Seal Pup 007: A Mission to Move a Seal

Harbor Seal Pup #007 stranded. Photo courtesy of Michael Tarachow

Early on the morning of Monday, July 24th, I walked over to the area near the Fort Worden boat launch by the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, blocked off with “caution” tape wrapped around the curly ends of driftwood to form a jagged semi-circle. It was my third morning checking the spot. The harbor seal pup was still there, lounging in the sunshine, but noticeably thinner and lethargic.

Citizen science volunteers and staff members had helped “pup sit” while the young seal moved around the beach (too close for comfort to the incoming boat traffic), hoping to see a mother seal poking her head out of the water, looking to nurse her baby. Unfortunately, we had low expectations that the mother would return after so many days away. (Learn why moms might not come back HERE.)

Volunteer Merce Dostale guarding the seal pup. Photo by Michael Tarachow

Although harbor seals used to be hunted, following the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, seal populations in Puget  Sound rebounded. Populations are now at a healthy level, but seals are still protected by NOAA. That’s because a seal that is beached on shore is considered “stranded,” and needs protection from human disturbance.

Environmental stewards who find a seal will call our Marine Mammal Stranding Line. And that’s where we come in. (Read more about our stranding network adventures HERE.)

Because the seal was becoming emaciated, a NOAA-certified veterinarian from Center Valley Animal Rescue was called to come out and make an assessment. As I sat on the beach watching the pup that afternoon, I was preparing for the likelihood that the seal would need to be humanely euthanized. The reality is that only 50 percent of seal pups make it in the wild, and very young pups are hard to rehabilitate.

Sara the vet (left) and Brooke (right) measuring the 3 foot long pup during the health assessment.
Photo by Betsy Carlson

Happily, it was determined that the one-week-old-pup could be transferred to a rehabilitation center, if we acted fast. It was feisty and trying to nurse on everything while the vet was assessing it and giving it fluids. We got the go-ahead from NOAA to remove the pup from the stressful environment near the boat ramp and take it to the PAWS rehabilitation center in Lynwood that same afternoon.

Photos by Brooke Askey

We keep a record of every stranded marine mammal by assigning them a number. This pup was #007. 007 was transported sleuth-like in a well-ventilated dog crate in PTMSC Citizen Science Coordinator Betsy Carlson’s van, as she and PTMSC Aquarist Ali Redman transported our agent -- I mean, pup -- across the ferry and to PAWS.

Sadly, we received news through NOAA that 007 passed away a few weeks after arrival. Although we are grieving, we also know that 007 lived its remaining days in a much better environment, with other pups to play with and receiving excellent care until the end.

We also take comfort knowing that without the MMSN, 007 would have remained in a much more stressful environment, and without the protections of passionate volunteers. The PTMSC is grateful to seal pup 007 for allowing us the opportunity to educate the public about marine mammals and filling us with hope after seeing the amount of compassion people can have for a tiny stranded seal on the beach.

-----

PTMSC extends a huge thank you to the people who helped protect 007: The many volunteers and staff members who pup-sat and provided an educational experience for the public; the Fort Worden State Park Rangers who helped block off the area; Center Valley Animal Rescue and PAWS for their heroic work in rescuing animals; NOAA for making protections possible; and the many members of the public who decided to be respectful of the pup’s space by keeping their distance, keeping their dogs on leash, and choosing to learn about marine mammal strandings. Because of you, our story with 007 was a positive experience, and one that we can continue to learn from.

-----

What should you do if you think you’ve found a stranded marine mammal near Port Townsend? Call our stranding network! (360) 365-5582 ext. 103, or call 1-866-767-8114 for the Hotline for the entire west coast. Read HERE and HERE for more info.

Interested in becoming a citizen science volunteer for our Marine Mammal Stranding Network? Contact volunteer@ptmsc.org.  

