Creating Community Through Science

Hello everyone! Meghan Slocombe here, the new Community/Citizen Science Educator. 

I have been blown away by the science community we have built at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. In my first month, I have worked with our volunteers to find safe ways for them to continue collecting and processing water samples for our SoundToxins program. I’ve seen vets and community members assess stranded marine mammals, and joined individuals in the aquarium to monitor the growth rates of our pinto abalone. Yet, as winter closes in on us and COVID-19 continues to make it difficult to meet in person, I know many are having trouble finding ways to continue to connect with our science community.

Well lucky for you, I’ve found some great online opportunities for contributing to science. (These online programs have clear instructions on how to help, so don’t worry if you do not have experience with the program beforehand.) Now just because you’re conducting science online, does not mean you’re in it alone! We want to hear from you about what projects you’re contributing to.

Zooniverse is an online citizen science platform with projects in all sorts of topics!

Tell us about the fish you’ve recently identified in the waters off of the Hawaiian islands through the OceanEYEs project.

Or send us pictures of the invertebrates you’ve catalogued for the California Academy of Sciences Invertebrate Zoology Collections.

Better yet, report back on the history of Daytona Beach’s fisheries operations after identifying fish from old photographs.

Fish aren’t your cup of tea? How about you help identify plankton off the California coast. Who knows, it might give you something to talk to our SoundToxins volunteers about!

For those still looking to brave the winter weather, check out the King Tides from November to January. Visit a site before and after the highest tides of the year. Just make sure to be careful!

The point is, while winter may limit our ability to meet in person we are still a community. (And a strong one at that!) My hope is that we can continue to make our community stronger and larger by contributing to the science of other communities. If you want to share with PTMSC your experience with community science or some pictures of your most recent beach walk or winter paddle, email Meghan Slocombe (Community/Citizen Science Educator) at mgslocombe@ptmsc.org.

New Faux Piling for our Piling Tank

One of our tanks in the aquarium represents how animals and algae can grow even on human-made substances, such as pilings under piers. While this is true, our current “piling” is made of wood and could be misinterpreted to represent creosote-treated wood pilings.

Creosote is a substance comprised of over 300 chemicals that are used to preserve the wood (read: protect it from decay, insects, etc.). There have been many efforts to remove and replace all creosote-treated wood from the water due to its terrible environmental effects. The preservative is toxic to organisms that ingest it or even live in its proximity.

 When the waves and salt water break down the wood, small pieces of debris containing the creosote can be ingested by the animals living around it. Additionally, the chemicals in creosote are even more likely to leach into the water when exposed to ultraviolet light (i.e. sunshine).

Many organizations, including the Washington Department of Natural Resources, have made large efforts to remove all creosote-treated wood from the ocean. The Puget Sound Partnership was launched in 2007 with the mission of cleaning up the Puget Sound by 2020. The PSP’s Action Plan includes creosote removal because of its adverse effects on the environment.

Here at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, the wood piling in our Aquarium is, of course, not treated with creosote. However, it is slowly starting to break down, and we would like to showcase a piling that is not harmful to the wildlife, has the appropriate pH, and supports the natural animal life that would occur in our Salish Sea.

Marley, AmeriCorps member, and Ali, PTMSC Aquarist,
with the new piling before it was lowered into the water. 

After a lot of research on the best method and recipe, we cooked up our own piling that we hope will fulfill our requirements! The cylinder is a mix of crushed oyster shells, concrete, and foam. We added the foam so that the faux piling would be a maneuverable weight, while still being negatively buoyant to sit on the bottom of the tank without floating.

 After curing for a couple of days, we tied it off the side of the pier to hang in the water. This will allow it to finish curing and maybe start growing some new small organisms before we place it into the tank. It will hopefully go into the tank in early spring!

If you see a wood piling or a piece of wood that you suspect may be treated with creosote, you can report it using the MyCoast Washington website or phone app! Check it out here.

Written by Marley Loomis, Americorps Aquarium Educator

Northern elephant seal stranding on Marrowstone Island

Marine mammal necropsied, skeleton preservation underway

Being the brand new Marine Mammal Stranding Network AmeriCorps at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, every stranding call is new and exciting. So when the line rang on October 31 for an approximately 14-foot long northern elephant seal that had washed ashore, I was more than thrilled for the opportunity.

