Salish Sea Stewards training consists of 30 hours of classroom presentations and 10 hours of field training. Classroom sessions will be held at Padilla Bay Reserve, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mount Vernon every Thursday, March 5 - April 30, 3-6 PM. Registration forms can be found at www.skagitmrc.org, and must be postmarked no later than March 2, 2015. Completed forms may be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or mailed hard-copy to: Catherine Buchalski, Padilla Bay Foundation, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98273-9668.

Note: Attendance at training sessions is limited to registered attendees and current volunteers working with the Coastal Volunteer Partnership at Padilla Bay.

Salish Sea Stewards training consists of 30 hours of classroom presentations and 10 hours of field training. Classroom sessions will be held at Padilla Bay Reserve, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mount Vernon every Thursday, March 5 - April 30, 3-6 PM. Registration forms can be found at www.skagitmrc.org, and must be postmarked no later than March 2, 2015. Completed forms may be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or mailed hard-copy to: Catherine Buchalski, Padilla Bay Foundation, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98273-9668.

Note: Attendance at training sessions is limited to registered attendees and current volunteers working with the Coastal Volunteer Partnership at Padilla Bay.

Some of the most exciting discoveries of the past decade came from studying submarine volcanoes and the relationships between the gas rich fluids they release and the life that thrives in these extreme, high temperature, deep-sea environments.  The most advanced underwater volcanic observatory in the world was recently installed off the coast of Oregon and now streams real-time data back to shore from one of the most active hydrothermal systems on earth. 

Come to hear Dr. Deborah Kelley, School of Oceanography, UW, talk about the new worlds and insights revealed by this technology and well as what it is like to dive 12,000 feet below the ocean in the 3-person submersible named Alvin.

At this one day university for everyone, chose from a variety of presentations about current issues facing our marine environment and an array of topics about Salish Sea ecosystems and culture.

Online registration is available at fidalgoshorelineacademy2015.eventbrite.com

Keynote speaker, Dr. Joe Gaydos, will share highlights of his work as the Senior Wildlife Veterinarian and Chief Scientist for SeaDoc Society, a science-based marine conservation program of the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center located on Orcas Island with a focus on designing a healthy Salish Sea.  For over a decade Joe has been working on wildlife health and ecosystem health issues in the Pacific Northwest. He has published dozens of peer-reviewed scientific papers on topics related to diseases that impact human and wild animal health in species like harbor seals, river otters, porpoise and killer whales. While he's a bit of of a science nerd, he also has a passion for all things wild: wildlife, wild places and wild people. Joe works to connect people to the amazing resources of the Salish Sea and was recently honored with the 2014 Seattle Aquarium Conservation Research Award. We're excited to offer a special book signing opportunity for his recently co-authored book, The Salish Sea: Jewel of the Pacific Northwest, at the event.

Additional presentations will include:

Current Research & Direction of the Shannon Point Marine Center - Dr. Erika McPhee Shaw, WWU Shannon Point Marine Center

The Effects of Ocean Acidification in Puget Sound - Dr. Paul McElhany, NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Impacts of Microplastics on the Marine Environment - Dr. Julie Masura, UW-Tacoma Center for Urban Waters

Impacts of Urban Stormwater Runoff for the Salish Sea - Dr. Jen McIntyre, WSU Stormwater Research Center

Coastal Restoration in Skagit County and Beyond: How you can play a role in Salish Sea Recovery - Lisa Kaufman, Northwest Straits Foundation

New this year!  Sharing Shorelines - Trail Tales volunteers are teaming up with local experts to provide 3 unique sessions with ideas & hands-on demonstrations to inspire the naturalist in you!  Learn how to get the most out of any shoreline experience whether it be with family, friends or students!

