Monday, July 14th. By: Lars, Leah, and Miles
We woke up this morning so excited for a day full of data collection. Today was the first day for most people to collect data for their research projects. But before anyone could get to their destinations, spent an hour and a half doing a deep clean of the dorms, the kitchen, the bathrooms, the floors, the carpets. Basically everything. Cassandra was super proud of the effort we all put into to keep our spaces clean and tidy. It felt satisfying to make our dorm parent proud.
After a serious clean, we each gathered equipment for our data collection: quadrats, transects, calipers, notebooks and pencils, turbidimeters, fly paper, meter sticks, buckets, and hammers. We had a relaxing lunch of leftover fried rice, fruit, and sandwiches. Then we kicked off expiditions! For these past two weeks, we had been working on research, and chores in teams, together. Today marked the first time we were responsible for our own project work to be completed for the sake of our own. The three groups set out; the gold van took people to 4th of July Beach and Cattle Point. The silver van took people to Deadman’s Cove. A third group walked to Friday Harbor Marina and Argyle (a biological preserve next to Jackson’s Beach).
The gold van set out first to Cattle Point, where it dropped off some people before heading to 4th of July Beach. Data collection at Cattle Point focused on plankton and seaweed diversity.
At 4th of July Beach, we revisited our eelgrass plots to collect data on different aspects of the meadow—pH, amount of Labyrinthula zostera, etc.—and how it compared to our past data.
At Deadman’s, we collected data on the correlation of pH to marine invertebrate diversity, studies on sex ratios of crabs, and the diversity of flies in the intertidal. Towards the end of our data collection, we were visited by a beautiful pod of orcas. Over the course of 20 minutes, we witnessed at least 20 orcas including many females, a mother with her calf, and a massive male with a dorsal fin at least 5 feet tall.
When we got back to the dorms, there was a fair amount of jealousy and anger from many over missing orcas. Despite some of us having the opportunity to celebrate World Orca Day in more fortunate ways, we all reflected on the impact these beautiful creatures have on the world and cultures around us. They have played a critical role in countless lives for centuries and will continue to do so. The calf we spotted is the next generation of hope for the species many cherish dearly.
Theres a chance we may have seen the J pod of the salmon eating Southern Resident Killer Whales. If your interested in learning more about how you can make an impact on our endangered Southern Resident Orcas, we recommend looking into this thought provoking website by NOAA: https://noaa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=3405e6637bf74e998d4ebe992c54f613
While we were watching orcas, the group at 4th of July Beach was busy rummaging through turbid water, trying to count eelgrass stems and dealing with the frustration of every pH detector failing due to corroded batteries. When challenges hit, we adapt quickly—getting smarter and working harder to push through.
Meanwhile, at Friday Harbor Marina, others were monitoring pigeon guillemots and observing their reactions to heavy boat traffic. By mid-afternoon, we regrouped with our equipment and, of course, shared the story of our incredible orca sighting—once again met with plenty of jealousy.
We then started writing this blog and are expecting a delicious dinner of pasta with a choice of pesto or tomato sauce, a side of chicken or veggie burger, salad, steamed broccoli, and a dessert of watermelon, grapes, and raspberries. After dinner, we will share out about how our data collection went and what our research question is. And there will undoubtedly be more outrage over our orca sighting.
We have 9 more days for us all to see the magic that Orcas bring to when you spot them off shore!