This seal was originally reported the day prior on the smartphone app iNaturalist, which serves as an online social network for citizen scientists by creating a platform for sharing and mapping local natural observations. Shortly after this posting, our stranding line received a phone call officially reporting the animal to us.

Several hours later, the entire crew of new PTMSC AmeriCorps staff departed to learn and practice what to do with our first dead stranded mammal.

The animal was found north of Liplip Point on the southeast corner of Marrowstone Island. We determined it to be an adult male northern elephant seal with no obvious external injuries.

This particular area of beach is very remote and difficult to get to, but thankfully we had received permission to use the stairs of the land owner who reported the animal. Thus, on Halloween we began our trek down the excitingly precarious stairs you will see pictured to the right.

What truly amazed me (and I think I can speak for everyone else there) was the seal’s size. He measured 406 cm from the tip of his head to the tip of his tail. That’s over 13 feet! And that didn’t include his rear flippers.

Michael Siddel, Citizen Science Americorp member, and PTMSC 

Citizen Science Coordinator Betsy Carlson 

examining the front flipper. 

While there, we worked with the two PTMSC volunteers who were called to respond to the seal and the individual who reported the mammal. This work included collecting data on the animal, such as: observations, quantitative data (e.g. weight measurements), and looking for the possibility of human interaction (i.e. any indications human activities may have affected their life or death).

Because the Marine Mammal Stranding Network works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to collect and manage data on stranded marine mammals along our coasts, this information gathering process is crucial.

Almost immediately upon our return, rumors began floating on the possibility of gaining permission to do a necropsy and preserve the full skeleton as an education tool. By the following afternoon, this became a reality and plans were in the works to begin as soon as the next day.

Friday morning, the small team assembled and began a necropsy and flensing procedure under the guidance of Dyanna Lambourn, our go-to pinniped person at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Necropsies give us the opportunity to gain a better insight on the cause of death by acquiring samples to send to a lab, and the ability to look at the conditions of the internal organs.

The team of PTMSC volunteers and staff participating in the necropsy.

Currently, the bones have been moved to beneath our pier to begin the process of soft-tissue decomposition under water. Now, we wait until the bones are ready for processing before we can begin articulating the skeleton for exhibit. Stay tuned for exciting developments!

Volunteer Bruce Carlson transporting the seal to its new temporary resting place. Photo credit: Wendy Feltham 

Written by Mandi Johnson, Americorps Volunteer Program Educator

Meet our amazing AmeriCorps members for 2018-19!

Ellie Kravets, AmeriCorps Natural History Exhibit Educator

Returning from a successful season as Summer Camp Assistant is Ellie Kravets, now the AmeriCorps Natural History Exhibit Educator.

"I was born and raised in New Orleans, where I first fell in love with environmental education during the five years I spent handling raptors and writing choose-your-own-adventure programs as a volunteer/intern at the Audubon Zoo," says Ellie. "Fast forward through my undergraduate career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I worked variously as a costume rearer (i.e.: crane mother) for Mississippi sandhill crane chicks and dodging alligators as a field tech for a botany project in Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. 

"I graduated in May 2017 with a degree in Biology and Marine Science, and have spent the last year working as a naturalist in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to interpret the diverse biota of the dunes to children in the greater Chicago area," she says. "For all the time I've spent in other parts of the country, my family is rooted in the Northwest and the rocky coastlines of Washington/northern California have always been one of my childhood playgrounds. I'm thrilled to be able to transfer my long term passion for environmental education into a setting that has always captivated the best parts of my imagination."

Mandi Johnson, AmeriCorps Volunteer Program Educator

Mandi Johnson is the AmeriCorps Volunteer Program Educator. 

"I grew up in the deserts near Phoenix, Arizona," says Mandi. "Then I attended university in the mountain town of Flagstaff, where I studied Animal Science and Environmental Sustainability. 

"Despite never living on the coast, I always had a passion for the ocean," she says. "This past year, I have been working as the research and biologist intern at a Sea Turtle Conservation Station in Montezuma, Costa Rica. While working in Costa Rica, I have especially enjoyed guiding tourists and volunteers to discover their own passion and niche in the conservation community, and seeing their excitement when they find it. I am excited to continue working with people and marine life here at the PTMSC."

