Usually when someone thinks of a
dock, they think of a place where you tie up a boat or cast a fishing line. But
in 2007, the 8th graders in Larry McKeehan’s science classes at
Quilcene Middle School learned to view docks differently, thanks to a science
program called the Northern Hood Canal Dock Monitoring Project or fondly known
as the “Docks Project.”
In the Docks Project, middle school
students learned about what goes on underneath
the docks in our community by studying water
quality, plankton and marine invertebrates. Students did research and
experiments about marine water
quality and factors contributing to the recurring low dissolved oxygen events
in Hood Canal.
Classroom work complemented dock
monitoring in the field so students could participate in investigative science,
increasing their understanding of water
quality in relation to local geology, currents, climate and weather changes,
and shoreline land use. During dock monitoring, they looked for invasive species
like tunicates and become aware of
the threat they pose to nearshore habitats in the Puget
Sound area.
The project was done in partnership
with the Port of Port Townsend, Jefferson County Soil
Conservation District, Jefferson County Health Department and the Hood Canal
Dissolved Oxygen Program.
By
Judy D’Amore, educator for the project
This is one of 30 reasons to give $30
to celebrate 30 years. Or increase your impact and give more. All funds support
the Future Fund to keep the PTMSC going strong. Donate
online or call (360) 385-5582, ext. 104,
or send a check to 532 Battery Way,
Port Townsend, WA 98368.
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