Ko-Kwal-Al-Woot and the Beach Naturalists
In June 2018, I spent a day telling a story to third-graders. The story is a good one that has been told for hundreds of years, and it is very deeply rooted in a place that I have enjoyed nearly all of my life. Washington's most-visited State Park thrills with its rocky headlands, turbulent waters, ancient forests, sandy beaches, cozy campsites......and tidepools.
Spurred by our desire to be more actively involved in the protection of our public lands, Patty and I volunteered to be Beach Naturalists at Deception Pass State Park for the summer of 2018. We, along with a couple dozen others of like persuasion, attended four weekly training sessions at the park and two Saturdays of hands-on instruction at the Rosario Beach tidepools.
The day of the storytelling dawned cloudy but without rain. As the 82 third-graders from Oak Harbor Elementary School filed off of the buses and were organized into groups by the park's enthusiastic interpreters, Nicky and Jackie, I readied myself beside the carved cedar story pole representing Ko-Kwal-al-woot, the Maiden of Deception Pass.
I must admit to a bit of trepidation at this point.....would I remember the story?.......would I present it with convincing credibility?......would I honor the Samish elders who shared this story?
Soon enough, the first group of students sauntered up and I began telling the story as closely as I could to the version told by Samish elder Charlie Edwards to Martin Sampson in 1938.
I was delighted by the level of engagement of the students.
They eagerly participated in the interactive prompts I provided throughout the story and many had deeply thoughtful comments on aspects of the story, getting their heads around the concepts of generosity, reciprocity, symbolism and gratitude that the story touches. The groups of students and their teachers and chaperones circulated through stations led by Jackie and Nicky and two other Beach Naturalist volunteers. They searched for icons of the local forest natural history on a scavenger hunt, explored habitats and niches by creating a self-designed creature from craft supplies and created a journal of their experiences to take home. All day I saw and talked to kids eager and joyful to be outside in a beautiful natural area.
Not once did I see a phone, pad or gaming device.....
On subsequent weekends, Patty and I returned to Rosario Beach as roving naturalists, eager to help visitors appreciate the spectacle of a minus 3.0 low tide, opening a window into the usually mysterious and inaccessible world of Ko-Kwal-al-woot's adopted home. We chatted with people from near and far, young and old, first-time visitors and old-timers familiar with every corner of the park.
We pointed out harpoon-hurling anemones, gut-spilling sea cucumbers, hermaphroditic barnacles, and screaming black oystercatchers. Visitors asked about the reasons for Salish Sea's complicated tides, the missing sea stars, and songbird identifications. Everyone was delighted to be in this beautiful, intricate environment on a beautiful day. Parents brought their wide-eyed kids to peer into the water and under the boulders; some even touched the slimy Christmas anemones. The kids were full of questions, taking it all in, trying to make sense of this alien world. Patty talked with one dad who recounted his experience on a long-ago school field trip where he had rambled over the area without restrictions, delighting in discoveries and also undoubtedly crushing delicate shells and moving animals away from their protective habitats. He was annoyed to see that access is now restricted to looped routes marked with yellow ropes. Patty explained the purpose of the restriction to better protect the habitat and its residents--"we want people to love it, but not love it to death." Patty was delighted to see his dawning excitement as he realized that the protection of the tidepools had ensured a chance for his young children to make a similar cherished memory of the place.
My takeaway? The kids are going to be okay. They will find new ways to see, to share and to lead. Perhaps the greatest legacy we can pass on to them is the chance to find their inspiration here, in this protected place, watched over by Ko-Kwal-al-woot.
--David