Marley Loomis, AmeriCorps Marine Exhibit Educator

Marley Loomis takes over as the AmeriCorps Marine Exhibit Educator. 

"I grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and discovered the world of marine biology through many visits to coastal areas around the world," says Marley. "I studied ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado Boulder, with the goal to eventually move closer to the ocean. 

"After studying and conducting ecological research in Ecuador (studying piranhas and fishing activities in the Amazon), I decided to further pursue ecology and conservation of the wonderful world around us," she says. "I recently worked as an environmental educator at Camp Orkila on Orcas Island, and am thoroughly enjoying my time in the Pacific Northwest. My list of hobbies is long and diverse, but a few things that top the list are SCUBA diving, rowing, climbing, and backpacking. I’m looking forward to spreading awareness and excitement for conservation of the Salish Sea."

Michael Siddel, Citizen Science Educator

Michael Siddel joins PTMSC as the AmeriCorps Citizen Science Educator.

"I recently graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in zoology," says Michael. "I'm originally from Eugene and have thoroughly enjoyed growing up in the Pacific Northwest. 

"I have always been fascinated by animals, but it wasn't until college that I discovered my passion for marine biology and conservation," he says. "I also really enjoy teaching, which is why I spent my last two years of college working as a math and science tutor. Since high school, I have been involved in a variety of volunteer projects, such as helping with sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica and teaching English in Tanzania. I also love hiking, bird watching and exploring the coast. I'm very excited to serve as the Citizen Science Lab Educator for PTMSC."

Three Fascinating Things!

It’s officially been 10.5 months of service! This year serving as an AmeriCorps member at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center is finally coming to an end for me. It flew by so fast, and I’d like to share some of my favorite new things I’ve learned about.

I came to Port Townsend from Minneapolis, Minnesota where there is no marine life anywhere. So this year I was learning while I was teaching people. I’ve discovered so many fascinating things about the Salish Sea.

Fun fact: I didn’t even know what the Salish Sea was until I moved out here. I would like to share the top three most fascinating things I’ve learned and discovered during my year of service.

Crabbing Season is here!

Summer is here, and that means crab season! Crab season in our local waters around the Port Townsend Marine Science Center will open this year on June 30. Other opening days in the Salish Sea region can be found here on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website.

Opening of crab season at the PTMSC means a lot of hustle and bustle. The sea becomes a minefield of bobbing red and white crab pot buoys, people hauling out crab pots from over the pier, and people checking their crabs to make sure they are the right sex and size (more info here). The picnic tables are full of children and parents getting their haul ready to take home. The waters are speckled with boaters doing the same things.

Every year it is estimated that sport fishermen will catch over a million pounds of Dungeness crab!

When returning crabs that don't meet WDFW catch standards, remember to use the 
PTMSC crab elevator to safely lower your crabs back to the Salish Sea. 

So, how do these lucky people catch all those crabs? Here are a few tips to keep in mind when crabbing.

First things first. Get your license from the WDFW. Anyone over the age of 15 is required to carry a current fishing license with a crab endorsement on it. 

Once you have your license, or are in the process of getting it, it's time to choose your catch method. The most common way to catch crab in the Salish Sea is by using a crab pot. Crab pots can be purchased or created according to WDFW standards found on their website.

When creating and setting your crab pot, make sure to follow these tips to make sure that your pot and catch are not lost. 

• Avoid marine transit and ferry lanes.
• Check tides and currents: Avoid crabbing during strong tidal changes and currents.
• Use high visibility buoys to clearly mark your gear.
• Use a weighted line to sink below the surface and avoid being cut by passing boats.
• Weight your pot so they do not move in high currents or tidal changes.
• Use longer line. Use 1/3 more line than water depth to allow for changes in tides and currents.
• Secure lid and escape panels with biodegradable cotton escape cord. This allows crabs to escape from lost pots after the cord degrades.

Here are a few helpful videos:

How to weight your pots

How to rig your line

When to set your pot

How to set your pot

How to modify your crab pot

You are now ready to catch some crab! These helpful hints will help you keep your catch and prevent your pot from becoming one of the 12,000 crab pots that are lost every year. Once lost at sea, crab pots become derelict or abandoned fishing gear. 

