Environmental Science students start a WWU chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration

At the northwestern tip of the Sehome Hill Arboretum, a group of student volunteers gather in a circle, eagerly awaiting instruction in restoration techniques. It’s a sunny November afternoon; the hills are littered in fall foliage while Douglas firs cast long shadows on the ground. 

WWU Students for Ecological Restoration Co-Director Caleb Barville, a third year Environmental Science from Kona, Hawaii, holds an invasive English ivy plant in one hand and an invasive holly plant in the other, showing the volunteers how to identify invasive plants and practice tool safety. 

“There’s a lot of invasive ivy in the arboretum, and so we want to do a lot more work with ivy removal and native plant planting, so that’s going to be one of our bigger goals that sets us apart from the other [ecological restoration] organizations in Whatcom County,” Barville said in an interview. “Not a lot of organizations do much work in the arboretum and it’s a place that many students go to because it’s right next to campus.”

As a newly established student association of the nationwide Society for Ecological Restoration, the club benefits from the organization’s educational material, online career board and regional conferences.

In addition to hosting their own work parties, WWU’s Students for Ecological Restoration chapter seeks to connect Western students to local nonprofit organizations that are dedicated to restoration through volunteer opportunities. The hope is that students might intern or work at these organizations in the future, strengthening student involvement in Whatcom’s ecosystem health. The club provides all tools and instructions, as well as organizing transportation to and from work party sites. 

Students for Ecological Restoration also seeks to educate students through hosting a speaker series. They have previously invited WWU Associate Professor of Environmental Science John McLaughlin to speak about the restoration work he has conducted at two large dam removal sites. On Dec. 4 at 5:00 p.m. in Environmental Studies room 313, the club will host Stephen Nyman, a wetland ecologist for Whatcom County Amphibian Monitoring Program.

“My goal with the club is to make it easier for students to get involved via carpools to events, meeting and hearing speeches form professionals in the field, and fun club events that create a community of like-minded individuals,” Barville said. “This will help students to establish connections for their future.”

Barville and two other environmental science students, Bruce Cudkowicz and Marcus Magera, founded the club; its faculty advisor is Environmental Science Professor Jim Helfield, who specializes in rivershed restoration and salmon population health. 

The students bring a wealth of passion and experience to this undertaking. Growing up on Hawaii Island, Barville attended an outdoor project-based learning school where he was enabled to work with different organizations on restoration and stewardship projects. Cudkowicz worked with WWU Associate Professor of Environmental Science John McLaughlin to research the plant composition of the Elwha Dam removal site. Through his UEPP499: LEAD Service Learning Seminar course, Magera learned to facilitate an invasive ivy removal work party with the Whatcom Million Trees Project at Chuckanut’s Teddy Bear Cove. 

“In addition to the impacts of restoration, there’s the education component to it,” Helfield said. “Especially for rivers and streams, when we spend more time working on the banks of our streams we learn about how our watersheds work and it makes us more aware of how our daily actions affect fish habitat.” 

Himalayan blackberry and Japanese knotweed are some of the most common invasive species in riparian ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest, Helfield said. They outcompete and displace native species, growing in monocultures that are difficult to remove. On the other hand, native trees such as Western red cedar, hemlock and spruce provide biodiversity, shade and woody debris for fish habitat. 

Helfield said he is pleased that the club has been almost entirely student-run. 

“There’s a lot of climate doomism and a lot of widespread neglect and apathy because of that,” Cudkowicz said. “Having an avenue for people to get involved and do hands-on work that you can go back to year after year and just see the difference makes a really, really impactful change in people’s perspectives.”

The club is currently fundraising through Viking Funder to enable more student participation in restoration work. They are hoping to raise $10,000 by the end of February. The funds will go primarily toward providing student volunteers with food during restoration work, as well as enabling the purchase of native plant species for planting in Sehome Arboretum. 

Student projects centered around restoration work can also be funded. Those who are interested in supporting these students and their work can visit the donation page to learn more and donate: https://www.vikingfunder.com/project/44949 .

Mia Limmer-Lai is the 2024-25 Tahlequah Intern, a paid internship made possible by a generous gift through the Western Foundation and overseen by the Salish Sea Institute and the Office of University Communications.