Paris McClusky

Paris McClusky (He/him)

Executive Director

Puget Sound Estuarium

Olympia,

Roles at NAAEE

Languages

Interests

Aligned with NGSS, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, E-STEM, Ecosystems, Environmental Literacy, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Marine, Nonformal Education, Water

In 2007, the Puget Sound Estuarium was founded by the South Sound Estuary Association (SSEA) as a result of community interest in creating opportunities for the public to learn about estuaries, geology, natural and cultural history, marine life, and human impact on the Puget Sound. 

The Estuarium’s mission is to foster learning opportunities that inspire people of all ages to connect with, protect, and enjoy the unique estuary environment of Puget Sound. Our motto is to: “Explore • Connect • Inspire!” Our vision is to create an educated community that is engaged and inspired to promote the health, conservation, and restoration of Puget Sound. We rely on more than 120 community volunteers and over 30 partner organizations, and the Estuarium primarily serves all of Thurston County (pop. 280,289 -US Census), as well as Pierce and Mason Counties (pop. 956,806 - US Census).

We encourage community members to EXPLORE animals and plants in their local estuaries, where freshwater and saltwater meet. We CONNECT people of all ages to what is unique about this delicate, vibrant ecosystem. Our educational opportunities INSPIRE individuals to take better care of our shared natural resources.  

Programs

• Puget Sound Estuarium – a marine life discovery center, with salt and fresh water aquariums, interactive learning, permanent and rotating exhibits

• Meet the Beach – on the beach interpretation by community volunteers showcasing intertidal life, offered at local beaches during summer low tides

• Pier Peer – an exciting event at Boston Harbor Marina and multiple locations in Mason County, featuring night time underwater viewing of marine life and critter identification 

• K-12 Education Programs – incorporates Estuarium, Meet the Beach, and On the Water components and field trips to connect our youth with Puget Sound, marine environments, and estuaries

• Online Education – uses social media, our website to provide online estuary education videos and live feedings of our animals to South Sound community members

• Tiny Tides Story Time – this program began in 2020, as an online video series features Estuarium volunteers reading environmental children’s books for pre K-2nd graders. Currently, we perform this program in person at the Estuarium facility, where we include an educational session with the animals in our mobile touch tank

• Virtual Discovery Speaker Series – using Zoom Webinars and live streamed on our website and social media, experts present a variety of estuary and marine topics during autumn and winter

• Connecting the Community – includes educational booths and presentations at local events, festivals/fairs, and service groups/clubs

• Sea Stroll – Estuarium educators lead tours of the historical Olympia shoreline, illustrating the landform changes over time from both geologic processes and human impacts (spring-fall)

• Bird Walk – Estuarium educators lead birding tours to teach participants about local bird populations, identification skills, bird ecology and human impacts including the effects of climate change, on local bird species (spring-fall)

 

 

Read More

The South Sound Estuarium Association, DBA Puget Sound Estuarium (the Estuarium), is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to increasing knowledge and awareness of South Puget Sound’s special ecosystem.  The Estuarium is dedicated to encouraging personal behavioral changes to help protect Puget Sound.

“When we learn to appreciate the estuary environment of South Puget Sound, we connect with the dazzling variety of life−fragile, yet incredibly vibrant−that is our unique legacy.”

Lynn Schneider, former Estuarium Board President

Vision

 

Our vision is to create an educated community that is engaged and inspired to promote the health, conservation, and restoration of Puget Sound.

 

Mission

 

The mission of the Puget Sound Estuarium is to foster learning opportunities that inspire people of all ages to connect with, protect, and enjoy the unique estuary environment of the South Puget Sound.

 

We achieve this educational endeavor through public meetings, the media, science, marine art activities, and education in the classroom, field, virtually, and on-the-water settings.

Values

 

Our organization and educational development goals, strategies, and program activities emerge from a set of values and basic operating principles.  We believe that:

  • Providing information about South Puget Sound Estuaries using a variety of methods enhances our community life
  • The environmental seeds we plant in our youth inspire a greater sense of need for stewardship of the South Puget Sound
  • Providing knowledge about and promoting interaction with the marine and estuary environments will inspire the community to make changes to improve its health
  • Estuarine and marine education are critical to protecting the Salish Sea
  • Promoting a strong organization and high-quality programs will lead to innovative ways to achieve our mission
  • We need to evaluate what we do, balance priorities of growth and available resources, and focus on activities that advance our mission
  • Enhancing access to and knowledge of partner organizations and the programs and services they provide will strengthen our organization
  • People of all ethnicities, cultures, sexualities, genders and socio-economic groups offer invaluable perspectives that contribute to a complete understanding of the ethical and sustainable relationships of humans to the estuarine and marine environment
  • Inclusivity is important and that we will strive to reflect that value in all our programming
  • Educating the public about the effects of climate change on the South Sound ecosystem, including the impacts to ecosystem functions and ecosystem services, are vital to our local communities
  • Educating the public about environmental justice issues, like the effects of climate change on the health and security of the communities most impacted and vulnerable to climate change that have caused disasters across the Salish Sea region is important   
  • Many stewards have cared for the Salish Sea, beginning with the Coast Salish Tribes, and that the Estuarium's efforts are a small piece of this greater story
  • Honoring local tribal history and knowledge of this estuarine ecosystem is an important part of estuary education and restoration efforts 

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