Port Townsend Marine Science Center Blog

It's all about the packaging

2012-02-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

Pepsi or Coke isn't the only choice
you'll have to make this Super Bowl Sunday

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, apparently, and while millions scramble around cleaning and cooking I am sitting quietly at work. Had the Packers won a few weeks back, I would be frantically searching for a website to listen to the game and a computer with speakers, but they didn't and I'm thankful today that I don't have to find myself cheering for one of these teams (whew!)

But outside my little bubble people are hitting the grocery stores, doing some last minute shopping for snacks, soda, and libations. It is definitely a great day to indulge in salty food and a comfy couch. As shoppers fill the grocery aisles they are making decisions on every purchase: diet or regular; tortilla chips or sour cream and onion; Miller or microbrew; bottles or cans? And one thing I'm sure hardly factors into anyone's purchase is the item's packaging.

How much trash does one party
produce?

It's a scenario that could be straight from our Free Science Classes, which coincidentally began this week. You're feeding 30 people. Do you choose paper plates that might not support the baked beans and mini chili dogs, plastic plates which will ultimately cost more, or are you going to put out your own ceramic plates and wash them all? Should you buy a 12-pack of soda cans or a couple 2-litre bottles and some cups? Just how recyclable is that plastic bottle?

Plastics do not biodegrade clogging
our oceans when they escape our
trash, and mimic food sources of
many marine animals.

The conclusion we generally guide our students to is this: plastic can be a great thing - it makes things such as airbags, pacemakers, and even our fish tanks possible - but we can have too much of a good thing. One of the biggest problems future generations will face is plastics in the ocean as plastic bags, rings, and fragments choke marine life, smother coral reefs, and fill the stomachs of marine birds. Much of the plastic in use currently is actually not recyclable, and that plastic often ends up in the trash. That trash will never degrade using present technology; all plastic ever produced on this planet is still in existence.

One thing we can all do is reduce the demand for plastic at its source. Use fabric shopping bags, carry your own coffee mug, and opt for metal or paper packaging as much as possible. The energy saved by recycling *one* aluminum can can power a television for three hours. Filling a reusable mug each day saves 365 cups, sleeves, and lids - which stacked on top of one another would reach roughly 16 stories high.

I love my rockin' pink camo coffee mug, but it's
plastic -- do I drink enough coffee to justify that?
If you know me, the answer to that question is quite clear...

Life is ultimately about choices. Sometimes, buying plastic is the best or only option (just try to make a balloon without it!) but often there are reasonable alternatives. Here at PTMSC, we're interested in what you are doing every day to support marine life. We invite you to comment below and visit our website to find out how you or your class can visit our exhibits and learn more about the threat of plastics in the marine environment.

Until next time,

Elise

What is PTMSC's Marine Mammal Stranding Network?

2012-01-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what PTMSC’s Marine Mammal Stranding Network does?
Well, today is your lucky day!!

PTMSC’S Stranding Network is called the East Jefferson County Marine Mammal Stranding Network (EJCMMSN). The EJCMMSN is authorized by the National Marine Fisheries Service to investigate live and dead stranded marine mammals, collect scientific data, and educate the public about issues involving marine mammals and human interaction.

Local citizens and visitors to east Jefferson county coast call the EJCMMSN Hotline if they have found a stranded marine mammal. We check the hotline messages frequently throughout the day and always return the call. If appropriate we send a responder to investigate the sighting. The majority of our responders are local volunteers (which could be you!).

Our responders are trained to collect data that includes the animal’s species, sex, health/body condition, and signs of human interaction. This information is then entered into a database, reported to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and used by scientific researchers for a variety of studies. Occasionally fresh dead carcasses or parts are collected for necropsy or sample collection. If the animal is injured or tangled in fishing gear measures are taken to make sure the animal gets the help it needs.

So what exactly is a marine mammal stranding anyway? Check out this spiffy table explaining what normal behavior is and what qualifies as a marine mammal stranding!

Why do marine mammals strand in the first place? Some strand because of harassment or injuries caused by humans, such as entanglement in fishing gear or marine debris, ingestion of plastics, gunshot wounds, or boatstrikes. Many animals strand due to injuries caused by natural predators or illness/disease. Natural or anthropogenic (human-caused) toxins in the environment can cause strandings. Sometimes young animals who have been prematurely separated from their mothers or who are recently weaned strand because they have not been successful in finding food. Environmental and Oceanographic events such as El Nino cause changes in distribution and abundance of prey and can lead to malnourishment and stranding.

Educating the public is also a part of what the EJCMMSN does. We are currently working on updating the EJCMMSN section of PTMSC’S website, publishing a brochure, and training more volunteers.

If you have any additional questions about our Stranding Network, contact Jen at jstevens@ptmsc.org

Are you interested in becoming an EJCMMSN volunteer? Contact Jean Walat at jwalat@ptmsc.org

Remember; if you ever find a stranded marine mammal please call our hotline ASAP at 360 385-5582 ext.103

Jen Stevens

Marine Mammal Citizen Science Assistant

Port Townsend Marine Science Center finds unique phytoplankton

2011-12-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

PHYTOPLANKTON NEWS FLASH!

Last week Port Townsend Marine Science Center Sound Toxins volunteers Linda Dacon and Darryl Hrenko identified the presence of the relatively rare phytoplankton species, Dinophysis tripos:

Photo of Dinophysis tripos taken by Linda and Darryl on 12/7/2011 in the Discovery Lab at Port Townsend Marine Science Center

The sample containing D. tripos was collected at the Cape George Marina in Discovery Bay of Puget Sound and was an exciting find for our Sound Toxins team. This is the first identification of D. tripos at Port Townsend Marine Science Center since the start of the Sound Toxins program (formerly known as ORHAB) in 1999.

Dinophysis tripos is a type of phytoplankton that falls under the phylum of Dinoflagellata. Some of its defining characteristics are:

A toxic marine species that is commonly found in tropical to warm temperate coastal waters

You are probably wondering… what is D. tripos doing in the chilly waters of Puget Sound at Port Townsend Marine Science Center?!?! We consulted our contacts at NOAA and found that as far as distribution goes, it is commonly found in warmer coastal waters but sometimes detected in Puget Sound.

