TIDELINES NEWSLETTER
December 2018
Note from the Executive Director

We just finished up with Thanksgiving and have so much gratitude for our members! We are thankful to everyone who supported us during our Give Local campaign and Giving Tuesday. We kicked off this month with our winter fundraising campaign that will help us expand our youth stewardship projects. We want to engage students even more in stewardship activities after field trips like the October Bayshore FieldSTEM project, which is featured in the above photo and in partnership with Capitol Land Trust.

Starting last Tuesday, and continuing this winter, the Dawkins Charitable Trust will match your donation, dollar for dollar, to support our youth stewardship and young volunteers.

Give a gift online at www.SSEAcenter.org/donate  or
send your contribution to PO Box 2182, Olympia, WA 98507

You may have noticed that we changed the name of our newsletter to Tidelines ! This is to celebrate our new semi-annual paper edition of this newsletter. If we have your mailing address, this new print newsletter and our fundraising letter have hopefully already reached your mailbox. If you have moved or want to confirm your mailing address, please email your updated mailing address to [email protected].

We've got some great events lined up for the tail end of 2018! Are you looking to get into the holiday spirit with a Puget Sound twist? Join us December 15th during open hours for our annual Turn of the Tides of event! Check out Puget Sound centered artists and community partners, arts and crafts, and amazing estuary creatures all day long!

There’s a bit of time before our next Discovery Speaker Series, but you’ll want to mark it on your calendars early. Come down to WET Science Center January 21st from 7:00 - 8:30 PM for “ The Pintos of Puget Sound: A Look at Wild Abalones ” by Henry Carson, Research Scientist at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

There’s just one more Pier Peer left in 2018. Put on your warmest coat and cap and find us out on the pier at Boston Harbor Marina on December 11th for hands on critter exploration!

As always, we can’t thank you enough for your support. Season’s Greetings from all of us here at the Estuarium!
Winter Fundraising Kickoff

Winter is a time of celebration after a busy year in the field. It is also a time for us at the Estuarium to reflect on the hard work of our donors and volunteers. Many of our volunteers are young students, whose big hearts and bright minds inspire all of us to be the best stewards of Puget Sound we can be.
 
Meet Baylen, a sophomore from River Ridge High School. Baylen’s dream is to become a Marine Biologist. He comes to the Estuarium on weekends, gives visitors interactive tours, and helps make our exhibits shine. He even recently received the Student of the Month award from the Gateway Rotary Club. Baylen is a great example of how one young steward can make an enormous positive difference for an entire organization.
 
Stay tuned for more stories of volunteers who keep the Estuarium running, and who make it a great place to work and visit. Volunteer opportunities for youth pave the way for lifelong investment in a healthy Puget Sound. Your donation this winter can help us foster a passion for environmental stewardship in future generations.
 
 
Thank you for your continued support of the Puget Sound Estuarium. Donors like you help keep our lights on, our critters comfortable, and our programs on the move!
Estuarium

The Estuarium is hosting our annual Turn of the Tides winter festival! Join us December 15th, from 11:00 – 4:00 PM for a day of Puget Sound centered winter celebration complete with arts and crafts, tabling by community partners and artists, and wonderful estuary creatures. Admission to the Estuarium will be free all day, so bundle up and bring the whole family down to celebrate the changing tides, the sea, and the season!

Community Partners include:

  • Capitol Land Trust
  • Nisqually Reach Nature Center
  • Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association
  • Puget Sound Energy
  • Surfrider Foundation
  • Fish Printing with Sandy Zeiner
  • More to be announced soon!
K - 12 Education

The Puget Sound Estuarium Education Team has finally reached the end of the busy Fall field trip season. We have wrapped up our FieldSTEM® field trips at Bayshore Preserve in Shelton for Olympic Middle School 7th graders in partnership with the Capitol Land Trust, Pacific Education Institute, and Shelton School District.
 
The holiday season is in full swing but have you planned your spring or end of the year field trip yet?
We are offering FREE beach field trips until June 15th, 2019. To schedule your FREE beach field trip please complete a field trip request form HERE and return it to [email protected]. Scheduling is tide dependent.
We also have School Estuary Kits available to prepare you for your beach field trip with us! If you are interested in using any one of our School Estuary Kits, please click HERE .
Discovery Speaker Series

During the long, cold days of winter, the Estuarium is proud to partner with the LOTT's Wet Science Center to bring another spark of science into Olympia! Join us at the LOTT's Wet Science Center for our speaker programs, where we spend a fun evening learning about the various forms of life that call Puget Sound home. Our next event will be January 17th. Join us to learn about the Puget Sound Pinto Abalone! Check out our flyer for the entire series schedule HERE .

