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REI Gives: 2009 Puget Sound Grant Recipients

2009-2010

2009 Puget Sound REI Grant Recipients
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Annually, REI dedicates a portion of its operating profits to help protect and restore the environment, increase access to outdoor activities, and encourage involvement in responsible outdoor recreation. REI employees nominate organizations, projects, and programs in which they are personally involved to receive funding or gear donations. For more information on REI grants, click here.

Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force
The Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force seeks to improve riparian and in-stream habitat at Stillwater Wildlife Area. With REI's support, invasive vegetation will be cleared from the Stillwater site and 6th grade students will plant a portion of the area with native trees and shrubs during a service learning field trip. The field trip is one component of the Task Force's extensive environmental education curriculum which includes 8 classroom lessons and 2 fieldtrips over the course of the school year. The remaining acreage at the site will be planted during an Earth Day event by volunteers of all ages from the surrounding communities. The restored vegetation at Stillwater Wildlife Area will benefit the many visitors who enjoy hiking and wildlife viewing at the site. REI's grant funds will support project coordination and leadership and will provide plants and other supplies for volunteer projects.

Washington Water Trails Association
REI's grant will provide the Washington Water Trails Association (WWTA) with resources to support its Site Steward Program. WWTA's Site Steward Program seeks to engage volunteers in environmental stewardship along the Cascadia Marine Trail. This program aims to benefit the environment, the paddling community, and future generations of paddling and recreation enthusiasts. Training and utilizing a strong group of volunteers will help WWTA serve its mission to promote advocacy, education, and stewardshipof public access to Washington's waterways for people in human and wind powered beachable watercraft. REI's grant will supply materials for training volunteers and promoting the program as well as native plants and other supplies for volunteer projects.

Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance
The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance seeks to provide youth with opportunities to gather and spend time, develop their skills and passion for biking, engage in healthy outdoor activities, and gain a life-long commitment to stewardship. In alignment with this goal, Evergreen will develop a Youth Program which will reach youth ages 10 to 17 of all income levels throughout the Puget Sound area. In addition to the offering of kids camps, Evergreen will provide a range of services to these young people through scholarships, bicycles, equipment, and transportation. These programs will help to ensure that mountain biking is accessible to kids of all backgrounds. REI's grant will support project coordination and promotion and will provide program supplies for youth participants.

Friends of the Cedar River Watershed
Citizen-based Watershed Stewardship Program (CWSP) is an eleven-year-old partnership with two focus areas: the Cedar River Salmon Journey (CRSJ), which is a volunteer-based public outreach and training program, and the Habitat Restoration program, also volunteer-based and tied into the CRSJ. The Salmon Journey is a conservation outreach program that provides science-based training to volunteers who meet and speak with over 6,500 members of the public during the Cedar River sockeye migration each fall. The Restoration program engages volunteers to plant native species and clear noxious weeds in degraded Cedar River habitats and wetlands that often border the Cedar River Trail. Volunteers are trained to recognize noxious weeds in order to remove them from their own personal properties without the use of herbicides. REI's grant will provide funding for program coordination and promotion and will also provide volunteer supplies for trainings and projects.

Wilderness Awareness School
REI's grant will support the Wilderness Awareness Society's (WAS) Youth-Mentor Naturalist Training Program. Youth participants train in naturalism and learn to initiate and design Community Naturalist Projects to implement in their own neighborhoods. The core goal of the Youth-Mentor Naturalist Training Program is to provide inner-city youth with the opportunity to form a greater connection to nature and become naturalist mentors in their own communities. Experiences of the youth participants will ripple into their communities over the long-term as they lead Community Naturalist Projects and engage volunteer partners. REI's grant will provide tents, sleeping bags and other outdoor gear to ensure that the youth participants are well-equipped during outdoor experiences incorporated throughout the program.

Eastside Audubon Society
Eastside Audubon will improve and expand upon its programs for children and adults on the east side of Lake Washington. Eastside Audubon's programs seek to create stewards of the environment by cultivating an appreciation of birds and their habitat. These programs further encourage individuals to take volunteer action in conserving the natural spaces where people enjoy the outdoors and view birds. REI's grant funds will enable Eastside Audubon to increase the number of participants in its presentations and nature walks for schools and at camps, science fairs and other local events by providing the educational materials and supplies that these programs require. All of Eastside Audubon's services will be provided free of charge and will be followed up by offering the "Classroom in a Box" curriculum support to educational leaders.

Campfire USA Central Puget Sound Council
Camp Fire USA - Central Puget Sound Council's Camp Sealth provides hands-on environmental education programs that teach students in schools throughout the Puget Sound region about ecosystems, natural diversity, personal independence, teamwork, and stewardship of the earth. Camp Fire USA will revise Camp Sealth's environmental education curriculum to incorporate a service learning component on tree planting into all the camp's environmental education programs. Through this project, Camp Fire USA will involve elementary and middle school children from Seattle and Tacoma School Districts and adults in reforestation of 75 acres at Camp Sealth and in restoration and maintenance of 5 miles of hiking trails. REI's funds will support the purchase of tree seedlings and tools (loppers, buckets, gloves), curriculum materials, communications costs, and partial program salary.

Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation Major Taylor Project
Designed to support youth in spending time outdoors and keeping them physically active, the Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation Major Taylor Project enhances access to outdoor recreation by creating and supporting free bicycling clubs for low-income and at-risk King County youth. Each Major Taylor Project club serves a specific neighborhood or community, eliminating geographic and transportation barriers to participation, and teaches students about bicycling and bicycle maintenance as they ride through their community. With bicycles, safety gear, tools, and incentives provided by Cascade, the clubs seek to inspire positive behaviors and active living through weekly meetings and rides, workshops, and field trips. Each student will also have the opportunity to earn their own bicycle by participating in club rides and demonstrating their skill and proficiency at repairing and maintaining a bike. REI's grant will support club leaders and instructors and will provide helmets and first aid kits to keep kids safe while they ride.

Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center
The Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center (FOAC) is a 501©3 organization that focuses on avalanche safety. FOAC seeks to ensure that the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center has the necessary resources to save lives through public education and awareness about avalanches and avalanche safety. REI's grant will help FOAC grow its avalanche education program by advertising the availability of, and facilitating registration for, avalanche awareness classes on a newly developed website.Through the new online sign-up process, FOAC will reach more students and educate more people than was previously possible.

Girl Scouts Totem Council
The Girl Scouts Totem Council will use REI's grant to overcome the lack of access to basic equipment that often prevents lower income grils from experiencing the outdoors. REI will provide Novara bikes that the Girl Scouts will make available onsite to all attendees at Camp River Ranch. These bikes will eliminate barriers for girls from low income backgrounds so that they can participate in all-girl bicycling camps. Camp River Ranch staff will support and integrate bicycling into existing camp program activities and create additional outdoor bicycling experiences.

Mount Tahoma Trails Association
The Mount Tahoma Trails Volunteer Nordic Ski Patrol facilitates trail use for thousands of trail users every year. Volunteer patrollers contribute thousands of volunteer hours per year, taking pleasure in assisting beginners, and meeting and greeting skiers and snowshoers of every ability level. Volunteer patrollers also groom over 25 miles of trail almost daily, using snow cats and environmentally-friendly snowmobiles. REI's grant will support the volunteer Nordic Ski Patrol by funding costs for Wilderness First Aid training, and purchasing a 'state of the art' rescue toboggan, complete with protective patient cover. REI will also provide gifts of appreciation for the volunteers.

SOS Outreach
SOS Outreach will use REI's grant to reach thousands of youth through all-year outdoor programming. Programs include snowsport-based experiences during the winter and and wilderness trips and rock climbing excursions during the summer. SOS activities seek to build participants' skills and abilities to make good choices and live productive lives through outdoor recreation. REI's grant will provide program supplies to support participants during their outdoor adventures.

YMCA B.O.L.D. Mountain School
The YMCA B.O.L.D. Mountain School is an outdoor education program of the Metrocenter YMCA that develops multi-cultural leadership skills in young men through wilderness experience. The B.O.L.D. program's 5 to 16 day backpacking, rock climbing, and mountaineering expeditions provide an opportunity for young men from different economic, ethnic, religious and social backgrounds to build multi-cultural leadership, communication, and decision making skills through shared challenges, problem solving, and fun. REI's grants will support program leaders and will provide participants with transportation and food for their expeditions.

South King County Environmental Science Center
South King County's Environmental Science center will use REI's grant to provide outdoor environmental education to underserved youth from nearby low income schools in the Highline School District. Adult volunteers will play an integral role in making possible the experiential program, designed to educate and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. Students' families will be invited to join in a culminating celebration of the outdoors and participate in a restoration project in Seahurst Park, Burien. REI's funds will be used for project coordination and leadership and will help provide students with transportation to the outdoor learning, recreation and restoration sites.

Outdoors for All Foundation
REI's grant support will help Outdoorsforall pursue a new dimension of programming. With a new warehouse conveniently-located near a multitude of recreational opportunities, Outdoorsforall will begin to use this location as a base camp for individuals with disabilities and their families to drop by and rent adaptive gear whenever they choose. This form of programming empowers children and adults to determine their own schedule to take part in therepeutic outdoor recreation. Recreation activities will include adaptive winter sports programs and spring, summer and fall activities throughout the region including kayaking, canoeing, cycling, rock climbing, camping and hiking. REI's grant will support the program by providing supplies and covering warehouse operation costs.

Tacoma Metro Parks Foundation
Metro Parks Tacoma's Recreational Department will use REI's grant to increase the number of activities offered through the Sparx after school program, Outdoor Adventures Club for middle and high school age youth. Participating youth will learn about outdoor recreation, experience hands-on activities, and increase their environmental awareness. REI's grant will provide appropriate supplies, gear, and apparel to facilitate increased opportunities for youth to recreate outdoors and learn about nature and their environment.

YMCA Tacoma and Pierce County
REI's grant will enable low-income students from Tacoma schools to fully participate in YMCA Camp Seymour's Outdoor and Environmental Education (OEE) Program. These students will spend three days at Camp Seymour participating in a variety of Outdoor skills classes as well as Environmental Education classes. The OEE program mission seeks to help students learn more about themselves and their places in the world; relating to each other and being a member of a community; how they and the natural world impact each other; and, ultimately, about the relationship between people and the earth. Through growing students' awareness and appreciation, the OEE program helps students to become more responsible citizens of our planet. REI's funding will supply the program coordination expenses and outdoor equipment for students to take part in OEE.

