By: Ben, Sonja, and Parker

What does science mean to you?

Tim asked us this during our field work at the San Juan Island Land Bank today. We came up with many different responses to this question, and we settled on our definition as ‘the study of the natural world through evidence and the scientific method.’ However, there are many other possibilities to answer this question.

At the Land Bank, we also had the opportunity to learn about random sampling and how to find population density. Tim B. set up an exercise for us to practice this skill by placing dominoes in a field for us to find the size and density of the population using sampling. While we were doing this, we were lucky enough to spot some minke whales swimming in the foreground of Vancouver Island.

On the bus to Land Bank

Land Bank

Earlier in the day, we sat in on a Marine Resource Committee meeting where they discussed various issues, including salmon preservation and limiting noise pollution to help save the orcas.

In the evening, we hosted the manager of the Ocean Acidification Environmental Lab, Dr. Rebecca Guenther for dinner. After dinner, she gave a presentation about the dangers of ocean acidification and how it can impact us.

“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation…”

These patriotic words started our morning on the Fourth of July as Tim Dwyer recited the Declaration of Independence to help remind us of the true meaning of Independence and what kind of emotions the American colonists felt more than 200 years ago.  After a quick yet inspiring review discussion on the American Revolution, we all put on our red, white, and blue to show off our patriotic pride.  The Salish Sea Sciences students sat along the curb in front of the Spring Street school alongside hundreds of other people to watch the highly anticipated town parade.  We all waved our flags and cheered on the countless floats and organizations found in Friday Harbor. 

Feeling hungry for some classic barbecue, we followed the crowds of people to the town’s historical society’s picnic to get some good food and listen to the story of the Pig War: a battle over land that occurred right here in the San Juan Islands in 1859 between the United States and Great Britain!  Following lunch, we got to explore the streets of Friday Harbor and experience the comforting feelings of a good ole small town Fourth of July.  To finish up the fun afternoon activities, we all drove down to the local fields to battle it out with a game of soccer.  Even with the many different levels of soccer skills, we all had a great time playing together.

The small town of Friday Harbor provided us with the  wonderful experience of touring Friday Harbor labs. The lab’s inside held a beautiful array of libraries and rooms filled with knowledge on marine biology. More than just book education, the labs also stored an interesting touch tank where we all dipped our hands in to feel sea cucumbers, urchins and sea stars. After our tour on the inside of the Labs, Tim lead us to the living quarters of the labs where graduate students lived comfortably and the undergraduates lived in shacks. Nevertheless, all of the scientist there seemed enthused as they talked to us about their studies and teachings that they participated in at the labs.

To cap off our perfect day, we all watched the stunning fireworks on the shores of the labs. The show this year was many things but unmemorable wasn’t of them. The long and colorful explosions of colors lit up the sky for all to see. For one of us, this was the first time experiencing the beauty we call fireworks. This girl described the show as ‘real’ which to me, seemed like the most perfect explanation —even as someone who has observed fireworks for many years before.

By: Rosie, Aaron, Peter —

Meeting with renowned photographer Susan Middleton, invertebrate specialist Dr. Bernadette Holthius, and scientific illustrator Sharon Massey brought us with a flurry of colors and textures into the world of the spineless.

After the first full night of sleep in a week, we ventured over to Friday Harbor Laboratories, and met with Spring Street International School science teacher and local naturalist, Sharon Massey who tutored us in scientific illustration.  When trying to draw the invertebrates that we captured on The Centennial on Monday, many of us struggled with our limited artistic abilities.  However, our scientific drive motivated us to continue.  Many students were surprised by how much detail they observed about the organisms by attempting to draw them.

Upon returning to the campus, we received a hearty lesson in scientific communication from Megan Cook, the Community STEM Program Coordinator at the Ocean Exploration Trust.  We took an hour to explore Friday Harbor before enjoying a scrumptious meal prepared by local cook Tom Grauman and the dinner prep squad.  Our evening guests were Susan Middleton, author/photographer of Spineless and her friend Robin along with Megan whom we had met earlier in the day. We had an inspiring presentation of some of the images included in the book. The whole room had their jaws hanging.

