By Isla, Alice, Cynthia, and Matthew

We started our day with a 7:00 am wake-up call and took a 20-minute van ride over to Cattle Point.

There, we met Dr. Katie Dobkowski, an associate professor at Woodbury University, and two undergraduate students studying with her. We first did a quick survey of the beach, picking up pieces of crabs and their molts.

Our next task was to contribute to a 40-year data set on differences in algae biodiversity based on distance from the water. We laid out a transect and placed quadrats every two meters.

Within the quadrats, we identified the coverage percentage of the different species of algae.

The data we collected offers a better understanding of algae population changes on the Cattle Point shore. After a couple of hours of observing and recording, we ate lunch up by the lighthouse.

Back at the lab, we revisited our fecal coliform test on the marina water. Based on the colonies that grew in our samples, we were able to determine that the water is in excellent condition.

This means that the water treatment facility in Friday Harbor is working well!

Later, we went back to the dorms to continue our individual project brainstorms.

The end!