By Matt, Claudia, Ben, Nina 

Photo by Claudia 

Mistaken Necropsy 

We woke up earlier than normal to go to a harbor seal necropsy at FHL. Before we headed out, we spent half an hour cleaning the dorms, splitting up tasks so everyone could partake in the process. Upon arriving, we walked down the pier, only to discover the necropsy was not happening. This cancellation was due to no megafauna ex. seals, sea lions, or orcas dying and being collected to be examined. While a disappointment we were glad nothing had died. 

Cattle Point  

Picture by Nina Johnson 

Caroline graciously drove Ben, Morgan, Finlee, and Nina to Cattle Point at 11:30 AM. Nina was in pursuit of mussels to use for her project and a group activity tomorrow. With Ben’s help, she collected over twenty. Morgan was also looking for organisms to support her project. Ben assisted Morgan in finding two crabs, a disappointing number compared to the success they had had the day before with a collection of over one hundred crabs. Finlee collected surf grass for her project as well. After a successful day at Cattle Point, Ben impressively carried a heavy bucket of seawater up the steep trail back to the lighthouse.  

Friday Harbor Labs:  

Sam, Ian, Flora, Ansuya, Scarlett, and Max went to FHL in the afternoon. Each person began working on their individual projects. This included Ian and Soren working with worms from Frankie Hedge’s Lab. Max started his data collection with blood stars. Ian began to ID polychaete worms collected from the night-lighting last night. Unfortunately, Sam lost one of his nudibranchs, meaning that he will need to transition to another project. Ansuya, Flora, and Scarlett met with Dr. Sandy Wyllie Echeverria to continue working on their projects relating to eelgrass and sea hares.  

Harrowing hand happenstance 

Picture by Nina Johnson 

The day did not come without injury, however. Scarlet’s left hand, stung by a wasp yesterday, began to swell like a balloon. Caroline stepped in and assisted in a journey to Urgent Care. Luckily, it was not a severe injury. 

Other Sites: 

While most of the group was at FHL, a small portion split off to work in the field. Gretchen and Katie headed to Argyle Lagoon to survey chitons, Sid headed to Eagle cove to record aggregating anemones, and Claudia headed to 4th of July Beach to collect eelgrass samples. 

Lime Kiln State Park:  

 photo by Claudia 

Meanwhile, the rest of us headed over to Lime Kiln State Park where we were given a tour by Erin Corra, the founder of FOLKS, a nonprofit that works to provide education about Lime Kiln State Park. We learned about the park’s history as well as its environment, all the while admiring the wonderful view of the lighthouse. We ended off our tour with a visit to the hydrophone, where we learned about the importance of using research methods that do not impact our environment. 

Photo by Adam Rogowski   

Seminar: 

 In the evening, we went to a seminar on diversity, equity, and inclusion by Helen Yip. She addressed the importance of scientific perspectives from marginalized people, as well as promoting women in STEM. Her fascinating lecture incorporated a lot of audience participation, and we learned a lot!