D. tripos is found in neritic (coastal), estuarine and oceanic waters

It is rather large, measuring in at about 100µm in length

This little guy (actually it is sexless but we will call it this as a term of endearment) is about 100 µm (micrometers or microns) long! To give us some perspective, that’s equal to one tenth of a millimeter! If you’re wondering how Dinophysis tripos sizes up to some other common miniatures, here are some comparisons for you:

Dinophysis tripos is…

About 10 times bigger than a red blood cell
Only 5 to 10 times bigger than most bacteria cells

The Genus Dinophysis was discovered in the mid-1800s

D. tripos is connected to Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP)

There are many species of Dinophysis connected to historic events of DSP. DSP is one of four recognized symptomatic types of shellfish poisoning (others being paralytic, neurotoxic, and amnesic). D. tripos releases the toxin dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX-1) which is linked to DSP.

Here’s what Brian Bill, a phytoplankton expert at NOAA had to say about the finding:

“As far as toxin content or production from this specific species, not much is known. It is known to produce some amounts of Okadaic acid and Dinophysis toxins, but how much and whether more or less than other species if something we don't know. They are particularly hard to culture in the laboratory because their normal mode of feeding is preying on ciliates such as Mesodinium rubrum, which in turn prey on small cryptophytes for their nutrition. With all those levels of complexity, it's difficult to culture them and find out what conditions facilitate production and what types and ratios of toxins they produce. Hopefully in the near future we can answer some of those questions... the recall of shellfish from Sequim Bay last year and the outbreak in Canada during the same time will hopefully translate into funding so some of those questions can be answered.”

So thanks for checking in with us and stay tuned for more updates on marine science, phytoplankton, coastal issues...

Port Townsend Marine Science Center

Necropsy Training at PTMSC!

2011-11-16T16:05:00.001-08:00

Hello all!

Port Townsend Marine Science Center had a very exciting (and smelly) Harbor Seal pup necropsy training early last week with marine mammal veterinarians, Pete Schroeder and Betsy Lutmerding. This training was to inform our staff and stranding network volunteers how to perform a basic necropsy and collect samples/data. The purpose of a necropsy is to determine the cause of death of the animal and to collect information used for monitoring and learning about local marine mammals. During the necropsy we looked for notable wounds, unusual tissue or organs, and signs of human interaction. To search for pathogens and toxins, samples were taken of blubber, major organs, internal fluids, and stomach contents. This time collecting samples was just for the training; during future necropsies we will interpret and use the results of the analyzed samples.

Receiving Prescott Grant funding, which started in October, has made training and future necropsies possible for our stranding network. The East Jefferson County Marine Mammal Stranding Network (EJCMMSN) now has funding to install information signs at 10 beaches, create and print a brochure, improve the marine mammal stranding information on our website, plan additional trainings, and perform and analyze samples from 5 necropsies.

Chrissy Mclean (PTMSC’s Marine Program Coordinator) and I would like to thank our wonderful stranding network volunteers as well as Pete Schroeder and Betsy Lutmerding for their time, effort, and smiling faces they contribute to our stranding network. Thank you all very much!

Jen Stevens

Marine Mammal Citizen Science Assistant

(See photos from the necropsy training below! CAUTION: Photos are Graphic)

Interested in joining our team of stranding network volunteers? Contact Jean Walat at jwalat@ptmsc.org for more information!

Examining the stomach contents from one of the seal pups– all that was found were a few very small fish bones. Photo by Richard Smith

Marine Mammal Veterinarian Betsy Lutmerding measuring the blubber layer during the necropsy training. Photo by Sandy

Dengler

PTMSC staff, stranding network volunteers, and marine mammal veterinarians worked together to perform two successful Harbor Seal pup necropsies. Photo by Sandy Dengler

Marine Life Trivia

2011-11-16T11:43:00.001-08:00

Okay so here’s a little Marine Life Trivia for you…

What species…

• Lives to be somewhere between 20 and 30 years old, with the females reaching the upper limit of this range…

• Has an average adult male that can weigh up to 1500 lbs (!) with females averaging 600 lbs…

• Will regularly travel up to 250 miles to find food and as deep as 600 feet…

• Needs to eat at least 6% of its body weight each day in order to survive? Let’s do the math… average male is 1500 lbs. x 6% = 90 lbs. a day!! *

So… we’ll give you a hint… it’s a mammal!

** Puzzled?......

Okay, here’s another hint… Our Marine Program Coordinator Chrissy McLean and AmeriCorps Citizen Science Assistant Jamie Landry responded to a stranding of one of these guys last week! So can you guess now???

Okay, Okay, I’ll tell you!!

A Steller Sea Lion!!

PTMSC’s Marine Program Coordinator, Chrissy McLean and Artemis the male Steller Sea Lion

PTMSC's AmeriCorps Citizen Science Assistant Jamie Landry helps document Artemis' stranding

The Port Townsend Marine Science Center is part of NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding Network (MMSN) and responds to calls of mammal stranding on a regular basis. Last week, a local citizen reported a dead and beached Steller Sea Lion on Marrowstone Island. After collecting basic information on this endangered species, Chrissy and Jamie collected the head in hopes to get tissue samples and a fully intact skull which the Marine Science Center will use for educational purposes. We have named the male Steller Sea Lion Artemis and are looking forward to having his skull in the Natural History Museum at Fort Worden State Park. It was an exciting call and we want to give special thanks to our volunteers who participate in the MMSN and all locals who place calls to inform us of marine mammal stranding in the East Jefferson County area.

If you find what you believe to be a stranded mammal, please visit our website http://www.ptmsc.org/mmstranding.html for more information on what to do and who to call.

* Statistics credit: The Alaska Sea Otter and Stellar Sea Lion Commission
** Cartoon Credit: Mark A. Hicks

Until next time,
PTMSC

What's New at the Marine Science Center?

2011-11-08T17:04:00.000-08:00

Hi there guys and gals! It's been a while since we've posted on the blog- partly because we wanted to let Chris' thoughts on "poop" really sink in- and partly because we've been so busy with all the transitions around here.

So what kind of transitions are we talking about? And who is "we"?

Well, "we" is the new AmeriCorps team for the 2011-2012 season!

From the left: Jamie, Elise, and Jen are getting settled in and finding their way at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. (Clarification: Jamie doesn't actually drink the lab chemicals, Elise is not stored in the Eelgrass Tank, and Jen is not part fish.)

