Vashon Wilderness Program

During the next three years, WAS continued to offer programs for children on Vashon. Several parents were so invested in this approach to nature connection that they began to volunteer, train with WAS and apprentice during the weekly program. It soon became clear however, that it was not sustainable for staff to make the long commute from Duvall ye... ar after year, and so WAS stopped offering programs on Vashon in June 2007. This catalyzed the Vashon families who had been a part of this growing movement since it's inception. After many meetings and heartfelt discussions, a core group of families rose to the challenge of rooting this important work on Vashon, and the Vashon Wilderness Program was born. We hired staff from WAS to direct and instruct, along with our first Vashon resident who was trained in Coyote Mentoring. In that first year we also partnered with the Vashon Learning Community, a local non-profit organization dedicated to supporting interest-led learning experiences for people of all ages, and gained access to the requisite liability insurance to maintain our long-term relationship with the land at Camp Sealth. Two years later, we officially transitioned to our own 501(c)(3) non-profit status. In 2009, we hired our first on-island Director, and in 2012 we hired our Executive Director. The majority of our staff are now Vashon-based, helping to fulfill an important goal of our organization: to create sustainability in perpetuity. Since our inception, we have connected over 800 youth with nature through our weekly and monthly programs, and offer family and adult programming, as well as seasonal celebrations throughout the year.Read More