June 2026 Newsletter
Happy Pride from DERT!
Event Recap: June 2026 CEDE Workshop
On June 23, DERT welcomed community members for our CEDE Water Resources Workshop, where we explored the many ways people and organizations work together to care for the Deschutes watershed. One major takeaway from our discussion was that it is clear there is institutional need and community support for the establishment of a Deschutes Watershed Council (DWC) in order to coordinate watershed management. The DWC will facilitate the stewardship of our water resources by increasing cooperation between public, non-profit, and private stakeholders, as well as provide greater opportunity for funding vital restoration and conservation efforts throughout the watershed.
A heartfelt thank you to Erica Marbet (Squaxin Island Tribe), Jesse Barham (LOTT Clean Water Alliance), and Kevin Hansen and Derek Day (Thurston County) for sharing their expertise and helping connect the dots between watershed health, salmon recovery, clean water, cultural stewardship, and community action. Every conversation reminded us that protecting the watershed takes collaboration, curiosity, and a shared commitment to the places we all call home. Thank you to everyone who attended and made the discussion so engaging! We will be hosting CEDE workshops again in the near future, so we are excited to have more engaging conversations with our incredible community members soon.
Join DERT and the Squaxin Island Tribe for the
2026 Festival of the St̓əč̓as (Steh-Chass)!
2026 Festival of the St̓əč̓as
Friday, August 14th, 2026 | 12pm - 4pm
Heritage Park
330 5th Ave SW, Olympia, WA 98501
The Festival of the St̓əč̓as is a community event centered around Squaxin culture and connection to the area, public education, estuary restoration, environmental stewardship, and envisioning the future of a restored Deschutes Estuary. We will include a thoughtful educational and outreach area featuring organizations doing meaningful work throughout the Deschutes Watershed and South Sound region, as well as live cultural performances and local vendors.
Please use the QR code above or the link to RSVP! While this is a free event and open to the public, knowing how many folks turn out is very helpful to gauge interest for future events.
Festival Outreach and Education Opportunities
We are still accepting applications for outreach and educational booths! If your organization may be interested in hosting a booth, please feel free to fill out the interest form linked below.
Submitting the form is not confirmation of participation at this stage, it is intended to help us better understand interest levels, space needs, and the types of educational activities organizations may want to bring to the event.
Our goal is to include a variety of interactive and educational opportunities that help community members and attendees connect with local ecology, restoration, wildlife, stewardship, cultural learning, sustainability, environmental and social justice, and other community resources.
Festival Volunteer Opportunities
The Festival of the St̓əč̓as is right around the corner, and we're looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help make this year's event a success! Whether you're welcoming guests, assisting vendors, helping with activities, offering care at our First-Aid tent, or supporting event setup and cleanup, there's a role for everyone.
Volunteering is a wonderful way to connect with your community, support environmental education, and celebrate the Deschutes Estuary alongside local organizations and partners.
Interested in helping? We'd love to have you join us!
Festival Market Vendor Opportunities
We're also accepting applications for our Festival Market! We encourage Indigenous artists, makers, and vendors to apply as we celebrate the rich cultural heritage of our home and the people who have stewarded it for generations. We also welcome applications from local artists and vendors whose work reflects the spirit of community, culture, and environmental stewardship.
Interested in becoming a vendor? We'd love to hear from you!
Sea Stroll: A History of our Estuary
Join the Puget Sound Estuarium and Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team (DERT) as we loop around the downtown core to track the historic changes to Olympia’s shoreline. Learn about geologic events that created the estuary, Native tribes that stewarded these lands, and why an estuary was important for making it into the city we see today. Plus we'll dive into the restoration plan for Capitol Lake and the vital role of estuaries in our ecosystem's health. It's a journey through time and nature you won't want to miss!
When: Sunday July 12 @ 10am
Where: Puget Sound Estuarium - 309 State Ave NE, Olympia, WA 98501
Registration Policies and Event Info:
Preregistration is required as there is limited space available.
Adults (Ages 13 and older) - $18
Children (Ages 12 and younger) - Free
Community Access Ticket - Free
Our mission is to make sure everyone feels welcome here. Made possible by our supporters so cost is never a barrier.
A Thank You to the
Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project
We're incredibly grateful for our ongoing partnership with the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project and the many organizations working together to move this historic effort forward. Throughout the planning process, the project team has remained committed to keeping the community informed, engaged, and involved through open houses, presentations, and opportunities for public input.
Restoring the estuary is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and we're proud to continue supporting efforts that center collaboration, transparency, and long-term stewardship of the watershed.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out this incredible video produced by the Department of Ecology, we encourage you to do so.
Deschutes Watershed Council
We're excited to share that momentum continues to build for the future Deschutes Watershed Council. Throughout our conversations with community members, partners, and local organizations, we've heard tremendous enthusiasm for a collaborative watershed council that brings people together to protect and restore the Deschutes watershed.
DERT continue to work alongside partners to bring this vision to life as soon as possible, and we look forward to sharing more updates as progress continues.
Exploring the Deschutes River Preserve with Olympia Ecosystems
We also want to offer a big thank you to Olympia Ecosystems for their continued work connecting people with the Deschutes watershed through hands-on conservation and community engagement. From restoring habitat at the Deschutes River Preserve to offering educational opportunities that help people experience this work firsthand, they continue to build meaningful connections between people and place.
Indigenous Agroforestry Network 2026 Gathering
Our Community Development Assistant, Ivy Major, attended the 2026 IAN Gathering hosted by the Squaxin Island Tribe at the Little Creek Casino. She spent three days attending panels, discussions, and field visits to learn more about Indigenous stewardship techniques and philosophies from across the continent. DERT is committed to promoting co-management of the land with its original stewards, as their wealth of expert knowledge based on thousands of years of study and practice has been historically disregarded by our colonial governments.
Read all about it in this issue of Dishing the DERT!
Financial contributions from our community support our staff and advocacy partners’ tireless work driving public support through community education and engagement to ensure that everyone, throughout the Deschutes Watershed, can eventually take pride in a healthy estuary in our state’s capitol.
Your help is critical to our success– thank you for your dedication to the restoration of the Deschutes Estuary.