So here's a little bit more about these ladies and what they hope to bring to the Marine Science Center this coming year:

Jamie Landry comes to us from her hometown of Gilford, NH. After graduating from the University of Rochester, she moved to Iceland in 2009 to pursue her Master's Degree in Coastal and Marine Natural Resources. After spending an additional year in Iceland as a head volleyball coach, she moved back to the US to work as a naturalist and environmental educator with the Adirondack Mountain Club outside Lake Placid, NY. Now residing in Uptown Port Townsend, she can be found at PTMSC in the Discovery Lab, around town on her early morning runs, playing volleyball with the local club, or knitting traditional Icelandic sweaters.

Elise Gorchels is a very busy, well-caffeinated, scuba diving conservation biologist whose greatest fear in life is being boring, followed closely by being bored. She is a transplant from Madison, WI and can most frequently be heard discussing cheese, microbrews, and Badger football. When she isn't at work she's probably underwater photographing all the great life the PNW has to offer! After graduating from UW Madison in 2008 she spent two seasons as an educator on Orcas Island and one year as an AmeriCorps member at a community center in Madison.

Jen Stevens is originally from Minnesota and has a Bachelors Degree in Marine Zoology from The Evergreen State College in Olympia. She spent time doing husbandry and research of sea turtles at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida and recently worked as a zoological aide at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Jen’s main objective at PTMSC is the East Jefferson County Marine Mammal Stranding Network and lately has been helping run seal necropsy trainings. When not at PTMSC she can be found exploring downtown, hanging out with her two felines, or playing Dungeons and Dragons with her friends in Olympia.

So there you have it! These three vivacious ladies look forward to working with all of our wonderful volunteers and inspiring future Marine Science Center visitors with their enthusiasm and passion for the magnificent Salish Sea.

Aaaaannnnd... we have more exciting news! Some of you might recognize this lovely lady...

You may have recently seen former PTMSC 2010 Summer/Fall Intern, Claudia Padilla around a bit more than usual. After spending last winter and spring working various jobs around town and traveling, she's back as staff through October 2012. She will serve as the Education and Volunteer Program Organizer to assist with a variety of tasks such as working with the volunteer program, writing education curricula, organizing and planning Free Science Classes, and helping to maintain the NHE among many other responsibilities.

Claudia is originally from Pennsylvania where she attained her Journalism degree from Penn State. She served as an AmeriCorps as part of the Maryland Conservation Corps, before moving to Washington, DC in 2006. After a few years in DC at different non-profits, she was ready for career shift, starting with PTMSC in June 2010. Being in the Pacific NW has rekindled her love of the outdoors and educating the public about the environment. Swimming, cooking, exploring the Olympic National Park and reading are some of her favorite things to do.

So, stay tuned for more updates and thanks for reading!

PTMSC

Boy, am I pooped...

2011-10-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the Port Townsend Marine Science Center? Education, you might say. You would be pretty spot on, I think. Maybe...citizen science. Another good call on your part. What about marine ecosystems? I would say that is a pretty obvious answer, but nonetheless, a good one.

Well, for the entire month of August, and some of September, I had a completely different answer in mind...

Lets play a game. I will show you a picture, and you tell me what you see. here is the first one:

A rock. That is what you are thinking. I was a psychic in a past life. Here we go again:

This sentence is an independent claws.

A crab molt. 2 for 2 here. Excellent. Now here is the last one:

How much for dinner!? Ehh, just put it on my bill.

A sea bird, and a terrible pun. Yep check, and check. You are good at this! But, wait.

What if I told you that there was a common theme between all of these pictures? Something underlying, and slightly insidious. Something that really ruins these pictures. A party pooper if you will.

So, some of you have probably guessed what I am talking about, but for those who have not...I am talking about feces.

The word feces is derived from the latin faex (sediment, dregs). It is also known as poo, doody, poopy, dookie, doo doo, or any combination of p's, o's, and d's. It is the commonly accepted way in nature to rid oneself of waste. It is comprised mainly of food byproducts, some nitrogenous waste, bile, and bilirubin (deceased red blood cells). The bile and bilirubin give poo its rather bland, brown appearance.

The characteristic odor of scat comes from compounds produced by the individual animal's gut flora. These bacteria produce aromatic aromatics, such as indole, skatole, and thiols, butt thats not all. The main offender of our noses is our good buddy: hydrogen sulfide. That is right, the rotten egg smell.

So, why all the talk of poo, you might be asking yourself? Well, good question.

When the weather started getting warmer, and drier, here at PTMSC a strange thing happened. A large flock of Heermann's gulls started to reside on our roof. That is not particularly strange in itslef, but then a terrible smell started to infiltrate the Marine Science Center. It smelled like a mixture between my worst nightmares and a petting zoo. What was happening was a phenomena I will call Armageddung! Due to the dry, hot conditions the gull guano (guano is the the commonly accepted term for seabird feces) started to pile up, superheat, and practically weld itself to our roof. It was a scatastrophe. Look for yourself:

The white color of this guano comes from crystals of uric acid in the waste. Birds only have one all purpose shute, the cloaca, so everything has to come out together.

In the end, one enterprising ranger, and some extremely helpful rain, removed most of our pesky poo problem. However, one guy was probably sad to see it go:

He filled the ecological niche of looking like poop.

Although you know what? All this talk of feces really has me down in the dumps (pun intended). I think we need some comedic relief to juxtapose with this gross subject matter. Here is a picture of a spiny lumpsucker riding an umbrella crab. Enjoy.

Who sucks now?

Thanks again for reading!
Chris

Fog Blog

2011-10-07T15:37:00.000-07:00

Have you missed us?
Sorry we've been out of touch.
I guess we've been lost in the fog.

My experience with sea fog was minimal before moving to the Pacific Northwest. Now the presence of it almost feels comforting. In the morning when I hear the fog horns out over the water while I lie in bed, I await the call from my rowing friends to let me know it is too foggy to go out. For me, fog feels like an opportunity to slow down and become more intrigued with my surroundings. Everything looks much more mysterious in the fog.

Photo by: ellieericsonphotography

Why do we experience fog in Port Townsend?
Where does the fog come from?
Most of the fog we see in PT is a form of advection fog that occurs at sea (more commonly known as sea fog). Advection fog forms when air travels over a surface with a temperature below the dew point of the traveling air. Here in Port Townsend this occurs when warm air on land (when we have warm air on land) moves out over the colder ocean. This is the reason we see fog during our warmest months (typically July-September).

As we rapidly transition into the Fall, we say, "hello" to the rain and "good-bye" to the fog.

