Day 2: Olympic National Park

We began our morning with breakfast and our morning meeting before heading into one of our favorite STEAM in the PARK experiences: Rainforest Connections. Working together, campers built living webs that represented the relationships between plants, animals, fungi, water, insects, and people. Then came the challenges. One by one, changes were introduced—habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, disease, climate shifts, and other disruptions that tested the strength of our interconnected systems. We watched as one small change affected countless others. But the story didn't end there. Just as nature has an incredible ability to recover when given the opportunity, our teams worked together to restore their ecosystems, discovering that restoration takes cooperation, patience, creativity, and hope. It was a powerful reminder that while life brings brokenness, healing often begins with people willing to step in and help reconnect what has been lost.

After lunch, we gathered with Ranger Cody at NatureBridge's watershed model to explore one of Olympic National Park's most remarkable restoration stories—the removal of the Lower Elwha Dam. Using the interactive model, Cody helped us visualize how water moves through an entire watershed and explained how the dam, completed in 1913, forever changed the Elwha River by blocking salmon from reaching more than 70 miles of their historic spawning habitat. For generations, salmon populations declined as one of the Pacific Northwest's most productive rivers became fragmented.​

Then something extraordinary happened. In 2011, work began to remove the Lower Elwha Dam, followed by the Glines Canyon Dam upstream. It became the largest dam removal project in United States history. Today, the Elwha River is once again flowing freely from the Olympic Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Sediment is rebuilding beaches, forests are changing, wildlife is returning, and perhaps most inspiring of all, salmon are finding their way home again. It is one of the greatest restoration stories in our national parks and a powerful reminder that nature has an incredible capacity to heal when we give it the opportunity.

Our learning didn't stop with the story of the river. Rangers Cody, Paul, and Alex led us into Barnes Creek, where we rolled up our sleeves and became scientists ourselves. We tested water quality, explored the health of the stream, and talked about how temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and other indicators help us understand the condition of an ecosystem. It was hands-on science at its best—standing in the water, asking questions, collecting data, and seeing firsthand how every measurement tells part of the story of a healthy watershed.

As evening arrived, our focus shifted from science to culture as we were welcomed by Jamestown S'Klallam Elders for a deeply meaningful experience. They shared stories woven with history, family, and respect for the land before teaching us the beautiful art of cedar basket making and cedar rose crafting. Every strip of cedar carried a lesson in patience. Every fold reminded us that traditions survive because people choose to teach them, and others choose to listen. There was something incredibly special about watching hands of every age carefully shape cedar while conversations filled the room with laughter, curiosity, and gratitude.

One of the greatest gifts of STEAM in the PARK is discovering that science and culture are not separate stories. They are chapters in the same book. The health of a river matters because of the salmon. The salmon matter because they sustain ecosystems and communities. The cedar matters because it provides shelter, art, and tradition. Everything is connected, and today we had the privilege of seeing those connections through both the eyes of scientists and the hearts of those whose families have called this place home for generations.

As we head into Day 3, we are carrying more than new knowledge. We're carrying stories of restoration, reminders that healing is possible, and a deeper appreciation for the people who continue to care for this remarkable place. Olympic National Park has a way of teaching lessons that stay with you long after you've gone home, and today was certainly one of those days.