Beach Log D ECEMBER 2008 Education, Research, Stewardship WSU Beach Watchers P. O. Box 5000 Coupeville WA 98239 360-679-7391 ; 321-5111 or 629-4522 Ext. 7391 FAX 360-678-4120 Camano Office: 121 N. East Camano Dr., Camano Island, WA 98282, 387-3443 ext. 258, email: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Web address: www.beachwatchers.wsu.edu Salty Lives Salty the sea lion, at least his bones, still thrives along the shoreline of Camano Island. The 2002 Beach Watchers class rearticulated the 600 pound California sea lion (Zalophus Californiaus) for an educational display at the Cama Beach State Park visitor center. After discovering Salty dead on one of Camano's beaches, the 2002 Beach Watchers class took on Salty's revival as their class project. Several Beach Watchers transported Salty from the beach to Cama Beach State Park, where the sea lion was butchered, tagged, num- bered and boiled. Once the excess meat was scraped off and the bones soaked in ammonia, the bones were bleached with hydro- gen peroxide and baked before assembly. "Our objective was to create a focal point for an environ- mental display of native sea life, showing their interaction and im- portance to the health of our wa- ters, along with an awareness of their greatness," said David Baumchen, project co-chair. "This was an exciting, hands-on project that everyone in the class worked on." Local businesses were solic- ited for donations and the class organized fundraisers to fund all of the expenses of the rearticula- tion, display materials and sign- Photo by David Baumchen age. "Professional help and direc- tion from Pilchuck Wildlife Reha- Salty’s final resting place. bilitation Center and Sue Murphy were invaluable," said Baumchen. Now that Cama Beach State Park has opened, Salty proudly floats close to the shores of Puget Sound, welcoming those from near and far to the park, as well as to the spirit of the Pacific Northwest. Dem Bones did rise again. David Baumchem, BW Class 2002 Beach Log December 2008 Page 2 Be on the Lookout for Blood Sucking Aliens! They’re like something from a horror movie. An alien species of parasitic blood suckers arriving in virgin territory where their normal hosts are absent. They are adaptable though, and that allows them to jump to new hosts. This is the story of a parasitic isopod new to the West Coast of the U.S. The iso- pod is Orthione griffenis, commonly called Griffen’s isopod. This species is believed to have arrived from Japan in ballast water about 20 years ago. For many years its numbers remained low but began to climb after 1997. The isopod attaches to the gills of the blue mud shrimp, Upogebia pugettensis, sucking its blood and draining its resources until it is rendered unable to reproduce. Dr. John Chapman of the Hatfield Marine Science Center and other scientists are Photo by Mary Jo Adams studying Orthione griffenis and the impact that it is having on fragile soft substrate ecosystems where Orthione griffenis parasite under carapace of a blue mud shrimp. the blue mud shrimp plays a significant role. Blue mud shrimp are important because they feed by straining particles from the water with bristle-like projections on their legs, thus filtering the water. When present in large numbers, this can have a big impact on the amount of particulate mat- ter in the water. In addition, they build burrows that a number of other species live in. A third reason Upogebia are impor- tant is that in some estuaries, their larvae have been an important food source for juvenile salmon. Orthione griffenis is the largest isopod of its family (Bopyridae) on the U.S. West Coast. Infected Upogebia carry a male and a female isopod, with the female measuring ¾ inch in diameter. The male is considerably smaller. One of the very fascinating aspects of this isopod is that it did not jump to just one new host but two. Examining their life cycle will explain this. A female Orthione griffenis will brood up to 60,000 young, which then migrate out of the estuaries and into the ocean. There they attach to and parasitize copepods. That copepod is the other host organism they have been forced to jump to because the copepod they depended on in their Photo by Mary Jo Adams Photo by Mary Jo Adams Orthione griffenis, smaller white male and female Upogebia pugettensis, the blue mud shrimp Beach Log December 2008 Page 3 native waters is not found in the Pacific Northwest. After this, the isopod molts and returns to the estuaries in search