We'll be in touch soon,
Heather
Sources:

www.giantsteps.co.uk/the-causes-of-fog.html

www.crh.noaa.gov/jkl/?n=fog_types

So long, farewell...

2011-08-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

Reflecting on our past two years here in Port Townsend we came up with some 'secrets' that we would like to share with our blog followers. These are things we have learned about ourselves, about each other and fun sayings that got us through the day.

"Port Townsend helped me heal in more ways than one."

"I don’t know which smell of death is worse… mammals or inverts."

"Sometimes I think in tweets and facebook status updates."

"Is afraid of being forgotten."

"I thought I didn’t need any more friends before I came here. I couldn’t have been more wrong."

Sometimes you just need to take a break and go “collect some eel grass”

"Every once in a while you just need to go have a cry on the dock."

"This year has been completely different than last year."

"One of the funnest things about new friends is the things that rub off on each other."

"The act of killing encrusting tunicates and barnacles has become disturbingly satisfying for all of us."

"You know it’s been a long day when you start sassing the hydrophone."

"Port Townsend has made me realize I am stronger."

Our last attempt to leave our prints at PTMSC

Farewell Port Townsend, all the wonderful people, amazing animals, and beautiful scenery. We take with us a strong sense of community, lasting relationships and the strength that we have found within ourselves.

Thank you for all your comments and love Blogger family!

The Sanderlings

2009-2011 PTMSC Team

*Inspiration comes from Post Secret (http://www.postsecret.com/).

Coastal Explorers Day Camp: Saving the Best for Last!

2011-08-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

Coastal Explorers day camp was the last camp of the season for us here at PTMSC. It was sad to end such a fun summer, but we truly went out with a great group of kids, so all is well that ends well. It is kinda hard to justify complaining about camp ending, anyway.

"AAARGH! Really! I just had a BLAST with multiple groups of engaged, knowledgeable, interesting, and exciting children. And I have to stop?! What did I do in my past life to deserve this!"

So, to recap Coastal Explorers camp for those of you who were not lucky enough to be there, I will give an overview of each days activities. A few pics are included to make you extra jealous.

Monday:

We started off camp like most activities with 8-12 year olds start: running around.

Pictured above: running around

Then we got down to business, and started creating our journals for the week. We also had a natural history game show, hosted by yours truly. Then a trip to the beach was in order, for a little scavenger hunt and group photo:

See if you can find me. I am the one in the red shirt.

Tuesday:

We started Tuesday off with our favorite activity: running around. Not wanting to be outdone, I had to get into the action, and channel my inner 10 year old. Unfortunately, my inner 10 year old self played too many videogames.

Me tagging* the campers.

*No "tagging" actually occured. Who invented tag anyway? Probably a fast 10 year old.

After the not-at-all-tiring tag session we went to the Marine Exhibit and fed some of the animals. I was pleasantly suprised at how respectful and gentle the campers were with the animals. If everybody cared about animals as much as some of these children do, this world would be a better place.

Then we had lunch. You might be asking youself "But Chris, why are you blogging about lunch? Lunch happens every day, camp or not." Ahhh, you would be correct. However, after lunch we had my favorite activity. Quiet Time.

Pictured above: not running around.

So, after lunch we went into the forest and had a great afternoon learning about ecological niches, catching aquatic invertebrates, and visiting the chinese gardens. I particularly enjoyed the chinese gardens portion of our adventure, because it is an area with some interesting ecological and cultural history (which Jess so kindly explained very ellequantly to the group).

Wednesday:

I was really excited about Wednesday, because I was teaching a lesson on insects, and we were gonna get some nerdy, awesome, microscope time.

But first, we had a few options to start the day off with. We could either:
A) Sit quietly and reflect on our previous night's dreams
B) Have a calm, measured conversation on local politics
C) Listen to some light Jazz, with a spot of tea to warm us up on this chilly, foggy morning
D) RUN AROUND! A LOT! and laugh at slow counselors who try and catch us.

The Jazz was a close second.

Luckily, afterwards we were able to get down to SCIENCE! Insect class went really well with almost all of the campers interested in the anatomy portion of the class.

Sorry to bug you guys, but sit up straight and bee attentive

But the real stars of the class were the microscopes. The kids absolutely LOVED them!

Then we went up to the top of the bluff, played an epic game of camoflauge, and learned about some history of the bunkers. It was a tiring, yet rewarding experience.

Thursday:

I don't remember exactly how we started Thursday off, actually, maybe if I see a picture it will jog my memory. Wait was last sentence a run-on?

The campers standing still are actually lying in wait
for some unwary counselor to try and catch them...

Today we did what was probably the most popular activity among the kids: assembling "Spirit" the grey whale's skeleton. Aside from putting smiles on the campers' faces, this activity taught teamwork, deduction, and respect for the rules. The campers had to hold the bones very carefully, and keep an open dialogue going about the placement of each bone. They performed these tasks with ease.

And here is the "semi-finished" Spirit:

I have a bone to pick with those kids about that rib placement.

Next we went out to the beach for some fun time, and we also made some beach art.

Friday:

The last day of camp arrived with all of the usual running around, but on this day we actually cut the running aound short (GASP!) so we could get out to Kinsey beach for some exciting tide pooling. We ended up having a very successful trip, with a large Gumboot chiton, and a massive Sea lemon as our prizes to bring back to the exhibit.

Then we ended the week with a bang, literally. We made volcanoes on the beach. Each camper, or team of campers, tried to create the largest sand volcano. Then they chose their favorite lava color, and we erupted them one at a time (for optimum destruction, of course). One camper even stopped his volcano building for a seconed to inform Jess and I that he was, in fact, a sand-building champion. He went on to tell us that he was going to have to win this competition to help pay his mortgage!

I am really going to miss the camp season, and I had a great time. There are so many stories to tell, and even more memories to enjoy. If the campers had even 1/10th of the fun I did, then I bet it was the best thing they did all summer.

Summer Salutations,
Chris

Junior Explorers 2011- A Photo and Video Essay

2011-08-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Junior Explorers is a half day camp for children ages 5-7. This blog's intention is to give you a little visual insight into some of our adventures. Enjoy!

MARINE MAMMAL MONDAY

Singing about a gray whale and making orca noises!

TOUCH TANK TUESDAY

Before we visited the touch tanks, Valerie told us about some of the animals
we might see. In the picture above we are all pretending to be crabs that just molted
and are waiting for their new shells to harden.

