If you're having trouble viewing this email, you cansee it online.
Volunteer Opportunities
BEACH Water Quality Monitoring Volunteers
Help us ensure our local beaches are safe for swimming!
PTMSC is seeking volunteers to support weekly water sampling at Fort Worden State Park, starting May 18.
The Washington BEACH Program tests marine beaches for bacteria contamination during summer months (Memorial Day to Labor Day). The program is jointly led by the Washington State Departments of Ecology and Health. This year, county agencies plan to test at 46 high-use, high risk beaches in Puget Sound and on the coast in partnership with local organizations and volunteers.
That is where you come in!
We need 2-4 more volunteers to help with weekly sampling at Fort Worden State Park this Spring/Summer. If we have 2 groups of 2, we can alternate weeks!
Time commitment is 1-3 hours on MONDAY MORNINGS. (This is required-the schedule is set by Public Health).
Volunteers in the BEACH program must be 18+. Minors may accompany a supervising adult.
All tools and training provided.
Interested? Have questions? Email Hillary Sanders at hsanders@ptmsc.org.
Additional note: The Department of Ecology is currently seeking feedback on the beaches they monitor throughout Western Washington. See the beach list and send your feedback here. Submit your feedback by May 10.
Low Tide Walk Training
Sunday, May 3, 11am
Do you love exploring tidepools and sharing fun facts with people? Join us for our spring and summer Low Tide Walks! See below for our training dates, and programs to sign up for.
New and returning volunteers are welcome to attend the training.
Low Tide Walks will be held on the following dates:
Saturday May 16th, 9:00am - 10:30am
Saturday June 13th, 8:45am - 10:30am
Friday, June 19th, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Sunday July 12th, 8:30am - 10:00am
Sunday July 26th, 9:00am - 10:30am
Sunday August 9th, 8:45am - 10:00am
Field Trip Volunteers Wanted - NEW
various dates
PTMSC offers field trips to schools near and far, and we have some school field trips coming up. If you would like to support PTMSC education staff, please see below. Prior knowledge of subjects is not required, just interest in learning and helping students learn too!
Teton Science School (6th - 8th grade) is visiting from Wyoming! We would appreciate volunteer help with the following activities:
Do you know any teens who enjoy working outdoors, with youth, and/or love marine science? We are looking for volunteer camp counselors to help with summer camps! To find out more and sign up, fill out the application form.
Volunteer Corner
PTMSC is hosting 2 opportunities each month for volunteers to get to know PTMSC, our staff and each other better. We hope you'll be able to join us sometime!
Join us for our Brown Bag Lunch—an easygoing get-together where PTMSC volunteers can enjoy a relaxed lunch, and take part in a program created just for you.
Pints and Plankton - NEW LOCATION!
Tuesday, May 19, 5pm
Join us at The Pourhouse on the third Tuesday of every month at 5pm for Pints and Plankton—aka marine science happy hour! No science talk required (unless you really want to).
This is a laid-back chance for volunteers to hang out, get to know each other and our staff, and enjoy some good drinks while supporting a local business.
Announcements
Congratulations to Mandi Johnson, Public Health Hero!
Jefferson County Board of Health recognized PTMSC staff memberMandi Johnson as a Public Health Hero for launching PTMSC's Community Tool Library! "Through her work with the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and JeffCo Repair, she leads repair events, beach and parks cleanups, and reuse programs that keep items out of landfills and make Jefferson County healthier, safer, and more connected."
Gallery Exhibit Opening May 1!
Salish Explorations: Exploring Light and Atmosphere Through Watercolor Field Paintings, by Maria Coryell-Martin
Each painting in this exhibit is a window to a specific place and time around the ever-changing marine landscape of Port Townsend. Through art created during two residencies—one aboard the Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry in fall 2025, and another at Fort Worden through Centrum in spring 2026—Maria explores how the Salish Sea defines our region through its shifting light and atmosphere.
Artist Bio
Maria Coryell-Martin is an expeditionary artist, continuing the tradition of traveling artists as naturalists and educators. Upon graduating from Carleton College in 2004, she embarked on a year-long Watson Fellowship to explore remote landscapes through art. This experience sparked a resolve to continue working as an expeditionary artist, focusing on polar and glacier science, and to inspire environmental awareness in audiences of all ages. Maria’s travels have brought her face-to-face with polar bears, leopard seals, emperor penguins, and narwhals.
Maria’s field work becomes the foundation for developing art and stories in her studio to cultivate care and curiosity for the world around us.
Inspired by her experiences making art in rugged, remote areas, Maria developed her own expedition-ready tools for sketching and painting and shares them with the world at arttoolkit.com. Learn more about Maria at expeditionaryart.com
Upcoming Events and Programs
Click on the program for more information.
In the Flagship Gallery -Salish Explorations: Exploring Light and Atmosphere Through Watercolor Field Paintings Friday-Sunday, 12-3pm, opening Friday, May 1
Molt Search Training - Monday, May 4, 5:30pm Learn to ID and report invasive European green crabs
Dive! Into a Book - Sunday, May 10, 2pm Read a marine-themed book and talk about it with us
Puffin Cruise - Saturday, April 16, 3pm Tour the Salish Sea with Puget Sound Express and see local puffins!
Molt Search Training - Thursday, May 21, 5:30pm Learn to ID and report invasive European green crabs
Port Hadlock Repair Event - Saturday, May 30, 10am Clean up our local beaches with PTMSC for Earth Day
Puffin Cruise - Saturday, June 6, 3pm Tour with a PTMSC naturalist on board Puget Sound Express
The Community Tool Library offers tools and other useful things to borrow when you need them! This is based on the simple idea that we don’t all need to own everything we use and that through sharing, we can build community.
Come join Allison, one of our Aquarists, to explore a marine-themed book each month. Our next book is Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet , by Maria Mudd Ruth.
We can’t admire the ocean without acknowledging some of the incredible creatures above the surface. This tiny bird, living the majority of its life offshore, relies on old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest to survive. Efforts for conservation are a delicate balance with the timber and fishing industries that profit from the same habitat the marbled murrelet relies on. This book is an ode to the “sea potato” that brings together both the marine science and birding communities.
For more information, and to RSVP, please visit our website.
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)
Jefferson Land Trust Summer Camps
Jefferson Land Trust summer camps are open for registration! Camps run 9am-5pm, and are located at Sunfield Biodynamic Farm and Waldorf School in Chimacum.
Volunteer Appreciation
Thank you to MMSN volunteers SteveMcD, RebeccaB, Brittany R, and Stephanie W who have responded to marine mammal strandings in recent weeks, including a dead gray whale. We could not do this work without you and are grateful for your swift response and thorough reporting. We know it is not the easiest work, but it is so important to better understand the story of marine mammals in the Salish Sea. Go team!
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.
%20(17)(1).png)
.png)
.jpg)
.png)
