"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.
A virtual continuing education program in partnership with
KEEP UP WITH THE PULSE
OF THE SALISH SEA...
...in this virtual continuing education program for environmental educators, marine naturalists, or nature enthusiast from across the world.
Designed for professionals and amateurs alike, this program goes beyond the basics and takes deeper dives on ecosystem-wide topics and the latest research.
By registering you will have opportunities to connect and network with other naturalists, regional scientists, and support four local non-profits.
Please note, this is not an introductory program, basic knowledge is expected.
Dates & Times
The Pulse Spring Quarter includes five virtual talks with regional scientists, January-May, 2024.
The Pulse will return to an 8 month series running October 2024-May 2025.
The Pulse falls on the second Wednesday of the month with the exception of February 2024.
Time:
Speaker presentation: 6:00PM - 7:00PM
Q&A session: 7:00PM - 7:30PM
Please check out the speaker line-up below!
Cost for Spring Quarter: $75
All registration fees will equally support four non-profits: Orca Behavior Institute, Orca Network, The Salish Sea School, and Whale Scout. Thank you for your support!
You can sign up ANYTIME throughout the year and get access to the previous talks!
2023 TOPICS & SPEAKERS
January - Minke Whales, Frankie Roberston
February - Bigg's Killer Whales, Jared Towers
March - Seabird Bycatch Reduction, Ed Melvin
April - Marbled Murrelets and Pigeon Guillemots, Maria Rudd Ruth
May - Hot Topic
October - Using Drones to Understand SRKWs, Michael Weiss
November - Sea Otters, Casey Clarke
December - Bull Kelp, Brooke Weigel
NEW: Spring Quarter 2024
TOPICS & SPEAKERS
January 10, 2024
Humpback Whales
Ted Cheeseman, Co-Founder Happywhale.com
Oceans of change revealed: Recovery and an Uncertain Future for North Pacific Humpback Whales
February 21, 2024
Octopuses
David Gire, Associate Professor UW
Learning from the octopuses of the Salish sea: How we use scientific diving and new technology to unlock the secrets of our local species.
*New date* March 21, 2024
Alaskan Trawling Bycatch of Killer Whales
Craig Matkin and post-doc Hannah Myers
In December 2023, NOAA released a technical memorandum on Killer Whale Entanglements in Alaska, providing a summary of 37 reported killer whale entanglements in three decades. (https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/56185) Of these, 68% resulted in mortality of the animal. Ten killer whales were incidentally caught in groundfish trawl fisheries in 2023 alone. Craig Matkin, Executive Director of the North Gulf Oceanic Society and Hannah Myers, Postdoctoral Scholar with the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University will be joining us to talk in more detail about this issue.
April 10, 2024
What is happening with Sea Star Wasting Disease?
Joe Gaydos, SeaDoc Society
In 2013 the largest marine disease outbreak ever documented in a noncommercial species killed 23 species of sea star from Baja California, Mexico to Alaska. Most notably wiping out the common intertidal ochre star and the huge common subtidal predator, the sunflower star. Did we ever find out what caused it? How did this re-shape the marine ecosystem? Are sea stars recovering? Join us for an update on what we know about tis outbreak.
Photo: Wasting sunstar, Bell Island, WA (October 2023); credit Bob Friel
May 8, 2024
Rockfish in the Salish Sea
David Lowry, Rockfish Recovery Coordinator, NOAA
Dr. Dayv Lowry currently oversees all aspects of recovery plan implementation for yelloweye rockfish and bocaccio, as well as evaluating the status of various other marine species. For those species listed under the ESA, he assesses the impacts of human activities to ensure such activities don't reduce long-term survival. Dayv recently served as the coast-wide lead for evaluating and listing the sunflower sea star.
Photo credit Alaska Fish & Game
FAQs
Is this for adults only?
No! This program is for all motivated learners that want to dive deep into learning more about the Salish Sea!
I am a teacher, can I receive clock hours?
Yes! Email cindy@orcanetwork.org.
Do I have to be working as a naturalist or educator to sign-up?
No, we welcome all people interested in learning more.
If I need to cancel, can I get a refund?
No refunds are available for this program.
What if I miss a virtual event?
Email us and we will email a recorded session to you.
What if I find out about this event after it has started and want to join in?
We record all of the speakers, so you can still join us! We will send you a link with the previous recordings?
What non-profits are hosting this event?
This program is a partnership with Whale Scout, Orca Network, Orca Behavior Institute, and The Salish Sea School. All tuition will be split evenly between these four organizations.
What if I have questions?
Please contact us at info@thesalishseaschool.org