Whale Camp- Not your average summer camp

From July 11-17, 2010 campers from all over the country gathered with one common interest- WHALES. Whale Camp is a collaboration between The Port Townsend Marine Science Center and Centrum with the  idea of using science and art as an avenue for discovery.

Libby gives insight to wide-eyed campers

Photo by: Al McCleese

To say our days were busy and full would be a staggering understatement; the entire week was a whirlwind of activity, learning and fun!  Mornings were divided between art and science activities.

The science looked something like this-

The group works to assemble the gray whale's vertebrae.

Photo by: Al McCleese

Heather plays the signature calls for orca pods- J,K,L

Photo by: Al McCleese

Baleen in the mouth of PTMSC's gray whale, Spirit. 

Photo by: Al McCleese

Campers were introduced to the whales of the Salish Sea in a class called "Whale Ecology", assembled a whale skeleton during "Gray Whale", listened to orcas and learned about hydrophones during "Sound Underwater", and helped solve some of the mysteries surrounding the death of transient orca CA189 during "Orca Forensics".  CLICK HERE to learn more about CA189 and PTMSC's Orca Project.

The art component allowed campers to create and become art!  Artist Deanna Pindell guided campers through creating black and white drawings of whale bones.  she also reinforced what participants had learned in the Whale Ecology course by covering the room with pictures of whales and letting them create drawings of their own.

                                                 

                                                              Photos by: Deanna Pindell

Movement/Theater instructor, Christian Swenson, introduced students to the idea of using their original instruments (body and voice).  Participants learned to move in unison as a group without a leader, changing direction and speed.  The groups made up "sea creature yoga", predator/prey skits and created spontaneous sound gardens with their voices.

Campers in motion!

Photo by: Al McCleese

Photo by: Al McCleese

Most afternoons we met in the schoolhouse building and worked on constructing paper mache whales, whale puppets, or both.  I enjoyed  seeing all the creativity that emerged from our time in the schoolhouse.

Photos by: Deanna Pindell

Our first afternoon was spent working on a special once-in-a-lifetime project; each student made a cast of a real orca tooth!  Those of you who are avid blog followers or active with PTMCS's Orca Project may already be aware of how and why this was possible.  For those of you who are less familiar, learn more HERE.  The cast teeth turned out really well and each camper had one to take home with them at the end of the week.

Keeping a steady hand.  Heather helps camper, Noah, pour the teeth casting mix.

Photo by: Al McCleese

The finished product!

Photo by: Al McCleese

 

Each day, we finished our afternoon on the beach.  I thought of this portion of the day as "unstructured creativity time".  Some days campers created sand whales on the beach, other times were spent building and launching "art-barges", creating giant driftwood sculptures, and making up songs.  Everyone seemed t really enjoy our afternoons in the sand and sun.

Photo by: Al McCleese

Evenings were filled with exploration and experimentation.  We visited the marine and natural history exhibits, tried to create a bubble net in a kiddie pool to mimic humpback whale feeding, and played with the hydrophone off the floating dock.  I'm pretty sure none of us had problems falling asleep at the end of each day.

The bubble-netting experiement!

Photo by: Al McCleese

Our last day was spent whale-watching aboard P.S. Express's Glacier Spirit with a stop to visit The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor.  No whales were spotted during the first half of the trip, but spirits remained high.  Our visit to The Whale Museum was a personal Whale Camp highlight for me.  The head education specialist at the museum and a minke whale researcher spent time talking and asking campers to share information they had learned during the week.  I was blown away with all the knowledge they shared.  Members of our group asked insightful and thoughtful questions and I truly believe we all would have been completely content to have spent the whole afternoon at the museum!

Back aboard the boat, campers were advised to watch for clusters of birds.  A group of birds feeding at the surface of the water can indicate that a whale is feeding nearby.  Suddenly, a minke whale was spotted!  We all brimmed over with excitement.

Our last night was spent on the beach laughing and sharing stories around the campfire.  Saturday morning we gathered our works of art and said good-byes.

Five days after Whale Camp one of our campers, Ella, was visiting the Marine Exhibit when a PTMSC staff member mentioned having heard that Whale Camp was really fun.  Ella's reply, "Fun doesn't even describe it.  It was amazing!"

We laughed, learned, and made new friends all while listening, creating, and making discoveries about whales.

I wish you all could have come!

Heather Jones
Orca Project Coordinator

Coastal Explorers Camp 2010

Students ages eight to twelve years old particitpated in our week long Coastal Explorers camp from July 5-9. Students spent the week examining the natural environments of beach, glacial bluff, forest, pond and meadow. Using observation skills, campers were able to discover how these places support life in the coastal ecosystem.

