Earth Day at PTMSC

One Earth, two events!

Join us on this special day to encourage environmental stewardship for our only planet.

Remember: Earth Day is Everyday.

Earth Day Beach Cleanup 2019
Saturday, April 20
9:30 am - 1:30 pm

Meet at in the PTMSC Museum Portico

Help us collect and sort debris as we contribute data on our findings to the Ocean Conservancy’s international database. This clean-up is listed as part of WA CoastSavers annual clean-up with registration run through their site.
Sponsored by the PT Food Coop―get a $5 food gift card to participants and help with promotion. Olympic Disposal provides free trash and recycling service for this event.


Citizen Science Day Bio-Blitz
Saturday, April 20 
9 am

Meet at in the Museum Classroom

Join us in a Bio-blitz! Using the iNaturalist app we’ll conduct a Bio-blitz at Fort Worden. Use your smartphone to record all living things you see in Fort Worden over a 24 hour period.
Instruction on how to use the app will be provided at 9am at the Museum classroom. Anyone can participate at anytime in the 24 hour period. We’ll show a live feed in the museum to track the number of species identified.

Aquarium Docent Trainings

Interested in helping visitors to the Port Townsend Marine Science Center explore the aquarium and learn about the wonders of the Salish Sea? This is the first of a two-part series for new docents, knowledgeable guides who can guide visitors through our exhibits.

Volunteers need to attend both Part A and Part B. It's best to take them in order and in the same month, but we understand that it won't fit everyone's schedule. The dates are:

May 13: Part A
May 20: Part B

Both sessions are 9 a.m. - noon

If you are brand new to volunteering with the PTMSC, you will also attend a volunteer orientation. More information about volunteering, as well as an application, can be found in the volunteer section of our website.

Upcoming dates for volunteer orientation are:

April 16: 4-6 p.m.
May 14: 4-6 p.m.

Please contact Ali Redman for more information: aredman@ptmsc.org or 360-385-5582 x122.

Pinto Abalone Release

Graduation time has come!

The time for our baby abalone has come. They have grown big and strong. They have officially graduated! And they are on mark to be released...

Volunteers measured and counted the abalone monthly in order to monitor growth. Photo by Wendy Feltham.

Many of you know by now that for the past year, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center has been collaborating with the Puget Sound Restoration Fund on raising a cluster of pinto abalone to be released once they are a bit bigger and they are more likely to survive. This project hopes to aid in replenishing their decreasing populations in the Salish Sea.

"Tagging" the abalone so that once released scientists can continue to measure their growth and success. 
Staff photo.

Morgan Adkisson (l) from the PSRF, PTMSC Aquarist
Ali Redman (lr) and volunteers Sue Long (r) and Dana Africa
(rr) retrieving abalone. Photo by Lee Merrill.

Last week, Lily Haight at The Port Townsend Leader reported the story and explained why this work being done by the PSRF is so vital.


Cheers to all the work volunteers Sue Long, Dana Africa, and Lee Merrill have put in this past year to care, feed and count our beloved babies. And another big thanks to the guidance and oversight of PTMSC Citizen Science Coordinator Betsy Carlson and PTMSC Aquarist Ali Redman!

Abalone Crew featuring PTMSC Citizen Science Coordinator Betsy Carlson (rr) and volunteers (l-r) Dana Africa, 
Sue Long and Lee Merrill. Photo by Wendy Feltham.

Written by AmeriCorps Volunteer Program Educator Mandi Johnson.

Enchanted Salish Sea Dinner & Auction raises $142,000

$72,000 raised for the Make-a-Difference Fund

Hundreds of PTMSC supporters attended the 2019 "Enchanted Salish Sea" Dinner & Auction!

The Port Townsend Marine Science Center extends a big "Thank You!" to the hundreds of people who attended the 2019 “Enchanted Salish Sea” Dinner & Auction on Saturday evening, March 16. A new record was set, with $72,000 raised for the Make-a-Difference Fund, which supports youth programs and scholarships to inspire the stewards of the future.

