannot wait to see what the future has in store for ourpartnerships with bees!

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A graduating class of newly certified beekeepers. Photo by SPP Staff.

Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) brings environmental
restoration and education into prisons. We work cooperatively withdiverse individuals and organizations to create science and nature
programs, and bring benefits to partners inside and outside thefence. To learn more, contact us at spp@evergreen.edu and visit oursocial media:
sustainabilityinprisons.org
facebook.com/sustainableprisons
twitter.com/SPP_WA

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