Thurs, June 1 – Conway Grade 3 at CISP – 9 am to 2 pm – can you help? Contact Joan
note: this page is launched 5/11/2023 A.M. and updated thereafter
June – July – August
Low Tide Walks at Cama Beach
- Partnership with Cama Beach Foundation & State Parks.
- Fun and Easy!
- Interact with the public in a low-key way – help them explore.
- Just a few rules:
- Turn over rocks but put them back as you found them
- Don’t pick up sunflower sea stars; they are rare, just starting to bounce back (we hope) from sea star wasting syndrome
- Mark what you see with bright pink hula hoops so others can find them too
- Cama Beach Foundation has some identification sheets to hand out
- Bring your EZ ID and water shoes or boots
We seek 2 Stewards for each low-tide walk and 4 for special** low-tide events.
**Special low tides involve seining with a sein net in eelgrass and children with hand-held nets scooping up fishes to put into buckets to carry up to the seawall to put into an aquarium so all can see up close. **indicates special low-tide walk
Dates
Signup
- Check your calendar and then Sign Up in SignUpGenius – invite your Steward Buddy or a Classmate to meet you there.
- Print this PDF listing all Summer 2023 dates.
LOG YOUR HOURS in VolunteerMatters using “self-report” under Camano Island State Park (keyword state park, then scroll down to search button). Your time expresses SWS support for State Parks on Camano!
All photos here from 2022 at Cama. Find recent photos in Slack.
Get Trained Before June 30 – Share All Summer
Green Crab “Molt Search”
After Governor Inslee declared a crab emergency, Washington Sea Grant and Washington State University Extension teamed up to launch a new volunteer-based early detection program. Molt Search teaches volunteers what to look for and how to report the presence of invasive green crab molts along inland shorelines. These molts can serve as an early indicator of the presence of invasive green crab in an area.
Two important upcoming training dates are occurring nearby:
- Sat, May 13: Snohomish County volunteer training workshop, Edmonds Rec Center (10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) BioBlitz event to follow on May 13, Olympic Beach (1:00 p.m.)
- Thurs, June 8: Skagit County volunteer training workshop, Padilla Bay Interpretive Center (10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)
- TBA – There will be an SWS-sponsored training on Whidbey – date/location TBA (PLUS, Tabitha will present on the Molt Search Project at SWS June 12 monthly meeting via Zoom)
Camano needs multiple people to get trained so that they can share what they learn with the public at two major events we are leading, 7/8 and 8/10, plus at our booth this summer at Stanwood Farmers Market.
- IF you find a Green Crab Molt, use MyCoastApp on your cell phone to report it right that minute while you are at the beach. Anyone can participate, but having good training is the key.
LOG YOUR HOURS in VolunteerMatters using “self-report” as Green Crab Team (keyword green crab, scroll down to search button), then put Molt Search into the notes section. Log Hours for attending training and training others. Molt Search webpage provides molt search protocol and molt identification guide.
Above = Mt Baker in the distance beyond Port Susan Bay
Hobbit Trail at Iverson – let’s keep it a natural surprise and delight
Beach Clean Up at Iverson
“Discover Iverson Spit Preserve” on Sat, July 8, 2023
When: Time 11 am to 2 pm
What: Multiple Stations to share with the public
Theme/Concept: Stewards Share what we Know
Needed:
- Stewards to talk to the public at various stations throughout the park
- Graphic Designer to create flyers and displays for each station
- Day Of: Setup, take down, guides throughout the park
Stations Needing Stewards to design, display and present:
- Molt Search & Green Crab Survey
- Holes in the Sand – what are they? (with Franny Perez of Stillaguamish Tribe)
- Native Plants
- Invasive and/or Noxious Plants – example Scotch Broom – how to identify and tools you can borrow from Island County to aid in removal
- Driftwood Story
- Gunnels, sculpins, ghost shrimp, sand lance
- In the water: salmon, seals, sturgeon, gray whales, orcas
- Marine birds, Pigeon Guillemot
- Northern Giant Hornet
- Beach Clean Up / Litter Pick Up
- The Problem with Plastics / Plastics Timeline
- more
People are curious!
Help build or strengthen a sense of place for locals and visitors.
To Sign Up: Attend June 6 Camano Events Team Meeting OR contact Joan.
Log Your Hours in Volunteer Matters using “Self Report” under Camano Events Team for all meeting and preparation time as well as day of time.
“Discover Camano Island State Park” on Thurs, Aug 10
When: Time 11 am to 2 pm
What: Multiple Stations to share with the public
Theme/Concept: Stewards Share what we Know
Needed:
- Stewards to talk to the public at various stations throughout the park
- Graphic Designer to create flyers and displays for each station
- Day Of: Setup, take down, guides throughout the park
Stations Needing Stewards to design, display and present:
- Molt Search & Green Crab Survey
- Feeder Bluff and Bluff Monitoring Survey
- Barnacles and Plankton with Microscopes (at Picnic Shelter near boat launch)
- Lowell Point Bull Kelp Bed
- Native Plants
- Invasive and/or Noxious Plants – example English Ivy
- Native Trees – Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, Big Leaf Maple, Pacific Madrone
- Bald Eagles
- Larger Marine Species: seals, sea lions, gulls, loons, gray whales, orca whales
- Solar Energy (on restrooms)
- Tides, Weather and Beach Safety
- Geology, Bluffs, bluff erosion study
- Shore crabs, snails, snail eggs on rocks
- more
To Sign Up: Attend June 6 Camano Events Team Meeting OR contact Joan.
Log Your Hours in Volunteer Matters using “Self Report” under Camano State Parks for all meeting and preparation time as well as day of time.
North Beach Bluff as seen from the boat launch
July – November
DIY – Giant Hornet Trapping – IF you have Sturdy Tall Trees
Learn to make a Giant Hornet Trap.
- Get supplies from WA Dept of Agriculture in early July – via Gaylen on Camano and Tabitha on Whidbey.
- Monitor, clean and refresh trap weekly. Report Results to Dept of Agriculture.
- Learn More. Fortunately no giant hornets were found in 2022 in WA or BC.
To get involved or ask questions, contact Gaylen Heacock (206-914-2063) on Camano or Tabitha on Whidbey.
LOG YOUR HOURS in VolunteerMatters using “self report” under Northern Giant Hornet Trapping (keyword = hornet, scroll down to search button).