By Caroline Grauman-Boss—

On the morning of Tuesday, June 28th the Salish Sea Sciences team received an introduction to one of Salish Sea’s great cetaceans, the orca whale. Science Director, Tim Dwyer, familiarized students with some of the vocabulary that distinguishes whale populations, most especially the fact that among mammals, whales are “cetacea” and that orca are odonticetes, or “toothed whales,” a subgroup of the dolphin family. There are three distinct whale populations in the Salish Sea at the southern end of Vancouver Island: Southern Residents, Transients, and Off-Shores.

Fun fact 1: people can tell which whales are breeding with which whales by tracking whale poop. How do they do that? Tucker the Labrador Retriever has a nose for it!

Fun fact 2: How do people know that the off-shore population eats shark? Shark skin grinds down their teeth!

Between 10:00am and 12:00pm, students gained deeper knowledge about Salish Sea whales and other mammals from Whale Museum program staff and exhibits. To learn more about Whale Museum programs, click on the following webpages:

The Whale Hotline

Marine Mammal Stranding Network

Soundwatch Boater Education Program

SeaSound Remote Sensing Network

Marine Naturalist Training

Salish Sea Association of Marine Naturalists

Education Programs

By Indeya, Lana, and Quinn

This morning, after an early breakfast, we made sure we were prepared for our longboat expedition starting Sunday. Afterwards we walked to the Whale Museum. The director there presented enriching information on the Orca inhabitants in the Salish Sea.

Photo by Seth Grant

She mostly focused on the Southern Residents and their characteristics but also went over the other types of Orcas in the area such as Transients, Northern residents, and Offshores. While taking notes, we learned of their hunting techniques, language/tone of voice, prey, size, and environmental issues. We then toured the facilities, seeing various skeletons, fetuses, and brains.

Photo by Seth Grant

After that we broke for lunch, again having DIY island sandwiches. I personally put chips on mine, it adds a whole new level to the sandwich taste and texture. We then adjourned to the Science lab, where Dr. Rebecca Guenther introduced us to the wonders of algae. Each table had at least one live aquatic autotroph. Dr. Guenther taught us the differences between algae and how to find out which specific algae you have using the Dichotomous Key. We tried out a simplified version of the key to find out the names of the algae on our tables. After working and being focused we finally got to play, and use the algae to create designs and dry them. Tomorrow we will check up on our Dried algae to see the state it’s in.

Photo by Tim Dwyer

While on break, our Instructor, Tim, put together a simulation to teach us how to survey organisms. Our organisms in this case were actually rocks and although we could have counted them all, we used transect tapes, quadrants, and our meter ropes to find a population estimate. We hope you enjoyed learning about our day! Until Tomorrow!!

Photo by Tim Dwyer

By Jack, Peder, and Lynn

Today was a magical experience; we woke up too early for those of us from far away, and we had breakfast as a group. We chatted and shared stories from each of our corners of the world. After breakfast we talked about who we were and who we were not. We also discussed some less serious questions like our favorite foods. As a team, we drew closer by each silly anecdote.

Photos by Seth Grant

Next we dived into the past and explored with Tom the amazing world of photography. While dodging cars, we recreated photos of the past. We had lunch; DIY island sandwiches.

Photo by Tim Dwyer

Following lunch, we were introduced to the science lab and its method of choice. We learned about the scientific method and put our skills to the test.

Next we had designated ‘exploration time’ where a small group of us headed down to the ice cream shop. Out of 72 flavors it was impossible to choose just one. They did decide however to represent Friday harbor with some stunning hats. We arrived back to pizza. After some time, we headed out to go for our kayak expedition.

On our kayaks, we raced through the water. Some of us even dare to pick up a harmless Moon Jelly, and some of us did not. Arms aching, we all stopped our furious paddling to finally see the beautiful sunset. After a long pause and quiet tears of enjoyment, we arrived at our home for the month.

It wasn’t easy to say goodbye.

We rose to a day that beckoned us to explore a new estuary, rocky intertidal or row together once again (okay, sail!). The day before, some had said that they wished the program would have lasted four weeks not just three. Others pointed out how much more they were ready to learn. Everyone agreed with the person who said that the group had bonded like a family, noting that by the end of the longboat trip they were rowing completely in synch.

