"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.
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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.
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Click on the pictures below to learn more.
Virtual Conversations About Current Salish Sea Science and More
​Dates: September '25 – May '26
(Second Wed. of each month)​
-Sign-up today and get past recordings-
Time: 6–7 PM PT
(Talk: 30–45 mins + 15 mins Q&A)
Cost: $69 for all 9 sessions (~$7/class!)
Missed one? No problem—sign up anytime and get access to all past recordings!
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Got questions? FAQs found here.​​
Join us on the second Wednesday of each month for The Pulse—a virtual learning series designed for environmental educators, marine naturalists, and curious nature lovers alike.
Tune in from anywhere in the world as we dive deeper into Salish Sea themed monthly conversations on big-picture topics, emerging research, and inspiring stories—all from the comfort of home.
The Pulse is a welcoming monthly community of learners—where science comes alive and connections are made. Enroll anytime to join live talks and receive instant access to past recordings, delivered straight to your inbox.
2025-2026 SPEAKERS:
November 12, 2025
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​​​Tufted Puffins in a
Dynamic Seascape
​​With Dr. Scott Pearson
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Description: The Tufted Puffin is an iconic seabird that nests on offshore islands along Washington’s outer coast and on two islands in the Salish Sea. Recent analyses suggest that the puffin is declining from the Gulf of Alaska south to California, with more dramatic declines at the southern end of its breeding range. Scott will describe the species’ natural history and provide information on its status in Washington and beyond and on research and conservation efforts to benefit the species locally.
Bio: Dr. Scott Pearson is a senior research scientist at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington and his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Michigan. His research is focused on assessing wildlife population status and trends and the underlying mechanisms driving declines to help inform conservation management. His current work is focused on gaining a better understanding of marine bird and mammal diets, habitat use and quality, and the effectiveness of conservation efforts with a focus on several species of conservation concern. Scott also supervises the west-side research team for the Wildlife Program.
December 10, 2025
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​From Whale Scat to Drone Breath Samples and Sea Lion Rescues: Science in Action
Dr. Deborah Giles
Description: Join Dr. Deborah Giles (known as “Giles”) as she shares exciting updates from the field on Southern Resident killer whale research and conservation. From analyzing whale scat to using drones to collect whale breath samples, Giles and her team are pioneering non-invasive ways to better understand the health of these endangered whales. She’ll also highlight a recent successful sea lion disentanglement, showing how collaboration and science come together to protect marine life in the Salish Sea.
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Speaker Bio: Dr. Deborah Giles is the Killer Whale Research Director for the SeaDoc Society, a program of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. For more than a decade, Giles has studied the Southern Resident killer whales of the Salish Sea, focusing on how human activity impacts their survival. She is one of the world’s leading experts on using trained conservation dogs to detect whale scat, which provides crucial information about the health, stress, and diet of these endangered whales. Giles is also known for her collaborative work with partners across the region to protect marine mammals and their habitats.​
January 14, 2026
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Dinosaurs Amongst US
​​​with Kim Adelson
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Description: Virtually all paleontologists now agree that birds evolved from dinosaurs, and even more strikingly, they also even go so far as to argue that birds are, in fact, living dinosaurs. The flood of new data coming from newly discovered fossil beds – primarily from China and eastern Europe– has only solidified that position. Come learn about the structural and behavioral similarities between birds and the more “classic” dinosaurs they evolved from. We guarantee that you will not only be surprised as to how dinosaur-like birds are, but also how very bird-like dinosaurs were. You will never think about T. rex in the same way again!
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Bio:
Kim Adelson was a professor of psychology for almost 30 years; she has won teaching awards at 3 different universities. Before she switched fields so as to focus on behavioral and intellectual evolution, she earned a master’s degree in evolutionary biology. Paleontology has been one of her avocations since she was a child who wandered the halls of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. She is an avid birder and is on the Vice President and Education Chair of the South Sound Bird Alliance (formerly the Black Hills Audubon Society); she is also the Southwest Region representative to Audubon Washington.
February 11, 2026
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​​​Olympia Oyster Restoration​
Jessi Florendo (they/them), Puget Sound Restoration Fund
Description: Olympia oysters and Bull kelp are two foundational species and habitat engineers in Puget Sound. Part of this region's story of water and food since time immemorial, each of these species have been adversely impacted by human activity and have been in decline for years. In this presentation, Jessi Florendo (they/them) from Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF) will describe the vital ecosystem services provided by each of these two species, what factors have affected their decline from historic abundance, and what PSRF is doing to return these species to be present and available for years to come.
Bio: Jessi Florendo (they/them) is a Program Coordinator and Marine Restoration Practitioner at Puget Sound Restoration Fund in Washington State. Committed to the restoration of both Olympia oysters and Bull kelp in Coast Salish waters, they are part of one small and mighty team which develops, implements, monitors, and shares findings on diverse restoration aquaculture approaches for renewing these foundational habitat engineers. Jessi has a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Rhode Island and a M.M.A. from the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington in Seattle.
