Russell Callender, WSG Director

A few months after the turn of the year, all Sea Grant programs submit annual reports to the National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) about the year that just passed. The goal of this process is to evaluate the progress of each program relative to its strategic plan, including an assessment of performance measures and metrics as well as the program’s impacts on society, the economy and the environment.

In addition to holding ourselves accountable, this annual reporting process gives Washington Sea Grant (WSG) a chance to reflect on everything that the program collectively accomplished over the past year. Here are a few highlights from the data that we collected as part of our 2019 annual report:

• WSG staff provided 62 trainings to more than 35 communities on hazard resilience — and resilience was improved in at least 21 communities as a result of their work.
• Volunteers contributed more than 21,000 hours to WSG projects.
• WSG staff and WSG-funded researchers gave 225 public presentations and organized 211 events, workshops and meetings. That is an average of more than one on every day of the year!
• WSG activities resulted in more than $8 million in economic benefits, 2 new jobs, and 155 jobs sustained.
• A total of 144 individuals “staffed the program” in all areas — including core staff, research staff and students, fellows, other short-term temporary staff like NOAA Science Camp educators.
• Fifty-four WSG-supported students were employed in a job in their field within two years of graduation.

Looking at these numbers, 2019 set a high bar for our program. Like everyone else living through these times, 2020 has thrown some twists and turns at us. But with the year more than halfway through, WSG is continuing to adjust our programming to the world we live in. I feel confident that WSG has and will continue to adapt — and that we will be just as proud at the numbers that we submit with our next annual report.

Russell Callender, WSG Director