From a programmer’s perspective, this could not have been a better moment.

After a filling university cafeteria breakfast, we met with regionally-based family members at 9:00am. The group of program participants demonstrated some of their games and unique greetings to the group of family. A few stories were shared, and one-by-one it was time to go. There would be two more good-byes: at the airport, and upon our return to Friday Harbor. That last departure was sweet; the kids shined up the school van like it was never shined before! Thank you Matt, Will, and Eric!

Thank you everyone for making this inaugural year of the Spring Street International School Summer Marine Science Program a tremendous success. We’re already planning next year!

By Tim:

The group rose bright-and-early to say goodbye to Tom and Toffee the Dog, then boarded the van for the ferry ride and 1.5 hour drive to the University of Washington’s flagship campus in Seattle.

Straight out of the van, we were treated to a tour of the collection of preserved fish maintained by the Burke Museum in cooperation with the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. Participants stood rapt as collection Curator Katherine Maslenikov explained the value of the 8 million specimen collection to research in taxonomy and population biology and then brought us in to see the collection. She showed off small sharks, a sunfish and even a deep sea angler fish!

After a picnic lunch at SAFS, we sat down with School of Marine and Environmental Affairs graduate student Raz Barnea for a discussion on “Wicked Problems.” Raz explained that wicked problems are ones without simple answers; problems that require attention from stake holders, scientists, resource managers, lawyers, legislators and others in order to be solved. The group talked about some of the wicked problems facing the region and the globe and then discussed marine-related careers outside of science.

Following our meeting, we all checked in to Haggett Hall (our dormitory for the evening) and got a taste of college life. The swipe cards that gave access to the dorm elevator were quite popular with participants, as were the desserts in the dining hall.

With dinner behind us, we loaded into the vans to visit Pike Place Market and the Seattle waterfront. To cap off the evening, Caroline surprised everyone by treating us all to a ride on the new ferris wheel!

Back at the dorm, everyone settled in to the lounge for one last evening together and, exhausted, drifted off to bed one by one.

By Tim:

Susan started off our final full day on San Juan Island with a breakfast of blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes, sausages and fruit! Fueled by this high-energy meal, we spent the morning packing our bags and cleaning out rooms to prepare for our guests arriving later in the day.

After we all passed the “white glove” test, the group convened with Tom to finalize project image choices and order, and then to give the script a final read-through before recording voice-overs.

To show our appreciation for all of the numerous scientists, teachers and parents whose assistance and guidance were essential to the program, we hosted a barbecue of steak, shish-kabob and dungeness crab early in the evening. Although though the intermittent rains drove us inside, everyone enjoyed recapping the past three weeks with people they’d met along the way. Becca Guenther even brought us the algae pressings we’d prepared with her during our first week! We concluded the evening by showing off a rough cut of our final documentary entitled “Tide Pools of San Juan Island.”

After our guests departed, we loaded into the van for one last trip over to the Friday Harbor Laboratories to experience the time-honored Labs tradition of night lighting. Our coastal oceans are filled with light-sensing zooplankton and other animals; hanging a waterproof light over the side of the dock slowly attracts them to the surface and illuminates other organisms that happen to be nearby. All were delighted when Labs residents Stephanie Crofts, Orissa Moulton and their colleague Connie Sullivan met us on the docks (at 10:30 pm) to share some insights into the creatures emerging from the darkness.

By: Caroline

A beautiful day again and they are off with binoculars and notebooks in hand to do a bird and mammal count aboard the inter-island ferry that cruises between San Juan, Shaw, Orcas, and Lopez islands. Participants used methods developed by the Pelagic Ecosystem Function apprenticeship taught each fall at UW-FHL to identify and quantify birds and mammals along the “transect” run by the ferry.

Bird and Mammals Survey Timelapse

After their return, participants worked for several hours on their project development and management skills, reexamining their storyboard for their shared photo project on the creatures of the intertidal zone. The good news with digital photography is that you get a lot of great shots. The bad news? You end up with a lot of pictures!

After a great deal of sorting and discussion, the crew narrowed down the point of view of the shots they were looking for, the scope of the project, and identified key tasks and individuals to work on the script, sequencing, and music. It was fun that everyone had an iPad to work with! Thank you UW Friday Harbor Laboratories for sharing your equipment for this project!

