2011 Beach Watcher Class Activities!

The fifteen new Beach-Watchers-in-training are nearing the half-way mark of their 2011 course and have already gotten to know many unique areas of the Salish Sea. In addition to lectures by some of the environmental stewards we all know and love - Joe Gaydos, Kari Koski, Suzanne Strom, Russel and Madrona, and several others, this year's curriculum has included a field trip to Vendovi Island, (newly acquired by the San Juan Preservation Trust.)

Earlier this week, a dozen members of the class took an overnight trip to Sidney, BC, where they had the opportunity to visit the Shaw Discovery Center's fabulous aquarium for a class on invertebrates. (Photos above show various class members descending in the museum's "watery" elevator to the basement display level.) After a delicious dinner at Sidney's best Thai restaurant, the group gathered at their hotel for a memorable evening with Suzanne Chisolm and Michael Parfit and a viewing of their documentary "Saving Luna." This new feature-length film, which they hope to distribute in the US this summer, is the outcome of more than three years they spent in Nootka Bay, BC, filming the amazing story of Luna, the young orphaned L-pod orca whose longing for affection and companionship led to increasingly risky encounters with boats and humans. It also led to a tug-of-war between BC residents and governmental agencies, all of whom wanted what was best for Luna, but ultimately could not agree on how much human interaction that should include. The tale ends sadly, but the many heart-warming encounters with Luna along the way make us realize how much we all have to learn about the residents of the Salish Sea. The discussion with Suzanne and Michael after the viewing was just as fascinating as the film itself.

Classes still to come include trips to Canoe Island for a talk on Geology, and a Lighthouse tour and trail clean-up day on Patos. Wednesday, May 18 is graduation day in Friday Harbor.

The members of this year's Beach Watcher's Class are about equally divided between San Juan, Orcas and Lopez islands, and in addition to the newcomers, several members of previous classes are taking the course as a "refresher."

Thank you, Shann for all you do for us!

Coming up on April 27: A Meeting to Plan a Conservation Agenda for Our State

An invitation from WA Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar - to conservation-minded citizens of Washington: Plan now to attend a meeting at 1:00 on Wed. Apr 27 in Anacortes. A great opportunity to have input into long-term conservation planning. Details below.

"Over the last several weeks, Department of the Interior leaders have begun a series of conversations with Governors and key stakeholders in all states about President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) Initiative. Our goal is to explore how Interior can work with states to develop and plan for a shared conservation agenda.

"As part of this, we are also seeking ideas and recommendations from key stakeholders and groups such as yours on specific projects that would advance the goals of AGO. These goals include 1) establishing and enhancing great urban parks and community green spaces, 2) restoring and increasing access to rivers and other water bodies, 3) conserving large rural landscapes, 4) increasing protection of and improving access to federal lands, and 5) expanding youth employment opportunities related to AGO.

"We would like to invite you to join Secretary Ken Salazar in a meeting on Wednesday, April 27, 2011, from

"1:00pm-2:00 pm at the Majestic Inn on 419 Commercial Ave. Anacortes, WA. If you are interested in attending please RSVP to: doi_events@ios.doi.gov for our planning purposes. If you have questions about the event, please contact Jody Weil, jweil@blm.gov or (503) 927-6259. For more information about the AGO initiative, please visit: www.americasgreatoutdoors.gov.

Fisherman Bay Celebration on Lopez

It was a cool and slightly damp day, but that did not deter Lopez residents and visitors from spending the morning learning more about the birds, botany, and geological features of Fisherman Bay. Sponsored by Kwiaht and WSU Beach Watchers from Lopez, "A Day for the Bay" began and Woodman Hall , where visitors received maps showing different stations they could visit around the Bay during the morning. Kelley Palmer McCarty, Charlie Behnke and Amanda Wedow were stationed at Otis Perkins Park and the Fisherman Bay Preserve with spotting scopes and bird-watching guides, while Madrona Murphy gave tours of Week's wetland and the Fisherman Bay spit. Beach Watcher Lorri Swanson and Kitty Harmon helped kids learn about invertebrates by getting to know a bucketful of interesting critters from the Islander dock. And Russel explained the geology of the Bay's tombolo as well as some of the challenges facing the bay. Lopez photographer Peter Cavanagh also talked with visitors on the tombolo about observing and photographing birds. Peter's amazing bird photos were displayed around the walls of Woodman Hall; he also had two beautiful posters for sale (see
http://fishermanbayproject.org/ for some of Peter's photos.) Lopez artist Layne Nichols also had block prints of Fisherman Bay marine life for sale.

Everyone gathered back at Woodman Hall at noon for a catered lunch and homemade desserts, followed by a discussion of the morning's activities and information about the state of the Bay.

This was the first event held to publicize the Fisherman Bay Marine Health Observatory project, which like its counterparts - Indian Island and the Port of Friday Harbor -- is working to establish baseline data on the health of the ports. The long term goal of these MHOs is to raise public awareness of the status of our three most important harbors and increase community involvement in protecting their vital resources.