Heather encourages Campers to touch!

We explored and learned about animals that live under the floating dock.

WILD WOODS WEDNESDAY

The woods are always full of surprises. During camp we observed deer, birds,
bugs, a banana slug, and even a family of river otters!

SECOND TO LAST DAY (THURSDAY) SALMON SURPRISE

We became salmon and went on a journey. In the top photograph we began life as an egg. We grew larger and stronger and eventually headed out to the open ocean. There we faced many obstacles, including a dam and predators (bottom photograph). Eventually, we returned to our native stream where we laid eggs and died.

Salmon depend on a healthy stream at the beginning and end of their lives. Above are 29 interpretations of what a healthy stream should look like. What might a healthy stream look like to you?

FINALLY, FISHY FRIDAY

Our time of Friday was devoted to the tidepools.
We strapped on our boots (many of us still managing to get wet) and EXPLORED.

Just a little glimpse into our Summer,
Heather and Valerie

Marine Biology Day Camp

2011-08-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

Thirty-one budding marine biologists participated in Marine Biology Day Camp July 25-29th. Chris and I, along with Nancy Israel, Claudia Padilla and counselors Duncan and Andrew worked to create a fun-filled week all about the marine environment. Campers learned about local marine invertebrates and fish, the diversity of plankton in Puget Sound, the effects of plastic on the marine environment, orcas families and how they communicate and so much more.

Campers learned about echolocation and experienced the
difficulty of catching prey by sound, not sight.

Although some of our time was spent inside, we spent a lot of time outside exploring! The lessons were mixed with a beach scavenger hunt, a beach walk and clean-up and even building an orca whale to scale on the beach! It was amazing to see this group work together and help each other to create such a beautiful sand orca.

The whole group with our 24-foot sand orca

On our beach walk, the campers got really into looking for
nurdles (small pre-production plastic pellets)

Towards the end of the week, we took a field trip to the railroad trestle beach to explore the sandy tide flat habitat. Campers rotated through four different stations; beach seining for fish, clamming, sieving for worms and exploring the breakwater.

Digging for clams

Success!

On Friday, we put all our marine life learning to the test! We explored the tidepools at Kinzie Beach and found all sorts of marine invertebrates including gumboot chitons, porcelain crabs, six-ray stars and even a striped sunstar! While eating snack on Kinzie beach, we were privileged to see a bald eagle swoop down right in front of us and catch a fish! After lunch, Chrissy led us in a beach seine. Chrissy set the 150-foot net with a row boat and then all the campers helped pull the net into shore. Even though some kelp got wrapped around part of the net, we were still able to catch a lot of fish. Campers helped to identify gunnels, sculpins, perch and crabs, as well as help release most of the fish back to their eelgrass habitat.

Tidepooling at Kinzie Beach

Pulling in the seine net

Keeping the lead-line (bottom of the net) as close to the ground
and possible to keep the fish in the net

Admiring the fish we caught

Both campers and staff had an amazing week learning about the marine environment, playing games and exploring the beaches of Fort Worden.

The whole group on our beach walk

Julia Ledbetter
Marine Exhibit Education Coordinator

What lies in the lines?

2011-08-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered who lives in our pipes at the marine science center? Yeah, we never gave much thought to it either, until one day when the flow to our touch tanks stopped. We were forced to look for a reason why and found an entire ecosystem thriving in our pipes. After taking out nearly half a bucket of marine critters in three feet of line, water began to flow again in the tanks. Lets meet the critter cast that so often calls our pipes home.

The bucket full of critters!

Imagine all those critters growing in a four inch pipe!

Marine Worms

Giant Barnacles

Gooseneck Barnacles

Clumps of mussels and barnacles

So what makes our pipes a great place for these marine critters? Maybe it's because of the free buffet of plankton that comes through our pipes every second, the cheap rent or the protection they get from being enclosed in plastic.

Valerie Lindborg and Kelsee our guest blogger
Lab Coordinator

The Other CO2 Problem

2011-07-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

An animation about the issue of ocean acidification, produced by Ridgeway School (Plymouth, UK) and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (www.pml.ac.uk). Funded by the European Project on OCean Acidification (www.epoca-project.eu).

Nudibranchs, Abalone, and Rockfish! Oh, my!!

2011-07-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hello,

As the new summer/fall intern here at PTMSC, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Chris Hays, and this is me:

Just kidding. Here I actually am:

You can see a resemblance, right?

Apart from introducing myself, I would like to thank everyone at PTMSC for being gracious, patient, and teaching me so much in such a small amount of time. Special shout out goes to the four wonder women: Heather, Valerie, Jess, and Julia. They are truly special, and they are pretty smart, too.

Next on the agenda, I would like to spread some of the frankly, quite amazing tidbits of knowledge I have learned in my first month here at PTMSC. I came here having dealt mainly with terrestial mammals and amphibians, so learning some marine ecology has really been enlightening!

First off, a little bit about nudibranchs (pronounced nudi-brank). Nudibranchs were the first animal that really caught my eye, because I had never heard of them before, they are particularly colorful, and incredibly voracious. Actually, let me back up a bit. Nudibranchs belong to the Class Gastropoda in the Phylum Mollusca. They are unlike many of their closer relatives in that they represent an evolutionary trend towards reduction, and eventually complete loss of their shell. Nudibranchs are mainly hermaphroditic and predatory... a particularly terrifying combination. In fact, the Shaggy Mouse Aeolid eats its own weight in Plumose anemones a day!

The first characteristic that most people notice about nudibranchs is their coloration, as seen here:

Clown Dorid

And here:

Sea Lemon

And here:

White Dendronotid, or maybe a Variable Dendrotonid?
I am not sure. I am kinda new-to-branchs.

This type of coloration is called aposomatic coloration. So, much like Monarch butterflies, and Coral snakes, they are letting other potential predators know they are poisonous, or venomous through their dramatic coloration. Some nudibranchs rely on a different type of coloration, mimicry. Individuals who use mimicry tend to resemble a specific feature of the environment around them, or a co-occuring species in their area. It can be equally stunning:

Not sea lettuce, but a Hedgpeth's Sapsucker. Got ya, right?

Currently, we have a few species of Nudibranch on display at PTMSC. These include the Leopard Dorid and Sea Lemon.

Next, I would like to talk about some of the rare species on display here at PTMSC.