At 4:30pm we were each allocated funds to cover food and rides… It’s off to the San Juan County Fair! Bunny races, livestock, amazing frisbee catching dogs, agricultural products, fire safety, a booth for Spring Street International School (!), a food court full of world flavors as well as homemade pie and elephant ears… Good fun. A favorite is the annual Trashon Fashion show in which islanders of all ages create and model trash-based clothing highlighting the benefits of recycling!

Will’s apples won First Prize!

By: Julie

The day jumped out at us as we ate a quick breakfast then headed over to FH Labs for the necropsy of a baby harbor seal; a necropsy is just like an autopsy, only it is performed on an animal instead of a human. Joe Gaydos, a distinguished veterinarian and Director of the SeaDoc Society, led the operation, with assistance from Patrick Charapata and Eric Eisenhardt (our guests from last night), as well as volunteers from SeaDoc and the Marine Mammal Stranding Network. We had a great view from one of the upper docks at FHL, looking down on the procedure from above.

We learned that the harbor seal was grossly malnourished as the necropsy began. The animal also had unusually large lymph nodes suggesting that it was fighting infection before it died. Multiple samples from many parts of the body were removed for testing. The remains were then returned to the ocean in order to maintain the natural order.

After the necropsy was over we took some time to explore different parts of FHL, including the Stockroom, the Dive Locker, and various different labs and tanks. We also learned how the water system that supplies the many tanks works.

Later, we returned to the dorm for lunch and a meeting about what is happening in the days to come. Then we chose and edited the best of the many photos that were taken on Monday; working together to decide which would be most useful to our presentation.

Dinner prep started around 3:45 and we relocated to Patricia Morse’s house to eat. Patricia is Professor Emerita of Biology at Northeastern University. We were also joined by Professors Megan Dethier and David Duggins.

The day closed with some tide-pooling and beach cleanup at Patricia’s, then stargazing at Mike and Diana Stepita’s (Matt’s parents) house, as we looked for shooting stars of the Perseid meteor shower.

By: Julie and Matt

After some breakfast delays we all headed up to the science classroom and analyzed the data we collected on Day 7. We reviewed the protocol used to collect the data then split into two groups to graph it. One graph showed the percent cover of macroalgae for the two transects, as well as the percent cover of sessile animals; the x-axis was height above water and the y-axis was percent cover. The other showed mobile animal count with the x-axis as height above water and the y-axis as number of animal.

Then we moved back to the common room of the dorm to start storyboarding and researching for the documentary we are going to create. A short lunch was followed by a trip to Lime Kiln State park where we took pictures and short videos for the documentary.

We returned at 3:30 and had dinner at 5 with our two guests, Patrick Charapata of the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network and Eric Eisenhardt of the Soundwatch Boater Education Program. Dessert was accompanied by a presentation by Patrick on stranded animals.

Then we zoomed over to English Camp for the Contra Dance that is held there every Monday from 7 to 9 pm. We had a wonderful time learning the simple steps that were then combined in different ways for different dances. By the end everyone was out of breath and laughing and we returned home to get a good night’s sleep.

If you are interested, here is the webpage about Contra Dance at English Camp: Dancing at English Camp

This website is about English Camp itself, a part of the San Juan National Historical Park: English Camp History and Culture

By: Saymirah

Being considerate, Caroline let us sleep in after a late night at the play, which led to a nice brunch of chocolate chip pancakes and eggs with cheese. Afterwards,we had down time to either go to the Art Market or walk around town. When we got back to the dorm, we were surprised to get iPads from the Friday Harbor Laboratories for our documentary on tide pools. Tom gave us an introduction to how to document the photos we took.

Dennis Willows joined us for dinner. He is a retired professor of neurobiology as well as a former Friday Harbor Labs Director for over 33 years. He explained how he found his way into biology research and his experiment of testing nudibranchs and other marine animals for their reaction to the earth’s magnetic field.

To end the night, we had a teleconference with Megan Cook, a science writer who was aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus. She explained her journey with a team of scientists into the Gulf of Mexico looking for hydrocarbon seeps and brine pools deep down on the ocean floor using remotely operated vehicles.