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INTRODUCING OUR NEWEST PROGRAM

Chad Tibayan
Aug 14, 20242 min read


Palmer Scholars is excited to announce our newest program, the Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI). The structure involves two days of classroom learning and one day of fieldwork each week.


Start Date: October 15th


Program Highlights:

  • Career Planning: One-on-one sessions with a Navigator for job placement and career support.

  • Scholar Support: Includes supportive services and financial incentives.

Program Structure:

  • 8 Week Program

  • 192 Hours of Training

  • Sessions held three days a week (Tuesday to Thursday)

  • 8 Hours Each Day


 


GSI Workforce Collaborative

A regional initiative by The Nature Conservancy to advance green stormwater infrastructure and urban forestry careers, addressing workforce sustainability challenges.


  • Multi-sector representation supporting workers in family-wage GSI jobs and employers needing a qualified workforce.

  • Identified a gap in relevant training programs in Pierce County.

  • A subcommittee from Pierce Conservation District, City of Tacoma, Clover Park Technical College, Workforce Central, and The Nature Conservancy created a framework to pilot entry-level training.

  • Training combines classroom learning with hands-on experience, adapting the Western Washington Regional GSI Curriculum, with a focus on equity and equitable engagement.


What is GSI?

Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI), also known as Low Impact Development (LID), is an evolving field focused on the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of systems that manage water resources. This work aims to replicate the natural functions of watersheds to manage water quality and quantity in urban, suburban, and rural areas, as well as transportation systems. GSI plays a crucial role in supporting ecosystems—including plants, animals, and human health—by complementing conventional stormwater management practices.


To enroll in our GSI program, please attend one of the upcoming enrollment events and bring the following documents:

  • Proof of eligibility to work in the U.S. (birth certificate, social security card, or green card)

  • Photo identification (ID, driver's license, or passport)

  • Registration for selective services (if identified as male at birth) register here

  • High School Diploma or GED (If you don’t have either, please let us know as it does not disqualify you)

  • Proof of residency in Pierce County (a piece of mail with your name and address or an ID with your current Pierce County address)





 
 
 

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 SUPPORT OUR MISSION TODAY!

Palmer Scholars acknowledges that our work is carried out on, and our office space is located within, occupied Coast Salish land, specifically that of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. We pay respect to Coast Salish Elders past and present and extend that respect to their descendants and to all Indigenous peoples. To acknowledge this land is to recognize its longer history and our place in that history; it is to recognize these lands and waters and their significance for the peoples who lived and continue to live in this region, whose practices and spiritualties were and are tied to the land and the water, and whose lives continue to enrich and develop in relationship to the land, waters, and other inhabitants today.

 

We also pause to recognize and acknowledge the labor upon which our country, state, and institutions are built.

We remember that our country is built on the labor of enslaved people who were kidnapped and brought to the U.S. from the African continent and recognize the continued contribution of their survivors. We also acknowledge all immigrant labor, including voluntary, involuntary, trafficked, forced, and undocumented peoples who contributed to the building of the country and continue to serve within our labor force. We acknowledge all unpaid care-giving labor.

 

To the people who contributed this immeasurable work and their descendants, we acknowledge our/their indelible mark on the spaces in which we operate today. It is our collective responsibility to critically interrogate these histories, to repair harm, and to honor, protect, and sustain this land.

Physical Address - 

4500 Steilacoom Blvd SW BLDG 16

Lakewood WA 98499-4004

Mailing Address - 

PO Box 7119, Tacoma, WA 98417

Email - info@palmerscholars.org

To contact someone directly visit our staff page here: Our Team

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