Today was a great day to be an invertebrate!

By: Sonja, Ben, Parker—

At the disagreeable hour of 5:30 in the morning, our alarms went off and we reluctantly opened our groggy eyes. The day had finally arrived. It was time to begin our journey back to the marina, where our adventure had begun five days before.

After packing the rest of our supplies, we were on our way for the last time. Before we got going, Captain Sonia and Chrissy gave up a list of challenges to complete before reaching the marina. These challenges included: compiling a comprehensive list of all the marine life we had seen, doing a 360 degree turn in the boat, setting and furling the mizzen sail, singing a sea shanty, doing 20 power strokes, performing a man overboard drill, a moment of silence, and tying a round turn and two half hitches, all with little help from our captains.

The first leg of our journey took us from Saddlebag Island to Southeast Point, right before Guemes Channel. We knew that we would not be able to take any breaks once we were into the channel, so we had some snack breaks to gather our energy and prepare us for the hardest part of the day.

As we continued to Anacortes, the wind and the current pushed against us, but our rowers worked hard to keep us moving steadily towards our destination. Throughout the trip, moral was maintained by singing upbeat sea shanties.

Right before entering the marina, we took a moment to gather our thoughts and appreciate the events of the last four days. When we pulled into the marina dock, we all sat together to reminisce over our favorite memories of the trip and what we wanted to take away from this experience.

Although we had arrived at the dock, our work was not yet finished. We still had to clean up all of our supplies, as well as our beloved boat, the Townshend. Everyone split into three groups to take on our tasks. The boat crew completely emptied the boat and gave her a thorough wash. The “dip and dry” crew rinsed our gear with water and bleach and hung it on a clothesline to dry. The galley crew washed all our dishes with warm water and soap. After completing our individual chores, we all worked together to repack the boat in order to get it ready for the next voyage. Once all of this was done, we could finally rest and eat lunch of all the leftovers from the trip, our “roadkill” as Captain Soso said. Finally, Tim showed up with the van to take us back to the ferry and bring our adventure to an end.

It was a long journey with many different challenges we had to overcome, and through it all, we learned a lot about ourselves and how well we worked together. On this trip, we shared a lot of memories and experiences that we will remember for many years.

By: Peter, Aaron, Rosie—

In the morning of the fourth day, the boys awoke from a long and troubled night of wind and boat rocking.  The flapping boat cover had prevented sleep for all but the most drowsy of them.  Upon removal of the boat cover it was revealed to be a cloudy and windy day.  As the girls arrived from the tent site it was apparent that they had slept much better.

We all got together on the beach at 6:00.  It was soon apparent that everyone was freezing.  After slowly loading the longboat it was suggested that we get on our bright neon orange exposure suits. We looked like a small army of orange marshmallows.

Preparing the sails beforehand, we lifted the anchor and rowed out into Bellingham Channel where we were greeted by a hair raising site, a giant oil tanker heading in our direction.  Captain Chrissy got on the walkie-talkie and called up Seattle Traffic to tell them to connect us to the tanker’s captain.  We informed him of our location and type of boat, preventing a collision.

After the tanker passed safely in front of us we raised our sails and steered towards the northern tip of Guemes.  From there we handed out breakfast: bagels with cream cheese, peanut butter, and/or jelly.

While heading for our next destination, Saddlebag Island, we had to circumnavigate around Jack Island.  We then sailed back and forth across Padilla Bay slowly making our way towards Saddlebag.  After a brief encounter with a barge towing tugboat, some of the crew took the time to cozy up in their exposure suits for a nap.

Finally we arrived at our destination at around 12:45 PM.  We quickly set up camp and took a few hours of free time before dinner.

Dinner that night was lentil curry soup which we enjoyed with a side of sailor boy crackers.  We then played a friendly round of The Malorie Family Fun game, a combination of charades and a talking guessing game and went to bed for our final night of the voyage.

