In-Person Educational Events
Birding in the Park - Friends of Fort Flagler
When: Saturdays, May 8, 15, 22 & 29, 9AM-12PM
Birding and nature tours are now being held on the first Saturday of each month. Meet at the boat dock near Beachcomber Cafe and the Lower Campground at 9:00 am.
Nature Walk at Point Hudson - Admiralty Audubon Society
When: Tuesday, June 1, 8:30-9AM
Join the Admiralty Audubon Society for a birdwalk at Point Hudson. Meet at the raingarden by the beach at the very end of Jefferson Street (where there is parking). This will be a short walk to note what species are in our area. Contact Trip Leader Gary Eduardo Perless for more information: 360-643-3529 or
gperless@gmail.com.
Online Courses, Lectures and Events
Spring Fish & Wildlife Ecology Seminar Series - WACFWRU
When: Mondays, May 10-24, 4-5PM
The Fish and Wildlife Ecology Seminar Series is organized by graduate students in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. Find the speaker schedule and registration information
here.
Building Resilience to Sea Level Rise Through Science Innovation and Community Engagement - WA Sea Grant & EarthLab
When: Tuesday, May 11, 1230-130PM
People living in Washington’s coastal areas face a host of natural hazards that are being exacerbated by sea level rise, ranging from nuisance flooding during King Tide events, eroding coastlines and wave damage. Incorporating sea level rise projections into the decision-making process will help Washington communities build resilience to coastal hazards. The Washington Coastal Resilience Project employed technical innovations and community engagement to rapidly increase the state’s capacity to support proactive local action on these hazards. More information and registration
here.
Toxic Phytoplankton of the Salish Sea - Dungeness River Audubon Center
When: Tuesday, May 11, 4-5PM
Phytoplankton are wondrous organisms and form the basis of most marine food webs. However, some of them produce biotoxins which can adversely affect humans and animals. Presenter Neil Harrington will talk about just how amazing phytoplankton are, types of biotoxins in the NW and how to keep yourself safe the next time you go clamming. Find more information and registration
here.
Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound - PTMSC & Jefferson County Historical Society
When: Tuesday, May 11, 7-8PM
Focusing on the area south of Port Townsend and between the Cascade and Olympic mountains, David B. Williams uncovers human and natural histories in, on, and around the Sound in his new book
Homewaters. In conversations with archaeologists, biologists, and tribal authorities, Williams traces how generations of humans have interacted with such species as geoducks, salmon, orcas, rockfish, and herring. More information and registration
here. And read more, including a short interview with the author,
here.
Climate Action Outreach Meeting - Local 2020
When: Thursday, May 13, 3-5PM
Want to help educate the community on what we all can do to reduce our carbon footprint? Attend
Local 2020's monthly meeting to learn more about what is currently planned and add your ideas to the mix! For online meeting information, contact
cindy@l2020.org.
Spring Departmental Seminar - UW SAFS
When: Thursdays, May 13-27, 4-5PM
This departmental seminar features current research on a range of marine science topics, including steelhead smolt mortality in the Hood Canal and harmful algal blooms. Find the speaker schedule and registration information
here.
Huxley Speaker Series (Spring Quarter) - WWU
When: Thursdays, May 13-27, 430PM
The Huxley College Speaker Series features guest lecturers who address topics of environmental concern and is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members. Find the speaker schedule and registration information
here.
2021 Virtual Puget Sound Days on the Hill
When: Fridays, May 14-21, 1-230PM
This year's Puget Sound Day on the Hill will again be a series of virtual events with the Washington congressional delegation, federal officials, and special guests. Additional notes will be provided prior to each session. Discussions will center on Puget Sound restoration and protection, salmon recovery efforts, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and infrastructure, among other topics. Find more information and registration
here.
The World is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean's Are One - NOAA Planet Stewards Bookclub
When: Monday, May 17, 7-8PM
A Silent Spring for our era, this eloquent, urgent, fascinating book reveals how just 50 years of swift and dangerous oceanic change threatens the very existence of life on Earth. Legendary marine scientist Sylvia Earle portrays a planet teetering on the brink of irreversible environmental crisis. More information
here.
The Mysterious Decline of Western and Clark's Grebes - Olympic Peninsula Audubon
When: Wednesday, May 19, 7-8:30PM
Western Grebes are diving birds that nest in the inland Northwest but they winter along saltwater coasts. University of Idaho graduate student Anne Yen will present the results of current research regarding the plight of Western and Clark’s Grebes in the inland northwest. Find more information and registration
here.
Huxley Toxicology & Societies Speaker Series (Spring Quarter) - WWU
When: Thursday, May 20, 11AM
Western’s Huxley College of the Environment and the WWU Alumni Association is sponsoring this speaker series to help people better appreciate and understand how toxicology is important to them, their families, their friends, and their communities. In short, how does Toxicology affect Society? Find the speaker schedule and registration information
here.