Overall, the event raised $142,000 to fund youth camps, exhibits of marine flora and fauna, educational and historical displays, citizen science programs and community-based lecture series.

Presenting sponsor Kris Nelson's much-loved eateries!

Without the generosity of its supporters, the PTMSC simply could not exist. In addition to the funds raised, 16 sponsors and business partners provided much-appreciated underwriting and over 50 volunteers contributed hundreds of hours, both before the event and on the day of the auction, to make it all possible. Their names appear below.

A special thanks is extended to artist Timbul Cahyono, who created the kelp forest artwork that appeared in this year’s printed program and was on display throughout the venue. (See more of his art at the Response/Ability exhibit at Northwind Arts Center, where he won a Juror's Choice Award!)

Taking Advantage of the Sunshine

As spring looms on the horizon—and with it the promise of warmer, sunshine-y days—AmeriCorps Volunteer Program Educator Mandi Johnson and I took advantage of the balmy weather last Sunday to get outside (and get some work done, too!).

Since October, Mandi, Citizen Science Coordinator Betsy Carlson, and a crew of our awesome volunteers have been hard at work coordinating the recovery, decomposition, and skeletal preservation of the northern elephant seal found washed up on Marrowstone Island last Halloween. You can learn more about the recovery process in Mandi’s blog posts here and here.

Five months later, some of the bones are ready to begin the final process of drying out and whitening (to make them more appealing for display). To do this, the bones need open air and sunshine—and a few hours of cooperative weather. Sunday afternoon looked like it was going to provide that opportunity. So, Mandi and I went out to the field in front of the Port Townsend Marine Science Center Museum, armed with a plastic tarp and a bucket full of seal bones.

Letting the bones soak up the sun is a great way to get  the moisture out of the bones after the decomposition
process. (Check out the size of the stubby rib in the center  of the picture!)

Sunning the bones ended up being a fantastic way to talk to other Fort Worden visitors who were also taking advantage of the weather. Lots of people stopped by to ask about the bones, and their curiosity led to some great discussions about the role these collections can play both in education and future scientific research.

It’s exciting to think about the learning opportunities these bones will continue to provide in the months and years to come. For now, I’ll have to be satisfied knowing more than a few people were shocked to see that a 14-foot-long animal could have stubby ribs shorter than the length of my hand (indicative of the impressively thick blubber layer these animals build up throughout their lives). At least one young visitor was surprised to see that the elephant seal’s humerus was probably shorter than her own!

The seal bones weren't the only ones enjoying the sunshine. 

Mandi and I eventually decided to wrap up Sunday’s sunning session as the light started to fade and the winds began to pick up. As we packed the bones away again—waiting for the next few sunny hours—it was pretty incredible to reflect on how far the cleaning process has progressed since Mandi, AmeriCorps Marine Exhibit Educator Marley Loomis, AmeriCorps Citizen Science Educator Michael Siddel, and I first responded to the elephant seal stranding call all those months ago.

And it turns out that—just like an elephant seal rib—sometimes a few hours in the sunshine does an AmeriCorps good, too.

Written by AmeriCorps Natural History Educator Ellie Kravets.

Annual SoundToxins Gathering 2019

Earlier this week, I attended the annual SoundToxins gathering in Seattle. This event, held across two days at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Montlake, brought together people from NOAA, Washington Sea Grant, the Washington State Department of Health, and citizen science volunteers (including a handful from the Port Townsend Marine Science Center) who work collaboratively on the SoundToxins program.

For context, the SoundToxins program serves as an early warning system for harmful algal blooms. Citizen science volunteers collect water samples from sites all across Puget Sound, and look for the presence of four particular species of phytoplankton (Alexandrium, Dinophysis, Pseudo-nitzschia, and Heterosignma). These phytoplankton produce toxins which can make their way into shellfish, and eventually into humans when we consume them. If we can spot any of these phytoplankton ahead of time, then the public can be notified it is not safe to eat affected shellfish.