After learning about birds, we made masks!

In addition our coastal explorers spent time studying insects under microscopes, investigating life in our hidden forest pond, studying fossils, playing lots of fun interactive games, creating some sweet craft projects to take home and learnimg awesome science experiments from our very own Ms. Wiz!

Studying insects under the microscope.

Overall at the Marine Science Center the Coastal Explorers camp was a great success!

Building sand volcanoes.

-Florencia Sund, Marine Naturalist Intern

Deceptively Dry Drizzle: Water Conservation in Western Washington

Think that our persistent drizzly weather means Western Washington has an overflowing water supply? Think again! Dripping in at 36.2 inches, Seattle ranks a rather shocking 44^th out of 100 major U.S. cities in average rainfall. While we do have frequent rain, the actual volume remains relatively low.  Additionally, unlike many parts of the country, our summer months prove to be the driest time of the year:

While the dry weather of summer may be enjoyable after a damp winter, these parched months also prove to be the time of highest water usage. With climate change and a predicted population increase of 46% by 2030, the pressure on the water supply is expected to become even greater. 

Tip: While partaking in water-intensive summer activities like caring for your lawn, try to reduce the amount you use. You can also consider conserving water year-round by installing water-saving appliances in your home. Look for the EPA’s new “WaterSense” decal; it serves as an excellent clue about a device’s efficiency. 

-Jess Swihart

Natural History Exhibit Education Coordinator

Sources & Additional Information:

WaterSense: An EPA Partnership Program 

http://www.epa.gov/watersense/about_us/why_watersense.html

State of Washington Department of Ecology

 http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/ws/wtrcnsv.html

Partnership for Water Conservation, "Myth vs. Fact: Why Conserve" http://www.partners4water.org/MythsFacts.htm

The Alliance for Water Efficiency's "State Information for WA"

http://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org/Washington-State-Summary.aspx

The 10 Rainiest Cities By AMOUNT of Rainfall:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18827213/
http://www.see-seattle.com/weather.htm

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP)

Plankton, the tiny plants and animals that are the base of the marine food web, are everywhere in the Puget Sound. They are vital to our ecosystems and provide 50-75% of the oxygen that we breathe. Most plankton is good but there are some ‘bad’ ones that contain toxins, which they can release when triggered. A certain kind of plankton, called dinoflagellates (Pseudo-nitzschia pictured at left), are responsible for the Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) events seen in the Puget Sound area. These events occur mostly during the summer months when conditions like sunlight, temperature and nutrients are favorable and the plankton are able to reproduce at a rapid rate. During a PSP event, the harmful plankton is so numerous in the gut of clams, mussels or oysters that the shellfish becomes unsafe for human consumption. If these shellfish are consumed symptoms such as tingling, nausea or even death can occur.

Faithful Sound Toxin volunteers Dick, Louise and Stephanie look for harmful plankton

Viewer Tip:To prevent harm from PSP make sure to check the PSP Red Tide Hotline 1-800-562-5632 for current beach closures before harvesting clams, mussels or oysters. Cook all shellfish thoroughly. Make sure you seek medical attention immediately if you notice any of the early warning signs of PSP such as tingling in the lips or tongue.

Plankton blooms can sometimes change the color of the water, but not always.

Right now there are LETHAL levels of PSP in Clallam County along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Department of Health Office of Shellfish and Water Protection have issued an urgent press release to their media outlets and we have been doing the same thing. The testing results have come in and the last death from PSP in the state happened in Clallam County when levels were as high as they are now. With extremely low tides during prime day light hours this weekend please pass on this message to county employees. Clallam County is closed to ALL SPECIES of shellfish from Cape Flattery to Dungeness Spit.

http://www.doh.wa.gov/Publicat/2010_news/10-091.htm

Stay safe out there!

Valerie Lindborg

Lab Coordinator

Sources:

Department of Health: http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/pubs/PSPfactSheet.htm

Mussel Watch: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/about/coast/nsandt/welcome.html

Marine Resources: http://seagrant.uaf.edu/features/PSP/PSP.pdf

National Geographic: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/06/0607_040607_phytoplankton.html

Shedding one Skin for another: Bigger is Better

Ever wonder why you find so many dead crabs on the beach during the summer? Most of these “dead crabs” are actually crab molts. A molt is an exact copy of a crab, complete with gill coverings, without the actual animal in it! In order to grow, crabs have to shed their hard outer shell, also known as their exoskeleton. When a crab is ready to molt, it backs out of its shell through a split at the back edge of its carapace (the large flat surface on its back). This molting reveals the crab’s new soft shell, which fills with water to make the shell bigger than the old one. During the week it takes for the new shell to harden, the crab hides and doesn't eat.  The crab then spends the next year growing to fill the shell.

