This summer's Salish Sea stewardship will be action-packed!
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Lined chiton (Tonicella lineata)
Photo by PTMSC Volunteer Wendy Feltham
Octopress Online June 2025
Low Tide Lowdown for Friends and Fundraising
The Low Tide Lowdown event on May 7 was a celebration of the deep roots of PTMSC: a caring community that champions conservation of the marine environment and supports the programs and experiences that lead people, particularly our youth, to lifelong connections and stewardship of this special place.
Almost 100 donors helped us raise more than $45,000 at an event we conceived when we learned in January that we couldn't hold our March auction at the Commons.
Whether people came to dance, listen to the live music of Harbor Jazz, bid on a raffle item, or simply visit with one another and enjoy some tasty food and drinks, it was an evening infused with the warmth and good will of all who attended.
There will still be an auction event on Saturday, August 23 at the Commons in Fort Worden. We hope to see you there and, as always, appreciate your support in all the ways you show it.
Diane Quinn
Executive Director
Port Townsend Marine Science Center
photos by Ross Pruden
2025 SUMMER LOW TIDE WALKS
Join us for a guided Low Tide Walk on the beach with PTMSC naturalists.
Explore tide pools and learn how marine organisms are adapted for the challenges and daily extremes of living in the intertidal zone.
Space is limited on the summer low tide walks. Registration is required to guarantee your place. Spaces that open up on the day of the event will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
photo by Wendy Feltham
A GiveBIG Thank You!
We surpassed our goal of $25,000!
Thank you to everyone who donated to help us continue inspiring awe and empowering action to conserve the Salish Sea.
These Salish Sea waters are amazing—beautiful, dynamic, and brimming with life. And for over 40 years, PTMSC has introduced hundreds of thousands of people to the wonders of the Salish Sea through our community outreach. Alongside that vital and inspiring outreach, PTMSC invites our growing community to participate in and be part of the conservation work we do, connecting people to their environment and empowering action.
Community-centered programming, this is the heart of PTMSC’s work and mission! However you participate and support us, thank you!
SEEKING TOOL DONATIONS
for the Community Tool Library
Thursday, June 5 12 - 2 p.m.
Jefferson County Fairgrounds
For all the important information, visit the website.
Tool libraries (aka “Libraries of Things” or a “Lending Library”) are just like your public library, but instead of offering books, they offer tools and other useful supplies to borrow when you need them! They are based on the simple idea that we don’t all need to own everything we use and that through sharing, we can build community.
From hammers and saws to folding tables and food dehydrators, your donations will help us stock our inventory! The JeffCo Community Tool Library aims to serve members of our community who cannot or choose not to buy, own, and maintain every tool they may need for their projects.
Please bring your donations to the June 5 event. At these events, our volunteers will be available to assess your donations and ensure they fit our inventory needs! Important: please visit the website first.
Help Fort Worden S.P. document the wild at the park! By uncovering the diverse range of life within the park, we can gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for its ecology.
The Fort Worden Spring BioBlitz is a two-day, self-guided event. It begins when the park opens (6:30 a.m.) on June 6th and continues until the park closes (9:30 p.m.) on June 7th.
No registration necessary! Bring your camera or smart phone to take pictures of plants, fungi, and wildlife as you hike trails and beaches and explore historic gun batteries! Download the iNaturalist app or Seek app on your smart phone to upload pictures and observations directly to the Fort Worden BioBlitz project page.
Join Kelsey, Fort Worden Interpretive Specialist, at The Commons on Saturday, June 7th from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. for an interactive celebration of citizen science and stewardship! Experts from various fields of science will have displays that showcase some of the unique flora and fauna of the park. Saturday is also a Discover Pass free day!
For more information about how to participate in a BioBlitz, please visit the iNaturalist project page or contact Kelsey, State Park Interpretive Specialist, at 360-344-4426.
Celebrate Summer Solstice with a day of crab molt searching
By participating you can help monitor shorelines across Washington for invasive European green crabs and native Dungeness crabs by following a simple protocol: a timed collection of all molts on the shore, submitted via MyCoast. Find out more at wsg.washington.edu/moltsearch
Invasive European green crabs pose a serious risk to our native crab populations and salt marsh inhabitants. Increasing the number of people looking for these potentially harmful crabs will help in identifying new crab populations.
To learn how to be a citizen scientist and take part in this study, you can attend a free Molt Search training. The training teaches participants how to use the Molt Search app and how to identify different crab species. Once trained, all you need is access to a beach and time to collect and identify molts, then load the information into the Molt Search database via your smart phone or computer. It’s fun, easy and takes only 20 minutes to complete a search.
Molt Search is a program by Washington Sea Grant, with partnership from Washington State University Extension and many local partner organizations.
SOLSTICE SALMON DAY
Saturday, June 21
12:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Finnriver Cider Garden, Cidery Taproom & Orchard
An all-ages gathering of salmon education and celebration! Booths, games, crafts! With Salish Sea Makers Market. Meet Fin the giant Salmon in the yard.
At PTMSC, our summer day camps allow burgeoning young scientists and adventurers to spend a week exploring beaches, uncovering treasures hidden in our exhibits, playing games, making crafts, and hiking through beautiful Fort Worden State Park.
Openings for campers ages 6-7 in Junior Explorers camp.
Join us for a wet, sandy, adventurous, fun-filled week!
Visit our camps pageto register. Coastal Explorers and Junior Explorers still have spots open!
Nearly 70 percent of the nesting seabird population of Puget Sound and the Straits nest at these two islands, just outside of Port Townsend, including one of the largest nesting colonies of rhinoceros auklets in the world, as well as the largest nesting colony of glaucous-winged gulls in Washington. Protection Island contains one of the last 2 nesting colonies of tufted puffins in the Puget Sound area. About 1,000 harbor seals rely upon the island for a pupping and rest area.
These cruises are hosted by seasoned PTMSC naturalists and interpreters, who provide excellent commentary on the natural history of the island and the birds and wildlife sighted. Sign up for a cruise today!
If you missed out on any (or all) of this season's offerings, you can always check out out long running series on YouTube!
Our lecture series, The Future of Oceans, draws on the commitment of professional researchers and educators across all academic spectrums to help define and inspire the health of our oceans.
We keep a playlist of our lectures on our YouTube page. Subscribe to our channel to get the latest videos!
Thanks to the Darrow Family for their ongoing support
LAST CHANCE!
at the Flagship Landing Gallery:
Aves:
Photographs of Birds
by Kerry Tremain
thru June 8
Friday - Sunday
12 - 3 p.m.
We are thrilled to be able to share Kerry Tremain's work in our gallery this spring. Kerry's photographs in Aves demonstrate the close, patient observation of the natural world that is required to capture a moment of a bird's life. His images are also detailed records of birds we may have seen, but never quite as beautifully as he saw them with his camera.
This show provides an ideal opportunity for PTMSC to connect visitors to the natural world, to see life in a new way, and we know people will be awed by what they see.
Join us for First Saturday Gallery Walk! June 7, open 5 – 8 p.m.
STORE AND GALLERY HOURS
With the Museum at Fort Worden State Park closed for remodeling until early Summer of 2025, we encourage you to check out our website (and future editions of this newsletter) for upcoming programs!
Downtown Port Townsend 1001 Water St.
Store
Thursday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday & Monday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Gallery
Friday - Sunday, noon - 3 p.m.
Join us for First Saturday Gallery Walk! June 7, open 5 – 8 p.m.
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