Derelict gear is considered to be a long-lasting marine debris and can include abandoned or lost nets, lines and pots. Most synthetic fishing gear can take decades (or more) to degrade and will continue to "ghost fish" or catch animals until removed from the ocean, as well as damage important habitat for animals. This gear is also a fiscal loss to the owner and becomes a hazard for divers, plus it can entangle boat motors and cause significant damage.

AmeriCorps member James with recovered derelict crab pots 
from under the PTMSC pier. Photo by Wendy Feltham

Thanks to the Northwest Straights Commission and WDFW, thousands of derelict fishing gear has been removed from the Salish Sea. With the help of fishermen all around the Puget Sound, WDFW has been able track and remove lost gear. If you are unable to recover your crab pot during crab season remember to contact WDFW or the Northwest Straits Commission.

There are no penalties when reporting lost or abandoned gear! Report your lost crab pot or fishing gear here.

Written by AmeriCorps Natural History and Volunteer Educator Emilee Carpenter.

Best Tidepooling

When I started my service term at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, I found that I had been left a letter of advice from Brooke Askey, the AmeriCorps member in my position before me. It contained all sorts of wisdom and included one sentence in particular that intrigued me: “Salt Creek Recreation Area has the best tidepooling I’ve ever seen.”

My first view of the recreation area

So I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I have been looking forward to our Salt Creek Education Program with the Blue Heron Middle School 8th graders since my first day here.

PTMSC Education Coordinator Carolyn Woods showing off some seagrass

The Blue Heron students have been going to Salt Creek for many years now accompanied by PTMSC staff, AmeriCorps and volunteers to do a monitoring project that looks at how water quality relates to efforts to protect salmon habitat. They collect data at Salt Creek with their teachers and look at plants, animals and substrates in the intertidal zone with us.

Students surveying their plot

It was so fun to watch the students test out their scientific field surveying skills and discover their monitoring plots. Often when students first arrived at their plots they would proclaim with disappointment that there was nothing there. However, once they were encouraged to look more closely and move the top layer of seaweed, they were amazed at the beautiful world of bizarre life forms they uncovered.

We found tidepools full of juvenile sculpins darting between shadows, mating spotted leopard nudibranchs, vast swaths of mussels and barnacles, little shore crabs at every turn and the biggest gumboot chiton I’ve ever seen!

Volunteer Sue Long examining a large gumboot chiton

I can now say with confidence that Brooke was right and I will pass on this tidbit to the next AmeriCorps in my position: Salt Creek Recreation Area has the best tidepooling I’ve ever seen.

AmeriCorps James Swanson and I, clearly excited about the inter-tidal zone! 
Photo by Jo Ferrero 

Written by PTMSC AmeriCorps Citizen Science Educator Lily Evanston 

Earth Day Beach Clean Up: A Marine Debris Debrief

The beaches and waterways around Port Townsend look so beautiful and pristine, it is hard to believe they are facing some very serious threats from pollution. Especially in the Salish Sea, a unique binational estuary that is home to some very large metropolitan cities such as Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Tacoma, and smaller port towns such a Bellingham, Olympia, and Port Angeles.

The beaches in the Salish Sea are used for recreational, residential, commercial and industrial purposes but they are also home to many unique species.

Marine debris is one form of pollution that can impact human and wildlife health. Marine debris is defined as:

Any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment.
Marine debris may enter directly due to human action, or indirectly when washed out to sea via rivers, streams and storm drains. Marine debris has become one of the most pervasive pollution problems facing the world’s oceans and waterways.*

Some of the most commonly found marine debris items are:

On Earth Day weekend, 2018, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center partnered with Washington CoastSavers and the Port Townsend Food Coop to host a local beach cleanup to remove marine debris from our local beaches.

The day started early with volunteer divers Howard, Tim, and Tusker gearing up and heading out right under the PTMSC pier. They worked together to remove five abandoned crab pots tangled on the pier pilings. These pots were sitting on the bottom and posed a threat to animals living there (see upcoming post by AmeriCorps Emilee on derelict fishing gear).