By:Peter, Aaron, Rosie—

The third day of our longboat voyage awoke at the luxuriously late hour of 8:00.  The day had been set aside with the initial plan to explore the beautiful Cypress Island, a much needed rest day.  Breakfast was similarly extravagant with fried potatoes, scrambled eggs and apple juice.

We set out from our camp at Cypress Head, a peninsula shaped campground that nearly becomes an island during high tide, on the Cypress Head Trail.  A small group split off to return with Captain Soso to watch over the boat.  The remainder of us continued to the Old Airfield Trail which wandered through a former airstrip that is now part of a forest reclamation project.  From there we continued to the Bradberry Lake Trail and arrive at Bradberry Lake.

Parker (aka Agatha) hijacking an old abandoned truck we found

Our arduous climb was compensated with a gorgeous view of the inland lake.  After taking water samples and temperature recordings we sat down for a snack.  Many of us were struck by the dryness of the ecosystem surrounding the lake, the soil appeared dry and cracking in places.

The hikers who made it to the lake (minus the cross country superstar, Peter)

Upon returning we were greeted by a lunch of hummus and pita bread. Some of us took the time to swim and explore the tide pools while others settled in for a nap.

skip and dip!

We ended the day with bean and rice burritos, AGAIN, and turned in for an early evening.

By Gabi, Chloe, Daniel and Paradis —

Wake up at 7:00AM to leave Saddlebag for Pelican Beach. It was a beautiful morning, and we were all excited for what today had to offer us. We didn’t have our cups of coffee to help us start the day, but luckily we had skip-and-dip. We put on our swimming suits, warmed ourselves up, and then ran into the COLD, freezing water. The feeling was amazing. We later had breakfast: yogurt and granola and then began to prepare ourselves to leave the most beautiful island ever.

We got on the boat, stood by our oars, and started our journey for the day’s trip to Pelican Beach, an estimated 7.5 nautical miles from Saddlebag. If that wasn’t already a long enough journey, we didn’t have the wind in our favor. That meant that it would be a long, intense day of rowing for our crew. After rowing for what seemed like an eternity, we finally got to our first check point, which was Clark Point. We, as a group, decided to take a break so we set the anchor and enjoyed a bagel lunch. After our break, we began to row hard to catch the slack tide.

Unfortunately, the ebb was still continuing and impeding our progress. We decided that it would be in our best interest to change course from Pelican Beach to Cypress Head instead, since we could see that Pelican Beach was crowded and all the moors were taken by various sailboats.  The final push against the winds and currents to cross the Bellingham Chanel in order to get to Cypress Island was strenuous to say the least, but we did it by working together and using the power of pop music to sing our way through the struggle.

After dropping the anchor at our new destination, we eagerly unloaded all of our belongings and items we needed for the night.  The dinner crew worked quickly so we could all indulge in the wonderful comfort food of mac-n-cheese after our long day out on the water.  With full stomachs and weary bodies, we set up our sleeping arrangements in order to recharge for another fun filled day in the San Juans.

By: Gabi, Chloe, Paradis, Daniel —

After packing all of our belongings in countless dry bags and learning some basics of our boat: the Townsend, we finally pushed off the dock in the Marina to start our journey to our first destination, Saddlebag Island.  Within the first few strokes with our paddles, we all quickly realized that the old-timey way of transportation of longboats is not an easy task.  Rowing took some serious muscle power, but when we all worked together and got our strokes in sync, we were able to row our way to Saddlebag Island, which was about 2.5 nautical miles away.  With the winds on our side, we were able to raise two of our sails to help push us to our destination, which was a joyous relief for all of us.

Arriving at saddlebag island, we were welcomed by the rocky shores of a small beach. Saddlebag gave our crew a quaint yet great place to stay with two small grass patches just perfect for our two tents. We decided at Saddlebag that the girls and boys would be alternating between the boat and the tents for sleeping—luckily for the girls, land would be their sleeping spot for night one. But not to get to ahead of ourselves, before any talk of going to sleep happened, we all enjoyed a lovely dinner of burrito bowls and a desert of hot cocoa with chocolate squares. We all sat out by the beaches’ edge and talked over our difficult yet fulfilling first day.

