Today morning, we were planning on following up on our photo shoot that we started on Day 2. Unfortunately, before we could embark on this exciting journey, we were notified that the critically endangered resident killer whales’ J pod was passing by near Lime Kiln State Park. We hopped in the van and rushed toward the park, where we were able to see J-38 (Cookie), J27 (Blackberry), and many other orcas pass extremely close to the shore.

There were more than ten members of the J pod near us, and we were also able to hear the clicks and chirps of the whales through the local hydrophone. Unfortunately, our whale watching was cut short by the fact that we had scheduled a hike and appointment with Jacob from Landbank. We all grudgingly left the whales to meet with Jacob, who led us up the summit of Mt. Grant, learning about various plant species along the way. The “no-shoe-gang” (Carter, Athena, and Dylan) faced an arduous challenge when they decided to hike barefoot for half the time. Even after hiking to the summit with limited complaints, they were forced to bow down to the higher power which is gravel. This hike was very fun and we learned about lots of different flora in the area.

Once we got home, we were greeted by local solid waste disposers Katie Fleming and Ayla Ridwan. They educated us about the importance of composting and how to make a difference in communities. To put this in practice, we headed off to local restaurants to check if they were aware of the new law that had put regulations on single-use plastic utensils. Even though half of the restaurants were closed, the workers at the other half were kind enough to voice their opinions about this subject, kindly or not. Most thought that it was a great idea.

Later that evening, we were fortunate enough to dine with Jessica Farrer and Eric Guth, researchers and photographers that have had loads of experience with marine mammals. We learned that they had journeyed to Antarctica to learn about the local fauna. They were very fun to talk to and were very knowledgeable. Overall, our day was extremely fun. 🙂

By: Athena, Uma, and Akira

After a long night of playing games together, we woke up bright and early to see SOME OYSTERS!!!! We spent about an hour learning about their operations and sustainable farming methods at the Westcott Bay Shellfish Company.

After checking out the farm, we took a hike to English Camp and walked the Bell Point Loop (barefoot gang stroke again). Along this scenic route, we stopped at Bell Point and learned about ocean acidification, kelp, and the importance of the food web. We also saw a view of the oyster farm from earlier.

After lunch, we went to the Whale Museum with Big Alex who was able to provide us with some extra insight into all the information we were seeing. Here is some of the sights we saw included below.

During our free time, there was an offer from Courtney (dorm mom) to GO SWIMMING!!!! Four brave soldiers (Athena, Uma, Carter, and Dylan) decided to venture out to Eagle Cove for a chilly afternoon swim. Some of our female soldiers took the water with an iron fist while certain others didn’t (especially not our native Florida man).

GOODNIGHT!!!

After coming back from kayaking yesterday, today was mostly a day to relax and explore San Juan Island. We were allowed to sleep in late and and a little after 11:00, everyone headed out to the farmers market with $20 to spend. Then we split up in groups to explore Friday Harbor. We visited a local toy store, a book store, and a seafood restaurant called “The Bait Shop” for lunch. Then we returned home and we worked on two separate LEGO sets that were bought at the toy store, both with a marine theme. At 1:30 we drove out to Pelindaba farms to learn about the lavender fields and sustainable business and agriculture on San Juan. We then explored the fields and got to eat lavender flavored ice-cream. After that, we were allowed to have free time and hang out back at the dorms.

The second day of the trip was the only full day we spent kayaking. Most of our morning was spent paddling out around Cattle Point. We ended up turning around and eating lunch at the beach near Third Lagoon. While there, a few members decided to collect a bit of bull kelp and cut it in a way to make horns, that were fun to make, hard to play, and nasty to use. From there the group split up and half of us went on a hike while the rest went back to the campsite. A few of the hikers were brave enough to take the long walk to Cattle Point lighthouse barefoot after being inspired by our kayak guide Max. By the time the hikers returned to the campground and those who had stayed behind had finished their game of Uno, it was time for campfire chili. We ate around a campfire and some played a few rounds of BS while others experimented with putting s’mores on brownies. Once the fire had been put out and the sky had turned dark, Max and most of the campers headed out to watch the bioluminescence. Max explained the science of the chemicals luciferin and luciferase and the impact of the bioluminescent protists on the ecosystem. We were fascinated by the glow of the plankton and zooplankton. Sadly, their glow was not bright enough to be caught on camera. Eventually, we decided to head back and some returned to sitting around the campfire to make s’mores or to dry off. After that, everyone went back to their tents to go to sleep.

First two pictures by: Max (Kayak guide)

Last two pictures by: Alex Karanov

Today was officially the last day of our three day kayaking expedition around San Juan Island! Our day started late; a little extra sleep was needed after staying up late for our bioluminescence kayak (see day 4 blog for details). Breakfast consisted of granola, yogurt, and bagels, which was thoroughly enjoyed with hot tea and coffee. After breakfast, we set out on the difficult task of packing up our supplies and playing tetris with our belongings to fit them back into our kayaks. Along the way, we met a few friends; we stumbled upon a family of Garter Snakes who were sharing the campground with us! Carter, who had dealt with snakes before, was able to gently scoop one of them up for us to see. Surprisingly, the Garter Snake was extremely friendly; we were able to touch and feel it, and it didn’t seem to mind. After greeting our snake-neighbors we loaded up the kayaks and prepared to embark dormwordbound. 

After the kayaks were packed we set out and started paddling down the coast of San Juan to the vans on the beach. We heard the reports of Orcas heading South down San Juan Channel! We were all very excited because we were heading in that direction. On our trip we saw many Harbor Seals swimming and relaxing on the rocks. We passed by a very nice old couple on a crab boat and they handed Max a big delicious Dungeness Crab. Dylan and Carter picked up a giant piece of Bull Kelp which they would use for later. After rounding Dinner island, Jackson beach was in sight!