Size of the Dungeness crab before it molted

Size of the Dungeness crab after it molted

So, next time you are at your local beach, pay attention to how many crab shells you see. A simple way to tell the difference between a dead crab and a molt is to smell it. If it smells like a dead crab, then it is one. However, if it smells like the ocean, it’s a molt. If you don’t want to risk smelling it, simply try to lifting the back edge of the shell. If it’s a molt, the back of the shell will be detached from body and you’ll be able to look inside!

Dungeness crab molt

Crab molt, complete with gill coverings!

Most of the crabs at the Marine Science Center have now molted and are ready to spend the year in their new shell!

For information about crabs and crabbing, visit the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/crabreg/crabbio.htm

Julia

Happy World Ocean Day!

World Ocean's Day is now officially recognized on June 8th. This day gives us a chance to appreciate and reflect about the importance of our ocean waters and impact that we have on it. It's our chance to give back in any way that we can, through outreach, education, beach clean-ups, or songs. In celebration of World Ocean Day the folks at PTMSC organized a beach clean-up. With the help of sixteen fabulous volunteers we collected trash from over a mile of Fort Worden State Park!

 

                       Chrissy, Heather, Julia  and volunteers Luther and  Todd  find a plastics hotspot

 

Reasons why we love the oceans: 

• It gives us oxygen to breathe
• We find peace around it
• Provides food for us
• Holds unknown mysteries
• Its beauty
• Helps regulate our climate
• Amazing sea life!

All of the trash found down a mile long stretch of beach

 

All of the plastic fragments

 

 

                     A cap o' caps                                                                                     Tons o' straws 

 

                Interesting finds                                                                                  Plastic rainbow of color

 

Do You Hear It?

The ocean is breathing, do you hear it?

Its soft breath rolls with every wave.

It crashes upon the sandy beach

Making its mark upon the shore.

The ocean is whispering, do you hear it?

It soft voice is a melody of the wind across the water.

It whistles silently through our minds

Making its mark upon our souls.

The ocean is calling, do you hear it?

The sweet sound of life beneath.

It calls to you, it calls to me

Making its mark upon our hearts.

The ocean is weeping, do you hear it?

The silent cries rise from the deep.

It pleads for us to save it

Making its mark upon our conscience.

Will you help it? Do you hear it?

The voice so sweet and gentle.

All it asks is that you help

And keep its breath safe from harm.

~Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover's Soul

Ocean, we just wanted to say that we appreciate you. What do you appreciate about our oceans?

 

Valerie Lindborg

Lab Coordinator

 

References:

http://www.theoceanproject.org/

Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover's Soul

 

The Orca Project meets The Blue Whale Project

In May, the Beaty Biodiversity Museum in Vancouver, B.C. unveiled their 85 ft blue whale skeleton to the public. Some of us here at PTMSC got a sneak peak!

Chrissy, Libby, Heather, and Julia with the Blue Whale skull!

At the crack of dawn we rubbed our eyes, rolled out of bed, stuffed our passports in our backpacks and headed for our neighbor to the north (also known as Canada). When we arrived, this project, which had been in the works for over 2 years, was coming to an end. Lee Post, our bone expert, accompanied us. It was fascinating to listen to him swap stories and information with Mike deRoos, the head articulator for The Blue Whale Project.

Bone Experts, Mike and Lee; examine the flipper bones of the blue whale.

The University of British Columbia's blue whale skeleton is full of interesting stories; some similar and others totally different from the tales of our own orca skeleton.  One of the more hilarious stories goes back to when the whale originally died on the East Coast in 1987. A local resident removed one of the blue whale's flippers (without permission!) with his personal chainsaw and stashed it in the woods behind his house for nearly 20 years. When UBC began excavating the skeleton, the man approached the crew and confessed the location of his blue whale souvenir. Grateful crew members then retrieved the bones, reuniting them with the rest of the body.

Here is a taste of what we saw:

Jess and the underside of the skull

Julia and the caudal (tail) vertebrae

Julia and Heather with a series of vertebrae

This experience left me feeling like a kid in a candy shop! Giddy, excited and fully stimulated! The finished skeleton is now on display at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. I recommend heading up there and checking it out. I'm certainly planning to!

Learn more about The Blue Whale Project here: http://www.beatymuseum.ubc.ca/projblue01.html
Funding for PTMSC's Orca Project comes from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

Looking forward to what's next,

Heather Jones, Orca Project Coordinator