of a mud shrimp. Where do Island County Beach Watchers fit into this picture? Jim Shelver’s Possession Point monitoring team found a blue mud shrimp parasitized by a pair of these invasive isopods. We sent a photo of it to Dr. Chapman and he confirmed the identification. Because he is in Oregon, he does not have very much data from our area. Dr. Chapman asked if we could try to collect some parasitized Upogebia for his research. We can freeze them and then send them to him. If anyone collects any and freezes them, I can get them and make arrangements for getting them to him. Please take careful note of where they are from and how abundant they are at that site. He would also like to know where there, are or previously have been, areas where blue mud shrimp are abundant. He is trying to map these areas and can use coordinates from either GPS or Google Earth. If you have information on this, please contact me and I will forward it to him. In addition, he would like photos that show mud shrimp hole densities. We could try to get those photos at low tide times either at night this winter, or next spring and summer, if we can find areas where they are plentiful enough. Remember that Upogebia live in soft substrate. Be cognizant of your own safety if you get out on these muddy beaches as it is easy to get bogged down and stuck in the mud. Note: The invasive isopod does not affect ghost shrimp (Neotrypaea californiensis) so we are not looking for ghost shrimp. Both the ghost shrimp and the blue mud shrimp are featured on the EZ ID web pages, so check out the pictures and infor- mation there if you are not sure how to tell them apart. Generally speaking, Upogebia are more drab in color, are somewhat hairy, and have claws that are more equal in size than those of the ghost shrimp. In addition, Upogebia do not build the little mounds at the entrance to their burrows as do ghost shrimp. Have a Waste Wise Holiday It is hard not to get caught up in the holiday shopping extravaganza this time of year. But with so many people struggling to pay the mortgage or put food on the table, we’re faced with a challenge. How do we have a meaningful celebration without going bankrupt? As a kid growing up in the 60’s, my siblings and I got one really good present from our folks and a pile of homemade stuff from each other. We still give a lot of homemade presents, patchwork pot holders or crocheted afghans. It’s sort of a run- ning competition to see who can come up with the most creative use of say… bottle tops. My husband and I had fun making bird feeders or coffee trays together. Later we used our computers, printers and scan- ners to generate CD’s with family photos, calendars, recipe books of family favorites. We’re famous for our recordings of us singing silly songs and reading funny poems for the kids in our clan. (Move over Raffi.) We buy each other a few things. We make special requests when asked, “What’s on your Christmas list this year?” But we don’t get carried away. Over the years things have changed. The day after Thanksgiving is the starting line for the shopping race. People leave their family sleeping off the festive meal of the day before to line up in the chilling dawn for a jump on the discounts at big box stores. It’s a mob scene. Shoppers are caught in a frenzy and spend hundreds of dollars they don’t have. Their pur- chases were made in China, packed in Styrofoam and impenetrable plastic packaging (none of which is recyclable). They return home with a throbbing headache and the first signs of a cold. Why not stay home. Have a relaxing Thanksgiving weekend. Make holiday cookies with the kids. Begin construction of a few coffee trays. Decorate the house with a string of LED lights, and some fresh greenery blown down by the last wind storm. Later you could visit the community tree lighting, hear the choir, shop at local stores and purchase gifts that support folks in our own community. Put some thought into those purchases. Chose things that will last, that will help the recipient save money, reduce waste or save the planet. How about a solar path light, a re-usable shopping bag or a travel mug? Give gifts that support local charities. Shop at a holiday bazaars or give a donation to a non-profit in their name. Maribeth Crandell Beach Log December 2008 Page 4 Dates to Remember Upcoming Camano Island and Whidbey Island Events and Other Items of Interest Camano Island Events Dec 1 Camano BW Monthly Meeting. 9:00 am to 12:00 noon 141 N.E.