Welcome to the Online Beach Log

Welcome to the Online Beach Log

• Most recent articles appear at the top
• use the Labels area to the right to find articles on particular topics,
• use the Index at the bottom of every page to see articles by date.
• Articles will appear here as they are written/reviewed, so you may want to check back every week or so.

In addition to articles on Beach Watcher activities, it will contain links to articles of interest to Beach Watchers. As you come across such articles, please forward them to Kylee Allen. If you would like to write an article, or join the Beach Log team, please contact Kylee.

The paper version of the Beach Log will continue to be issued, but in even-numbered months, and will take its content primarily from the Online version, and include a two month forward calendar that shows significant events from our online Upcoming Events.

Connie Clark '07

Welcome to the Online Beach [B]Log

Welcome to the Online Beach [B]Log for Island County Beach Watchers; it augments our Beach Log newsletter which is usually issued on a monthly basis in paper and in pdf versions.

This site is used to to share timely information before the next paper/pdf issue appears.

• Use the links at right to access the index of monthly issues or our online calendar of upcoming events.
  
• Articles are shown with the most recent at the top of the page.
• use the Labels area to the right to find articles on particular topics,
• use the Index at the bottom of every page to see articles by date.
• Articles will appear here as they are written/reviewed, so you may want to check back every week or so.

In addition to articles on Beach Watcher activities, it will contain links to articles of interest to Beach Watchers. As you come across such articles, please forward them to Kylee Allen. If you would like to write an article, or join the Beach Log team, please contact Kylee.

Connie Clark '07

FOCIP Education Days - May 8-9, 2008

Thanks to 24 Camano Island Beach Watchers, we once again supported the Friends of Camano Island Parks (FOCIP) with their annual 2nd Grade Education Days project. Each day, May 8 and 9, there were 120 students, 30 or so parents along with about 25 FOCIP guides. We explored the forest, interacted in a program about estuaries; learned tips about safe camping and then after lunch took part in the activities of our six stations at the beach. The students come from local elementary schools on Camano Island and Stanwood.

Listen up

What's under that rock

Thursday, May 8, was a very cold day at Camano Island State Park when we began setting up at 9:30 am and it stayed chilly throughout the entire day. The four divers we had were able to retrieve wonderful critters from depths of 25 - 30 feet to have in the touch tanks. They picked up a few bottles as litter and it was discovered that there was an octopus in one of the bottles; an added treat that was added to the aquarium display. A number of Beach Watchers explored the Rocky Shore area and also discovered lots of specimens to add to the aquariums.
Friday was warmer. However the tide wasn't low until later in the day which meant we weren't able to thoroughly explore the Rocky Shore and retrieve as many interesting critters to have in the aquarium as we as we had on Thursday.

Sea stars in touch pools

As in the past years, we had six stations set up and the groups of students rotate through each area learning about the critters. We have touch pools so students can see and gently touch the marine specimens not usually visible; the natural beach of the rocky shore where discoveries are made looking under rocks and seaweed-all the time being instructed to carefully replace the rocks; barnacle feeding where students hear about the life cycle of barnacles and try to catch bubbles as "food", black hole is an activity where the students reach into a fabric covered bucket and without looking pull out an item that the leader has shown them; aquariums is always an exciting area which gives a close up view of the smaller sea critters--we had nudibranchs, an octopus, jelly fish, shrimp, clams, fish, sea stars on display; a new game of critter concentration was added this year-students matched pictures on cards with pictures on wooden discs that had been placed face down on a table.

Setting up aquarium

Kids inspecting aquarium

We held a recap of the activities on Friday at 2:30 pm. A number of suggestions/comments were gathered that can be used next year as we help a new bunch of "little bodies" explore the beach at Camano Island State Park.

Alice Blandin '02

Annual Picnic - July 27, 2008

2008 Annual Beach Watcher Picnic
Rosario Beach - Deception Pass State Park
Sunday, July 27th noon to 4pm (or later)

The picnic this year will give us an opportunity to thank Kristen for the 2 and half years she has devoted to Beach Watchers and wish her well in her new job with Puget Sound Partnership.

Steven and Kristen

We will also be celebrating Kristen’s and Stephen’s upcoming wedding by having a wedding shower.