2008 Puget Sound REI Grant Recipients
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Bike Works Seattle
Bike Works will utilize REI's grant to support the expansion of its bicycle riding programs in 2008/2009, and to build the capacity to serve more youth of color. In 2006, through REI's support, Bike Works laid the foundation for a new set of riding programs to give inner-city youth the opportunity to experience the natural environment of the Pacific Northwest and enjoy bicycling as an alternative and fun means of transportation. This year, continued support from REI will help Bike Works take these programs to a new level -- getting 50% more youth of color on bikes. Specifically, REI grant funds will cover the cost of program coordination, outreach and supplies.

Camp Fire USA Snohomish Council
Camp Fire USA seeks to expand its extensive camping program at Camp Killoqua. REI's grant will provide new camping gear to replace older broken equipment and supplement the camp's current supply to allow more kids to engage in outdoor activities. The REI gear will be used for the summer camp program, as well as school outdoor education programs and weekend Camp Fire groups. Over 3,500 participants will have the opportunity to use this REI equipment in 2008.

Cascade Land Conservancy
The Cascade Land Conservancy (CLC) will use REI grant funds for a volunteer project on the Duwamish Riverbend Hill (DRH), an 8.6 acre cultural preserve on the Duwamish River in the City of Tukwila. As a heritage site of significance in Puget Sound Salish cultural traditions, DRH offers an opportunity for King County residents to visit a place that celebrates both the antiquity and the survival of Native American cultures in the region. Duwamish Riverbend Hill offers the community an opportunity to understand their watershed and the significance of their hometown river. Funding from REI will support CLC's work to engage the community in environmental restoration, education and enjoyment of this public open space in Tukwila.

The Green Tacoma Partnership
Cascade Land Conservancy (CLC) works with the City of Tacoma, Metro Parks Tacoma, Tahoma Audubon Society, and the citizens of Tacoma to restore all of the City's forested and natural areas through a community coalition known as the Green Tacoma Partnership (GTP). GTP relies on the hard work and commitment of community volunteers to tackle the problem of habitat decline throughout Tacoma's natural areas. In order to stop the spread of the invasive plants that are choking out native vegetation, GTP will use grant resources to improve its support of current volunteers and involve a much larger volunteer base. Funding from REI will allow GTP to acquire additional tools, gloves, and medical kits as the Green Tacoma Partnership expands to support restoration work on more sites, host more restoration events and engage additional volunteers.

Citizens for a Healthy Bay
This project will expand CHB's successful Adopt-A-Wildlife-Area (AAWA) Habitat Stewardship Program. The AAWA program is a proven and documented working model for use by other groups that engage community volunteers in Tacoma's Open Space Planning Process. With the establishment of CHB's Site Management Program, volunteers routinely assist in the collection of science-based data, planting, weed removal, eradication of invasive species, and trash pickup throughout Commencement Bay. CHB has also coordinated thousands of volunteers for on-the-ground plantings on sites throughout Commencement Bay. The long-term goal is to develop an efficient, low-cost system to provide ongoing restoration site management that will ensure progress toward fully restored and enhanced habitat.

Friends of the Cedar River Watershed
Citizen-based Watershed Stewardship Program (CWSP) is a ten-year-old partnership between numerous community partners including public agencies, municipalities, Friends of the Cedar River Watershed and REI. This program focuses on two areas: the Cedar River Salmon Journey (CRSJ) and the Habitat Restoration program. The Salmon Journey is a conservation outreach program that provides science-based training to sixty volunteers regarding Cedar River salmon (and steelhead) recovery, watershed sustainability, and actions individuals can take to reduce non-point pollution. These sixty volunteers then meet and talk with over 5,250 members of the public during the Cedar River sockeye migration each fall. The Habitat Restoration program engages 700 volunteers to plant native species and clear noxious weeds in degraded Cedar River habitats and wetlands that often border the Cedar River Trail. Over 140 REI employees volunteered in these programs in 2007. REI grant funds will provide program coordination, outreach and training.

Friends of the Hylebos Wetlands
The West Hylebos Wetlands Forest Health project will enhance the health of the West Hylebos Wetlands forest ecosystem and reforest degraded portions of the system, enlarging one of the lowland Puget Sound region's last remaining forested bog wetlands. The Friends of the Hylebos completed a forest health assessment in 2007 to provide an accurate gauge of the forest's health and location of invasive species. The proposed project implements the recommendations of the assessment, providing a 3-year prescription for removing invasive plant species planting native trees and shrubs to enhance and expand the existing forest. REI's grant funds will provide support for project coordination and restoration crews that will engage in restoration work that requires a high level of expertise.

Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center
The Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center (FOAC) focuses on avalanche safety. The mission of FOAC in partnership with the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center is to save lives through public education and awareness about avalanches and avalanche safety. FOAC will improve its educational outreach program by training a group of qualified instructors to provide free 2-hour introductory avalanche awareness classes to winter recreationists that may not be aware of the need for avalanche education. REI funds will be used to develop outreach materials including a brochure and updated website to advertise the availability of classes to outdoor winter recreationalists who do not currently have access to this information.

International District Housing and Social Services Project WILD
The WILD (Wilderness Inner-city Leadership Development) project works to increase outdoor recreation and stewardship opportunities for Asian and Pacific Islander youth (ages 13-21) in Seattle's urban neighborhoods. Through participation in these activities, youth enhance their understanding of both wilderness and urban environments, and build their capacity to provide leadership in protecting them. REI's funds will support outreach to new youth participants and engagement of youths' family members, to ensure sustained involvement in outdoor recreation and stewardship activities. Specifically, REI's grant will provide translation services, outdoor supplies and outreach materials.