Salish Sea Stewards training consists of 30 hours of classroom presentations and 10 hours of field training. Classroom sessions will be held at Padilla Bay Reserve, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mount Vernon every Thursday, March 5 - April 30, 3-6 PM. Registration forms can be found at www.skagitmrc.org, and must be postmarked no later than March 2, 2015. Completed forms may be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or mailed hard-copy to: Catherine Buchalski, Padilla Bay Foundation, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98273-9668.

Note: Attendance at training sessions is limited to registered attendees and current volunteers working with the Coastal Volunteer Partnership at Padilla Bay.

Several Skagit and Whatcom County organizations are collaborating to host free volunteer citizen science training in April and May that will be taught by expert marine biologists and educators.  We will teach you to identify and count beach and intertidal plants and animals found on our local beaches. You will learn what plants and animals live high up on the beach and those that live low, and are usually covered by water. This training leads to a great volunteer option for anyone who loves the beach and wants to know more about the life found there. A special emphasis in the training is put on identifying and counting the organisms as part of a citizen science initiative. In addition, the survey work performs a vital function to monitor for invasive species, and detect changes in the make-up of species as conditions of these sites change over time with restoration projects, or changes from natural and human influences.

After training, you will be considered a vetted citizen scientist volunteer eligible to collect data in low-tide intertidal surveys with these many groups.  In Skagit County, we will collect baseline data at the Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserves, and pre-restoration data for Northwest Straits Foundation and Skagit Marine Resources Committee at Bowman Bay, Shannon Point, and NW March's Point. Surveys are sponsored by the Whatcom & Skagit County Marine Resources Committees, the Cherry Point and Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserve Citizen Stewardship Committees, the Coastal Volunteer Partnership at Padilla Bay, and the Northwest Straits Foundation. Training will be conducted by RE Sources' North Sound Baykeeper program, with assistance from volunteer experts and our partners listed above.

We ask anyone who is new to this work to attend both the classroom & field training sessions to be considered eligible to help with the surveys. We strongly encourage all veteran monitors to attend both sessions as changes have been made to the sampling protocol since last year.  Minors over age 14 are welcome to participate so long as a guardian is present. Training is free to all!

To register for Skagit County Training, please contact Catherine Buchalski at 360-428-1559 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Training Dates for Skagit County:

Classroom Session- Sunday April 19, 9am-3pm at the Fidalgo Bay Resort, 4701 Fidalgo Bay Rd, Anacortes.
Field training Sunday May 17, 9 am-12 PM at Sunset Beach, Washington Park, Anacortes

Survey Dates for Skagit County:

Fidalgo Bay: May 18, May 20, July 31 and August 1
Bowman Bay: June 17
Shannon Point: July 1
Northwest March's Point: July 29

Salish Sea Stewards training consists of 30 hours of classroom presentations and 10 hours of field training. Classroom sessions will be held at Padilla Bay Reserve, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mount Vernon every Thursday, March 5 - April 30, 3-6 PM. Registration forms can be found at www.skagitmrc.org, and must be postmarked no later than March 2, 2015. Completed forms may be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or mailed hard-copy to: Catherine Buchalski, Padilla Bay Foundation, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98273-9668.

Note: Attendance at training sessions is limited to registered attendees and current volunteers working with the Coastal Volunteer Partnership at Padilla Bay.

This is a workshop for everyone who will be staffing a sign station during the season – optional for those who are only doing a sign station on June 13th for the dedication. We will discuss information on the signs and share ideas for props and ways to interpret the signs.

Salish Sea Stewards training consists of 30 hours of classroom presentations and 10 hours of field training. Classroom sessions will be held at Padilla Bay Reserve, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mount Vernon every Thursday, March 5 - April 30, 3-6 PM. Registration forms can be found at www.skagitmrc.org, and must be postmarked no later than March 2, 2015. Completed forms may be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or mailed hard-copy to: Catherine Buchalski, Padilla Bay Foundation, 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98273-9668.

Note: Attendance at training sessions is limited to registered attendees and current volunteers working with the Coastal Volunteer Partnership at Padilla Bay.