After landing on Jackson Beach, we unloaded our kayaks, packed up the van, and made sandwiches for lunch. While the rest of us were eating, Dylan and Carter fashioned more  makeshift horns out of the bull kelp they had collected earlier. 

Finally, we drove home and said goodbye to our guides, Max and Maya, who had guided us along our kayaking journey. The rest of the day was spent recouping and recovering to compensate for our long journey. With pizza for dinner and a relaxing night ahead, I would call today a success.

By Athena, Uma, and Akira.

We woke in a rush to meet our kayak guides, Max, and Maya. We left from Jackson beach and paddled south around dinner island were we spotted some Harbor seals resting on rocks. We continued down south and stopped at Mulno cove for lunch. After filling our tummies we paddled until we reached the Griffin bay D&R site where we set up camp for the next two nights

After setting up camp we set off to explore Jackle’s lagoon. During our exploration some of are fellow kayakers fell victim to the smelly lagoon (they fell in) after drying off we decided to hike up mount Finlayson. To end our day we paddle back to the campsite to rest after the long day of kayaking, where we had Burritos for dinner.

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By Sohum Ratnaparkhi, Carter Kitterman, and Nyomi Garcia

Today, we learned about the species classification of different animals in the area. For those unfamiliar with the term “taxonomy,” it is the process of sorting animals into groups that are easy to understand. For example, an animal we were lucky to see on the shore near the docks of Friday Harbor was the Pacific harbor seal. Its scientific name is Phoca vitulina, the first word being the genus and the second being the species. We also learned about the different orders of classification (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species). Then, we went down to the Friday Harbor docks where we saw all sorts of invertebraes and a harbor seal with its pup. We found more than ten different species and wrote down their phylum, genus, and common name, along with quick sketches of the animals.

After lunch, we headed west toward Lime Kiln State Park, famous for its land-based whale watching. We met up with Erin, who works at Lime Kiln and told us about the different plant species that made up the park. When we met the coast, we were fortunate enough to see a couple humpback whales off in the distance. The fact that we could see them from over two miles off certainly emphasized their enormous size.

We visited the local lighthouse where we met Dr. Bob Otis, who has been studying orcas for over thirty years. He was able to inform us about the local pods of orcas and the importance of the species as a whole. His sheer amount of knowledge and data surprised us all. Through Dr. Otis, we learned that often data can produce more questions than results.

Once we were thoroughly fascinated, we proceeded to go on a small hike up to a limestone kiln which gave the park its name. This experience was also very fascinating in its own way. Our guide Erin told us about the history of the kiln as well as the dangers that workers had to face while working. After learning about this interesting economy, we were able to check out the kiln up close. It was very large and very simple. You could clearly see the way that the kiln had once operated. We were also able to spot a pair of bald eagles perched on a tall tree in the distance. Satisfied with our experience at Lime Kiln State Park, we returned home fueled with excitement and ready to tackle the next project: dinner. And thus, we concluded our second full day at Salish Sea Sciences!

By Athena Burk Bravo, Uma Garcia, Akira Wittkamper

Our first full day on the island started off by getting familiar with the local wildlife found in the tide pools of Deadman Bay. During our first hour, we spent time exploring the tidepools, at a high level and beginning to identify the species we were seeing.

We were lucky to have our guide Alex with us able to answer the questions regarding the ecosystem we were seeing. When we first got to the beach, we noticed the abundance of barnacles. As we began to explore further, we saw sea cucumbers, sea anemones, crabs, chitons, sea stars and even a bald eagle! We were able to identify the types of species more specifically with the help of our group and Alex.

Included below are some of the sights we saw this afternoon.

By Denny Bromley, with William, Elspeth, and Johnathan

Today, Salish Sea Science students were given the rare opportunity to watch the necropsy of a seal pup. The few-day-old pup was called in by someone who had noticed its umbilical cord and placenta still attached, thinking it was an entangled balloon or plastic bag. Assuming they were doing the right thing, they cut off the cord. The seal was brought to rehab to recover from so much human contact, for eventual release back into the wild. Sadly, it passed away. Harbor Seal pups only have a 50% survival rate, and this individual didn’t make the cut. In order to figure out the cause of death to prevent in-care deaths again, FHL performed a necropsy on the animal.

The necropsy began with one of the scientists cutting into the pup’s neck. Folding the flap back, they measured the thickness of the blubber layer to determine how healthy the pup was, and how well it was nursing from its mother. After that, they cut open the seal from chin to pelvis, opening it up into the muscle layer until the ribcage and intestines were visible.

After this, they removed the sternum and cut the ribs off of one side to better access the chest cavity. Then, they began removing and inspecting individual organs. Pieces of its heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, and kidneys were all stored for later research.

Finally, they removed the head from the body and began peeling back the skin and blubber from the skull. They removed one of its eyes and we were able to see it up close.

They finished skinning the head, but rather than enter the cranial cavity on the docks, they took the skull back into the labs to do it there. Thus ended our experience of the necropsy.

After the necropsy, we were given a brief tour of some of the labs at FHL. We saw students working, and even an electron microscope!

Finally, we were given some pamphlets and drove home. Later, students finished up their posters and even printed a few of them.

Today was spent working diligently on projects, but we took a break from that to have an exciting visit from Dr. Deborah Giles of the University of Washington and her dog Eba. Eba is a working dog who works to sniff out killer whale scat to be analyzed for chemicals, diet of the whale, and even pregnancy. Dr. Giles explained to us how to tell individual whales apart simply through scat and also how the Snake River Dam is affecting our Southern Resident killer whale population. Eba was a delight to have as well, appreciating all of the love and new friends. While their visit was short, it was a pleasure and an honor.