In 2017, local science educator Michael Jay put an idea on paper: “What if my family’s land along Kinney Creek could become an environmental education site?” Eight years later, thanks to a partnership between the Jay family, Whatcom Land Trust, Explorations Academy, Whatcom Transportation Authority, and Whatcom Million Trees, that vision has become a reality. Kinney Creek’s 13 acres of wetlands, forests, and salmon habitat are now protected forever as the Explorations Academy Conservation Easement.

Michael Jay’s parents, Susan and Burton Jay, purchased the land along Kinney Creek—a tributary to the Sumas River that supports coho and steelhead salmon—in 2003 with the sole purpose of habitat restoration. “My dad loved planting trees. When they first got the property, he immediately went out and mapped where he wanted to put different trees. Throughout their lives, they had a chance to see those young trees grow up and change the landscape,” said Michael. The Jay family worked with Whatcom Conservation District to plant more than 5,500 trees, and with Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association to restore in-stream salmon habitat. By the time Susan and Burton passed, they had transformed their 13 acres from a cleared field to a thriving ecosystem for salmon and other wildlife. 

In 2024, Michael connected with Whatcom Land Trust to explore conservation options for his parents’ land that would honor their legacy of stewardship. Serendipitously, a local non-profit experiential learning school called Explorations Academy was searching for land to create an outdoor classroom and living laboratory. With a generous contribution from Whatcom Transportation Authority, Whatcom Land Trust helped Explorations Academy purchase the land and place a conservation easement on the 13 acres.

The conservation easement held by Whatcom Land Trust legally ensures that the habitat will remain protected forever. “So not only is the property going to be able to live on through the learning that the kids at Explorations Academy will experience there,” said Alex Jeffers, Whatcom Land Trust’s Conservation Director, “but the conservation values will be protected forever through the conservation easement.”

For Explorations Academy, the new living classroom will directly connect K-12 students with local wildlife through stewardship. “This field campus is going to allow students to learn with nature and from nature through observation, research, restoration, and hands-on projects across every discipline,” explained Head of School Jennifer Dowd. “We are doubling down and building our capacity to engage kids in experiential learning through this project.”

The students wholeheartedly agree. When they visited their new outdoor classroom for the first day of school this year, one student reflected, “I’ve somewhat connected to nature in the past, although I’ve never had the time to enjoy it. I like the field campus because I can have peace, and I can face my fears more and more of bugs.” Another added, “This place is important to me because I can see it change over the season and just get outdoors.” Others point to the small wonders that make the space feel magical: “I love it because of the grass and the snakes and the trees,” said one, while another summed it up simply: “It feels more natural. There are no boring days in this place.”

Explorations Academy will maintain young tree plantings, create small trails, and add educational resources like a covered outdoor learning space and a small farm. The Land Trust will provide ongoing monitoring and support, funded by Exploration Academy’s contribution of more than $28,000 to the Land Trust’s Stewardship Reserve Fund.