In 1978 there was a dedicated group of students at the Evergreen State College conducting an independent study of harbor seals and contaminants in the Puget Sound, WA. With the support of their professors, they published their findings and continued their investigations into the environmental health of the southern Puget Sound. Although they had the option of applying to work on established research projects, their dream became to “work for themselves” and create their own organization. March 2, 1979 the articles of incorporation for Cascadia Research Collective were filed and signed by John Calambokidis, Sue Carter, Jim Cubbage, Sara Klotz, Sarah Madsen, Pam Miller, John Peard, and Daphne Smith.
The stated purpose of their organization was to conduct scientific research in the fields of biology, pollution ecology, and environmental health and to provide the public and decision makers with scientific information to make decisions with a more complete knowledge of their effects on humans and the environment.