Volunteer Newsletter - MAY/JUNE 2014 UPCOMING EVENTS Wed., July 16th OCNMS’s 20th Anniversary Celebration at Concert on the Pier 6:00-8:00pm! Join Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary on the Port Angeles City Pier on July 4-7th Chief Taholah Days, Taholah July 16th when we are stage sponsors for the (Quinault Indian Nation). Commemorate the free, weekly “Concerts on the Pier” series. 1855 Treaty with a parade, baseball, canoe This date marks the 20th anniversary of the races, salmon bake, fireworks and more. sanctuary’s dedication and will feature an www.quinaultindiannation.com educational booth with hands-on activities staffed by Monterey Bay National Marine July 18-20th Quileute Days, La Push. Sanctuary and OCDC volunteers. We’ll be Quileute Tribe celebrations with traditional grooving to the tunes of bluegrass band Luck of dancing, softball, stick games, canoe races, the Draw. Other features at this special event: games, music, 5K family fun run and much • Sanctuary Sam the Sea Lion more. www.quileutenation.org/qtc/qdays_ • ROV demonstration in water by Jr. schedule_5-28-14.pdf Oceanographer summer camp youth • Life-sized, inflatable Orca whale July 13-19th Tribal Canoe Journeys to Bella “Mike J26” Bella, BC www.tribaljourneys.ca • Award presentation of OCNMS Volunteer of the Year 2013 Fri. July 25th Sanctuary Advisory Council • Wolf eel marine debris art sculpture meeting 10am-3:30pm, Clallam Co. by local artist Courthouse, Port Angeles. All members of the public welcome and encouraged to attend. A family-friendly event that is not to be missed! Aug 22nd-24th Makah Days, Neah Bay. Makah Tribe festivities with traditional dancing, war canoe races, salmon bakes, street fairs, a parade, firesworks, coronation of Makah Royal Court, 3 mile Bahokus Peak run. makah.com/activities/makah-days Contact [email protected] or (360) 457-6622 ext. 31 for more information. Volunteer Newsletter - MAY/JUNE 2014 Welcome Our New OCDC Docents! Volunteer Exchange with Monterey The annual spring OCDC training brought in a group of Bay Nation Marine Sanctuary fantastic new docents, who completed their six sessions To help celebrate the sanctuary’s 20th anniversary and on May 28th. As usual, our field trips to Salt Creek and Olympic Coast Discovery Center’s 10th anniversary, Neah Bay were training highlights. In Neah Bay we were OCNMS will be hosting 8 volunteers from Monterey entertained by multiple eagles fighting over a fish catch, Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) with a river otter running out to bathe and several sea lions their Education and Outreach Specialist, Carolyn barking as they gracefully swam in the Makah Marina. Skinder. From July 13-19 MBNMS volunteers will This year also afforded us a quick beach trip to Sooes experience the Olympic Peninsula, learning about Beach so that new docents could lay eyes on sanctuary us through unique site visits and joining sanctuary waters at one of our northernmost beaches. activities and events, including the sanctuary- sponsored Concert on the Pier. We have an exciting itinerary lined up for them and are looking forward to showing them our special and beautiful place! You do not have to be a host of a MBNMS volunteer in order to join the week’s activities! All OCDC docents are welcome to join us at the following: Our new docents include: Carol, a writer who recently Sun., July 13 Welcome MBNMS volunteers with BBQ moved from Colorado; Leslee, a cook and caretaker potluck 5-7pm at Feiro Marine Life Center from Seattle; Brian, a retired pilot with NOAA trainings Mon, July 14 Tidepooling at Salt Creek 9-11:30am and experience who is now an aerospace education (provide your own transportation) followed by 12pm visit consultant; EB, who recently moved to the area from to mouth of Elwha River at Place Rd. with Anne Shaffer Colorado; Karrie, an avid ocean and boating recreator; of Coastal Watershed Institute to learn about nearshore and Megan, who will be an Interpretive Coastal Ranger impacts from dam removal for Olympic National Park based at Mora/Rialto all Mon, July 14 Visit to Hurricane Ridge from 7-8:30pm season. Please give our new volunteers a warm welcome where the group will eat packed dinner and possibly as they join our sanctuary community! embark on short hikes from the Visitor Center (provide your own transportation) Wed., July 16 Coffee/tea + pastries discussion 9-10am at sanctuary classroom & 5-8:30pm Concert on the Pier for OCNMS 20th anniversary! Fri., July 18 Farewell dinner 6pm by RSVP only (restaurant TBD) Volunteer Newsletter - MAY/JUNE 2014 Special thanks to Jim J., Sue, Bruce & Gerri, Sarah, Elizabeth, Pat, Carol, and Deb & Steve for opening your houses to our Californian guests! Also, OCDC docents will in turn have the opportunity to join a volunteer exchange to Monterey Bay in the winter of 2014. Annual Volunteer Appreciation Cruise on RV Tatoosh During the week of July 14-18th Captains Rick