Day 1: Setting Off

Off on the 8:05 am sailing from Friday Harbor to Anacortes’ Cap Sante Marina on a gorgeous day. The Salish Sea Sciences team meets up with Captain Sonia and Mate Chrissy in time to pack gear in dry bags, enjoy lunch, and get to know their vessel for the next 5 days, a lovely replica of the tenders used to chart these waters by Captain Vancouver’s crew in the 1790s.

Photos: Timothy Dwyer

Packed up, safety procedures reviewed, and it’s time to learn about navigation, enjoy the sun, don lifejackets, and row!

Day 2:

Day 3: Adventure at Cypress Head

The third day of our longboat voyage awoke at the luxuriously late hour of 8:00.  The day had been set aside with the initial plan to explore the beautiful Cypress Island, a much needed rest day.  Breakfast was similarly extravagant with fried potatoes, scrambled eggs and apple juice.  

We set out from our camp at Cypress Head, a peninsula shaped campground that nearly becomes an island during high tide, on the Cypress Head Trail.  A small group split off to return with Captain Soso to watch over the boat.  The remainder of us continued to the Old Airfield Trail which wandered through a former airstrip that is now part of a forest reclamation project.  From there we continued to the Bradberry Lake Trail and arrive at Bradberry Lake.

Parker (aka Agatha) hijacking an old abandoned truck we found

Our arduous climb was compensated with a gorgeous view of the inland lake.  After taking water samples and temperature recordings we sat down for a snack.  Many of us were struck by the dryness of the ecosystem surrounding the lake, the soil appeared dry and cracking in places.

The hikers who made it to the lake (minus the cross country superstar, Peter)

Upon returning we were greeted by a lunch of hummus and pita bread. Some of us took the time to swim and explore the tide pools while others settled in for a nap.

skip and dip!

We ended the day with bean and rice burritos, AGAIN, and turned in for an early evening.

Day 4: A Windy Sail to Saddlebag

In the morning of the fourth day, the boys awoke from a long and troubled night of wind and boat rocking.  The flapping boat cover had prevented sleep for all but the most drowsy of them.  Upon removal of the boat cover it was revealed to be a cloudy and windy day.  As the girls arrived from the tent site it was apparent that they had slept much better.  

We all got together on the beach at 6:00.  It was soon apparent that everyone was freezing.  After slowly loading the longboat it was suggested that we get on our bright neon orange exposure suits. We looked like a small army of orange marshmallows.

Preparing the sails beforehand, we lifted the anchor and rowed out into Bellingham Channel where we were greeted by a hair raising site, a giant oil tanker heading in our direction.  Captain Chrissy got on the walkie-talkie and called up Seattle Traffic to tell them to connect us to the tanker’s captain.  We informed him of our location and type of boat, preventing a collision.  

After the tanker passed safely in front of us we raised our sails and steered towards the northern tip of Guemes.  From there we handed out breakfast: bagels with cream cheese, peanut butter, and/or jelly.

While heading for our next destination, Saddlebag Island, we had to circumnavigate around Jack Island.  We then sailed back and forth across Padilla Bay slowly making our way towards Saddlebag.  After a brief encounter with a barge towing tugboat, some of the crew took the time to cozy up in their exposure suits for a nap.  

Finally we arrived at our destination at around 12:45 PM.  We quickly set up camp and took a few hours of free time before dinner.  

Dinner that night was lentil curry soup which we enjoyed with a side of sailor boy crackers.  We then played a friendly round of The Malorie Family Fun game, a combination of charades and a talking guessing game and went to bed for our final night of the voyage.

Day 5:

At the disagreeable hour of 5:30 in the morning, our alarms went off and we reluctantly opened our groggy eyes. The day had finally arrived. It was time to begin our journey back to the marina, where our adventure had begun five days before.

