TIDELINES NEWSLETTER
January 2018
Note from the Executive Director

Thank you to everyone who came out to our Turn of the Tides event, celebrating a change back to lower daytime tides. The event was a great success! All of the community partners and local artists who participated this year did a wonderful job bringing the winter cheer. Here's a big thanks to our volunteers and staff who made this event sparkle.

With winter solstice behind us and a new year ahead, our team is preparing for months of fun activities. Right now, we are featuring Jellyfish January at the Estuarium! Come learn about our most mystically gooey friends of the sea, and keep posted on our mission to add jellies to the list of Estuarium critters.

The next talk in our Discovery Speaker Series is in just a few short weeks! Come join us at LOTT’s Wet Science Center 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 & Wildlife. Come learn about these rare critters and the work being done to protect them!

Join us down in the docks at Boston Harbor Marina on Tuesday, January 15th from 6:30 - 8:30 PM for our next Pier Peer! Click HERE to register today.

Happy New Year from the Estuarium!
Estuarium

Turn of the Tides was wonderful! Between the gorgeous work of our participating artists and great Puget Sound inspired activities by our community partners, the day couldn’t have gone better. A little bit of coco and cider didn’t hurt either. One of our guest artist, Nikki McClure, sweetly gifted some of her 2019 calendars to us. You can pick them up from the Estuarium’s gift shop for $15.00!

Estuarium jellyfish are on the way! All throughout January join us down at the Estuarium to learn all about jellyfish. From their unique life-cycles to their unexpected responses to climate change, jellyfish are always full of surprises!
K - 12 Education

It is planning season for the K-12 Education Team. We have lots of exciting things in the works for 2019 and cannot wait to get started with you all!

Starting mid-January 2019, we will be launching a brand-new School Estuary Kit for 6th - 8th graders about water quality testing. For more information about all of our School Estuary Kit options please click HERE .

With 2019 quickly approaching, 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.  
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 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. Come 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 shrimp of all shapes and sizes, from green to red to brown! A few squid shot by to say hello, but the harbor seal lurking kept many at bay. 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:

  • January, 15th, 6:30 - 8:30 PM: Click HERE to register   
  • February 19th, 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: Jan 15, 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: What's a sea otter's favorite food?
A: A-balone sandwich!

For the pinto abalone, natural predators are the least of their problems. This iconic gastropod, known for its beautiful pearl like spiraled shell, faces a number of challenges in its survival. Identified as a “species of concern,” once blossoming pinto abalone populations have dwindled over the decades. Thanks to over harvesting and environmental crisis, such as ocean acidification, pinto abalone are scarce and unable to rebuild their species without human intervention. These now rare critters find themselves susceptible to poaching, being a delicacy in Asian markets and could ultimately face extinction.

To learn more about the plight of the pinto abalone join us at our next Discovery Speaker Series talk, “The Pintos of Puget Sound: A Look at Wild Abalones” by Henry Carson, Research Scientist at the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.

To submit your joke, email [email protected].
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! 

  • 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 Norcliffe Foundation
  • Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association
  • Nisqually Indian Tribe
  • The Squaxin Tribe