CONSERVATION IN FOCUS:
THE SALISH SEA & SAN JUAN ISLANDS
September 17-24, 2017 8 Days/7 Nights
Geoff Hammerson, Wendy Shattil, Audrey
Benedict
and the M/V Westward Crew
Thousands of years before the first Europeans
arrived in the Pacific Northwest, the Coast Salish
people flourished along the shores of one of the
most biologically rich inland seas in the world—
now known as the Salish Sea. Named in honor
of those first inhabitants, the Salish Sea straddles
the Canadian border and includes the marine
waters encompassing Washington’s Strait of Juan
de Fuca, Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, and
British Columbia’s Gulf Islands and the Strait
of Georgia. Connected to the Pacific Ocean
primarily via the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Salish
Sea receives an almost constant influx of nutrientrich
freshwater from British Columbia’s Fraser
River, the Skagit, and the many smaller rivers of
Washington’s mainland—all of which provide
essential building blocks for the region’s extraordinary
biodiversity. The strong currents and
extreme tidal exchanges in the Salish Sea create
optimal conditions for nutrient upwelling and for
the proliferation of the photosynthetic plankton
that forms the basis of the marine food chain.
Life in the San Juan Archipelago is governed by
the sea’s rhythms—its extraordinary biological
richness attributed to the rain shadow cast by the
Olympic Mountains and the greater diversity
of habitats available to plants and animals in
these islands than occurs along the wetter mainland
coast. Not surprisingly, the marine waters
surrounding the San Juan Islands provide critical
habitat for marine mammals such as migrating gray whales, both resident and “transient”
populations of killer whales, harbor seals, Steller
and California sea lions, and river otters. More
than 165 species of birds depend on the Salish
Sea and adjacent terrestrial habitats for their
survival. The overwintering seabirds and ducks
will just have begun arriving—the murrelets,
guillemots, murres, rhinoceros auklets, scoters,
and harlequin ducks. All seven species of Pacific
salmon, including rainbow/steelhead and coastal
cutthroat, occur in the Salish Sea. Both near-shore
and deep-water habitats are also home to several
“giants” of the marine world, including the
Pacific giant octopus, plumose anemone, giant
red sea urchin, and the geoduck, largest of the
burrowing clams.
Today, nearly 8 million people live on the islands
and in the mainland watersheds that nourish the
Salish Sea on both sides of the international
border. The impacts of global warming, ocean
acidification, and pressures related to commercial
fisheries, shellfish farming, and the looming
threats of naval training activities and a major
coal shipping port pose significant challenges.
Scientists and citizen groups are working together
to ensure that sea-based livelihoods are able to
adapt with practices that promote sustainability.
Pigeon guillemots (SD)
Guest scientists for this voyage include Russel
Barsh and Madrona Murphy, founders of Kwiáht,
the Center for the Historical Ecology of the Salish
Sea, and Dr. Joe Gaydos, the Chief Scientist for
the Orcas Island-based SeaDoc Society’s marine
research and conservation program. Moving beyond
the familiar intertidal zone, Joe and his dive
team conduct a “virtual dive” for us—transmitting
live coverage of the deeper marine world to the
big screen aboard Westward for us all to
enjoy—no dry suit required! We’ll create a photo
book that truly captures the magical essence of
the Salish Sea and all that we’ve seen and learned.
Price: $2,750 (includes a $500 deposit)
Group Size: 10 Trip Rating: 2-3
Price includes: 5 nights/6 days aboard the
Westward, all meals and beverages, 2 nights’
lodging (9/17 and 9/23) in Friday Harbor on
San Juan Island, 2 group dinners ashore, all
instruction by our leaders and guest lecturers,
sea kayak outfitting, the Westward’s 4-person
crew, gratuities to the crew, and a copy of our
photo book. The price quoted is per person based
on double occupancy. Single accommodations are unavailable aboard Westward. Does not include
round-trip airfare or travel from your point of
departure on 9/17 to Friday Harbor or your return
on 9/24. This seminar begins with dinner and
lodging in Friday Harbor on 9/17 and concludes
with dinner and lodging in Friday Harbor on 9/23.
|