and Justin will be offering trips aboard our research and monitoring vessel, RV Tatoosh. All active OCDC docents and sanctuary volunteers will be invited to sign up for a pleasure cruise on the date that suits your schedule best. Transportation to and from Port Angeles in sanctuary vehicles will be provided. Stay tuned for more details soon! Salt Creek Tidepooling Field Trip & BBQ Picnic All OCDC docents were invited to the annual Salt Creek It turned out to be a beautiful day for tidepool exploration tidepooling trip on Saturday, May 17th. New docents finished with a friendly BBQ potluck social with new explored Tongue Point with guidance and interpretation and seasoned volunteers. Thanks to all of you who from Jim Jewell, our tidepooling pro. OCNMS educator came out and especially to Jim and Nicole for sharing Nicole Harris also shared her knowledge for those of us your local invertebrate expertise! who could not manage to keep up with Jim. ☺ Volunteer Newsletter - MAY/JUNE 2014 Karsten Named OCNMS Volunteer of the Year Award for 2013 Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary named Karsten Turrey as our Volunteer of the Year (VOY) for 2013. Karsten’s overall contributions for the sanctuary in 2013 totaled 128 hours. He volunteered as a docent for Olympic Coast Discovery Center, helped collect and enter data from monthly Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) field sites and NOAA’s Shoreline Debris monitoring program at the Elwha. Additionally, he joined a small team to help complete annual intertidal monitoring surveys at Grenville Beach on the Quinault Indian Nation’s shore. Karsten’s efforts have helped advance OCNMS’s mission to protect resources through responsible stewardship, promote awareness and make informed ecosystem-based management decisions. All 14 national marine sanctuaries nominated a VOY at each site to be considered for the national award, Family Fun Tidepool Walk which went to Robyn Walters of Hawaiian Islands This year OCNMS celebrated National Get Outdoors Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Day! on Saturday, June 14th with a Family Fun Tidepool OCNMS is proud of all of Karsten’s efforts last year Walk at Kalaloch and for representing us as our site nominee. All VOY Beach 4. Education nominees were honored in Washington, D.C. in early Specialist Nicole Harris June during Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) with led families through a special presentation to Robyn Walters. Karsten was the tidepools, learning recognized by OCNMS staff in the office on June 10th about the intertidal with strawberry shortcake. This summer he is tracking organisms and ecology deer for his Lower Elwha tribe and will be attending along the way. What Peninsula College in the fall. Congratulations, Karsten, a fun way to enjoy a and best wishes to you in your future! lovely day with low tides! Volunteer Newsletter - MAY/JUNE 2014 Our Oceans in a Changing Climate Olympic Climate Action sponsored a two-day Our Oceans in a Changing Climate event June 6-7 in Port Angeles. The event featured educational speakers and activities on the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on our marine waters. Activities kicked off Friday evening when popular singer/song-writer Dana Lyons performed works from his new album entitled “The Great Salish Sea” at the Elwha Heritage Center. Sarah’s second sculpture depicts a wolf eel (Anarrhichthys A line up of local presenters addressed the challenges ocellatus) peeking through a hoop-like cave entrance facing our marine environment from different angles. with its long fin curled around a post. The wolf eel will be OCNMS Resource Protection Specialist Liam Antrim displayed as a sanctuary education piece, traveling with spoke about the impacts of ocean acidification and the OCNMS education booth to various environmental ramifications for marine life in the Pacific Northwest. events and fairs we participate in throughout the year. Karlyn Langjahr followed with a hands-on ocean At times I will also display it in front of OCDC so it is acidification presentation using demonstrations and exposed to a greater number of people and to draw them interactive games. Other speakers included Matt Krogh, into our visitor center! who spoke about the threats of fossil fuel exports, and Bill Baccus on climate change across the Olympic National Currently Sarah is wrapping up the completion of her Park landscape. The event pulled in over 50 members final sculpture, a seal that of the public, including high school students and youth. will accompany Washington CoastSavers’ traveling exhibit. Marine Debris Educational Art! All three sculptures were Local artist Sarah Tucker was commissioned by made from debris collected at OCNMS to create three sculptures using marine debris this year’s annual Washington an educational tool to engage people in the discussion Coastal Cleanup on April 19th of marine debris.