Mount Tahoma Trails Association
The Mount Tahoma Trails Association (MTTA) provides a year-round hut-to-hut trails system that offers users of all skill levels and economic backgrounds an inspirational backcountry experience. MTTA volunteers provide all trail improvements and maintenance of facilities. Volunteers also provide trail grooming and ski patrol services throughout the winter months. The work of these volunteers ensures access for the general public to this backcountry expeience. MTTA seeks to create a structure to reward and encourage the efforts and retention of committed volunteers. REI's grant will provide MTTA with Muir Woods vests to be provided as a reward to long-term volunteers who have demonstrated an ongoing committment to the quality and safety of MTTA's trails and facilities as well as cash to support ongoing programs.

Northwest Interpretive Association
Earth Day Every Day is a stewardship program designed to inspire civic engagement and recreation in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest by offering a series of volunteer events designed to engage the local community, increase public awareness of volunteer and recreation opportunities, and produce meaningful on-the-ground results. Every event will include learning opportunities and special incentive designed to inspire continue volunteerism on the Forest's behalf. Event activities will include planting native species, trail restoration, and invasive weed eradication to help restore the overall health of the area for future generations. This project will serve as the beginning of an ongoing volunteer and stewardship program at Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. REI grant funds will support event promotion and outreach materials as well as web resources for volunteer coordination.

Northwest Trek Foundation
Nature offers the ultimate classroom and nature with all its mystery abounds at Northwest Trek, especially in the forest surrounding 5-miles of secluded nature trails. This unique area provides guests with an opportunity to get active while observing a large variety of local wildlife and plant life. The area is being improved by increasing plant diversity and creating more wildlife, while also providing visitors with new interpretive signage and easier, safer accessibility. REI's funding will support the plant diversification of the forest area surrounding the trail system. The project will engage multiple volunteer groups. The trail system will be a featured location in the REI (Tacoma) Passport to Adventure program.

Outdoors for All Foundation
Outdoors for All seeks to enrich the quality of life for individuals with disabilities through outdoor recreation. Outdoors for All's programs engage more than 2,000 participants and 600 volunteers on an annual basis in outdoor activities that include camping, cycling, climbing, paddling and skiing. REI's grant will help provide needed outdoor equipment and support to assist Outdoors for All in outfitting its program participants. Specifically, REI's grant will provide camping gear that will be used for overnight outdoor adventures by many successive groups. REI's grant will also provide financial support for program and volunteer coordination.

Salish Sea Expeditions
Salish Sea Expeditions offers 5th to 12th graders, along with their teachers, the experience of being 'scientists and sailors' as they conduct science research of their own design on a 3-5 day expedition on Puget Sound. During the expedition, students collect and analyze water samples, sail and navigate the vessel, prepare meals, and camp in state parks. The expedition is augmented by 3-5 days of pre- and post-expedition classroom planning and synthesis. As a wrap-up to the experience, students post reports of their findings on the Salish website and/or prepare presentations. REI's grant will support the cost of equipment and staff instructors for the sailing outings.

Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force
The Jetty Island Stewardship Project is a multi-activity and multi-partner venture to engage local citizens and youth in improving habitat and recreational opportunities by removing invasive species, collecting garbage, and restoring vegetation. Annually, 50,000 visitors come to the island to observe wildlife, explore the beach, participate in educational programs, and hike its nature trails. Jetty Island also provides a place of refuge for locally significant wildlife. The Task Force will combine efforts with Snohomish-Camano Nearshore Cooperative Committee partners to hold a United Way Day of Caring (DOC) volunteer event. In addition, the Task Force will coordinate an ongoing environmental stewardship education program for local at-risk youth that will incorporate field trips and stewardship activities on the Island. The REI grant will fund staff, travel, supplies and materials for the DOC and environmental stewardship program.

Team Survivor Northwest
Team Survivor Northwest is dedicated to offering hope and healing through fitness for female cancer survivors. Research has shown that participation in fitness activities post cancer diagnosis has a positive impact on health, longevity and mood. The Team Survivor Northwest Surviving through Cycling Project is designed to reduce the risk of cancer reoccurrence and to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors. The project offers indoor and outdoor cycling training and rides and cycling clinics tailored for cancer survivors at any fitness level and any stage of treatment and recovery. With incidences of cancer diagnosis in King County at record levels, it is increasingly important to provide survivorship options that offer ways for women with cancer to reclaim and maintain their lives. REI's grant will provide program coordination and coaching for cycling participants.

Urban Wilderness Project
Urban Wilderness Project (UWP) works to encourage positive communities by providing environmentally and culturally-based service-learning projects for youth and adults. UWP's vision is to remove the psychological, social and economic barriers associated with environmental activities. In order to engage urban youth in outdoor activity, the Urban Wilderness Project developed two programs: 1) Adventure Works, one-day, outdoor programs that gently introduce participants without prior experience to the wilderness of urban forests and forested trails outside of the city, and 2) Wilderness Works, a seventeen day, trailwork and backpacking adventure in remote outdoor locations in the North Cascades. With support from REI, the Urban Wilderness Project will be able to engage youth in a continuum of outdoor activities by combining hiking, biking, boating, trail construction and backpacking programs with winter outings, thus increasing capacity and broadening the depth of service to urban youth. REI's grant will provide clothing and gear to help keep youth participants dry and comfortable during their outdoor experiences.