Volunteer diver, Howard. Photo by W. Feltham

Volunteer divers, Tusker and Tim. Photo by W. Feltham

AmeriCorps member James (and PTMSC Aquarist Ali ) helped 
pull the pots up onto the pier once they were cut free. Photo by W. Feltham

Volunteers stopped by the Natural History Exhibit portico to sign in and get their beach assignments. Photo by W. Feltham

We had volunteers remove debris from North Beach, Chetzemoka, Downtown Port Townsend, Boat Haven, Fort Worden, Fort Flagler, and a few places in between.

Thanks so much to all of the PTMSC volunteers who enthusiastically 

ran the check-in station, helped sort debris, fill out data cards, and 

connect the clean up with the significance of caring for the Salish Sea.

What a great crew! Photo by W. Feltham

Beach Clean Up volunteers embark on their beach walk, scanning the ground for man-made debris while also enjoying the beautiful weekend day.

Photo by W. Feltham

Over 130 people volunteered their time to clean up Port Townsend’s beaches. Many were locals but we also had participants visiting from Seattle and elsewhere.

Photos by W. Feltham

Once volunteers returned with their loot, the debris was weighed and sorted. We threw on gloves and dug into the garbage to document and itemize our findings. We recycled cans and bottles and completed a Washington Coast Savers data sheet so we could track what we were seeing.

Photos by W. Feltham

We saw a lot of cigarette butts, straws, bottle lids, shotgun shells, plastic food wrappers, rope bits, and construction debris. All of this debris can be harmful to wildlife and humans.

Plastic is especially dangerous. As it sits in the water, it breaks into smaller and smaller pieces and begins to absorb pollutants in the water, becoming extra concentrated with contaminants. As it degrades, it becomes harder to remove. 

Plastic can also begin to take on a fishy smell as it sits and absorbs toxins and collects marine life. It is easily mistaken for prey and ingested by marine animals. Once consumed, this debris can cause illness from toxins or can block digestive pathways causing starvation. Plastic has been found in the bodies of small bait fish (a staple of marine food webs), seabirds, whales, and a plethora of other animals. It has even made its way into shellfish and fish markets for human consumption. Gross huh?

There is an unimaginable amount of marine debris in the world’s oceans and the Salish Sea. Beach clean ups are a great way to remove what washes ashore. But what if we could prevent human debris and plastics from entering our waterways in the first place? One way to do this is to stop supporting the creation of single-use plastic products by:

• supporting reuse 
• considering the lifespan of the products we are buying 
• seeking out products with little or no packaging 
• saying NO to straws 
• considering where you are creating waste and try to reduce it 

Collectively, during this clean up, we removed 659 lbs of garbage from Port Townsend beaches!

Thank you so much for all of the attention to detail and love you brought with you to clean up our beaches! What a great way to appreciate this amazing ecosystem we all call home!

All photos by PTMSC volunteer (and past PTMSC Board President) Wendy Feltham -- Thank You Wendy!

* U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Report to Congress: Impacts and Control of Combined Sewer Overflows and Sanitary Sewer Overflows” August 26, 2004, (EPA Publication 833-R-04-001), http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/cso/cpolicy_report2004.cfm

Written by AmeriCorps member Mariah Vane

Spring Off The Pier

Coming from the Midwest, my experience of spring has been a bit different from the way it is out here on the Olympic Peninsula and the Salish Sea. I figured it would be fun to share a few of the new things I’ve encountered so far this spring at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.

Since spring is in the air, many animals have been feeling frisky. The kingfishers have been out and about chattering away with each other. I’ve even witnessed them diving for schooling fish under the pier a few times.

There is always something new to see when looking off the pier into the water below. Since April has started, this is especially true. Jellyfish and ctenophores are frequently visible. On first glance I only saw a few, however when I focused more I noticed hundreds of them. I have never seen so many live jellies in the wild before, so this really was an experience.

Ctenophore caught off the pier.

Each of these jellies was about the size of a quarter.

Large schools of sand lance, tube snout, and herring (known as bait balls) have been coming into the pier for its sheltered waters. These large schools sparkle and shine in the water due to their counter shading. Counter shading is a technique used to disorient their predators. It looks like an underwater light show! 

The plankton we’ve sampled in the last few weeks have had a lot more activity in them. Baby barnacles, crabs, copepods and more were common in our samples. This increase in plankton has to do with sunlight being stronger and nutrient availability greater than in the winter months.