March 11, 2025​
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​​​Lummi Island Reef Netting​​​
Ian Kirouac, President, Fleet Manager
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Description: Experience a virtual front row seat to the only solar powered commercial fishery on the planet. Solar power is only just the beginning of why this fishery is recognised as one of the greenest on the planet. Meet Lummi Island Wild President Ian Kirouac and learn what makes this fishing method, and the wild salmon they catch, so special.
The Lummi Island Wild Co-op mission is to promote the respectful and responsible harvesting of wild caught salmon, while protecting the environment for future generations of fish and people. We are fishers first, not middle men. Our reefnet salmon fishery is recognized as one of the most sustainable on the planet, and we practice those same values as we partner with tribal and state fishers to bring you the best sustainably caught, wild seafood and salmon.
​April 8, 2026
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​​​Return of the Giants
of the Salish Sea
with John Calambokidis, Cascadia Research Institute
Description: Gray and humpback whales make a comeback but face new challenges. This talk will focus on some of the dramatic changes that have occurred in humpback and gray whales in the Salish Sea as documented by a researcher who has studied them for over 40 years. The talk will show how the combination of long-term studies and new research methods such as deployment of new tags, prey sampling and use of drones has provided new insights on both species. We will show rare underwater footage from some of the tags. We will also examine how some of these tools have helped evaluate some of the interactions and threats from human activities.
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​John Calambokidis is a Senior Research Biologist at Cascadia Research Collective an Olympia-based non-profit he helped found in 1979. He has been studying marine mammals for 50 years and has specialized in tracking the populations, trends, movements, and threats from humans for the largest whales including blue, humpback, and gray whales.
May 13, 2026​​​​
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The Elwha Dam Removal and Recovery
with Vanessa Castle, Lower Elwha Klallam
Description: Coming soon!
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Bio: Vanessa was born and raised in Port Angeles, WA on the Lower Elwha Reservation. She grew up fishing with my mother and seeing our salmon numbers decline because of the two hydroelectric dams that were on the Elwha River. The Elwha dams were removed in the first ever and largest dam removal project in North America. For 5 years she worked for Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe as a Natural Resource technician where she braided my traditional ecological knowledge with the western world of science in her everyday work. Now, she is pushing on to pursue her education to back my traditional knowledge with western science.
Recording Available​​
​​​Beavers in the Salish Sea
with Dr. Greg Hood, Senior Research Scientist,
Skagit River System Cooperative
Description: Habitat use by beaver in the tidal marshes of the Skagit and Snohomish deltas, focusing on the distribution of their dams and lodges, the role of their dams for tidal beaver, and the effects of their dams on juvenile salmon and other small estuarine fish. In addition, I will discuss the special case of beaver in the Copper River delta (Alaska) where tidal marshes were elevated by 2 meters in the 1964 magnitude 9.2 earthquake.
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Bio: Dr. Hood is a senior research scientist for the Skagit River System Cooperative, a natural resources management agency serving the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe. He has been working for more than thirty years in Pacific Northwest wetlands, but he has also had the good fortune to dabble in tidal marshes in Chile and the Atlantic coast of France. His research focuses on the interaction between geomorphology and ecology in tidal wetlands with application to habitat restoration and recovery of threatened Chinook salmon. Ecological interactions of interest, in addition to juvenile salmon and other estuarine fish, have included marsh vegetation, benthic invertebrates, and tidal beaver. He has taught Landscape Ecology of Wetlands for eight years in the Professional Certification Program at the University of Washington. For twelve years he served as a panel member on the Columbia River Expert Regional Technical Group on Estuary Habitat Actions, which advises the National Marine Fisheries Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, and Bonneville Power Administration on federal estuarine habitat actions for Chinook salmon recovery in the Columbia River Estuary. He is also a founding member of the Skagit Climate Science Consortium. He has a PhD from the University of Washington School of Fisheries and an MS from the Florida State University.
Recording Available​​
​​My Octopus Teacher
with Craig Foster
Description: Habitat use by beaver in the tidal marshes of the Skagit and Snohomish deltas, focusing on the distribution of their dams and lodges, the role of their dams for tidal beaver, and the effects of their dams on juvenile salmon and other small estuarine fish. In addition, I will discuss the special case of beaver in the Copper River delta (Alaska) where tidal marshes were elevated by 2 meters in the 1964 magnitude 9.2 earthquake.
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Recording Available​
​​​The Ecology of Hummingbirds
​With Greg Green​
​​Description: Greg Green is a career wildlife biologist and instructor at Western Washington University where he teaches ecology, wildlife techniques, and natural history. Over a decade ago, he was asked to explain why we have a hummingbird that overwinters in the PNW (Anna’s), which culminated into a research project and an article in BirdWatching Magazine.
He has since been lecturing on the ecology of hummingbirds, both publicly and academically, and recently returned from the cloud forests of Ecuador where he photographed and observed a portion of the 132 species that live there. Green’s presentation will provide an overview of the unique ecology of this extraordinary group of birds, contrasting the PNW with Ecuador, and will tell the fascinating story of Anna’s hummingbird’s march north over the past 75 years.