Washington Water Trails Association
Washington Water Trails Association's (WWTA) mission is to promote advocacy, education and stewardship of public access to Washington's waterways for people in human and wind powered beachable watercraft. The WWTA's Triple Impact Project will increase public stewardship of Washington State waters, improve recreational paddling experience, and accelerate ongoing restoration projects at Cascadia Marine Trail campsites in Puget Sound. This project will engage paddlers in shoreline work parties and will provide education to users of the waterways about Leave No Trace practices. REI's grant funds support volunteer coordination and education as well as providing leave no trace education materials and native plants for work parties.

YMCA of Greater Seattle
The YMCA of Greater Seattle YBOYS Expeditions Program offers wilderness challenges for groups of middle and high school boys. Each expedition lasts between five and fifteen days taking place in the amazing wilderness settings of the Pacific Northwest. All boys are welcome but special effort is made to recruit boys without wilderness experience and/or the resources to undertake these adventures. Trips are led by committed, caring, and qualified adult volunteers and staff who serve as role models and mentors to the boys. YBOYS takes boys outside to enjoy nature, learn expedition leadership, conservation and outdoor living skills, and to experience fun and support through team-building efforts. YBOYS also aim to nurture and develop the next generation of diverse leaders in the outdoors and environmental fields. REI's grant will support program leadership, transportation and food.

YMCA of Tacoma and Pierce County
YMCA Camp Seymour's Teen Adventure Trips provide an opportunity for youth ages 13-18 to enjoy the natural world while developing outdoor leadership and group living skills. Teen Adventure Trips include hiking, backpacking, kayaking, camping, environmental education, and other outdoor activities at wilderness locations throughout Western Washington. Sessions are offered at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced level. Support from REI will enable Camp Seymour to provide scholarships for 20 youth from low-income families to participate in Teen Adventure Trips and camping gear that will be used by all 106 participants in the program.

2007 Puget Sound REI Grant Recipients
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Stillwaters Environmental Education Center
Stillwaters Environmental Education Center will use REI's grant to improve its trail system and enhance the educational signage that accompanies these trails. Trail improvements will allow visitors and students to more safely and easily access the Salt Marsh and other natural features that are present around the Center. Trail improvements and signage enhancements will be achieved through community projects that will incorporate student and adult volunteers working together.

Outdoors For All
REI's grant will add three Novara Bonanza Mountain Bikes to Outdoors For All's existing fleet of cycles. The new Novara bikes will allow OFA to better serve children and adults with disabilities through additional cycling options; better support volunteers to assist and pedal alongside participants with disabilities; and offer new program options for participants with disabilities, their family members, friends and volunteers. REI's grant dollars will also support Outdoors For All's annual Gala and auction and will be leveraged for additional funds to support year round adaptive recreation programs benefiting over 2,000 children and adults with disabilities.

Lake Washington Watershed Internship Program at the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Group
The goal of the Lake Washington Watershed Internship Program is to educate and empower local residents about Taylor and Kelsey Creeks. To achieve this goal, the program empowers high school students from two communities of the Lake Washington watershed to learn about their local creeks ? Kelsey Creek in Bellevue and Taylor Creek in Seattle and to bring their knowledge back to the community. Pacific Science Center staff mentor 20 high school students who, in turn, mentor 250 fourth grade students in schools and youth in afterschool programs. Students also participate in creek stewardship projects. By working with participants from different groups within the community, the program encourages an awareness of the local watershed and promotes environmental stewardship. REI's grant will provide educational materials and funds for promotion of this project to local students.

The ForeverGreen Council
The ForeverGreen Council is a non-profit organization whose mission is to build a county-wide system of trails that connects Pierce County's twenty-four communities. Over 20 miles of trail have been developed in scattered pieces throughout Pierce County. This project identifies missing links in the trail system and provides the means to connect the pieces into a county-wide system that gives residents an alternative means of moving from place to place. REI grant funds will provide the organizational infrastructure for the ForeverGreen Council to obtain significant state and federal funding for this project.

Mount Tahoma Trails Association
The Mount Tahoma Trails Association (MTTA) provides a year-round hut-to-hut trails system that offers users of all skill levels and economic backgrounds an inspirational backcountry experience. MTTA volunteers provide all trail improvements and maintenance of facilities. Volunteers also provide trail grooming and ski patrol services throughout the winter months. The work of these volunteers ensures access for the general public to this backcountry expeience. MTTA seeks to create a structure to reward and encourage the efforts and retention of committed volunteers. REI's grant will provide MTTA with Muir Woods vests to be provided as a reward to long-term volunteers who have demonstrated an ongoing committment to the quality and safety of MTTA's trails and facilities.

Bike Works
In 2006, with generous support from REI, Bike Works launched its first ever bicycle touring summer camp: a one-week, self-support bicycle tour of the San Juan Islands. The program was developed to give inner-city youth the opportunity to experience the natural environment of the Pacific Northwest, and to experience bicycling as an alternative and fun means of transportation. Based on the enormous success of the pilot camp, Bike Works is rolling out a full slate of bicycle touring programs this year. Support from REI would have both immediate impact, helping Bike Works take 150 youth on rides in 2007 and implementing 4 bicycle touring camps over the summer; and long-term impact, as it will build capacity to expand Bike Works bicycle touring programs, making the natural environment accessible to inner-city youth participants for years to come.