Even the animals in the aquarium have got more energy. Over the winter, most of their appetites were reduced, but in the last couple of weeks everybody is eating a lot more food. Many have been spawning, including the invertebrates that are broadcast spawners. This means they release their sperm and eggs into the water, hoping they mingle and fertilize. This makes for some murky water conditions in the tanks when it happens.

We also have been collecting animals lately to add to the exhibits. Recently we netted some eelgrass right off the pier. Babies critters were everywhere: juvenile flounder, gunnels, crabs, and sculpins were coming up in the net. This was so exciting to see since eelgrass beds are nurseries for juvenile fish. That is one of the reasons we have two tanks dedicated to eelgrass because it is so important for the early life stages of certain species, especially salmon.

Two juvenile flounder hiding in the sand of the eel-grass tank.
(There is also an orange-tipped nudibranch hiding in the back)

There is too much for me to mention in one blog post, but not being from the Northwest and witnessing all this going on I can only think one thing: The Salish Sea is one productive body of water, especially this time of the year. The PTMSC Aquarium and pier here are the perfect place to showcase that richness!

Written by AmeriCorps Marine Science Educator James Swanson.

Citizen Science Day Success

April 14 was Citizen Science Day. It was a day to celebrate all things citizen science, and this year, we at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center decided to celebrate with an iNaturalist BioBlitz at Fort Worden State Park.

BioBlitzers!
Photo by Wendy Feltham 

iNaturalist is a social network for naturalists, a crowdsourced species identification system and an organism occurrence recording tool. It is a great application that can be used for citizen science projects, to generate species guides, and to help people learn more about -- and connect to -- the natural life they encounter every day.

Photo by Wendy Feltham 

A BioBlitz is an intensive 24-hour study of biodiversity in a specific location. On Citizen Science Day, we spent the day outside around Fort Worden State Park looking for and recording birds, mammals, fish, invertebrates, trees, flowers, grasses and more.

Photo by Wendy Feltham 

We invited the community to come join us, and about 40 people showed up to the event. For folks that couldn’t make it out in person, we also needed help identifying the species we observed. So far, 65 people have helped us identify our species online on iNaturalist. We have made 713 observations including 178 different species. The species number will continue to change as additional IDs are made.

Photo by Wendy Feltham 

As the event organizer, one of my goals for the event was engaging new people who may not have an interest or the time to be involved in our ongoing citizen science projects. With this in mind, I reached out to a few high school groups.

Brandi Hageman, a science teacher at Port Townsend High School, encouraged her students to participate in our BioBlitz and 26 of those students ended up attending. I was very pleased with this turn out because I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to engage high school students in citizen science during my time as the AmeriCorps Citizen Science Educator.

Some of our participants brought bags to get garbage off the beach
Photo by Wendy Feltham 

Citizen science is an empowering experience and an iNaturalist BioBlitz is an excellent activity for people of all ages. It is an appealing excuse to look closer at the natural life around us and can hold the attention of folks who are socially and/or technologically oriented.

Photo by Wendy Feltham 

Personally, the BioBlitz helped me learn a lot about the plants and animals around Fort Worden, including afterwards while looking at all the organisms that were observed. If you are interested in learning more about what we found, you can check out our project page at
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/port-townsend-marine-science-center-bioblitz

One of the special things participants observed were these by-the-wind sailors 
Photo by Betsy Carlson

Now that Fort Worden is a designated place on iNaturalist, we can continue to add to the species guide we began on Citizen Science Day.  So, it’s not too late to create an account and get out there and make some observations yourself!

Written by PTMSC AmeriCorps Citizen Science Educator Lily Evanston 

Science is a Team Sport

On Jan. 25, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center hosted an event at IslandWood called the Puget Sound Citizen Science Summit. It was a working conference for people involved in citizen science in the region to get together with the goals of:

• Discussing how citizen science can best be integrated into and assist the work of practitioners, researchers, organizations and agencies, and 

• Providing a venue to strengthen communication, collaboration, communities of practice and partnerships focused on advancing Puget Sound Recovery through citizen science

This event was spearheaded by our very own Citizen Science Coordinator Betsy Carlson and organized by a committee of individuals from multiple organizations. 

Betsy Carlson and Julia Parrish leading a group discussion. Photo by SymPoint Communications.

