We all have moments when we look around and appreciate our island home — on a walk at Fern Cove, on the Old Vashon Pictures & Stories Facebook page, or walking through the Vashon Heritage Museum and its latest exhibit.
Through 2023, to foster more of that kind of discovery and appreciation, the Vashon Heritage Museum, in partnership with the Puyallup Tribe, will host “Vashon 101,” a series of conversations about Vashon.
“Vashon 101” will be offered via Zoom, at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month — from January 12 to August 10 — with Steve Bergman kicking off the series with a talk about the actual ground we stand on — the geology of Vashon.
The idea for “Vashon 101” isn’t new — the series was started by a dedicated group of island academics working together, under the banner of Vashon College, to better understand Vashon’s natural and human history. Classes were held in person — which limited attendance, said Elsa Croonquist, executive director of the Heritage Museum.
“The museum has been offering Zoom talks since early in the COVID-19 pandemic and we have amassed an awesome collection of speakers on varied topics,” Croonquist said. “We see this as a great opportunity to bring back a well-loved series and make it available to many more islanders.”
Bruce Haulman, island historian and Heritage Museum board president, is also excited for islanders to hear from new “Vashon 101” presenters.
“Vashon 101 is a series of VashonTED talks that will engage you to see our island through new eyes and appreciate the extraordinary natural and human forces that have shaped the Island,” he said.
At Bergman’s Jan. 12 talk, followed by a talk by Tom Devries on Feb. 9, attendees can learn more about Vashon’s ecology, including information about Seattle and Tacoma fault lines, why there is so much till (or clay) in island backyards, and how plants and species have adapted to a long-changing climate on Vashon.
On March 9, Binah McCloud, of the Puyallup Tribe, will speak on the topic of “Fish Wars and Treaty Rights to Fish,” and on April 13, Bianca Perla, of Vashon Nature Center, will speak about contemporary Vashon ecology and what islanders can do to keep the island’s water and land healthy.
On May 11, Brandon Reynon, of the Puyallup Tribe, will talk about the Puyallup Tribe and Vashon’s Native people, the sxwəbabš, or Swiftwater People, who lived on these islands for millennia and were attuned to the gifts and seasonal patterns of the south Salish Sea ecosystems.
This summer, on June 8 and 13, talks by Bruce Haulman and Alice Larson, respectively, will detail more about how Vashon changed after contact with European colonizers, and its present demographics.
Finally, on Aug. 10, Patrick Christie will lead a community discussion, themed on the subject of “Improving Vashon Through Exploring Connections.”
Find out more about the talks and the impressive credentials of all of the Vashon 101 faculty, and register to attend here.
The museum invites islanders to spread the word about the series, and consider making donations to support it. There will be a suggested donation of $20 per talk, or $160 for the series — or, whatever attendees are able to contribute to making “Vashon 101” possible.
Correction: This article, in previous print and online editions, mistakenly said that the Puyallup Tribe had partnered with Vashon academics to first establish the series of talks, in 2006. This was not the case, though the Puyallup Tribe is now involved in the revival of the series of talks. We strive for accuracy and regret the error.