Team Survivor Northwest
Team Survivor Northwest is dedicated to offering hope and healing through fitness for female cancer survivors. Research has shown that participation in fitness activities post cancer diagnosis has a positive impact on health, longevity and mood. The Team Survivor Northwest Surviving through Cycling Project is designed to reduce the risk of cancer reoccurrence and to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors. The project offers indoor and outdoor cycling training and rides and cycling clinics tailored for cancer survivors at any fitness level and any stage of treatment and recovery. With incidences of cancer diagnosis in King County at record levels, it is increasingly important to provide survivorship options that offer ways for women with cancer to reclaim and maintain their lives. REI funds will support program costs including coordination, transportation and promotion.

Trips for Kids Seattle
Trips for Kids (TFK) Seattle provides outdoor recreational experiences and environmental education for kids who would not otherwise have such opportunities. TFK Seattle seeks to create an inclusive community of active youth by focusing recruitment efforts on kids of diverse backgrounds and ensuring that females are equally-represented among program participants. TFK Seattle provides mountain bike rides two to three days per week, from May to September and provides numerous volunteer opportunities for individuals to accompany youth riders.For 2007, TFK seeks to provide a minimum of 30 rides (with group size for each ride approaching the limit of 10 kids) and grow the volunteer base to provide services for additional kids. REI's grant will provide additional bikes for youth participants to use.

Harbor Wildwatch SeaSTARS Jr. Naturalist Program
SeaSTARS is a Harbor Wildwatch Jr. Naturalist outdoor educational training program for young people ages 8-12. This summer-only program involves interactive sessions with a trained program coordinator at regularly designated times with on-site active participation with the beach program naturalist. A field trip to a new location at the end of the program reinforces the fun of learning and sharing knowledge for participants. Youth participants also engage in designing and completing a beach-oriented service project. REI's grant will support program materials and coordination.

Women in Nature
Women in Nature (WIN) serves women facing major life transitions such as loss of a loved one, debilitating illness, divorce, recovery from homelessness or chemical dependency through hiking and snowshoe trips in the Pacific Northwest. Women in Nature has been undergoing a major transition of its own. This group has amicably stepped out from being a program of Passages NW and is moving into the future as an independent nonprofit organization. As a result of the departure with Passages NW, WIN's access to appropriate gear, clothing, and transportation has been significantly reduced. With the help of REI, WIN believes that it will continue providing meaningful programming to women in transition in the Pacific Northwest now and well into the future. REI's grant will provide WIN with gear to support its outdoor programs.

Salish Sea Expeditions
Salish Sea Expeditions will provide once-in-a-lifetime stewardship-at-sea learning experiences for 100 youth in the Puget Sound region. Youth participants will have an opportunity to explore the Puget Sound aboard a research-oriented sailboat while learning about the marine environment. Participants will gain a connection to the Sound environment and an understanding of the role that they can play in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Participants will also have an opportunity to enjoy the ecology of the Puget Sound on land while spending nights at various state parks throughout the Sound. In addition to supporting program costs, REI's grant will provide tents and sleeping bags to keep these youth warm, dry and ready to learn.


Kent Parks Foundation
The Kent Parks Foundation will remove the deteriorating, creosote-laden wooden bollards at Van Doren' Landing Park along Russell road. This road is a route accessed by Green River Trail cyclists and runners. In place of the removed fence, volunteers will install approximately 1,000? of two-rail, treated cedar split-rail fencing spanning the length of the Park. REI volunteers will install the fencing, working alongside Kent Parks staff. REI volunteers will also remove invasive plants and plant native vegetation in the area. Kent Parks has installed split-rail fencing throughout the parks system to protect sensitive wetlands, enhance the parks and reduce vehicle vandalism. Once completed, the project will protect cyclists and runners from falling into a dangerous retention area; improve the aesthetics of the park and trail; and discourage vehicles from driving across the grass into the park.

Nature Consortium
The Nature Consortium's Urban Forest Restoration Project is a long-term habitat restoration, education and stewardship project in the West Duwamish Greenbelt, which is the largest remaining forest in Seattle. The purpose of this project is to physically protect, improve and restore an upland urban forest to a contiguous healthy ecosystem for long-term sustainability and ecological diversity. In an effort to fulfill this purpose, the Nature Consortium engages community volunteers to participate in regular stewardship projects. REI grant funds will support volunteer project costs.

Back Country Bicycle Trails Club
The I-5 Colonnade is a unique urban mountain bike skills park being constructed near the REI flagship store in Seattle by the Back Country Bicycle Trails Club (BBTC) with the support of numerous community partners. The park will consist of skills features for riders ranging from novice to expert. This park will make mountain biking accessible to the thousands of people who have never had the chance to experience backcountry trails, particularly urban kids. BBTC has engaged hundreds of community volunteers in the construction of the trails and skill features. REI grant funds will support the cost of project materials and volunteer project costs.

The Adopt-A-Stream Foundation
The Adopt-a-Stream Foundation seeks to teach people to become stewards of their watersheds. Ecologists and Biology Technicians will survey Swamp Creek to identify pollution sources and fish habitat degradation on riparian lands. AASF staff and volunteers will then partner with landowners to carry out prescriptive actions for correcting the pollution problems. Watershed residents (young and old) and riparian landowners will be trained to monitor the results and become Swamp Creek Streamkeepers.

Washington Water Trails Association
The Washington Water Trails Association (WWTA) Sound Education and Action (SEA) Kayakers will engage people on Puget Sound waters and shorelines and teach low-impact recreation skills. The Leave No Trace educators kayak the Cascadia Marine Trail, a National Recreation Trail, from city launches to backcountry campsites during peak summer weekends, protecting the environment of the nation?s second largest estuary. REI's grant funds will support program personnel costs, education supplies and transportation costs.

