The Stream Team, an environmental education program, is expanding its efforts to address stormwater pollution, public engagement gaps and correct outreach imbalances across Thurston County.
During the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) work session on Wednesday, Feb. 19, officials specified their latest activities, volunteer-driven projects and data-backed strategies to reach more residents.
The program serves as the public outreach arm of the Regional Environmental Education Partnership (REEP), which operates under an interlocal agreement with the cities of Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and Thurston County.
The initiative’s primary mission is to fulfill stormwater education requirements under the Washington State Department of Ecology’s municipal stormwater permit.
“Stormwater is rain that falls to the ground and picks up dirt, oil, chemicals, and pet waste as it flows to storm drains, rivers, creeks, and out to the Puget Sound,” said Senior Planner Miriam Villacian. “It is the number one source of pollution to our local water.”
According to the officials, Stream Team relies on digital engagement, in-person outreach and science-based programs to involve residents in conservation.
“Our Stream Team attends a variety of events hosted by partner organizations,” said Thurston County’s Education and Outreach Specialist Cynthia Taylor.
In 2024, the program successfully distributed more than 8,000 newsletters, maintained a 5,000-subscriber email list with a 53% open rate, and grew its social media presence to 2,800 Facebook followers and 1,200 Instagram followers, officials confirmed.
To increase engagement, the program strategically selects events that allow access to diverse populations.
Officials shared that they participated in Día De La Familia, the Nisqually Tribal Summer Kickoff, Juneteenth, the Rainier Roundup and Las Posadas de Cielo, reaching historically underserved groups.
Meanwhile, large-scale events, such as the Thurston County Fair, Lacey Spring Fun Fair and Tumwater Falls Fest, provide wider exposure.
“It’s common for us to engage more than 300 people at each of these events,” Taylor said.
Taylor added, “Presence at these events allows us to connect with thousands of people, giving visibility to the Stream Team brand, connecting the public to our programs and amplifying our impact.”
Interactive science programs are also a part of their projects. The Stream Team integrates hands-on science programs into its outreach, including stream bug monitoring, amphibian surveys and salmon stewardship.
The officials detailed that volunteers are trained to assess aquatic insect diversity, track frog and salamander egg masses, and educate the public on salmon migration.
“Each year, thousands of people are educated by our trained salmon stewards,” Taylor shared.
She further elaborated, “The program starts with a three-part comprehensive training that dives into the four Hs of salmon recovery: harvest, hatcheries, habitat and hydroelectric. We also provide a fifth H in our training ... history.”
Marine Creature Monday is another interactive program that draws hundreds to Puget Sound shorelines. A diver retrieves marine species, such as sea stars, shrimp, and rock crabs, while volunteer biologists lead educational demonstrations.
BoCC Chair Tye Menser lauded the program’s impact and showed keen interest in the program’s upcoming schedule.
Taylor confirmed the program’s annual schedule.
“Well, this year we’re going to do four sessions,” she said. “There’ll be consecutive Mondays, and we haven’t set the dates yet, but traditionally it’s between July and August.”
The program relies on a strong network of volunteers across the county.
The officials stated that in 2024, 675 volunteers contributed 1,684 hours of service across 135 events. Additionally, 1,327 participants registered for Stream Team programs.
Officials said an internal study of 10 years of audience data, cross-referenced with an equity index, revealed gaps in outreach.
The index was developed using datasets from the 2019 Census, the Department of Ecology and local sources. It measures factors, such as education access, economic stability and environmental burden.
“We found that we reached areas with higher opportunity more than we reached areas with higher risk, indicating that we were not reaching our overburdened populations,” Villacian explained.
To bridge this gap, Stream Team developed the REEP Equity Action Plan for 2025-27, with goals including targeted partnerships, improved impact tracking and increased workforce development.
“We realized where we were missing, we started automatically making changes,” Villacian said. “I would say that those numbers are probably already better.”
A growing partnership with CIELO, a nonprofit serving Thurston County’s Latinx community, has led to interesting outreach activities. The collaboration has introduced translation services, food provisions and transportation assistance to remove participation barriers.
In terms of keeping up with the emerging technology, Nature Sleuths, an app-based scavenger hunt, continues to expand as another educational initiative. Originally launched during the pandemic, it challenges participants to complete stormwater-related missions at 30 parks and natural areas.
Recognizing the need for greater outreach in rural areas, Stream Team is shifting stormwater messaging to include conservation strategies for farms and ranches.
The team is also searching for additional salmon viewing and stream bug monitoring sites in South County.
Commissioner Carolina Mejia praised the program’s long-term volunteer engagement.
“Just seeing, when you’re talking about these volunteers … they’re very engaged,” she said.
“People lose interest, and then they move on, but with Stream Team, people keep coming back year after year after year.”
Stream Team currently operates on money from stormwater utility fees, but officials are exploring external funding opportunities to sustain and expand programming.
“We want to explore grants to increase our capacity. Our limiting factor tends to be time. So, what we’re hoping to do is potentially fund like a part-time administrative assistant to help us with that," Villacian said.
As the meeting wrapped up, county officials applauded the program’s success and impact, and proposed greater recognition.
“You may be tapped to teach some classes to broaden county understanding,” said County Manager Leonard Hernandez.
Villacian seemed up for the task.
“This is just a really wonderful program for our community,” Villacian said. “We’re just really honored to be a part of it.”
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ViaLocal
I love participating in Stream Team events! This organization is the absolute best!
Thursday, February 27 Report this
HotTractor
These stream team events are awesome. Great for adults and children.
Saturday, March 1 Report this