As a scientist, you may think I don’t believe in magic, but I do.

As poet Gary Snyder writes: “There is play in the way things work.” To me, magic comes from that play in the system. It is the wonder that happens when many things combine to create life-giving functions — oxygen in our atmosphere, recycling of waste into usable forms, reproduction of new generations against incredible odds.

It is wondrous how multiple efforts can collectively create something unexpected and more than what any one part could accomplish or imagine alone.

Vashon Nature Center’s (VNC) magic is similarly formed from the participation of many — such as the SalmonWatchers on the creeks right now; the salmon themselves; our volunteers and interns from all corners of the world; local youth who have taught us as much as we have taught them; those who tend to Heron Meadow; the more than 50 groups throughout the Salish Sea with whom we have partnerships; our elders, advisory council, and board and the advice they all give; and Singer the gray whale and the new connections he has fostered. The list goes on.

These interactions have elevated our work at VNC into something beyond all of us.

Nonprofit Latino Outdoors founder José González writes in his article “Healing Severed Connections” that to sustain ourselves as a species, we need to evolve from a society with a mechanistic and reductionist worldview to a society with a systems-focused and life-honoring worldview. A life-honoring worldview is one that integrates reverence and wonder for the natural world with modern science and technology.

Here are a few ways VNC is working toward that world:

VNC recently attended a conference focused on kelp recovery in Puget Sound. Kelp has declined by as much as 80% in central Puget Sound over the last 50 years. Organized by Puget Sound Restoration Fund and the Suquamish Tribe, this event gathered government agencies, nonprofits, Tribes, university researchers, business owners, and politicians with the purpose of creating kelp restoration priorities for the next five years.

VNC shared results from our community science monitoring of natural kelp beds, as well as a historic kelp map created thanks to information from long-time islanders. We demonstrated how local communities can have an important role in kelp recovery. During this conference, more than 100 people from all walks of life worked together to come up with priorities and innovative solutions beyond what any of us could have done alone.

Just after the election, VNC took AP Environmental Science students to a hip-hop climate conference at University of Washington (using public transportation). The 10th element of hip-hop culture encourages care for self and the earth. We heard from BIPOC leaders about the work they are doing to stop climate change.

The event was also a scientific conference with a soundtrack — a DJ on stage spun an entrance riff for each speaker, including the mayor of Seattle, county and state representatives, hip-hop artists, the UW Dean of Engineering, UW climate scientists, and more.

The sense of community and the strength of these leaders, who have tackled so many ups and downs, was palpable. I was inspired by the combination of science, environmental justice, politics, and music all in one room, focused toward a common goal.

In mid-November, VNC took Vashon Island School District StudentLink students to the Puyallup reservation to help restore Wapato Creek, a culturally significant site where the Tribe is working with the Port of Tacoma to restore 20 acres of wetland.

Island youth helped throw hundreds of chum salmon carcasses along the stream to return ocean-derived nutrients to the soils and waters. This provides nutrients for restoration plantings and enhances stream invertebrates, which are food for returning fish.

We learned from a Puyallup Tribe member how they are bringing this spot back to life in accordance with a worldview that values nature, along with scientific information and monitoring. As I watched kids from Vashon throwing chum back into these waters, shoulder-to-shoulder and laughing, it was poignantly clear to me how repair can happen on many levels at once.

A Vashon youngster prepares to throw chum into the water. (Taylor Umetsu photo)

So how do we evolve to a species that operates from a life-honoring world view? All of the above experiences offer glimpses.

We can work together inclusively, learn from each other, crack open entrenched ideas and habits, and combine science and technology, with heart, community, and respect for the natural world. These sentiments can cross political and social boundaries and become starting points for working together to face the environmental challenges we are all currently experiencing.

VNC provides one vehicle to participate in creating this magic together. Our work reminds me that we can be a species that nurtures life, and I can be a beneficial force in the ecosystems of which I am a part.

Our community makes it possible for these hopeful experiences and innovations to continue for our youth, for this region’s wildlife and ecosystems, and for all of us.

Thank you for being a part of the magic. Have a wonder-filled holiday season.

Bianca Perla is the founder and science director of the Vashon Nature Center.