The Bicycle Alliance of Washington
The Bicycle Alliance of Washington is actively implementing its Safe Routes to School program around the state. The 'Ride your bike to cool the planet' program will teach kids the connection between riding their bikes to school and their impact on global warming. Through this project, the Bicycle Alliance seeks to encourage kids to become long-term bike commuters for both school and errands. As part of promoting the project, REI funds will be used to hold assemblies at 3 elementary and/or middles schools in Seattle/King County area to educate at least 225 students about global warming and to encourage them to ride their bikes as a healthy and fun way to reduce their carbon footprint.

Puget Creek Restoration Society
The Puget Creek Restoration Society (PCRS) protects, enhances and restores the Puget Creek Watershed and similar streams, wetlands and green spaces. With REI's grant, PCRS will engage community volunteers to improve trail access through the Puget Creek Watershed. Volunteers from local community groups, schools and universities will take part in improving the trail. REI's grant will provide project materials, supplies and transportation for volunteer events.

Friends of the Cedar River Watershed
Friends of the Cedar River Watershed (FCRW) seeks to specifically and efficiently address the highest priority needs for watershed and salmon health through outreach and education, and habitat restoration. REI's grant will allow FCRW to partner with other groups and agencies in mobilizing roughly 180 volunteers to continue restoration efforts in the lower Cedar River Basin, and grow FCRW's environmental education program to reach over five thousand people. FCRW's environmental education program will teach people about salmon, ecology, and steps they can take to better steward their local water resources.

Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation
THE LOW CARBON COMMUTE! Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation's Bicycle Commuting Program will work with twelve employers in King County to develop and implement bicycle commuter programming, offer ambassadors on streets and in parks to educate the public about bicycling and commuting, and create awareness about safe bike commuting.

Camp Fire USA Snohomish Council
Camp Fire USA's Camp Kiloqua gives children an opportunity to have fun outdoors while learning important lessons of working together and increasing self esteem. Camp Kiloqua provides select campers with a 'Bike the Islands' camping and biking trip to the San Juans. With the support of REI's grant, Camp Kiloqua will provide a greater number of youth with outdoor equipment and improved bikes to enhance their outdoor experience. Granted camping equipment will also be used throughout the summer to enhance the experience of all campers and introduce many of them to the experience of camping.

2006 Puget Sound REI Grant Recipients
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Friends of the Cedar River Watershed
Friends of the Cedar River Watershed (FCRW) connects people to their local Watershed to help ensure its sustainability as a water, wildlife habitat and cultural resource. Funding from REI will assist FCRW in educating the general public about the river and its resident salmon populations, and recruiting volunteers to perform stewardship activities that improve aquatic habitat in the lower Cedar River basin. REI grant funds will support project coordination, outreach, web development and transportation for volunteers.

The Puget Creek Restoration Society
The Puget Creek Restoration Society seeks to develop a trail infrastructure in the Puget Creek Watershed that will be accessible to all people. Currently, the trail has large ruts from water runoff, limbs and boulders. Excessive sediment from trail runoff is carried into the stream, causing problems for spawning salmon and juvenile salmonid development. The addition of gravel laid over the current trail surface will make the trail flat and firm, making it accessible for individuals in wheel chairs. The gravel will also curtail sedimentation into the stream. REI grant funds will pay for trail supplies and gear for volunteers to use while working on the trail. In addition, grant funds will provide transportation for students to the site and enable them to be involved in the work.

Seattle Inner City Outings (Sierra Club Foundation)
Seattle Inner City Outings is a community outreach program of the Sierra Club that provides outdoor experiences to underserved and disadvantaged youth and young adults who do not have access to the wilderness. About 80 volunteers donate their time to lead trips once per month with youth from nine different agencies and schools in the Seattle area. The outings are free of cost to participants and all gear, food and transportation is provided. REI's grant will pay transportation costs for kids traveling to wilderness destinations.

Skihawks Racing Team
The Skihawks racing team is a team of approximately 90 athletes that trains with Skiforall and races in Special Olympics Nordic and Alpine Skiing and Snow Boarding. REI's grant will provide new parkas for the developmentally disabled Skihawk Racing Team athletes. Many of the athletes on the team cannot afford to purchase their own skiing outerwear. Athletes currently use team parkas that are 7 years old. Skihawks athletes have already raised approximately 70 % of the cost of the parkas.

The YMCA of Greater Seattle
Through this project, YMCA Camp Orkila would like to enhance its night program by adding astronomical observation. This grant would allow the camp to set up a series of telescopes for students to use in observation of the stars and planets. Observing the night sky away from city lights will enhance students' appreciation of natural settings and grow their enjoyment of the outdoors. Throughout the year, an estimated 500 students will have extensive use of the telescopes in a structured night program. An additional 500 - 1000 students will have brief and casual use of the telescopes.

Washington Water Trails Association
In 2007 Washington Water Trails Association (WWTA) will 'Conserve the Cascadia Marine Trail' by increasing the number and quality of volunteer work parties on the water trail. REI funding will leverage over $21,000 worth of volunteer labor to restore shoreline and improve marine campsites on this National Recreation Trail in Washington State?s Puget Sound. Volunteers will contribute 1,000 hours of time and learn how Leave No Trace low-impact recreation practices contribute to positive outcomes for people using non-motorized boats, for land managers, and for natural resources. The REI grant will fund planning and group leadership costs as well as pay for native plants and ferry transportation costs for volunteers.

