Sound Water Stewards are trained volunteers working in and around Island County for a healthy, sustainable Puget Sound environment through education, community outreach, stewardship, and citizen science.
- Taking Applications Now! – 2019 Volunteer Training
- Registration for Sound Waters University is now closed.
SWS Volunteer training class
Education & Outreach are central to our organization. We believe that knowledge leads to action. Each year, we provide 100 hours of training to new volunteers to equip them to serve on stewardship projects in our community. We educate nearly 700 people annually at Sound Waters University. Throughout the year we offer various education activities for the public ranging from children’s activities to evening programs for adults.
Invasive European Green Crab – Whidbey Island
Citizen Science engages our trained members to support critical research in partnership with universities, government, scientists, and data managers across Puget Sound. As SWS volunteers we help to monitor flora and fauna on Island County beaches, observe Pigeon guillemot colonies, capture data on invasive European green crabs, collect data on marine debris and many more scientific endeavors.
Beach clean-up on Camano Island
Stewardship is the third prong of our program. Much of what we do can be considered stewardship, but we also want to feature other activities that take direct action like beach clean-ups, invasive plant removal, and fishing line collection.
Sound Water Stewards of Island County is a non-profit supported by contributions from individuals, community businesses, community partnerships, and grants from the Lighthouse Environmental Programs.