BROOKE ASKEY is the Citizen Science Educator and AmeriCorps member serving at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center

From Park to Pier: The Early Days of the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, Part 2 of 4

This year, in honor of our 35th anniversary, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center is asking our supporters to match a generous $10,000 bequest from Mirriel Bedell, the mother of co-founder Judy D’Amore, to underwrite our commitment to place-based, people-powered, hands-on learning. Donate today to help us reach our goal and fulfill our mission to inspire conservation of the Salish Sea!

(This is the second of a four-part series about how Judy D’Amore and Libby Palmer founded the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. Read Part 1 here, Part 3 here and Part 4 here.)

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission acquired most of Fort Worden in the early 1970s and Fort Worden State Park officially opened on August 18, 1973.

Although neither Judy D’Amore nor Libby Palmer had ever been inside the wooden building on the Fort Worden pier, they knew that it had been used to off-load equipment from ships to supply the fort’s bunkers during the Korean War.

From Park to Pier: The Early Days of the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, Part 1 of 4

This year, in honor of our 35th anniversary, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center is asking our supporters to match a generous $10,000 bequest from Mirriel Bedell, the mother of co-founder Judy D’Amore, to underwrite our commitment to place-based, people-powered, hands-on learning. Donate today to help us reach our goal and fulfill our mission to inspire conservation of the Salish Sea!

(This is the first of a four-part series about how Judy D’Amore and Libby Palmer founded the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. Read Part 2 here, Part 3 here and Part 4 here.)

It was a chance meeting in a Port Townsend coffee shop in the early 80s. Fueled by a mutual enjoyment of live music, Libby Palmer struck up a conversation with Frank D’Amore that soon became an invitation for her to meet Frank’s wife, Judy, who he said was equally passionate about singing.

Building the Future Through Education

This year, in honor of our 35th anniversary, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center is asking our supporters to match a generous $10,000 bequest from Mirriel Bedell, the mother of co-founder Judy D’Amore, to underwrite our commitment to place-based, people-powered, hands-on learning. Donate today to help us reach our goal and fulfill our mission to inspire conservation of the Salish Sea!

You may not immediately recognize the name Mirriel Bedell, but it’s fair to say that if you are passionate about conserving the Salish Sea, this inspiring woman has impacted your life.

Mirriel Bedell

That’s because Mirriel was not only a remarkable person in her own right, she is also the mother of Port Townsend Marine Science Center co-founder Judy D’Amore.

Born in 1919 in Chicago, Mirriel was raised by her mother and two aunts after her father’s death.  She received a degree in chemistry at the University of Iowa, where she also met and married Jack Hummel. Over the next few years, the family grew to include their daughter Judy, the eldest, and four other children.

Learning about the natural world was a "given" in Hummel 
family life. 

“Nature was important to both our parents,” says Judy. “We took lots of camping and canoeing trips when we were growing up. My parents even moved us to a house on the edge of town where our backyard consisted of five acres of woods.”

Mirriel’s inquisitive nature served her children well.

“Science and exploration were always a very big part of our lives,” Judy explains. “We raised chickens, rescued and rehabilitated snapping turtles and baby birds, and caught fish from local streams for our aquarium. There were endless tadpoles and, somewhere along the way, even a pet skunk!”

Throughout her children’s lives, Mirriel endowed them with the belief that anything was possible, and that the post-WWII days represented an exciting time where “the doors were open.”

When her husband died, Mirriel obtained a teaching certificate and continued to pursue her passion for knowledge by teaching high school science. She would later marry George Bedell, a physician and widower with four children of his own.

“George was a very kind and thoughtful man,” says Judy. “I think he felt that Mirriel would be a great mother for his children. And she was -- for all nine of us.”

As the Hummel and Bedell children entered adulthood and started their own families, Mirriel continued to share her enthusiasm for education by bringing her grandchildren to summer camps at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.  

Last fall, Mirriel passed away at the age of 97. But that was not the end of her story. Her inspiring legacy lives on at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, thanks to a $10,000 bequest from her estate.

