Sound Water Stewards volunteer in our State Parks in many different capacities.
Our rewards come from quotes like this …
“this is better than TV!”
10 year old at Rosario Tide Pools
“this is the best day of my life!”
second grader at Nature Discovery Days
This article focuses on those activities geared to engaging with the public.
Cama Beach SP
- Ten low tide walks throughout the summer – introducing the public to the wonders of the intertidal zone — usually about 50 people per walk. We use aquariums set up on a wall to serve two roles – good advertising and up close views for those not able to walk on the beach.
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Camano Island SP
- Nature Discovery Days each spring, introducing 2nd graders from 3 different schools to the forest, watershed, and estuary. [ read more ]
Deception Pass SP
- Sammye Kempbell and Paul Bigelow taught -many- families good beach and tidepool etiquette at the Rosario Tide Pools – how to slow down, get low and wait to see what the tidepool inhabitants will do.
- We’ve welcomed hundreds of visitors to the new Field Classroom and are impressed that some stay up to an hour .. looking, reading, making crayon drawings, and otherwise interacting with the excellent information prepared by the Park on life in around Deception Pass
- For Barbara Bennett, a highlight of a naturalists walk she led was “observing 30-40 Golden Dirona
nudibranchs approaching the rocks through sea grass leaves waving over the sub-tidal gravel and rocks. After first finding one bright orange Dirona along the shore we began looking for the bright color and were amazed to see many moving toward Rosario. I stood with two families on the topmost rock as we each saw more and more… and more. We pointed and squealed as we shared our sightings. I can only surmise we happened to be at the right place at the right time to witness a gathering of these startlingly beautiful creatures for mating. Lucky us!” - Jill Johnson entertained with her stories about on the indomitable ferry captain Berte Olson.
Ebey’s Landing
- Several Stewards helped with a junior ranger program challenging kids to explore how marine debris harms marine wildlife. The hands-on lessons made a strong impression on the kids, even those that already knew about those nasty 6-pack plastic holders.
Fort Casey SP
- Bill Young and Mary Williford offered a field trip and beach walk to primary school kids from Hillcrest Elementary in Oak Harbor.
- Bill also gave a talk on geology – describing the 1.5 miles deep glacier that covered the land, the LIDAR pictures that show the track of the glaciers, and the plate tectonics that created Crockett Lake. The audience was very engaged as many had never lived somewhere where the land and water relationship was so dynamic and ever changing.
- Lighthouse Day, tidepool walk, …
- Sarah Schmidt taught Junior Rangers about our local bats, who help us all by
eating lots of insects. After having the kids make bats out of toilet paper rolls, she surprised them with a little brown bat she had been caring for. The looks on their faces were great!
Fort Ebey SP
- Native plant and history talks
South Whidbey SP –
- Albert Foster and Barbara Bennet led a guided walk, “The Bluff Ate my Beach”, along the bottom of the bluffs to see the damage and understand the processes. Great quote from Albert as he pointed out a downed ornamental tree, still carrying green leaves, at the base of the bluff: “So, do you think this happened recently?” And from a walk participant: “Do you think the people on the edge realize how much the bluff is slipping away below their green turf?”
- Lots of organizing and day of event help for the SWSP Music Festival in late July.
- Native plant talks