By: Sophia, Kelly, Mika, Chloe B

In the morning, we went to Jackson Beach primarily to assist Friday Harbor Lab students in their beach seines; however, we ended up with half an hour to explore the low tides. We trudged around through the deep, muddy beach, collecting huge Dungeness crab molts and falling in the sludge.

Then, we helped the UW Friday Harbor Labs researchers perform a beach seine.

When we came back from Jackson Beach, we wrote thank-you letters to every guest speaker and host who took the time to meet with us.

After a long workload, our project proposals were finished, and we were ready to present. We went into the Spring Street art room and pitched our proposals to our family and friends.

Then, for our grand finale, we did what all must do, and we went to the west side to watch the sunset. We are now back at the dorms, soaking up our last moments with each other and preparing for an early morning of goodbyes.

This has been an incredible experience! We will miss you all, and we’ll remember you for the rest of our lives! <3

By: Bryce, Mary, and Sophie

The students woke up tired from attending karaoke the previous night! Glowing lights and joyful vibes had filled the atmosphere as they sang their hearts out. 

In the morning, the group made another trip to Friday Harbor Labs, where they participated in the conservation and research of eelgrass. Here, they met up with conservation research scientists Mitch and Sage to assist in their ongoing project.

First, the group mixed several differing substrates to help analyze which was best for eelgrass growth. These substrates were placed into jars and were ready to house the eelgrass.

Delicately, the group used tweezers to pick up the seedlings from their germination bin. They were careful to only pinch the eelgrass at the spot right above the seeds, noting how fragile the small plants were.

Following a pattern of three seedlings per jar, the group of students efficiently planted 144 jars of eelgrass over the course of the morning. With these seedlings, Mitch and Sandy are working on a project that aims to reintroduce eelgrass back into natural ecosystems with the hope of seeing eelgrass meadows thriving again.

In the afternoon after lunch, the group resumed their efforts and began finalizing their pilot project proposal presentations. These proposals aim to provide insights into the future development of environmental protection strategies, focusing on innovative solutions and public awareness of climate impacts in the world. 

After working on their tasks for the afternoon and enjoying the town, the students enjoyed a pesto pasta salad with watermelon, tofu, and chicken with the company of Dr. Mike Kuperberg. He was a biologist at Florida State University for 25 years, with 20 years of experience in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Now, Dr. Kuperberg is the executive director at the Whale Museum with the goal of educating his community through the power of storytelling. After the presentation, the students enjoyed their final night together as a whole group!

By: Avery, Aiden, Elle, and Chloe H

Our day started with a van ride to Cattle Point to conduct algae surveys on the behalf of Dr. Katy Dobkowski. Working in groups of 4, we trekked across beds of seaweeds and clamored over algae covered rocks. Our groups were hard at work cataloging the density of different species of algae. All the data will add to an important data base, and aid Dr. Dobkowski in her research.

We all enjoyed the views and abundance of organisms at Cattle Point.

After gathering data on the different species of algae, we headed back to the dorm for our long anticipated debate. We were split into pro and con groups for each of the two topics: Island Marble Butterfly conservation, and the implementation of OPALCO’s pilot tidal energy project. After a stressful ten minutes of last minute preparation, impassioned debaters argued their side. The pro side won for the Island Marble Butterflies, while the con side won for OPALCO’s tidal project.

After a quick lunch of leftovers, we hurried back into the vans and drove to False Bay. When we got there, we were introduced to Beth Tate, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife employee. At False Bay, we learned about the invasive fish, the Northern Pike, and sustainable ways to preserve and restore salmon spawning locations, as well as the complexities of renewable energy sources.

We explored the beach, which was littered with stinky algae, for around an hour, before piling back into the vans and heading back to the dorms for some project work time.

Tonight we are having Aisha Rashid, a member of the SeaDoc Society over as our dinner guest, and then heading back out for a final night of karaoke!

By: Shristi, Kendall, Kaiya, Dylan

After an early breakfast, we piled into the vans with our lunch boxes packed for our busy day ahead! Our first stop, New Hannah Farm, where the lead farmer Zach Chan gave us a tour, while explaining the sustainable farming practices he uses!

Zach taught us all about how different it is to work on a small-scale farm compared to the usual farming practices throughout the country that prioritize big yields in a small amount of time. He also showcased some of his impressive projects on the farm, including the upcoming greenhouse-on-wheels he is working on that will be super beneficial in the future!

After the farm, we headed for Lime Kiln Preserve for lunch, where many people purchased hotdogs at the small snack shack, the Blow Hole, and hung out by the tide pools after lunch!

From Lime Kiln we went to the Friday Harbor Labs where we listened to some REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) presentations. The presentations talked about their research, some of which covered sea urchin movement in relation to patterns and brain functioning, as well as exploring the role of water temperature in the development of sea stars and sea urchins.

After the presentations we headed to Jacksons beach and performed crab molt surveys lead by Jess and Katherine from the Friends of San Juan. Before we started the surveys we got sidetracked on a mission to held some people from the Friday Harbor Labs pull up a net! It was really deep in the water and their small crew was super grateful for our help. We even shared some popsicles after pulling up the net!