The first day of the gathering served as an information session for both new and returning volunteers. We went over the four harmful algal species that we monitor for, the toxins they produce, and the effects they have on people. Then, we were given the chance to sharpen our identification skills for the large number of other species of phytoplankton that we find in Puget Sound.

The SoundToxins annual meeting attendees
(Photo credit:Teri King)

We even got to look under a microscope at a recently-collected water sample and see living examples of these other phytoplankton species! This was particularly helpful for me, as I haven’t been able to see what many of these phytoplankton actually look like under a microscope.

The second day of the gathering focused more on important news, updates and interesting developments in the realm of harmful algal blooms. To begin, the Washington Department of Health gave a presentation about how they monitor for the toxins themselves in the tissues of shellfish across the state, and talked about their concerns about high levels of Alexandrium, the algal species known for producing a toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning.

Next, we learned about three other phytoplankton species (Akashiwo sanguinea, Protoceratium reticulatum, and Phaeocystis) that have been connected to shellfish mortalities. All SoundToxins volunteers were asked to keep an eye out for these species to hopefully prevent the loss of additional shellfish stocks.

Vera Trainer, a supervisory oceanographer at NOAA, gives a talk at the annual meeting
(Photo credit: Teri King) 

We also got to hear about the development of a remotely-operated aquatic glider that is able to collect water samples for monitoring.

All in all, I had a great time at the gathering. For me, getting to hear all the different stories and perspectives from the individuals involved with SoundToxins reinforced how truly important this program is.

Written by Michael Siddel, Citizen Science Educator AmeriCorps Member.

Northern Elephant Seal - Skeleton Update

Since November, the remains of our northern elephant seal have been naturally decomposing underneath our pier. Open-water maceration is one of the easiest methods for an organization like the Port Townsend Marine Science Center to manage an animal of this size. This allows the microorganisms in the ocean to “clean” the bones for us and keeps things like the smell to a minimum. However, this option can take a fair amount of time. So, I have been patiently waiting…

Curious why we have these remains? Read more on how and why we obtained them by clicking this link to a previous blog post.

We wrapped the skull in netting during the boil process
to help keep the bones from falling out of place.
Photo credit: Johanna King

The skull before we started the boiling process.
Photo credit: Johanna King

Vertebrae boiling in one of the pots. 

Finally, in late December, we decided to pull the bones up from underneath our pier and see how far the decomposition had progressed. To our surprise, we found some of the bones in an advanced state of deterioration and ready for the next stage.

There are a few steps involved in processing bones for display in our exhibits. First, we must boil the bones as a way to cleanse and begin the degreasing procedure. Marine mammals tend to have especially oily bones, so the second step continues with a technique specifically designed for degreasing the bones.

Lastly, we will soak the bones in a hydrogen peroxide solution to whiten the bones for display. The flippers have not quite finished decomposing, however, so they were sent with volunteer Howard Teas to spend some time in his compost pile. Once they are ready, they will go through the same process for cleaning and aesthetics.

Mandi Johnson showing off a vertebrae in the steam. Photo credit: Johanna King

As you can see, this is a lengthy process!

PTMSC Citizen Science Coordinator Betsy Carlson and I started our boiling procedure on a beautiful sunny day in late January and had quite the setup. Volunteers Anne Seeley and Roy Clark loaned us two propane burners and three large pots, allowing us to have several sets of bones boiling at once.

Just behind our museum - our bone boiling work station!

Because we planned to boil these bones for several hours, this was an all-day ordeal. I even moved my “office” outside so I could keep an eye on the bones, answer questions from people passing by (asking why it smelled so bad), and get work done.

In my opinion, I couldn’t imagine a better workday!

Written by AmeriCorps Volunteer Program Educator Mandi Johnson