Kwiáht Wins Grant to Produce Salish Sea Ecology Report

Invertebrate event planned for March 15, the “Tides of March”

Kwiáht, the Center for the Historical Ecology of the Salish Sea, hasbeen awarded a $10,000 grant from the Benedict Family Foundation.  Kwiáht founder and director Russel Barsh says, ” Jennifer Hahn, formerly of Lopez, who now teaches at Western Washington University, deserves a big vote of thanks for introducing us to the Benedict Foundation last year.”

The grant’s purpose is to produce an annual report or yearbook on the health of San Juan County’s marine ecosystems: ” a synthesis of results from all five of our community science programs,” says Barsh.  Kwiáht works with the public, the county Indian Island Marine Health Observatory, Orcas Island schools and BeachWatchers, a WSU Extension Program.

Cloud Ridge Publishing, associated with the Benedict Foundation, will provide technical support.

Barsh says, “Of course, we just got the money, and there is a lot of work we have to do now, to deserve it!”

He describes the project ahead: “We have a great new challenge this year: extracting the most interesting data and findings, and some of our best photographs and ‘creature stories,’ for the first edition of the yearbook.  Each community team will have about six pages of print, which can include images (maps, photos, or graphs) and text.  Matthew Rabel (in-school assistant to Laura Tidwell, middle school science teacher) and I have been discussing a format that would alternate pages between key ideas  (such as the evidence that juvenile Chinook prefer herring, or that eelgrass at Indian Island may be declining) and background stories on individual organisms such as Bay pipefish, Clown nudibranchs, or Marbled Murrelets.”

Kwaiht and other partners in the Indian Island Marine Health Observatory are planning for a “Tides of March!” event on March 15 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Eastsound Fire Hall. Hors d’oeuvres and music by Sharon Abreu and Mike Hurwicz will  celebrate the event’s emphasis on invertebrates. Marta Branch’s Marine Science students will bring displays on different phyla of invertebrates, and Barsh will bring some live specimens and provide a brief slide show.

“Our focus will be public info and recruiting more Orcas volunteers, including students,” says Barsh.  Upcoming is a invertebrate (and fish) ‘refresher’ class at the Library in April.

Following the “Tides of March” afternoon event, the SeaDoc Society’s Marine Lecture Series continues at 7 p.m. with the presentation, “Bears to Barnacles: Cool Animals of the Salish Sea.” Dr. Joe Gaydos will give the final lecture in this season’s series.