Main dish of barbecue brats and hamburgers and steamed mussels will be provided and attendees are asked to bring side dishes of salads or desserts and beverage of choice. (along with plates/mugs/eating utensils, of course)

Social Events Comittee

Cama Beach State Park

The grand opening is on June 21, and many Camano Beach Watchers have been working long hours to help out.

For details on the new park, see http://www.parks.wa.gov/CamaBeach
There is also a very nice picture in June's Sunset magazine (but not available online)

Connie Clark '07

Seattle Times - Failing Our Sound

The Seattle Times published four hard-hitting articles from May 11 - May 14 on specific issues that compromise the health of the Puget Sound.

• Part 1. The painful cost of booming growth
• Part 2. Saving wetlands: a broken promise
• Part 3. Beach bulkheads come in different sizes and shapes
• Part 4. Paying landowners to protect Puget Sound
• Comments -- Are we striking the right balance between protecting the Sound and making room for growth?

John Purcell '08

April - May Monitoring Updates

Whidbey Island beach monitors have so far chalked up data on five beaches: Crescent Harbor, Partridge Point, Ala Spit, Pratt’s Bluff, and Freeland Park Beach. (hint: click on the name of any beach to see its team.)
For more pictures and writeups, visit the new and improved website monitoring update at http://wsu-bw-island-intertidal.blogspot.com/ . Camano Island beaches and more Whidbey beaches will be added to the web update as they are done so check in frequently for the latest scoop!

Mary Jo Adams '99

North Cascades Retreat - Sept 3-5 2008

Join your fellow Beach Watchers in a retreat at the "Top of the Watershed", North Cascades Institute, September 3rd - 5th, 2008

Take the slideshow tour

then call today to make your reservation
360-679-7391 or email beachwatchers@wsu.edu
(registration/payment due by July 1)
download registration form (.doc)

Price per person:	Includes:
$270 (triple room) $290 (double room) $370 (single room)	Two Nights Lodging Six Meals / Local Ingredients Diablo Lake Boat Tour Naturalist Led Activities

Need another nudge - listen to the first hand experience of Adam Lorio**

The natural beauty of the site alone is worth the drive up the valley. The peaks surrounding the center have inspired generations of famous writer and poets like Gary Snyder and Jack Kerouac. From the campus you can see Colonial and Pyramid peaks, and Sourdough Mountain, site of a historic fire lookout. The small footprint of the campus (within North Cascades National Park) invites the non-human residents of the area to be part of the local community.
Chef Charles is a wonderful chef dedicated to using locally available food; his cooking is the main reason that I actually gained weight in grad school.

Some of my favorite early fall activities were hiking to the waterfall, exploring the deer creek loop trail, canoeing on Diablo Lake and watching the sunset down the Newhalem Gorge.

**Adam Lorio (Interpretive Specialist, Deception Pass State Park) worked/lived at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center on Diablo Lake as a graduate student in 2005. That experience has given him a unique perspective on his current work, just across from the mouth of the Skagit River.

Social Events Committee

Workshop - Pervious Concrete - June 10

Where: Langley, Whidbey Island
When: June 10, 2008
See announcement flier (pdf)

Whidbey Island Conservation District

Workshop - Rain Gardens - June 3, 2008

Where: Coupeville, Whidbey Island
When: Tuesday, June 3, 2008
See announcement flier (pdf).

Whidbey Island Conservation District

PSP Video - Shifting Baselines

There is an short, excellent video called Shifting Baselines
posted at the Puget Sound Partnership.

Connie Clark '07

Measuring the Health of our waters --Eelgrass

Island County Beach Watchers have started a major new program with funding from the Island County Marine Resources Committee. Beach Watchers will be building a video survey system so we can measure the eelgrass beds around Island county. These marine grasslands are a major component in Puget Sound's "web of life". They also are a major indicator of the water quality in the near shore areas.

The first objective is to combine the Video, GPS, depth, and temperature measuring equipment ; train our volunteer team; and take underwater videos in Cornet Bay. We will follow the Washington DNR measuring methods and they will check that our data can supplement the data they collect.

Later we will work with other researchers (Friday Harbor Laboratories) to measure areas in Holmes Harbor and to help develop new methods for planting and improving the health of the eelgrass growing areas.

This is a high profile project with an aggressive time line. We will provide early video results to the MRC by June 30th.

Jan Holmes '90, Neal Clark '07