Dr. Joe Gaydos, science director of the SeaDoc Society, gave the keynote presentation and made the point that people are having a hard time knowing what to trust these days, but if citizens, and/or their friends and neighbors are involved in the research, they are more likely to trust the results.

Some of the important topics that were generated by the group in the morning and then discussed more in depth in the afternoon were: access to information, collaboration and connection, communication, volunteers, and funding.

Photo by SymPoint Communications

My Citizen Science AmeriCorps position at the PTMSC has been my introduction to citizen science, so this gathering was such a fantastic opportunity for me to get to learn from a passionate and dedicated group of people who have been working in this field for much longer than me. I have a relatively small role in the big picture of citizen science, so this was an opportunity for me to see what I am a part of and get a sense of the needs and goals of the citizen science community of this area moving forward.

Photo by SymPoint Communications

In her closing remarks, COASST Executive Director Julia Parrish, associate dean of the University of Washington College of the Environment, made some points about why citizen science is so important and necessary now more than ever. The first was that humans are moving away from understanding our connection with nature and citizen science can help people reconnect with nature. She also made the point that learning is what keeps us alive; it is what makes us human and citizen science taps into that. One of my favorite points that she made was that science is a team sport and that citizen science is an extension of that team. An article that Parrish co-wrote ends with a paragraph that elaborates on this team sport mentality stating:

“For biodiversity science, the era of ivory tower science is over. We need a paradigm shift, wherein scientists and nonscientists work collaboratively to contend with emergent, large-scale environmental issues. If biodiversity science does not engage nonscientists, as biodiversity and ecosystem services continue to erode, it runs the risk of becoming irrelevant in the eyes of a public that may offer local solutions to global problems.” (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320714004029)

The attendees of the Puget Sound Citizen Science Summit who represented projects and programs reported working with over 5500 citizen science volunteers. What a Team! I feel proud to be a part of that team and am excited to see the growth and impacts of it moving forward.

To read the full report from the summit, see [https://ptmsc.org/uploads/pdf/Science/citizen_science/2018%20Puget%20Sound%20Summit%20Report_4-9-2018%20orig%20size.pdf]. 

Written by AmeriCorps Citizen Science Educator Lily Evanston.

Maui Mamas

Last month, the day before I was set to travel to Maui for a vacation with my parents, I saw a post on Facebook shared by the Orca Network saying that “Big Mama,” a well-known humpback whale who visits the Salish Sea, was just spotted near Lahaina Maui.
https://www.facebook.com/salishseahumpbacks/posts/602006980140671

A few days later I found myself on a whale watching boat leaving from… you guessed it: Lahaina Maui! I had never seen whales from a boat and was buzzing with anticipation.

Photo by John Evanston

We couldn’t have been on the water for more than 10 minutes when we saw our first spout. We headed towards it, slowing to a stop a little more than 100 yards away -- which was as close as we could legally get to the whales. We saw a humpback whale breach once with a big splash, and then again.

After the second splash, out of the corner of my eye I saw something else: a little pickle shaped body, less than half the size of our first whale, breaching to my right. It breached once, then twice just like its mama. It had to be the cutest little whale I had ever seen!

Photo by Lily Evanston

The boat captain made fun of my mother and me for calling the baby “cute” and “little” because, of course, it was actually about three times my height.

After the show, the mother and calf swam closer together and came to inspect the humans, swimming right under our boat.

Photo by Lily Evanston

The interpreters on the boat didn’t identify the whales we saw, but on my trip I must have seen around 5 pairs of mother and baby humpback whales, and I like to think that one of those mamas may have been the one that people know in the Salish Sea as “Big Mama.”

These humpback whales spend their winters in Hawaii and their summers in Alaska, so we get to see some of them in the Salish Sea during their migration in the spring and fall. It is so amazing to me that these huge animals make this epic journey every year. I thought my travels were exhausting and I only had to take a shuttle from Silverdale to SeaTac and then nap on a plane.

I am honored that I got to encounter these majestic mamas in their winter waters. Now that spring has sprung in the Salish Sea, I’ll have to get out and see if I can find any familiar flukes!

Photo by John Evanston

Written by AmeriCorps Citizen Science Educator Lily Evanston.