We are grateful to Mirriel, not only for inspiring Judy and her siblings, but also for her generous gift that will allow future generations to learn about the curiosities and wonders of the Salish Sea. Her life is a testament to the eloquent words of English philosopher Herbert Spencer: “The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action.”

2016 Port Townsend Marine Science Center Annual Report

Do you know how many youth attended learning camps at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center in 2016? 

           

How about the value of free science programs and scholarships offered to schools and summer campers in in 2016? (Hint: It was 50 percent more than 2015!)

Or how many people -- of all ages -- took part in our 2016 education programs about marine life, climate change and the future of the Salish Sea?

Guess how much financial and in-kind support was provided by the Port Townsend Marine Science Center “Pod” to harvest the skeleton of a 30 foot, 15-ton gray whale for a future educational display?

Or the number of guests who visited our exhibits in 2016?  (Hint: The average was 284 per week!)

You can find all those answers – and much more – in the 2016 Port Townsend Marine Science Center Annual Report, now available online. Learn how our incredible place-based, people powered, hands-on learning center is inspiring conservation of the Salish Sea!

Under The Pier - Diving for Citizen Science

Diving for Citizen Science: Howard Teas 

This blog was written by PTMSC volunteer Howard Teas

Citizen science is alive and well at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. Less well known is the role for divers in these activities. We collect data for the Sea Star Wasting Program as well as providing support for the Marine Exhibit, and from time to time we get extras, such as the regular monitoring of the grey whale as it was turned from a 15,000 pound carcass into a skeleton.

The sea star wasting monitoring program includes weekly counts of all stars at the Marine Exhibit and quarterly counts of stars in two long-term plots on the east jetty at the Indian Island county park which were established with Dr. Melissa Miner, UC Santa Cruise and the MARINe program. We added two subtidal sites to that on the east footing for the Indian Island bridge and along the main bulkhead under the Marine Exhibit. The Indian Island site was chosen for three reasons. First, it is close to the intertidal site. Conditions are very similar at the two sites. Second, the boundaries of area counted are easy to identify; the vertical surface of the footing down to the substrate. Third, there are no deep holes beneath rocks for stars to hide in. Counts are done during the same month as the intertidal counts, providing consistency in our data. There is only a short time during slack water between tidal changes, so the subtidal Indian Island counts are done snorkeling, rather than with scuba. We can move faster without the scuba gear and we can continue to work in somewhat higher currents. Counts are made in vertical strips about a meter wide, with markers on the bottom to help us maintain orientation within each strip. We swim to the bottom, then count stars while swimming toward the surface. Each star seen in the study area is identified to species and size is measured in 5cm increments (0-5, 5-10, 10-15, and >15) from the middle of the body to the end of one arm. The counts include ochre and mottled stars, with occasional blood stars included.

Crab on whale carcass still
from video taken by Howard Teas

The second subtidal site is along the bulkhead beneath the Marine Exhibit. We count all stars on the open water side of the old wood bulkhead, using the same protocol as at Indian Island. Typically we see more species here, and lower total counts. Ochre stars are seldom seen, while mottled stars are common. Blood stars and a few sunflower stars are also identified along the wall. The site allows the use of scuba, due to lower current speeds, but access is limited by wave action. The typical southeast wind for much of the year builds waves high enough to block counting. We are adverse to the extreme vertical motion when the wind is up and floating objects, like divers, are banged up against the piling while counting near or at the surface.

Other common activities include collecting fish, invertebrates, and kelp for the Marine Exhibit and maintenance projects, such as clearing the outside of the water intake pipes of barnacles and mussels. While not typical, we also snorkeled around the grey whale regularly last summer, checking on the progress the whale was making in losing weight. We videoed the status of the whale to show those above water the progress that was being made, and allowed the group to pull the whale out of the water before significant damage was done by the hungry marine cleaners.

Like these videos? Find a full playlist on YouTube.

For more information about citizen science projects, 
please contact Betsy Carlson bcarlson@ptmsc.org