After packing the rest of our supplies, we were on our way for the last time. Before we got going, Captain Sonia and Chrissy gave up a list of challenges to complete before reaching the marina. These challenges included: compiling a comprehensive list of all the marine life we had seen, doing a 360 degree turn in the boat, setting and furling the mizzen sail, singing a sea shanty, doing 20 power strokes, performing a man overboard drill, a moment of silence, and tying a round turn and two half hitches, all with little help from our captains.

The first leg of our journey took us from Saddlebag Island to Southeast Point, right before Guemes Channel. We knew that we would not be able to take any breaks once we were into the channel, so we had some snack breaks to gather our energy and prepare us for the hardest part of the day.

As we continued to Anacortes, the wind and the current pushed against us, but our rowers worked hard to keep us moving steadily towards our destination. Throughout the trip, moral was maintained by singing upbeat sea shanties.

Right before entering the marina, we took a moment to gather our thoughts and appreciate the events of the last four days. When we pulled into the marina dock, we all sat together to reminisce over our favorite memories of the trip and what we wanted to take away from this experience.

Although we had arrived at the dock, our work was not yet finished. We still had to clean up all of our supplies, as well as our beloved boat, the Townshend. Everyone split into three groups to take on our tasks. The boat crew completely emptied the boat and gave her a thorough wash. The “dip and dry” crew rinsed our gear with water and bleach and hung it on a clothesline to dry. The galley crew washed all our dishes with warm water and soap. After completing our individual chores, we all worked together to repack the boat in order to get it ready for the next voyage. Once all of this was done, we could finally rest and eat lunch of all the leftovers from the trip, our “roadkill” as Captain Soso said. Finally, Tim showed up with the van to take us back to the ferry and bring our adventure to an end.

It was a long journey with many different challenges we had to overcome, and through it all, we learned a lot about ourselves and how well we worked together. On this trip, we shared a lot of memories and experiences that we will remember for many years.

By Ben, Sonja, and Parker-

On the second full day, we arose from our chambers to a brisk summer morning. We then came into the kitchen to have a delicious meal of various cereals, fruits, and other breakfast options.

After finishing breakfast we took a quick walk to the Whale Museum where we were given a lecture about the local orca population.

Walking to the Whale Museum

During this lecture we listened to a conversation between a family of Southern Resident Killer Whales named Oreo, Double Stuff, and Cookie. We could hear the various clicks and other sounds that they used to communicate with each other. Unfortunately, these orcas face many threats to their already endangered population, such as noise pollution caused by humans, decreasing prey populations (specifically Chinook salmon), and the accumulation of toxins in predators on top of the food chain. After the lecture, we moved up to the different exhibits in the museum and were given a scavenger hunt to “dive deeper” into the fascinating lives and behaviors of these amazing marine mammals.

Listening to a lecture on orcas

If you are wondering how you can help support orca populations worldwide, it can start with simple things such as picking up trash and limiting electricity use, along with many other solutions. For more information, please visit the link above to the Whale Museum website.

After leaving the museum, in small groups, we explored Friday Harbor through a photo safari, during which we searched for areas depicted in historical photographs. Attempting to recreate the photo in the modern era, to examine the transformation in the people, landscape, and culture of the island.

Photographer: Peter

After a lunch of sandwiches, we prepared for our longboat voyage starting on Wednesday, June 28th.

We then traveled to the Spring Street International School labs where we received a lecture on algae by Dr. Rebecca Guenther, manager of the Ocean Acidification Environmental Laboratory in Friday Harbor.

We learned the major characteristics of algae and how to identify them with a dichotomous key.

There are thousands of species of algae, but are divided into three main groups: green, brown, and red algae.

Later, we created plant presses of algae specimens which will be dried and completed by the time we return from our longboat voyage.

Dr. Guenther then joined us for a scrumptious pizza dinner with flavorful toppings such as potatoes, artichokes, and different types of cheese.

Now we will finish our preparations for the long-boat journey and prepare ourselves to wake up early and catch our ferry to Anacortes!