Then we continued on with the crab surveys, recording our findings of any European Green Crabs and Dungeness Crabs. European Green Crabs are invasive in the San Juan Islands, so our goal was to collect any of the crab molts we could find and identify them all. Thankfully, we didn’t find any European Greens!

To end off our day, we’re looking forward to a chill evening without a dinner guest. We are going to relax and enjoy our pizza dinner!

By Addy Brautigam, Kaia Wasserman, Max Lundin and Amber Xu

We started the morning off with the First Annual Salish Sea Debate activity prep! We broke out into 4 groups of 5 students each. We have two topics and each group is either pro or con of one of the topics. We did initial research and created our debate points today in preparation for the debate tomorrow night!

We then packed lunch and took off to Mt. Finlayson. We did the loop trail and ate lunch.

After we returned from our hike, we did some work on our projects!

To finish out the day, we have an Eelgrass learning activity with Dr. Olivia Graham, followed by dinner with Dr. Graham and a presentation. She is a marine scientist who is passionate about marine ecosystems, especially eelgrass in the PNW! We are so excited to meet and work with her!!

By: Chloe B, Kelly, Sophia, Mika

This morning, we went to the Land Banks‘ Zylstra Preserve and met with Shauna and Julia, members of the San Juan Island Conservation Corps, who helped us to remove the invasive teasels, which are European native weeds that outcompete the native species. They introduced us to the Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) that they recently constructed, being the first on San Juan Island. These man-made dams, mimicking beaver dams, function to slow down river flow downstream to the nearby False Bay, in hopes of improving water quality over time.

After a quick lunch break, we listened to a presentation from Caroline, utilizing her experience as a college counselor, about colleges and the first steps in the search and exploration for the right college. We talked about the importance of academics, location, culture, experience, reputation, and costs, covering almost any prospective topic.

After the presentation, we loaded into the vans and took off for Roche Harbor, today’s use of our recreation time. Here we went to the ice cream shop, where Caroline generously treated all of us to ice cream! With our ice cream in hand, we walked around the resort, through shops, and around the marina. Then, Cara beat everyone in bocce ball, and on the walk back to the vans, we encountered an adorable and huge Pyrenees puppy. We headed back to the dorms for our afternoon jobs, taking a quick ukulele break to sing “Lava” with Cara.

As of right now, we are all super excited for our guest of the night, Dr. Sandy Wyllie-Echeverria, to discuss sea and eel grasses. On the menu tonight is leftovers!

By: Montgomery, Bryce, Sophie, and Mary

After a long slog of kayaking, students got to enjoy a slow morning and an adventure at the farmers’ market! At approximately ten in the morning, the students went downtown to explore the market scene where many local creators set up booths to sell their goods. Amongst the many items that were displayed, fine jewelry, bakery goods, and even woodworking were offered. The group spent their morning meandering and buying from the market. Music was being played in a small corner of the festival to brighten the atmosphere! Some people went out to the thrift stores and other shops around town before we headed back to the dorms 

After lunch, the student body went to the docks at the Port of Friday Harbor to collect some water samples for the Plankton lab! Using a specialized net, the group siphoned samples of water into a bucket to take to the lab. In these samples, many different varieties of plankton were gathered; plankton are small marine organisms that are crucial to life beneath the sea.  

While some student collected samples, others explored the life underneath the docks. There was a great abundance of marine biology to be found. The marine organisms found include large swaths of Metridium and giant plumose anemone (a species of sea anemone). After the samples were collected, the group headed back to the labs at the dorms.  

Unusual microorganisms were found in water samples taken by the students at the docks and taken back to the lab; with the help of a microscope, the students were able to see unique types of zooplankton and phytoplankton. Pipets drew the water from the sea which was placed on stages that were then examined underneath the microscopes. Many different species of microorganisms were found using this process as the students took notes and sketched what they saw. 

The rest of the day was utilized for brainstorming for the big up-and-coming project. Students are aiming to find solutions to a problem within their own communities. From exploring watersheds to analyzing bacterium types, ideas were being bounced around left and right as the group worked diligently to prepare for this final project.

After working on their tasks, the group enjoyed the company of undergraduates Alexandria Kaplan who studies biology at UCSC and Ellie In who studies marine biology at UW for dinner, which was Mediterranean-style tofu and chicken. They winded down for the day before heading to sleep.   

By: Avery, Chloe, Aiden, Elle

We woke up bright and early Thursday morning to begin the long journey kayaking to Jones Island. We met up with the kayak instructors from Crystal Seas Kayaking at Jackson Beach around 9 a.m.

While kayaking up Puget Sound around San Juan Island, we stopped halfway through ro eat lunch at a beautiful scenic beach. From the beach, we could finally see Jones Island.

Once we had arrived at Jones Island, we quickly unloaded the boats and set up camp in a large field close to the shore. After getting settled, some of us went on to explore the island, while some of us went down to the beach to collect rocks. Everyone reconvened for dinner, which consisted of amazing tacos cooked by our kayak leads. After dinner the whole group walked to the west side of the island, which was blissfully sheltered from the howling wind, to watch the sunset.

