by Daoud Miller, Education & Involvement Coordinator

Throughout the year People For Puget Sound offers a variety of programs to strengthen people’s connections and understanding of the tremendous diversity of marine life that inhabits Puget Sound and its shorelines, as well as to learn what they can personally do to restore and protect our precious marine resources.  We work with partner organizations and knowledgeable and concerned individuals to successfully engage Puget Sound residents in activities on the shorelines of the Sound.

Vashon
People For Puget Sound this summer hosted the 3rd annual Vashon Lowtide Celebration at Pt. Robinson on Maury Island along with Washington Dept. of Natural Resources, Washington Scuba Alliance, and numerous island organizations, including Vashon-Maury Island Audubon, Vashon Park District, and the Keepers of Point Robinson.  The celebration’s last 2 years have seen 200-300 folks, including many families with children, come to Pt. Robinson to explore the intertidal marine life at lowtide with expert beach naturalist guides, listen to speakers and storytellers about life on the shorelines, and tour the working lighthouse.  During last year’s 2007 celebration, over 200 people signed pledges to treat the beach animals with care and respect.  Kathryn True’s Lorax Club junior members had children teaching beach etiquette to other children visiting the tidepools.  Beach enjoyment and conservation will continue to be the focus of this year’s celebration, which will also feature the beach arrival of the Blue Heron Native Paddlers crew followed by traditional welcome ceremony and song, as well as native storytelling with Leslie Creed.

Vashon – Fern Cove
Also on Vashon Island, People For Puget Sound is beginning a partnership with Vashon Park District on Fern Cove that will develop into public programs at that site of a beautiful and ecologically important marine estuary and salmon habitat.  Providing youth opportunities to learn to be good stewards of Puget Sound will be a primary focus of programs at Fern Cove.

Seahurst Park, Burien
People For Puget Sound continues its tradition of providing programs for families and children at Seahurst Park in Burien, in cooperation with the Environmental Science Center and Burien Parks and Recreation.  Our programs are especially popular with boy, girl, & cub scouting troops.  After a series of winter nighttime beachwalks at Seahurst in partnership with the Seattle Aquarium’s Beach Naturalist program guides, we hosted a similar summer event on July 4th at Seahurst.  We provided education modules that help adults and children learn about identifying the most commonly encountered beach animals, Best Beach Behavior (or beach etiquette), and the impact of toxins in the environment on our marine resources and how citizens can change their lifestyles to reduce toxins impacts on the shorelines.  Our presentation are a gateway for folks to then explore the shorelines with Beach Naturalist guides.

Carkeek Park, Seattle
People For Puget Sound conducted a “Celebrate Life at Low Tide” event on the first Saturday following the end of the school year – the summer solstice of June 21st – at Carkeek Park in Seattle in conjunction with naturalists from Carkeek Park and the Aquarium’s Beach Naturalist program.  We engaged visitors to the beach with materials and activities as outlined in the above Seahurst program.

Bainbridge Island & Kitsap County
People For Puget Sound is engaging residents of Bainbridge Island and the rest of Kitsap County in a new series of shoreline focused programs.  This May we are launching a volunteer beach naturalists training program on Kitsap County in cooperation with WSU Kitsap Co. Cooperative Extension, Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalist program, Kitsap County, Washington Sea Grant, Poulsbo Marine Science Center, and IslandWood outdoor learning center.  Kitsap Beach Naturalists are available to guide folks in their explorations of Puget Sound shorelines, including a public beachwalk on July 5 on Bainbridge Island.

IslandWood
People For Puget Sound is collaborating with IslandWood on an inquiry-based science program for youth and families and looks forward to developing a junior beach naturalists program.

For more information about these education programs, contact Daoud Miller,  (206) 382-7007.