Team Survivor Northwest
The mission of Team Survivor Northwest (TSNW) is to provide a broad range of fitness and health education programs to enable women cancer survivors, in any stage of treatment or recovery and at any fitness level, to take an active role in their ongoing physical and emotional healing. TSNW was formed in 1995 and has grown to serve more than 2,000 women surviving from all types of cancer in the greater Seattle area. All weekly programs are designed to be inclusive of all fitness levels, ages and interests. TSNW recently began a cycling program designed to introduce women cancer survivors to the sport. REI's grant will provide ongoing cycling instruction to the group and will pay for brochure printing, marketing and supplies.

The Friends of the Trail
The Friends of the Trail will use REI's grant to remove garbage from remote sites on the Olympic Peninsula that have accumulated trash gathered from volunteer efforts. The only way to remove the debris on this wild coastline is to hike in and carry it out. Friend's of the Trails' primary objective is to remove the trash before it will wash back into the ocean, defeating the hours of volunteer help contributed so far. REI grant funds will pay for tools, travel, and project supervision.

The Olympic Park Institute
This grant will provide scholarship assistance to youth from low-income communities in Washington State to participate in Olympic Park Institute's residential field science education program. The main goals of the field science education program are to provide outdoor learning and recreational activities in the natural world in a National Park setting; increase students' science literacy and achievement; provide an inquiry-based learning model to supplement classroom teaching; and promote environmental stewardship. REI grant funds will provide scholarships to reduce trip costs for low-income participants.

SKIFORALL Foundation
A grant from REI will allow the SKIFORALL Foundation to add eight Novara Bonanza Mountain Bikes to its existing fleet of cycles. The addition bikes will allow the SKIFORALL Foundation to:
1. Better serve children and adults with disabilities through additional cycling options;
2. Better support volunteers to assist and pedal along with these participants with disabilities; and
3. Offer new program options for participants with disabilities, their family members, friends and volunteers.
In addition to the Novara mountain bikes, the REI grant will provide Novara slider cages on each bike to allow participants to carry water bottles.

People For Puget Sound
People For Puget Sound (PFPS) requests a grant from REI to support its Earth Month 2007 partnership with the Children?s Museum of Skagit County and the Swinomish Tribal Community. PFPS' objective is to provide a month?s worth of hands-on exhibits and activities using Puget Sound as an integrating context on the theme of 'Our Growing and Living Earth.' The project will seek to involve other local environmental resource providers and promote attendance/participation from different ethnicities in Skagit County. REI grant funds will support planning and coordination of Earth Month and will pay for outreach and marketing materials.

Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force
The Jennings Nature Park Stewardship Project is a multi-partner effort to improve habitat and recreational opportunities, as well as provide an environmental stewardship education program to Native American, at-risk, and other youth in the Marysville area. Jennings Nature Park provides a place of refuge for fish and wildlife, as well as the community, as it is endowed with stream, wetland, and upland habitats, and offers visitors opportunities to hike and bike and view wildlife. REI Grant funds will provide plants and other materials for a large scale community volunteer planting, as well as monies to provide environmental stewardship education for underserved, at-risk and other youth populations. The project will be launched by an REI-sponsored community volunteer event, followed by several school plantings and placement of educational signage.

Audubon Washington
Audubon Washington is partnering with Seattle Parks and Recreation to renovate the historic landmark building at the entrance to Seward park and provide an environmental learning facility where children, youth and families can connect to nature in southeast Seattle. After school programs and school field trips will allow children and youth to learn about and address issues relevant to their lives including environmental health, sustainability of local resources, and how individual actions can help build healthy communities. REI's grant will be used to purchase education materials for youth programming.

Bike Works
Bike Works requests a grant from REI to support its Youth Ventures Bicycle Riding program. Support from REI would have both immediate impact, allowing Bike Works to take over 400 youth out on bicycle rides this year; and long-term impact, as it will build the organization's capacity to expand the bicycle touring component of its programming, making the natural environment accessible to inner-city youth participants. REI grant funds will be used to support program planning, coordination and environmental education. REI's grant will also provide a fleet of 10 touring bicycles for youth to use on bike tours.

The Friends of the Hylebos Wetlands
Invasive non-native plants are one of the greatest threats to the health of the West Hylebos Wetlands. The Friends of the Hylebos Wetlands is seeking to remove invasive weeds from approximately 30,000 square feet at the Wetland's entrance and re-plant the area with native trees and shrubs. REI's grant will provide equipment for weed removal and native plants to be placed in the area.

Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust
Hiking trails on Vashon have traditionally crossed a great deal of private land. These trails are treasured by Islanders, because expensive and time-consuming ferry rides stand between Islanders and federal lands. As development pressures mount, more and more trails on Vashon are being cut off by new landowners. The Vashon Land Trust is requesting the assistance of REI to create a plan for acquiring trail easements and to create signage and maps for existing trails. REI grant funds will support trail map design along with sign development and installation.

The Service Board
The Service Board (TSB) is a non-profit youth mentoring program serving Seattle high school age youth. Participants gain a greater awareness of the world beyond themselves. The Service Board's goal is to support youth in making intentional decisions and actualizing their goals, as well as instilling a life-long commitment to volunteerism. REI grant funds will pay for the cost of transporting youth participants from White Center to area ski hills.

• Cost: Free

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