Natural Wonder: An Island Shaped by Water

From land carved by ancient ice to the constant erosion of shoreline bluffs, water has shaped who we are and continues to shape who we become. Water structures our forests, dictates what life appears on our shores, and brings the salmon home. From rain that swells the streams and fills the aquifer, to the drops that slide down our throats, water gives us life and moves through us all--Swiftwater people, mosquito fleet captains, fishermen, strawberry farmers, telecommuters, spring snails, osprey, and cedar trees. Island life is in a constant dance with water. It bounds our lives and creates ever-changing possibilities. In this talk, Bianca Perla, Executive Director of the Vashon Nature Center, will explore many different ways in which water has shaped our island's natural heritage as a prelude to the upcoming Natural Wonder natural history exhibit.

Speaker Bio

Bianca is the founder and director of Vashon Nature Center. She has a Ph.D. in Ecology from University of Washington, an MS in Animal Behavior from Northern Arizona University, and a BS in Earth Systems from Stanford University. For the past 25 years, Bianca has enjoyed working as a wildlife biologist in remote wilderness areas from Grand Canyon AZ to the River of No Return Wilderness, ID. She has also worked as an environmental educator in Yosemite National Park. Her passion for nature was sparked as a child with the license to roam the forests, beaches, and creeks of Vashon. Like the salmon, she returned home, spawned, luckily didn't die, and is thrilled to be back, raising her family, and doing work she loves in a community she holds dear.