I know personally I have a soft spot for a good underdog story, and there are few animals that fit this description as well as the Northern (Pinto) Abalone does. Northern Abalone are marine snails that range from Alaska to California. Unfortunately, their range has decline greatly in many areas, including Washington state, where they are functionally extinct in the wild. The reason for this decline is that Abalone are broadcast spawners, so they release their eggs and sperm into the water, and hope for fertilization. With fewer adult abalone present eggs and sperm just can't meet! So come see our abalone, which are hatchery raised, but still amazing nonetheless.

For clarification, in Washington state, Pinto abalone are being raised in hatcheries for reintroduction into Puget Sound, because it takes roughly 1.5-2 years for abalone to be large and resilient enough to survive in the wild. In fact, this year 2,500 abalone were introduced into the waters around Anacortes and Port Angeles. If you would like to learn more about the reintroduction efforts, visit http://www.pintoabalone.org/.

Our lonely abalone.

Another rare animal that we have on display here is the Brown Rockfish. There are about 30 species of rockfish in Puget Sound (Salish Sea), and 3 of these species are currently on the Endangered Species List: the Canary and Yelloweye are "threatened", and the Bocaccio is "endangered." One main cause for their predicament is that they are bottom feeders that tend to stay in one area all, or most, of their lives; so they are relatively easy to catch. Also, too many large female rockfish are being harvested which is limiting the number of eggs being introduced into the population. A large female can produce around 700,000 eggs, compared to a smaller female, who might produce closer to 5,000.

Our Brown Rockfish is feeling blue...

Come to PTMSC to find out more about our missing rockfish!

So that about wraps up my first blog. Lastly, I would like to thank Julia, Americorps extroidinaire, for her info on Abalone and Rockfish. I hope everyone is having a great July, and I look forward to talking to you again soon.

Chris Hays

PTMSC Marine Naturalist Intern

For more information:

http://www.pintoabalone.org/

Eastern Pacific Nudibranchs: David Behrens, Alicia Hermosillo

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/

It's seal pup season!

2011-07-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

Here at the Marine Science Center, we're responsible for managing the East Jefferson County Marine Mammal Stranding Network. This means that we serve as an educational resource and as the first responders in our area for any report of a stranded marine mammal. We have a fantastic group of volunteer responders that we dispatch after receiving a call reporting an animal. These responders either collect data (if the stranded animal is dead) or construct a barrier to protect the live animal from curious (but intrusive) humans on the beaches.

However tempting it may be, this little pup is not calling out for
you to comfort it! (Photo by Jan North)

In our region, harbor seal pupping season is from June to October and as a result, these are VERY busy months for us. During this time frame the pups are being born, learning how to forage on their own and being weaned from their mothers. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, harbor seal populations have recovered to healthy numbers. Still, they sometimes need our protection while they're hauled out on our beaches.

Seal pups seem to have knack for finding dangerous spots
to haul out on

The pups frequently come ashore to rest while their mothers are foraging and they need to be left alone during this time. If humans are nearby, the pups may not be able to sleep and the mothers are more reticent to return and retrieve the young seal. Unfortunately, only 50% of harbor seal pups will survive their first year. Causes for this high mortality rate include premature birth, disease, infection, dehydration and predation by marine and shoreline predators as well as domestic pets. A common misconception about the role of stranding networks is believing that we serve as “seal rescuers”. As a stranding network we hope to prevent any deaths related to human interaction or interference but this is not always possible. Our best tool is prevention through education and this is what our responders excel at.

The goal of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network is to educate beach goers about the ecological and behavioral needs of the seals while making sure they maintain the appropriate distance (the National Marine Fisheries Service recommends maintaining a minimum distance of 100 yards from any marine mammal). This distance minimizes the likelihood of disturbing a resting animal or stressing an animal that is recovering from illness or injury.

It's very easy to disturb a pup that's resting on the beach. Most of the
seals we encounter on our beaches are too young to have developed
"protective wariness" (they don't yet have an escape response when they are approached)

If you see any marine mammal on the beach PLEASE give us a call.

If you're in East Jefferson County (shoreline beginning at Discovery Bay, covering all of Port Townsend and extending down to Brinnon) call us here at the Marine Science Center:
The number for the east Jefferson County Marine Mammal stranding network hotline (checked 7 days a week) is:
360-385-5582 x103

If you're anywhere else along the shores of Washington or Oregon, the number for the Northwest Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline is:
1-800-853-1964

Further, here are some tips courtesy of NOAA Fisheries:
Things You Can Do to Promote Responsible Wildlife Viewing
1. Observe from a distance using binoculars or a spotting scope if you want to see the animal close up.
2. Keep pets away. Dogs are naturally curious about other animals in their environment. Seals pups can easily fall prey to dogs, to avoid a negative interaction dogs should be leashed and kept away from the seals on the beach. Older seals may bite in self defense. Some diseases are infectious to both dogs and seals, and may pose a risk to humans as well, if they come in direct contact with an infected animal.

Thanks everyone who works with us to protect the welfare of local marine mammals!

Jess Swihart
Natural History Exhibit Education Coordinator

Mega-what?

2011-07-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has teamed up with the Port Townsend Marine Science Center to monitor crab megalops during the summer again this year. Most of Puget Sound has a healthy population of Dungeness crab, but some places like Hood Canal and the Tacoma Narrows have shown a decline in their population. So what are crab megalops and how do we find them?

Megalops are one of the stages of growth in a crab. They go through a few different stages of growth before turning into a mature crab. We are able to find these tiny megalops (about the size of rice grains) by deploying mesh bags with an anchor that hang from local docks. The megalops that are floating around in the water column will get stuck in the sampler that we collect and count each week.

This research will hopefully provide more information about crab populations in the Puget Sound.

Growth stages of a crab

http://www.panagadivers.com/Diving/Z_kap_crab.JPG

2010 Abundance of crab megalops at various sample sites

Crab Zoea, the growth stage before megalops

A week ago at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center there were thousands of crab zoea in the water, check out the video below to see how they move! You can find crab zoea on Fort Worden beaches right now, they are the tiny poky guys that you might be feeling when walking on the beach. Take a closer look next time you are visiting.

Crab zoea in a plankton sample

Valerie Lindborg

PTMSC Lab Coordinator

Orca Saturdays

2011-06-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

June is Orca Month and here at PTMSC we celebrated with two Orca Saturdays. These events were all about sharing our orca knowledge with the public.

