4 Things I'm Thankful For

Reflecting on our successes this week, I'd like to celebrate and extend my thanks to some of the people who make our work possible:

Our Lifelong Learners 
On Monday, we welcomed a group of visiting students for a Whales of the Salish Sea class. It was a very successful program and one student's first time experiencing the ocean! It's inspiring to witness students developing relationships with the Salish Sea.

Our Generous Donors
On Tuesday, we participated in the GiveBIG campaign. I am happy to report that we surpassed our goal of $13,000, raising a total of $17,182!

We are thrilled with this 36% increase over last year and a new GiveBIG record for the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.

Our Friends & Members 
On Wednesday at the PTMSC annual meeting, Executive Director Janine Boire highlighted PTMSC's 2014 successes and future goals, Dr. Joseph K. Gaydos delivered an inspiring presentation and slideshow on his new book, The Salish Sea, Jewel of the Pacific North West, to a full house, and over 100 PTMSC members and friends flipped through their newly signed copies of his work.

Our Volunteers
On Friday, PTMSC volunteers pulled a 150-foot seine net through the eelgrass by the pier to collect fish for our exhibits. Come see the latest additions to the Marine Exhibit tanks this weekend, Friday - Sunday, 12-5. Remember, moms receive free admission to all our exhibits on Sunday in celebration of Mother's Day.

Thank you to all our members, donors, volunteers, students, and friends for making this week such a success at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.

PTMSC Launches The TEENS Project this Summer, July 6-10

Teens Envisioning & Engineering New Solutions

We’re excited to announce a new program this summer — the TEENS Project! A team of young women ages 14-17 will be invited to spend 5 days exploring environmental and public health issues in our communities and work together with female engineers, water quality specialists, farmers, mechanics, and researchers to invent solutions. Topics include:

• water quality
• food supply 
• land use changes
• plastics and toxics in the marine environment 
• climate change and ocean acidification 

This program seeks to prepare and empower young women to be the next generation of change-makers. Utilizing skills from science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, we’ll challenge our brains, get our hands dirty, and use our creativity to envision and engineer new solutions. This program is designed for girls who are interested in STEM and want to gain new skills, learn about STEM jobs, make friends, and make a difference!

Do you or someone you know want to be part of the first ever TEENS Project this coming July 6-10th? If so, apply by June 1st!

Who’s eligible: Girls ages 14-17 living in Jefferson County, WA

When: July 6-10, 2015 from 9 AM – 4 PM (camping overnight on the 9th)

Where: We’ll start and end each day at Port Townsend Marine Science Center. There will be several field trips to other places in Port Townsend (on foot or public transit) throughout the week. We’ll camp at Fort Worden on the night of the 9th.

Cost: Commitment fee of $30*

How to apply: Complete the online application. Applications are due June 1st; applicants will be notified by June 8th whether or not they have been accepted.

*If fee is prohibitive to someone attending the program, please contact Danae to explore scholarship opportunities.

For more information, please contact Danae Presler at dpresler@ptmsc.org or call 320-267-5635

Meet the Project Leader: Hi! I’m Danae and I’ve had a lot of fun dreaming up The TEENS Project with the help of my PTMSC colleagues, friends, and family. I’m currently in my first year of graduate school at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, pursuing a Masters of Environmental Studies degree.

From 2012 to 2014, I worked at the PTMSC as an AmeriCorps member. Serving at the Science Center was truly inspirational for me. I worked alongside passionate, intelligent women every day. I was challenged to teach myself new skills-- such as cleaning a seal skull and investigating cause of death, or tinkering with the saltwater plumbing system when the tanks weren’t flowing right-- but I always had a support network there when I needed it. I want to pay it forward and help inspire other young women to dive into the wonderful world of STEM—and help build their support network. For the last year, I’ve been forming partnerships with incredible women in STEM working right here in Jefferson County to be part of The TEENS Project. I can’t wait to launch the program this summer!

The TEENS Project has been made possible by generous support from Jefferson County Community Foundation’s Fund for Women and Girls. 

Jefferson County Community Foundation (JCCF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the quality of life in Jefferson County. JCCF provides flexible ways for donors to engage in improving their community through charitable giving. Community grants are awarded from funds based on the interest of the donor or an open competitive process that addresses the changing needs of the community. For more information about JCCF, visit www.jccfgives.org or call 360-385-1729.

This is the BIG day! Help us raise 13K!

Today is the BIG day!

The Port Townsend Marine Science Center is participating in GiveBIG, a one-day, online charitable giving event through the Seattle Foundation. Our theme is climate change action.

We are trying to raise $13,000 by the end of the day to support collective actions to address the problems affecting our oceans, including climate change, but we need your help.

Thanks to a group of generous PTMSC donors, the first $6,500 received today, May 5th, will be matched 1:1, so donate early through the Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG campaign and your gift will be matched dollar for dollar!

Your donation today will allow us to train volunteers and inspire visitors with our new Gone Green? Go Blue! exhibits, conduct important citizen science research on rising jelly fish populations, and fund a pilot program giving local high school students the opportunity to conduct research on ocean acidification.

All funds raised during the GiveBIG campaign directly support the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.

Please help us reach our goal of $13,000 today. Thank you for being a champion of ocean health and conservation.

Photo by Wendy Feltham

Jelly Populations on the Rise?

Over the last several decades, records of global jelly populations suggest numbers are on the rise. The jury is still out on whether or not this is a sign of an ocean in trouble. However, an important message emerges from marine researchers: ongoing worldwide jelly monitoring programs will act as sentinels to identify future changes in marine ecosystems.

For this reason, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center is starting our own jelly survey. But we need your help.

You may be wondering: What is a jelly? Jellies are comprised of gelatinous tissue and lack hard skeletal components. Jellies have tissue composed of at least 95% water and are delicate and easily damaged. They are a key indicator species of ocean health and an important link in our local marine food web.

With your support, PTMSC will be able to collaborate with local researchers to develop a survey protocol and contribute our observation data to the global jelly survey program, JellyWatch. The project aims to be available to all PTMSC visitors, volunteers, and staff. The survey is designed around a “drop-in” style of Citizen Science, allowing any park or Science Center visitor to participate.

This coming Tuesday, May 5th, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center is joining more than 8,000 nonprofits for the GiveBIG fundraising event through the Seattle Foundation to raise funds that will support the collective action necessary in addressing the problems affecting our oceans today, including climate change!

We need your help in raising $13,000 in one day to support climate-change action. Thanks to a group of generous PTMSC supporters, the first $6,500 donated will be matched dollar for dollar!

In anticipation of this BIG event, we’ve been sharing updates on some of our climate change efforts: our new Gone Green? Go Blue! exhibits, a pilot program with our local high school focusing on ocean acidification, and today, our citizen science project that studies jellyfish populations around the pier at Ft. Worden State Park.

Gone Green? GiveBIG! Support Your Local Ocean next Tuesday, May 5.

Photo 2 by Rachel Ganapoler