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Volunteer Opportunities
MLK Jr. Day of Service Monday, January 19
Join us for our annual MLK Jr. Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026 from 10:00 am-1:00 pm!
Meet at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center portico in Fort Worden State Park at 10 am. Address: 502 Harbor Defense Way
We'll be pulling invasive beachgrass north of the pier by Knapp's Circle, so dress for the work and the weather. Bring work gloves and shovels/pitchforks/hand tools like small shovels/loppers if you have them. We'll have some tools to borrow as well. Light snacks and water will be provided. Parking is free at Fort Worden for the day, but carpooling is always encouraged.
Low Tide Walks at Night Friday, January 30 and February 27
Our Low Tide Walks at Night are coming up and we need your help! The dates & times are: Friday January 30th, 7:00pm - 8:30pm Friday February 27th 6:00pm - 7:30pm
We are looking for six or seven volunteers to guide small groups of participants around the tide pools at North Beach and help point out cool things you find along the way in the dark! Please bear in mind that this role requires balance and confidence walking over slick rocks and algae at night. A basic familiarity with intertidal life is great; if you are newer to tidepooling we can find someone to buddy with.
Optional training for new & returning LTW volunteers is Wednesday January 21st, 6:00pm - 7:00pm.
Please email Carolyn at cwoods@ptmsc.org with questions, to RSVP for the training, and to volunteer for Low Tide Walks.
Announcements
Future of Oceans Lecture Series
Puffins: Beloved Sentinels of Ocean Health with John Piatt
Sunday, January 18, 3pm
Wheeler Theater
Who doesn’t love Puffins? With their brightly colored parrot-bills, tuxedo plumage, and upright waddle-walk, these iconic seabirds are cherished around the world. Puffins are athletic, resilient, and voracious marine predators living in an extreme environment for birds. Agile and fast aerial flyers, they also “fly” under water to great depths in pursuit of schooling prey. In this presentation, John Piatt will explain why puffins are among the most successful seabird species breeding in the Northern Hemisphere, and and how they thrive in remote ocean wildernesses, as well as the biggest threat to their survival.
Brown Bag Lunches Are Returning
Second Thursday of each month
Brown Bag Lunches are returning! If you don't know, Brown Bag Lunch is a place for volunteers to get together once a month, build community, learn something new, eat together, have fun.
January 8, 12:30pm at the Dunbar Room in Fort Worden State Park
Ever wonder what it is like to conduct oceanographic research? Or to live and work on a research vessel? Gabriella, one of our amazing AmeriCorps members, will share about her experiences on the two research cruises she has participated in. She will discuss biological oceanography and the study her lab conducted, some of the methods and tools involved in oceanographic research, as well as recent innovations, and of course she will have lots of pictures and videos of deep sea organisms found on the cruises.
Gift bags always needed The Gift Shop will happily repurpose your clean, gently used handle bags and gift bags! All sizes needed. Paper or cloth only, please.
They can be dropped off in the store or admin office during open hours. Thank you so much!
Upcoming courses, workshops, lectures and exhibits (not hosted by PTMSC)
Registration January 5 and after - $50, or $40 for seniors/students
Sound Waters University
February 7, 2026
From drifting plankton to majestic orcas, and from the lapping waters along the shoreline to the mysterious depth of the Sea, every life form plays a role in the broader ecological story. Tracing Life through the Salish Sea explores the intricate web of relationships that connect species, habitats, and communities throughout this unique marine ecosystem.
Thank you so much to everyone who helped with the December 30th sea star monitoring survey! We had such a good turnout that we were able to sample both of our plots at Indian Island County Park simultaneously. We documented eight ochre stars and ten mottled stars, with no signs of sea star wasting disease.
A huge thanks for coming out on a cold, dark night to: Jane P, Kim N, Karen K, Ruth S, James T, Sarah T, Lisa G, Mike G, Aspen, and Hazel for assisting AmeriCorps members Gabriella and Kelly and staff Carolyn, Hillary S, and Hillary K to count some stars! We expect to conduct the next survey summer 2026.
Housekeeping & General Info
Are your volunteer hours up to date?
The time you give in volunteering with PTMSC has value beyond the mission you support and hopefully the feelings of contribution and connection it gives you.
Those hours are used in grant writing and reporting, which happens year round and is an important piece of the funding for PTMSC. We are in need of current hours!
Information about and the link for recording your hours
A link to the awesome Volunteer Resources page. Learn about PTMSC, the Salish Sea, habitats, current issues, and much more
The past four volunteer updates
Volunteer schedules: currently the Gallery and Citizen Science schedules
Volunteer spotlight blogposts
You can find the webpage at this link, and in the Support section of the webpage.
PTMSC volunteer Facebook group
Visit the PTMSC Volunteer page on Facebook. This is a private group just for volunteers, and we try to populate it with interesting photos, updates from the marine science world, and of course with the many activities of our fabulous volunteers.
Flagship Store and Gallery Hours 1001 Water St
Store
Sunday, Monday, Thursday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Friday, Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Flagship Gallery Friday - Sunday, noon - 3 p.m. Under the Surface of the Salish Sea
PTMSC Exhibit at Fort Worden Hours 502 Harbor Defense Way
Friday-Monday 11am-4pm
News & Resources
Links of note:
Please share any news articles you think might be of interest to our group! Send them to volunteer@ptmsc.org. Thank you!
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