Young visitors got creative at the craft table!

Up until recently, the majority of our interactions with the public have focused around the articulation of the orca skeleton, Hope (learn more HERE). Of course Hope's presence and stories were with us for our events, but it was also nice to incorporate other orca-related activities into our celebration. Many of these activities were new to the public and our volunteers because most of them were adapted from orca curriculum developed and taught here at PTMSC.

A family worked together to build an orca family tree!

Visitors learned about hydrophones (underwater microphones) and how they are used to listen to sound underwater.

In our local waters, scientists use hydrophones to listen to orca vocalizations and have learned many of the different calls orcas make. At our Orca Saturday events, we set up a portable hydrophone and let visitors create and listen to how a variety of objects create sound underwater.

At one point, the craft table was filled with kids, orca volunteers were immersed in conversation with visitors, and a father and daughter read an orca storybook in the corner of the room. I stepped back, took in the moment and smiled like a proud parent.

Although our Orca Month festivities have come to an end, June isn't over yet! I encourage you to find your own way to acknowledge, celebrate and learn about these amazing creatures.

Enjoy!

Heather Jones

"Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket"

2011-06-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

Remember our blog from April about the brooding six-rayed stars? Well the babies are hatching and decorating our tank now! They have been very popular with the visitors gaining the nickname 'sea sprinkles.'

A six-rayed sea star under a microscope

Two little 'sea sprinkles'

Baby six-rayed sea stars and the mom decorating the tank

Watch the video below to see their tiny tube feet move!

Observe the 'sea sprinkles' yourself during our summer hours starting Friday June 10th we are open 11-5 Wednesday-Monday.

Valerie Lindborg
PTMSC Lab Coordinator

Grunt Sculpins Galore

2011-06-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

During the fall, our grunt sculpins lay their eggs in empty giant barnacles. They care for them throughout the fall and into the winter. This year, the first eggs hatched in early December and the eggs continued to hatch until the end of April.

Grunt Sculpin

Some days, either no eggs would hatch or just a few would, but occasionally we had almost 200 hatch in one day! In total we had 1,092 grunt sculpin babies hatch!! Since we were not able to successfully raise the baby grunt sculpins last year, we released them off our floating dock and hope they found shelter in the nearby eelgrass bed.

This graph shows how many grunt sculpin babies hatched from December to the end of April. You can see there is no pattern. You can compare this year's graph to last years here: Baby Grunt Sculpins 2009-2010. Be careful, the two graphs have a different scale; for the "Number of babies hatched", it goes up to 200, last year's graph only goes up to 100.

Although the grunt sculpin babies no longer grace our tanks, we still have a lot of other baby (and adult) animals to see.

We're open Friday-Sunday 12-4pm.
And starting June 10th, we will be open Wednesday-Monday, 11am-5pm.

Julia Ledbetter
Marine Exhibit Education Coordinator

WaterWorld 2011

2011-05-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

Water World is an annual, week-long residential program offered jointly by the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and Centrum. As such, it is a wonderful fusion of science and art. 5^th and 6^th grade students from schools in Port Townsend are joined by groups from as far away
as Spokane, Yakima, and the Methow Valley. I believe that these varied backgrounds combine to create a far richer experience for the students than they might have if they were all from the same geographic area. It was really wonderful to watch the students from landlocked areas revel in the newness of our marine environment. Of course, at the same time the local PT students got to learn more in depth about the marine and aquatic life they’re already fairly familiar with.

a student's drawing depicting their journey across the state to WaterWorld
photo by Darwin Nordin

While here, the students take a number of classes with us as PTMSC instructors. This year Valerie and I taught “Marine Birds” (with a section on plastics in the marine environment taught by Nancy), “Plankton Lab”, “Sound Underwater: Awesome Orcas” and “Marine Invertebrates”. These classes span a broad variety of topics and are some of our favorite classes to teach. We also pull a 150 foot seine on the beach, allowing the groups to witness first-hand the diversity of life in the eelgrass beds just off shore.

examining a cormorant in "Marine Birds", photo by Melinda Pongrey

pulling the seine net in the final few feet,
photo by Melinda Pongrey

Plankton drawn during "Plankton Lab"
photo by Darwin Nordin

The teachers associated with Centrum (rather than PTMSC) were:

Nisi Shawl, a creative writer who did an amazing job of successfully encouraging the students to write creatively about their experience here and about the various organisms they encountered or imagined during the program

Christian Swensen, who taught movement classes, coaxed the students into contorting their bodies into shapes and movements that mimic marine life (or any other zany creature they chose to focus on). The skill, energy and enthusiasm that Christian brings to his work certainly inspired the students.

Darwin Nordin led the visual art component. Quite a few of our classes at PTMSC involve a drawing component but the students in WaterWorld were intensely engaged in the drawing process; far more than most groups. I credit Darwin for this open creativity.

One of the most unique parts of WaterWorld is the entire day that students spend outdoors, walking on the beach from the Marine Science Center, around the lighthouse and to North Beach. This is followed by guided investigations of the lagoon and one of the secluded ponds. The beach walk portion of the day is fairly unstructured and it was marvelous to see everyone; students, chaperones and my fellow teachers explore the sandy and rocky shores. All of the classes at PTMSC prepared the students to recognize and appreciate the organisms and processes we observed. I always love being able to take students outdoors to actually SEE the animals we’ve talked about in class; it makes it feel much more relevant for them (and me!).

Tide-pooling, photo by Darwin Nordin

Sunflower stars live in the wild too!
Photo by Valerie Lindborg

Trekking over to the lagoon
Photo by Valerie Lindborg

Journaling by the lagoon
photo by Jess Swihart

Since everyone involved with WaterWorld is holding a mindset of combining science and art, some wonderful fusions of the two emerge during the walk:

Beach art, photo by Darwin Nordin

launching a driftwood vessel, photo by Valerie

The final night of the program is spent allowing all of the students to present writing, drawing and movement pieces they’ve created during the week. As teachers it’s always very rewarding to see that your students learned something from your classes that they find meaningful or interesting enough to carry into another arena. Further, witnessing how profoundly and perceptively all of these 5^th and 6^th graders can express themselves, combining personal experiences with the subjects we discussed during classes and the beach walk made it a beautifully inspiring night. There were some incredible poems written, some hilarious movement acts and many gorgeous drawings.