The youngsters (and not-so-youngsters,) in the photo above are happily getting to know some of the anemones and other creatures from the Islander dock.

New NOAA Boat Restrictions for Orcas

NOAA announced new regulations to protect killer whales in inland waters of Washington State from the effects of various vessel activities. The new regulations have two parts:

1. Vessels must not approach any killer whale within 200 yards

2. Vessels must stay out of the path of oncoming whales out to 400 yards.

However, NOAA did not include fishing, research or shipping vessels in these guideliness. In addition, the west side of San Juan Island was not made a "no go zone." The new regulations go into effect 30 days after the Federal Register notice publishes. NOAA is working with partners to educate boaters about the new regulations on and off the water.

For additional information see the NOAA Website at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoise/Killer-Whales/Recovery-Implement/Orca-Vessel-Regs.cfm for more information on the vessel regulations.

Puget Sound Partnership Ecosystem Recovery Workshops

As part of their efforts to guide future policies aimed at improving the health of the Puget Sound, the Puget Sound Partnership will offer workshops in April and May to discuss draft “ecosystem recovery targets” which will be adopted later this year.

These workshops will be held on April 14, 18, and 19, and May 12 and 13. The targets, such as those already adopted by the PSP Leadership Council for shellfish and ellgrass, are policy statements based on science and are meant to measure progress for recovering Puget Sound by 2020. The recovery targets will address a very broad scope of environmental issues pertaining to water quality, land use, pollution prevention and water resources among other issues. Contact Kathleen Igros at kathleen.igros@psp.wa.gov by Wednesday, April 6 to register or for more information.

Naturalist Gear-Up Workshop

The Whale Museum will hold it annual "refresher" workshop for naturalists already working in the field, graduates of the Marine Naturalist Training Program or WSU Beach Watchers, and members of the Salish Sea Association of Marine Naturalists (SSAMN).

This one-day workshop will be held on Friday, April 22, 2011, at the Grange Hall in Friday Harbor from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact Cindy Hansen at cindy@whalemuseum.org or 360-378-4710 ext. 23.

Friday Harbor Labs Open House - May 14

The public is enthusiastically invited to participate in the 2011 FHL Open House. This event offers a splendid opportunity to meet scientists and students at the Labs and check out the research and teaching facilities. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Labs will be open for self-guided tours. Scientists and students will showcase their marine science research, answer questions and provide demonstrations. There will be posters, marine plants and animals, microscopes, plankton sampling and observations, and activities for visitors of all ages. Kids are particularly encouraged to attend.

Bruce Hall's Beach Blog

Please check out Bruce Hall's blog (BW Class of 2009) at http://brucesbeachorcas.com/

Bruce has great photos of his beach on Orcas, information about what he is doing to monitor his beach, as well as on eel grass, geology, marine life etc.

Thanks, Bruce.

Report on the Ways of Whales Workshop on Jan. 29, 2011

This was a very informative workshop organized by the Orca Network. Speakers included Brad Hanson, NOAA Northwest Fisheries, who presented the case for satellite tagging of six orcas in the Southern Resident pods. Air guns will be used to attach the tags to mature males and post-reproductive females. Two whales from each pod will be tagged. Brad presented data from the successful tagging of other whale and dolphin species. The goal is to determine where the orcas forage in the “off” season and whether they are traveling through potentially dangerous waters, such as designated military testing areas off the coasts of Washington and Oregon. The tags could transmit data from two weeks to three months.

Currently, acoustic recorders operating off the coast (Cape Flattery, Grays Harbor, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca) provide the only means of tracking the Southern Residents. However, data is often sparse and not reliable as to which pod is traveling through the area.

John Calambokidis, Cascadia Research Collective, gave a worldwide overview of the various whale species population. The largest whale in the world, the Blue whale, is severely endangered – numbering only about 4,000. The number of ship strikes is increasing, especially among Blue whales. Most strikes happen at night when the whales are on the surface.

About 1,000 grays whales have been photo identified. Two distinct populations of gray whales exist in the US—the Eastern and Western North Pacific Gray whales. The Eastern group, which migrates from the Gulf of California to Alaska in the spring (coming very close to our coastline), numbers approximately 20,000. However, only about 150 Western gray whales remain and are found around Sakhalin Island, the Chukchi Sea and well as the Okhotsk Sea. It was thought these whales migrated to China to breed. However, one member of this group has been tagged and is now off the coast of British Columbia heading south. You can monitor its progress at a sight hosted by the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute - http://mmi.oregonstate.edu/Sakhalin2010

Monika Wieland gave an interesting tutorial on how to identify the Southern Residents’ calls. Dialects are based upon social and cultural divisions not geographic. Different dialects can exist in a clan, a community, a pod, or a matrilineal line. If you would like to purchase a CD that identifies the various calls of the three pods, checkout her website at: http://www.orcawatcher.com/ Tracking of the Northern Resident pods can be found at http://www.orcalife.net/

Carol Ray was a trainer at SeaWorld for three years. After leaving SeaWorld, she began working with a group of ex-trainers to expose the dismal conditions at the marine parks. The longevity of a captive whale is but 7 years – 8 years if you factor in Lolita’s years in captivity. In captivity, females give birth at 7 years and become pregnant every two years. Interbreeding among these close family members is allowed at the parks resulting in many stillbirths. Another website – http://orcaaware.com/orca-tracker/ gives information on captive whales.