Seachange - Seattle Aquarium
When: Thursday, May 20, 6PM
Discover how the Seattle Aquarium's conservation work is making a difference for Puget Sound and the ocean, and be inspired by their keynote speaker, Cristina Mittermeier, whose visionary, courageous journalism beautifully tells the story of our planet and its people. More information and registration here.
Stormwater Webinar - UW Climate Impacts Group
When: Thursday, May 20, 4PM
The UW Climate Impacts Group has released an online tool to help stormwater and wastewater managers in the Northwest design and operate with climate change in mind. Developed in collaboration with the City of Portland, City of Gresham and Clackamas County, all in Oregon — and building on previous collaborations in Washington State — the tool provides new localized projections of changing heavy rain events through the end of the 21st century. Registration here.
Educational Videos
Indigenous Voices: Racial Inequality and Indigenous Voices
This
presentation from the late Kurt Grinnell generously shares some history of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, education on cultural sensitivity, reflections on the Tribe's self-governance and work towards food sovereignty, and an Indigenous perspective on inequality.
Olympic Intertidal Ecology: Insights from the Outer Coast of Olympic National Park
If you haven't been able to get to the beach, enjoy
this talk from Steve Fradkin, a Coastal Ecologist at Olympic National Park. He shares the many wonders of the Olympic intertidal zone and shares updates on current work the park is conducting, including trends in rocky intertidal community structure, ocean acidification, the status of sea stars in the wake of sea star wasting disease, and the status of the Kalaloch beach razor clam population.
Speaker Series Archives
There are treasure troves of talks focused on the Salish Sea bioregion that are available for you to explore online - you are bound to find speakers and topics that pique your interest!
Live Cams
Although we may not always be able to get out to our favorite beaches or aquariums, these live cams allow for even closer encounters with marine life:
jellies, otters, sea lions, orcas, and many others.
Readings and Other Resources
NOAA Unveils New U.S. "Climate Normals"
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has just released an updated set of climate averages for the contiguous United States based on the 30-year period from 1991 to 2020, including more than 9,000 daily reporting stations. It refers to these averages as “climate normals,” and updates them once every decade. The 30-year average temperature for the 48 contiguous states climbed to a record high of 53.28 degrees in the most recent 30 years. Read more here.
WA's Water Quality Assessment Offers Insights to Status of Pollution
The latest Water Quality Assessment for Washington waters, released for public review in April, covers 9,279 miles of streams, 434 lakes and 619 square miles of marine waters. One can use the statewide Draft Water Quality Atlas to zoom in on places of interest and review available information on a given water body. The WA Department of Ecology will be taking comments on the water quality assessment through June 4. For information, go to the Water Quality Assessment webpage.
How to Build a Rain Garden
Homeowners can play a key role in helping to prevent stormwater - Puget Sound’s greatest source of pollution - from reaching our nearshore and marine environments by installing rain gardens! Read more here, and additional resources, including a Rain Garden Handbook for Western WA, here.
The Plastic Cradles of Life
From fishing gear to food packaging, plastic is piling up far below the ocean’s surface, creating debris dumps in the deep. Marine biodiversity researcher Xikun Song and his colleagues recently found that this plastic is teeming with life, creating new biodiversity hotspots on the seafloor. Short read here.
SeaDoc Society's Pod of Orcas
Listen to the most recent episode (#5 "Looking to Gorillas to Save Killer Whales) of SeaDoc Society's Pod of Orcas. There are only around 70 Southern Resident Killer Whales remaining in the wild and they’re looking directly at extinction if things don’t change now. Southern Resident Orcas are emotionally intelligent and they have complex family dynamics. They also have a deep spiritual connection to the tribes and first nations who’ve been in the Salish Sea since time immemorial. SeaDoc Society is also working on several killer whale projects, including assessment of skin disease, novel fungal infections, and documenting detailed individual medical records.
WSU Shore Stewards Newsletter
Shore Stewards is published 4-6 times per year, and is full of great information about marine science, and living on our Pacific Northwest shorelines. View the latest edition on how Puget Sound builds its beaches (Spring 2021) here.
WSU Water Currents Newsletter
Water Currents is a free online publication produced by WSU Extension’s Water Resources Team focused on projects and research on Washington's water quality. View the latest issue (Winter 2021) here.
The Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Want more to read? The Encyclopedia of Puget Sound provides a wide range of articles related to Puget Sound in over 90 different categories, including algae, invertberates, stormwater, tidal energy, human quality of life and traditional ecological knowledge. This website has the most comprehensive and up-to-date information readily available.
