"the mountain and the sea are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books." -john lubbock
Meet Our Team
The Salish Sea School is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, inclusion, and connectedness. We are able to grow and learn better together with a diverse team. We welcome the unique contributions that one can bring in terms of their education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.
We are stronger together with the collective sum of individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, and talent which ultimately brings about a healthier planet.
Click on the pictures below to learn more.
We believe so passionately in the power of experiential learning.
Explore our programs for adults below.
We are so passionate about introducing our community to the incredible classroom right outside our doorstep. Our hope is that our programs initiate a desire to protect and restore the Salish Sea. We believe experiential lessons combined with marine conservation education is essential to producing a healthy marine ecosystem. The curriculum rotates throughout the year but will span the marine ecosystem, from water quality to whales.
Adult program tuition supports our student programs, including scholarships.
"We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children."
April 14th, 10AM-12PM
Washington Park, Anacortes
Join The Salish Sea School as we explore bird presence, and species, around Washington Park in Anacortes. We have a great mix of habitats between the forest, shore, and the Salish Sea at this location! We'll be looking for marine birds, with the possibility to spy the Marbled Murrelet, forest species like the Pileated Woodpecker, Barred Owl, and Brown Creeper, and whatever else may be arriving to welcome in spring!
SPRING FUNDRAISER
May 13, 2023 4:30PM-7:30PM, must arrive 20-30 minutes prior
Join us aboard a chartered boat from Outer Island Excursions as we journey to one of the last remaining breeding islands in the Salish Sea.
We will look for Tufted Puffins that have just arrived in their beautiful breeding plumage from Pacific Ocean! We hope to find other marine life along the way.
Optional educational zoom included, May 12th, 2023 6-7PM
Launch out of Skyline Marina in Anacortes
The Salish Sea Rewilding Retreat will take place in the beauty of Rosario Beach and Deception Pass State Park with 2-3 boat trips included. One will take us to James Island for a time of wildlife viewing and exploration and the other to view the endangered Tufted Puffins.
Our retreat will include a two night three day adventure based at the Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. The lab includes more than 40 acres of timberland, hills, wetlands, and beachfront on the beautiful Rosario Strait. From our cabins you can view the Straits of Juan de Fuca, the Olympic Mountains, Vancouver Island, and the San Juan Islands. The lovely cabins have a full kitchen, private bath, bedroom and a porch for taking in the spectacular views.
There will be evening dinner education and conversation with a focus on the Southern Resident orcas one night and the endangered (Washington state) Tufted Puffins the other night. We will offer guided Mindfulness in Nature experiences on land and on the boat. There is also spaciousness built into the schedule for you to mindfully connect to nature by simply relaxing on your porch, investigating the amazing low tide days during this time, or exploring the grounds of the Marine Lab, Bowman Bay or the trails of Deception Pass State Park.
Dinners will be catered. We are asking that you bring your own breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
Specific cabins will be rented on a first come first served basis. Check out the cabin map here. All cabins are "BYOB - Bring Your Own Bedding." See image above (pic credit: Caleb Riston).
SUMMER FUNDRAISER!
Tour: August 27, 2023 4:30-7:30PM, must arrive 20-30 minutes prior
Join us aboard a chartered boat from Outer Island Excursions as we journey to one of the last remaining breeding islands in the Salish Sea.
We will look for Tufted Puffins preparing to leave to winter in the Pacific Ocean! We hope to find a whole bunch of the other incredible life along the way.
Optional educational zoom included, August 24, 2023 6-7PM
Launch out of Skyline Marina in Anacortes
Adult Guardians of the Sea
A two night virtual [August 30 (6-8:30pm) and August 31st (6-8:30pm)] and two day boat excursion [Sept 1st (9:30-3:30pm), Sept 2nd (9:30-3:30pm)], and local island based educational adventure that spans the Salish Sea marine ecosystem.
We’ve been offering a version of this program to middle and high school students, and adults have expressed wanting to join in on the marine ecosystem adventure!
You will learn how it is all connected, from water quality to whales. Our curriculum is designed to introduce students to the local marine life in the Salish Sea. From eelgrass, to forage fish, to seals, to seabirds, we believe experiential education initiates a desire to save our natural world.
Two evenings will cover some community building and our learning portion via Zoom, featuring a local researcher and their area of expertise.
The following two days are our boat-based adventures!
We will explore around the San Juan Islands for local wildlife, stop at an island for a hike and/or tidal pool exploration, as well as visit the Center for Whale Research’s Education Center in Friday Harbor to deep dive on endangered Southern Resident orcas. Highlights include: Experience incredible marine life Marine species identification Introduction to water and land-based research Environmental service projects to plug into Small group learning Mindfulness in nature activities
Each day's adventure will be just that–an adventure! We never can predict what marine life each day will bring! The ultimate goal is to experience the animals' ecosystem and understand how we can become leaders in marine conservation - seeing whales is never guaranteed.
At the end of each program, participants will get a black baseball cap with the yellow trident on it, symbolizing that they have become a Guardian of the Sea.
Space is limited to 6 participants.