Suzanne Chisholm, director of the documentary about Luna (L98), announced that the film would be released in the US finally. The documentary has been slightly remade to include actor Ryan Reynolds as the narrator. Ryan and actress Scarlett Johansson have also signed on as producers. The documentary with a new title – The Whale – will be released in June. Suzanne spoke of the young whale captured off the Netherlands and named Morgan, who may now spend the rest of its life in captivity. The website http://www.freemorgan.nl/ or http://www.freemorgan.com/ has more information.

Barbara Bentley, New San Juan County MRC Member

Barbara Bentley, a member of the 2009 BW class from Orcas Island, is the newest member of the San Juan County Marine Resource Committee. Congratulations!

People for Puget Sound Works Parties on Orcas

People for Puget Sound will be partnering with local landowners Bob and Meg Connor to conduct three work parties in March 2011 at the Cayou Valley Lagoon in Deer Harbor. The workshops are scheduled for:

Wednesday, March 16: 10 am - 2 pm
Saturday, March 19: 10 am - 2 pm
Sunday, March 27: 1 pm - ­4 pm

Volunteers are needed to install native plants, remove invasive weeds, and clean up litter at the largest estuary on Orcas Island. Come and be a part of this local habitat restoration project! Work is underway to remove fish passage barriers and restore the shoreline of the Cayou Valley Lagoon. This site is private property, so take advantage of the opportunity to see this beautiful estuary and help bring it back to health. To sign up or ask questions, contact Rachel Benbrook at rbenbrook@pugetsound.org or phone: 360-230-1353. For more information about People for Puget Sound events, including environmental education workshops, April 6 annual luncheon and Round the Sound voyages in May and June, go to www.pugetsound.org

There's Still Time to Register for the 2011 WSU Beach Watcher Class!

Have you read through the schedule for this year’s Beach Watcher class? A number of new trips are planned (Cypress Island, Patos, and an overnight to Vancouver Island among them!) along with the always-excellent lectures by our local environmental experts and outings to the special places on each of our islands. Registration is open until Mar 25, with the first class to be held on Lopez on Mar. 30. Encourage your friends and neighbors to enroll! (A downloadable application is available on the Beach Watcher website. http://www.beachwatchers.wsu.edu/sanjuan/ ) And don’t forget that Shann is offering graduate Beach Watchers the opportunity to re-take the class as a “refresher” for only $25. Contact Shann soon for details.

"Day for the Bay" April 2, Woodman Hall on Lopez

To inaugurate the second season of the Fisherman Bay Marine Health Observatory project, Kwiaht and Beach Watcher participants are planning a family-oriented event on Sat., April 2 from 9:30 to early afternoon, to share with the community what we’re learning about the ecology of the bay. Come to Woodman Hall on Fisherman Bay Road at 9:30 am, find out about various activities scheduled for the morning (for all ages!) and then explore different “stations” around Fisherman Bay to learn more about its geology, plants and birds. Follow up the field trips with a free lunch at Woodman Hall at noon, where you will also have the opportunity explore various displays, hear a presentation about the MHO project by Russel Barsh, and view specially-designed artwork by Lopez artist Layne Nichols and photographer Peter Cavanagh, (with items for sale.) A good day to visit Lopez! The members of the 2011 Beach Watcher Class will also attend the event as part of their class that day. For more information contact fishermanbay@me.com

"Procession of the Species" - Lopez Village Parade: April 30, 4 pm

Seventeen years ago, folks in Olympia had the idea for a “Procession of the Species” parade to raise people’s awareness of their connections to the natural world. Now an annual tradition in our capital, the parade also takes place all over the world, as people march through the streets in colorful and elaborate costumes of their favorite animals. A quick google search will turn up hundreds of photos and descriptions of past events. This year the “Procession” will be held on Lopez for the first time, and everyone is invited to participate. (No age limits!) There will also be other activities that afternoon. Look for more information as the date gets closer, and start planning your costume!

Island Clean-up Days in April

Join San Juan Island’s Great Island Clean-up on Saturday, April 9 from 10 to 2. Donna Riley, organizer of the event, is hoping there will be a Beach Watcher Team. Contact her at r2d2riley@rockisland.com by March 15. Or if you’d just like to volunteer as an individual, sign up is between April 1 and 8.

April 23 (Earth Day) will be the Beach Clean-up Day on Lopez, also approximately from 10 to 2. Nick Teague, Bureau of Land Management Steward for the islands, will advertise details as the date gets closer.