2nd Annual Fidalgo Shoreline Academy

The 2nd annual Fidalgo Shoreline Academy will be held on Saturday April 27, 2013 from  8:30 am – 3:30 pm at Fidalgo Bay Resort in Anacortes.  Registration is $25 per person or $35 with Gere-A-Deli box lunch. Your day includes a keynote presentation by UW Polar Science Center's Ron Lindsay on“The Changing Arctic” plus 3 class sessions with choices from six presenters and three interpretive walks.  Registration is online at fidalgoshorelineacademy.eventbrite.com or by mail - click here for a paper registration form (700k pdf)

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

8:30 – 9:15     Registration & Displays

9:15 – 9:30     Welcome & Introductions

9:30 – 10:30   Key Note Presentation -  "The Changing Arctic" by Ron Lindsay

This presentation will review some of the recent dramatic changes that are taking place in the Arctic. Sea ice extent reached a new record minimum this summer, but sea ice is not the only story. We'll talk about polar amplification of global temperature increases, snow cover and vegetation changes, Greenland melt, as well as the implications of these changes for lower latitudes.

Ron Lindsay has been studying Arctic weather and climate for over 30 years through field work, data analysis, and modeling. Most of his research efforts are centered on sea ice, what its thickness is, how to model its behavior, how it is changing, and how to predict its future. His graduate work was at the University of Washington. He is a member of the Polar Science Center at the Applied Physics Laboratory, UW.

10:30 – 10:45  Question & Answers

10:45 – 11:00  Break

11:00 – 12:00  Session 1:

A)  Glen “Alex” Alexander “Mysterious Invertebrates”                                                          

Alex will help beginners sort out the many strange and mysterious invertebrates found on the beach when the tide goes out.

B)  Doug McKeever “The Eruptive History and Hazards of Mt. Baker” 

  Doug will address recent findings about past activity and future hazards at Mount Baker.

C)   Walk:  Dave Blackinton “Native Travel, the Canoe!”   

Dave will share his knowledge about this important form of traditional travel, past and present. He will describe the traditional techniques that would have been used in construction X’echnginglh, their 32 ft. cedar dugout canoe and the use of war (racing) canoes, smaller canoes and paddles. Dave will also provide background on inter-tribal canoe journey, the marine highway for coastal people since time immemorial.                     

12:00 – 1:00    Lunch

1:00 – 2:00     Session 2:

A)     Jane Billinghurst “How Rain Gardens Help Protect Puget Sound”      

 Jane will explain how rain gardens are designed and sited, and how they clean up stormwater.              

B)    Dr. Jude Apple “Water Quality in the Salish Sea: Current and Future Challenges”

This lecture will explore some of the environmental challenges in the Salish Sea ecosystem, including hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, contamination, and ocean acidification – and how climate change and population growth will complicate these challenges.

C) Walk: Trail Tales & Forage Fish Team  “Walking on Fish Eggs”                                              

 This walk with Trail Tales Docents will open your eyes to the amazing biology of fish that spawn in the intertidal zone.  Guest speaker, Dan Penttila.   

2:00 – 2:15    Break (raffle drawing)

2:15 – 3:15    Session 3:

A)   Howard Garrett “A Whale Called Orca”                                                                                   

Howard will share his wealth of experience and knowledge about the complex social lives of  Resident” and Transient Orcas.

B)   John Bower “Declining Seabirds”

John will address some of the reasons our seabirds are in decline.

C)  Walk:  Betty Carteret  'Wetlands - Nature's Water Treatment System" & Jane Billinghurst "Evaluating a Site for a Rain Garden"

Using information from the presentation, participants will walk through the process of identifying function, designing and site testing for a rain garden.  Betty will join Jane to reveal wetlands and rain gardens as the natural water treatment systems they are.

Click here to view all presenter biographies.

This Friends of Skagit Beaches event is made possible thanks to sponsors Samish Indian Nation, Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve,  and the Port of Anacortes. Thank you to the presenters who have donated their time & expertise to this program.