News from Indian Island

First of all, THANK YOU for helping "show the flag" and manage some 800-1000 visitors to the island this past week! The survival and fledging of all three Black Oystercatcher chicks can be taken as a measure of success of our efforts so far this summer. We also have some very cool data. At least three more nudibranch species were observed last month, and our mid-June fishing found the largest proportion of gravid male pipefish we have ever seen.

Unfortunately, our eelgrass survey last week does suggest a gradual decline in inter-tidal (-1.0 feet) eelgrass density over the last three years. We need to flag this for discussion, and pay especially close attention to the eelgrass survey in July 2012. If there is another year of decline, I think we need to bring this to the attention of the community. Sad, but this is, after all, what monitoring is for...

A head's-up about upcoming July activities. The next round of low-tide activities will fast be upon us! July 13 and July 14 we are scheduled for our annual bivalve census. We dug two square meters in 2010 and there was a general feeling that we should aim for a larger 2011 sample, in particular to confirm what appeared to be a lack of recruitment of steamers (Protothaca staminea). I'd like to aim for 10 square meters! That means getting at least THREE teams on the beach to dig and measure clams. A team can be just two people, a shovel, and a data sheet, so we should be able to manage it-- and I will bring two students to help as well. I've also asked the OMSI Science Camp to help with shovelling on July 13, but let's not count on that.

July 15 is fishing. And July 16 is an DOUBLE outreach day. The tide will be low enough around 9 on that to walk out to the island around 11 am to 1 pm, and we also have a booth reserved for the Indian Island MHO at the Farmer's Market (the Stewardship Network space). We can use the booth for show and tell, to distribute a few more of our bookmarks and trifolds, and to recruit more local support and volunteers. Photos and displays, anyone? What shall we show off? And while we should ensure one or two volunteers on the beach for outreach that day, we also need at least a couple of people to staff the booth. I will be available for the beach or the booth or a little of both. Who else would like to give this a whirl?

The late June tides have been even "flatter" than the May and early June tides, so we can (and should) start earlier than I had originally suggested. July 13 was originally scheduled for 10 am, and I think we could get started an hour earlier, digging for bivalves closer to shore. Ditto on July 14, so let's see if we can get underway around 9 am on Wednesday and 9:30 on Thursday, and still work just about 2 hours each day. Fishing July 15, why don't we try to be on the island setting the net by 11 am. And for Saturday outreach and Farmers Market, let's just follow the Farmers Market hours.

Thank you, all, for what continues to be a productive summer of discoveries and (small but real) successes!

Russel.