A day of service, and sand

Pulling invasive weeds with a lovely view. 

This year, we set a record for our Martin Luther King Day of Service! Over 60 individuals showed up to volunteer their afternoon for our annual invasive weed pull on the beaches in Fort Worden. And thank you Wendy Feltham for taking all the beautiful photos in this post.

PTMSC and FFW volunteers working hard! 

                                   A total of 157 volunteer hours were logged for this event.

And we had volunteers of all ages!

PTMSC volunteers Doug Rogers, Jane Guiltinan, and friends. 

 With so many people having such great energy, we were able to split into two groups and conquer two separate invasive European dune grass patches! 

While doing all of this, everyone maintained plenty of smiles -- even when the wind picked up. 

Take a look at those awesome volunteers and that truck full of weeds! 

Thanks to the Native Plant Society, Washington State Parks, and the Friends of Fort Worden for all your help organizing this remarkable event.

And a big thank you from the AmeriCorps!

Written by Mandi Johnson, AmeriCorps Volunteer Program Educator.

LECTURE: Toxic Phytoplankton in the Pacific Northwest

Sunday, February 9, 3 p.m.

Neil Harrington, Environment Biologist, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe

Neil Harrington

Admission: $5 (students, teachers FREE)
FREE admission for Octopus and Orca Donor Circle   Members.

Become a member today!

Environmental biologist Neil Harrington is the featured speaker at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s “The Future of Oceans” lecture on Sunday, Feb. 9, 3 p.m., at The Chapel at Fort Worden State Park.

“Phytoplankton are wonderous organisms with some fascinating life strategies,” Harrington said. “They form the basis of most marine food webs, however some of them produce biotoxins which can affect humans and animals.”

Harrington has worked for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe since 2012. His work has focused on harmful algal blooms, shellfish safety, invasive European green crab monitoring and outreach to school children. He has 17 years of experience working on natural resources on the North Olympic Peninsula. He holds a Master of Science in Biological Oceanography from UC Santa Cruz.

More info about the lecturer: https://soundwaterstewards.org/sw/2019/?q=page.pr.5878
Contact: nharrington@jamestowntribe.org

This is the fifth and final installment of The Future of Oceans lecture series for the 2019-2020 season. This event is offered with generous support by the Darrow Family.

Assisted Listening Devices available.

Special Museum & Aquarium Hours

During the 2019 holiday season, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center will be open for special visiting hours, Dec. 27-29, noon – 5 p.m., at both the museum and aquarium.

Admission is by donation, or free with PTMSC membership.

For more information, visit https://ptmsc.org/left-mInfenu/visit-us

Martin Luther King Day Weed Pull

Join PTMSC for our 8th annual MLK Day of Service! This year, we will be pulling invasive European Dune Grass from the beaches of Fort Worden.

Some tools will be provided, but we encourage you to bring your own spading form/shovel and wear sturdy gloves! Plan on meeting at the PTMSC Museum at noon on Jan. 20, 2020. Light refreshments will be provided.

RSVP encouraged: Mandi Johnson, mjohnson@ptmsc.org, 360-385-5582 ext 116.

LECTURE: Recent Changes in Large Whale Occurrence and Threats in Washington

Sunday, January 12

3 pm

John Calambokidis
Cascadia Research

The Fort Worden Chapel

Admission: $5

(students, teachers FREE)

John Calambokidis is a Research Biologist and one of the founders of Cascadia Research, a non-profit research organization formed in 1979 based in Olympia, Washington. He periodically (1991-2012) serves as an Adjunct Faculty at the Evergreen State College teaching a course on marine mammals.

Calambokidis' primary interests are the biology of marine mammals and the impacts of humans. As a Senior Research Biologist at Cascadia Research he has served as Project Director of over 100 projects. He has authored two books on marine mammals as well as more than 150 publications in scientific journals and technical reports. He has conducted studies on a variety of marine mammals in the North Pacific from Central America to Alaska. He has directed long-term research on the status, movements, and underwater behavior of blue, humpback, and gray whales.

Calambokidis' work has been covered on shows by Discovery Channel and others and has been featured in National Geographic TV specials and a magazine article in 2009.

More info about the lecturer: http://www.cascadiaresearch.org/page/biologists-cascadia-research
Contact: calambokidis@cascadiaresearch.org

This is the fourth installment of The Future of Oceans lecture series.
This event is offered with generous support by the Darrow Family.

Assisted Listening Devices available

LECTURE: Art & Science Of The Marine Micro World

Sunday, December 8

3 pm

Carla Stehr
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, retired

The Fort Worden Chapel

Admission: $5

(students, teachers FREE)

Carla Stehr’s artist statement: I use cloth, paint and stitch to express my fascination with aquatic life and natural patterns. My work is inspired by a life-long obsession for exploring tide pools and a career as a Marine Biologist where I had the opportunity to photograph amazingly beautiful aquatic creatures with a scanning electron microscope.

I am especially drawn to organisms that may be hard to see, like the tiny Moonglow Anemone partially buried in sand, or single-celled plants such as diatoms that are so small they can only be seen with a microscope. Many of my pieces are influenced by microscopic images I photographed as a scientist.

The textural properties of fabric and stitch lend an organic quality that I am compelled to use in my art. I may use overlapping layers of silk organza to suggest transparent structures such as anemone tentacles. Or, to suggest the multi-layered cell walls of diatoms, I may use multiple layers of fabric, creating openings in the top layers to reveal textured patterns below. My intention is to illustrate features of plants, animals or natural patterns that might be unnoticed without looking really close.

More info about the lecturer: https://carlastehr.com/


This is the third installment of The Future of Oceans lecture series.

This event is offered with generous support by the Darrow Family.

Assisted Listening Devices available

Cruise Protection Island Aquatic Reserve This Holiday Season

2 Dates:

November 30

&

December 31 

Participants will enjoy the amenities of Puget Sound Express’s heated, fully enclosed whale-watching boat, including 360-degree windows, wrap-around observation decks and a cozy 
interior.
Just outside of Port Townsend is an amazing National Wildlife Refuge — Protection Island. Nearly 70 percent of the nesting seabird population of Puget Sound and the Straits nest on the island, which includes one of the largest nesting colonies of rhinoceros auklets in the world and the largest nesting colony of glaucous-winged gulls in Washington. The island contains one of the last two nesting colonies of tufted puffins in the Puget Sound area. About 1,000 harbor seals depend upon the island for a pupping and rest area.

Cruise trips will go through the Protection Island Aquatic Reserve and circumnavigate Protection Island, a National Wildlife Refuge located at the mouth of Discovery Bay. This 364-acre island is covered by grass and low brush, with a small timbered area, high sandy bluffs for seabird nesting, and low sand spits on two ends of the island. 

Become a member of PTMSC and save $20 per person on your cruise!

BOOK NOW

The Port Townsend Marine Science Center – in collaboration with Puget Sound Express – hosts special expeditions to Protection Island.