WaterWorld is a very special program; it’s so rare for science and art to be presented and understood in such complementary ways. It gives me hope that in coming years we’ll continue to break down the perception that there is a strict dichotomy between creativity and science. In settings such as this, art and science enhance and support each other in wonderful, engaging ways.

Jess Swihart

Natural History Exhibit Coordinator

* * * * * * * * *

http://www.centrum.org/youth/waterworld.html

http://ptmsc.org/waterworld.html

Celebrate World Ocean's Day!

2011-05-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

Celebrate World Oceans Day! Participate by helping clean up Fort Worden`s beachside. We will meet at the end of the Fort Worden Pier on June 8th at 10:00 AM.

http://worldoceansday.org/

Plastic--Mandy's story

2011-05-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

During Plastics Awareness month, PTMSC has decided to share inspirational stories about plastics instead of the usual 'doom and gloom.' Mandy is one of our volunteers and has offered to be a guest blogger. Enjoy her story!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Somehow a stretch of beach, about a half of a mile long, managed to take hold of me this winter. Without intending to, I became its steward.

It started, quite literally, on a dark and stormy night. A Northwesterly bellowed in, producing gales with rollers uncommonly large for the 5-mile fetch behind them. A number of boats on moorings--which had sat in their anchorage unaffected by countless other passing storms--dragged or broke free. They stopped their all-night migration when they hit the concrete breakwater of a marina to the south. With no place left to go, the boats pounded into concrete and into each other until a few eventually broke into pieces and sank. The next day, working in treacherous and still confused waters, the Coast Guard arrived to survey damage. Vessel Assist towed still-floating boats off of one another and hauled them north for immediate haul-out and repairs. For a week, divers came to lift sunken boat parts and engines and towed them away. Chunks of boat of various sizes, along with their contents, began washing ashore. Every high tide brought an assortment of ropes, foam, plastic bags, blankets, tarps, DVDs, cassette tapes, zipper bags, zip ties, and other non-biodegradable relics.

Originally, I saw this arriving junk as a one-time event caused by an unusually destructive storm. My mind traveled to images of birds and animals ingesting plastics http://www.hawaiianatolls.org/research/June2006/albatross_death.php and tangling themselves in ropes, and I took it upon myself to clean the beach. The storm, I reasoned, was the cause of the persistent mess.

Weeks passed, until finally one day I declared that I was "done." The beach was clean of all the chaos of the storm. It wasn't until the next day, and the next, and the next that I really saw the problem. I wasn't done. I would never be done. There was always more trash coming ashore. The new trash wasn't the the muddy, sunken boat trash, but shiny and mostly clean trash that hadn't faded from sunlight and didn't have barnacles growing on it.

By this time, the beach and I developed a relationship. I would come and take away the trash regularly, and it would teach me the impact of human action, or human inaction, depending on my viewpoint of the day. My thoughts centered on what I found the most of: non-biodegradable single-use plastics.

My mind got caught in a downward spiraling loop of questions. How could we, as a culture, care so little? How could we be doing this to our own planet? Where will an intervention to this problem come from?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thank You Mandy for being a guestblogger during Plastics Month, you truly have an inspirational story!

Do you have an inspirational story about Plastics? Share it with us in the comments section or on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Port-Townsend-Marine-Science-Center/64955379712

Next Plastic Events:

Wednesday May 25th- A movie showing of 'Bag-it;' a short documentary about one man's journey with the plastic in his life. Join us for the movie and a short discussion afterwards in the Natural History Exhibit located at Fort Worden State Park, (6-8PM).

Wednesday June 8th- World Ocean's Day. Celebrate this beautiful day by helping with a beach clean-up at Fort Worden State Park. Volunteers are meeting at 10AM out on the marine exhibit pier.

Don't underestimate a cranky Slime Star

2011-05-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

When we collect animals for our tanks, we often have to rearrange the animals we already have to find everyone the perfect home. Usually we don't get much protest to being moved, but this year our baby slime star fought back aggressively against its new home.

We decided to move it from its home in a wall tank to the smaller jewel tank so visitors could easily admire it. The baby slime star's new tank mate was a baby Puget Sound King Crab and we thought they would get along fine. As Jess, Heather, Valerie and I were finding homes for other new critters, we noticed that the baby slime star was floating off the gravel! On closer inspection, we could see that it had started to slime. We kept an eye on the tank, but continued to deal with the other animals, assuming it would calm down.

The baby slime star after the "slimy ordeal"

We had our backs to the jewel tank, when all of a sudden Jess and I heard water falling onto the floor. We turned around to see the jewel tank flooding and water pouring over the top and onto the floor. The baby slime star did not like its new home and tank mate! We discovered that the slime star had produced enough slime to block the water outflow tube and flood the tank. We quickly pulled the star out of the tank and placed it in a tub for it to calm down and stop sliming.

Check out this video of the amount of slime produced by this small star!

Because of this tantrum, we ended up putting the baby slime star back where it had started, in the small wall tank, where it is happy and hasn't slimed since.

The slime star, or Pteraster tesselatus, has short stubby legs and cran grow up to 24 cm across. It can release A LOT of slime for protection against predators. It can be found from the Bering Sea to Monterey Bay, California. Its slime can be toxic to animals that are submersed in it for 24 hours!

Come check out our slime stars (we have two!) and all our other animals, Friday-Sunday 12-4pm.

Julia Ledbetter

Marine Exhibit Education Coordinator

Spring Collection- What did we find?

2011-05-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

Although the rain continues to fall and temperatures remain quite chilly, going out and collecting animals for the Marine Exhibit is always a pleasant reminder that spring is here.

The search begins at North Beach

During the winter, the Marine Exhibit stays pretty quiet. Julia works, mostly alone, on various projects in a room full of empty tanks. Read more here- April Showers Bring....Opening Day.
Spring always feels like the season for rebirth and new beginnings. The exhibit begins to awake from its winter slumber and our tanks are suddenly alive and full of life again.

Get a sneak peak at our discoveries in the video below:

Collection isn't just about filling our tanks for the upcoming busy season. It's an opportunity for us to dust off the boots, slow down, and take the time to explore and rediscover all the interesting plants, algae and animals living along our coast.

I encourage you to get out and do some exploring on your own, and for those of you who are local followers- come down and meet some of our new creatures face to face.

We are currently open Fri-Sun, 12-4 P.M.

Hope to see you soon!

Heather Jones