When I first sat down to compose this blog post, I thought about the events that I could write about. I could write about the several estuary/organic farm field trips and the GreenSTEM Summit that my AmeriCorps team (and awesome supervisors!) have hosted over the last few weeks. I could write about helping high school interns prepare to teach younger kids about environmental topics, or the workshops we’ve created and implemented, or the heartwarming songs a group of Salmon in the Classroom students sang for us at their salmon release. I could write about revamping the tired-looking informational kiosks around the Salmon Center to better reflect the vibrance and drive of the people that work and volunteer here. I could write about the utter transformation of the Theler Nature Center under our care, and what it feels like to contribute to a change that will take many years. I could write about my musings from the lawn tractor as we battle the relentless reed canary grass in the Bark Park, or about what it’s like to open the live well of a rotary screw trap and watch as hundreds of creatures skitter around– salmon, steelhead, lamprey, sculpin. I could write about the growing pains and pride we’ve experienced in building the First Annual Hood Canal Salmon Run 5K from the ground up.

There are so many memorable, novel, beautiful experiences I’ve had here. Many of them are worth writing about in their own right, and I’m sure I’ll look back at these memories for many years to come. For now, though, I’ll focus on what matters to me the most: gratitude for the people I have worked with. Each one of you inspires me in your own way, and I am so lucky to have shared this experience with you. Here’s to the legacy of the best team I could have stumbled upon. We have so much to be proud of.