The evening was concluded by delightful strawberry pound cake dessert and some students sleeping outside under the stars, with the deer and the raccoons watching from the shadows.

On day two of our kayaking adventure, we were jolted awake to the sounds of alarm clocks, and the blaring sound of Eye of the Tiger playing in the background. The current and wind were supposed to be against us on the journey back, and so we had to stumble out of our sleeping bags to pack up our tents and set up our kayaks at 5:30 in the morning (and of course to grab a cup of tea or coffee, and a delicious breakfast of granola and yogurt). We left Jones Island shortly: packed up, and mostly awake. The music playing from Bryce and Max’s kayak gave us a boost, and despite battling rough currents and strong winds, we arrived at Turn Island around noon. There we ate a delicious lunch of pasta salad and enjoyed the fan-favorite pastime of skipping rocks. As the day heated up, the sun left swathes of sunburns and tans across our noses, scalps, and hands. Several people took advantage of the gathering heat, and swam in the chilly water.

The final destination after lunch was a thin strip of rocky shoreline, just a short paddle across the channel from Turn Island. We clamored out of our boats, eager to be back on solid ground and to say goodbye to the spray skirts (thick, skirt-like pieces of waterproof fabric) that kept us dry while kayaking. We carried the kayaks up a short dirt path lined with thickets of blackberries, where they were loaded onto two boat trailers. Although we were all aching for dry clothes, clean bathrooms, and warm showers, we were incredibly grateful for the kayaking journey.

By: Shristi, Kendall, Kaiya, Dylan

We started our day off early and headed straight to The Whale Museum, a short walk across town! Our exclusive tour was led by Tracie Merrill, the Education Director, who was avid to teach us about the importance of orcas within the Salish Sea. She led us through the different exhibits, making sure to explain the different social groups of orcas in the area, as well as the challenges they all face.

After Tracie’s tour, we were given the opportunity to explore the museum ourselves. Some of us watched the documentary, Sonic Sea, and others enjoyed the interactive displays and coloring pages.

After the fun trip to The Whale Museum, we returned to the dorms to learn about the projects we’ll be working on throughout the course of the program. We discussed it for a bit, then we got a visit from one of our kayaking guides, Lauren, that will be leading us tomorrow to Jones Island. She explained to us what we need to pack and some details about the overnight trip.

We packed our lunches and went to San Juan State Park on the west side of the island. We enjoyed our lunches with an awesome view of Vancouver Island across the water. Many of us decided to go exploring across the rocks down to the shore.

Next, we drove to Lime Kiln Point State Park to meet Errin Corra, the creator of the non-profit, FOLKS-Friends of Lime Kiln Society, as well as Josiah French-Feld, a member of the indigenous Coast Salish peoples. We received a tour of the park, learning about a few different tree species and their connections to the local indigenous culture. We ventured down to a whale-watching lookout, where we were swarmed by wasps! Then we checked out the lighthouse nearby, hearing about the history of the building and their whale tracking system. We were able to go to the top of the lighthouse, and from there we could see the hydrophone cable, allowing the researchers to hear the nearby underwater sounds.

To end off our night, we plan to check out JP’s Restaurant since it’s Karaoke’s night and celebrate Sophie’s birthday!

By: Max Lundin, Addy Brautigam, Kaia Wasserman, Amber Xu

After breakfast and packing lunches, we took off for the day. Our first stop was University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories. There, we received a stupendous tour from Michelle Herko, researcher and director of Friday Harbor Laboratories. She showed us the campus and research facilities unoccupied by busy scientists, but filled with marine life.

After fueling up on lunch, students were divided into three groups. One group took to the docks to investigate sea life growing upon tires hanging from the docks. This includes but is not limited to shrimp, sea squirts, barnacles of all sorts, crabs, kelp, and sponges. Those who dared took a respectful poke.

Another group was led to the sea star sanctuary where students learned about the research and restoration of the local sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides). Following a dramatic heatwave in 2014, these vital organisms have been plagued by Sea Star Waisting Disease (SSWD) and researchers have been working to restore the population and unveil the cause since 2019.

The final group was led outside the lab to view grown, ready to release, and infected sunflower sea stars under quarantine watch. Similarly to inside, each tank was separated by generation. Each generation has a theme for names chosen by research scientists, including different breakfast foods.

Once we wrapped up at the labs, we took a hop, skip, and a van ride to the historical site of America Camp National Park. There we received an insightful tour all included with historic background of the area, such as the Pig War that took place. Our guide was none other than the energetic archeologist, cartographer, and Friday Harbor mayoral candidate, Emilio Santiago.

To conclude a fantastic day, we returned to Spring Street International School campus where we split off into our job groups and prepared to welcome our guest Tim Dwyer, a marine scientist who currently teaches at Friday Harbor High School and co-teaches at Friday Harbor Laboratories. He also has served as a Communications Officer on the EV Nautilus, the research vessel used by The Ocean Exploration Trust.