6-15-2023
Susan Wood is Education Coordinator, Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Class Description: Estuaries are some of the most productive places on earth, and the Salish Sea is no exception. Eelgrass, one of its most important producers, fringes much of its shoreline. Nearby Padilla Bay is home to about 25% of all the eelgrass in Washington’s inland waters – over 8000 acres! Susan will explore the ecology of this valuable plant and share the current status and research at Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Speaker: Susan Wood is the Education Coordinator at the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, where she’s been teaching people of all ages about estuaries since 1988. She has a BA in Environmental Studies from St. Olaf College in Minnesota and a Master’s degree in Environmental Education from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. For the past ten years, she has been delving into climate change communication and recently completed an NSF funded climate change communication program through the New England Aquarium, the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI)
Susan enjoys gardening, making music, and walking trails and beaches near her home on Fidalgo Island.
SWS began doing Estuary Soup after learning about it through Susan Wood. Scroll down in SWS Media Gallery to find our pandemic online version, featuring SWS Elaine Chan who often used this educational tool when presenting to second graders from Stanwood/Camano School District during Nature Discovery Days before covid.
Recommended Resources/Activities:
- Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Breazeale Interpretive Center feature hands-on exhibits and touch-tank aquarium, an interpretive trail through woods and meadows, and a 180-degree view of Padilla Bay. Here are a couple of you-tube videos:
- Find eelgrass on a lower tide on the beach of your choice. Stare into it and see what you can find. If you can, bring a magnifying glass to see the beauty of the grass. Write about it on Slack. [Almost every beach on our two islands has eelgrass nearby.]
- Eelgrass Research in Puget Sound – article published Jan 26, 2022