The Estuarium’s Discovery Speaker Series is a free event hosted at LOTT’s Wet Science Center on selected third Thursdays.

For more information, please visit: SSEAcenter.org/DSS
Pier Peer

Our mild winter nights have made our adventures pleasant out in Boston Harbor, and Pier Peer is still going strong! Our last Pier Peer saw record nudibranch finds - up to six inches in size! These beautiful sea slugs come in a beautiful array of colors, shimmers, sizes, and shapes. One huge Lion's mane jellyfish swam by to say hello, but we were inundated by hundreds of shrimp of all shapes and sizes! Bring a warm jacket, roll your sleeves up, and dig in with us some time!

Participants (Age 13 and older) – $10
Children (Age 12 and younger) – FREE

Upcoming Pier Peer Dates:

  • Dec 11, 6:30 - 8:30 PM: Click HERE to register   

Register online using the links on our Facebook page or website!
 
Do you have a group (scouts, friends, family reunion, etc.) who you think would enjoy a fun evening discovering the underwater world of Puget Sound? Remember you can always schedule your own private Pier Peer event! Please email  [email protected]  for more information and to request a group inquiry form.
Volunteer Opportunities

Are you looking for ways to get involved? Here are a few coming up: 
 
  • Discovery Speaker Series: Jan 17 & Feb 21, 7:00 - 8:30 PM
  • Pier Peer: Dec 11, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
  • Estuarium Open Hours: Every weekend at the Estuarium between 11:00 - 4:00 PM

One of the best ways to get involved is to join an Estuarium Team! We currently have four teams (Education, Events, Exhibits, and Development). To join a team, please visit www.SSEAcenter.org/volunteer/teams/ for more information, fill out a volunteer application, and email [email protected] . We’d love to have you join us!
Laughs from Larry, the Spiny Lumpsucker

Q: Why was the Ocean so salty?
A: Because the Land didn't wave back!

As we inch closer to the winter solstice something amazing is happening on our planet. At this point in our travel around the sun earth nears its maximum tilt away from its favorite star. This not only means shorter, darker days, but our highest tides of the year!

If you want to learn more about the changing tides, join us for Turn of the Tides at the Estuarium on December 15th. Come down to the Estuarium to celebrate the wonder of the winter season, Earth’s amazing turning tides!
 
To submit your joke, email [email protected].

Photo Credit:
wea03617, Michael Theberge
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
About the Puget Sound Estuarium
Explore * Connect * Inspire

The Puget Sound Estuarium was founded by the South Sound Estuary Association (SSEA) to create opportunities for the public to learn about estuaries, geology, natural and cultural history, marine life, and human impact on the Puget Sound (the biggest estuary in the United States by volume and second largest in the United States by shoreline).

Our mission is to foster learning opportunities that inspire people of all ages to connect with, protect, and enjoy the unique estuary environment of the Puget Sound. 

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and are supported by donations from caring individuals like you. Please help us continue our work by donating today. You can donate by mailing your check to: South Sound Estuary Association, PO Box 2182, Olympia, WA 98507, or visiting www.SSEAcenter.org/donate .
Our Supporters

We are grateful to have the support of our major donors, sponsors, and partners. Support these local businesses & partners. They support the Puget Sound Estuarium! 

  • Puget Sound Energy
  • Nancy LaPointe Navigate Financial 
  • Kevin Gordham
  • Cynthia Worth Law Group
  • The Pet Works - Estuarium
  • LOTT's WET Science Center - Discovery Speaker Series
  • Laura Lowe and the Mud Bay Blues Band
  • Coffee News - Connecting the Community
  • Boston Harbor Marina - Pier Peer
  • My Girl Yacht - K-12 Education
  • TSS Digital Services - Estuarium

Foundation Support:
  • Dawkins Charitable Trust
  • The Russell Family Foundation
  • WA Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • WA Recreation and Conservation Office
  • The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment
  • The Norcliffe Foundation
  • Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association
  • Puget Sound Energy
  • Nisqually Indian Tribe
  • The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound
  • The Squaxin Tribe