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International Coastal Cleanup Day-PTMSC table
Saturday, September 19
Here's another opportunity to share your passion for making our oceans healthier and protecting marine life in the Salish Sea and beyond. We can use one more volunteer to help out at the checkin table at Fort Worden, from 11a.m.-1:15p.m.
During this shift, PTMSC volunteers check the beach cleaners back in, help them sort their debris appropriately, and help with minimal cleanup.
On International Coastal Cleanup Day, volunteers from around the world will work together to keep our oceans and the life in them as healthy and diverse as possible. In partnership with WA CoastSavers, Port Townsend Marine Science Center is sponsoring 2 beach cleanups in the Port Townsend and Port Hadlock area.
Join us on September 19, from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. at either of our cleanup locations: Fort Worden State Park or Indian Island County Park! Find more details on our webpage here
Additional opportunity: Remote Cleanup Crew - Are you feeling up for trekking a few miles on the beach and carrying a load of debris on your back? Well, this option is for you. We are putting together one or two small groups to clean up more remote beach locations. For more information on what this would entail, reach out to Mandi at mjohnson@ptmsc.org
Education Volunteers Wanted!
Thursday, September 10
Explorer West Middle School 6th grade (25 students) will be visiting PTMSC for a field trip.
We're looking for classroom assistants for Intro to Invertebrates (9:30am - 11:00am) and Plankton Lab (11:45am - 1:00pm). Help inspire student questions and discussions, and assist with materials like art supplies and microscopes. Teaching experience not required - just a willingness to learn with kids. Contact Education Manager Carolyn Woods, cwoods@ptmsc.org to sign up or with questions.
PTMSC Exhibit Docent Training
Tuesdays, September 15, 22, 29
Would you enjoy sharing the wonders of the Salish Sea with others? We are looking for Exhibit Docents to inspire curiosity, conservation, and connection with our local marine environment.
As a docent, you'll welcome visitors to the PTMSC exhibit at Fort Worden, engage guests of all ages in hands-on learning, answer questions, and encourage exploration through inquiry and conversation.
Docent Training Includes:
Tour of the PTMSC exhibit
Kelp forest and Salish Sea ecology
Techniques for engaging visitors
Training will over three Tuesdays-September 15, 22, and 29, 6-8pm. Please email Hillary Kleeb at hkleeb@ptmsc.org if you are interested.
Please join us in helping visitors discover the Salish Sea.
Trivia Night Hosts
September 24
PTMSC hosts Marine Science Trivia Night at FinnRiver on Thursdays, beginning in September. We have a dedicated team of volunteers who will be doing the hosting, grading, and question writing, however, we have a need for a host on September 24, 5-8:30pm. This will involve some set-up and tear-down, as well as public speaking with a microphone as you ask and answer trivia questions. We will make sure you know what to expect. Email Sara Aamodt at saamodt@ptmsc.org if you are interested in participating.
Lecture Greeters
October 4
Are you interested in supporting PTMSC's Lecture Series, and also getting to learn more about how rising ocean temperatures is affecting the kelp forest? We're looking for lecture greeters for our October 4 lecture about the kelp forest! You'll help set up, welcome guests, thank folks for their donations, make sure everyone has their parking passes, stay for the lecture, thanks guests for coming, and help with tear down.
Would you like to present at a PTMSC Brown Bag Lunch?
Brown Bag Lunches will be coming back this fall, and we're looking for people who have marine science knowledge or experiences to share. These will be on the second Tuesday of each month, 12-1:30pm.
Presentations are generally about 30-45 minutes long, with time for questions.
Last spring we went on a birding walk, learned how and why to use iNaturalist, heard from PTMSC's AmeriCorps Member Gabriella about her experiences living on board a research vessel, and got to see some amazing underwater photography. We have a community of folks with lots of skills, knowledge and experiences, and we'd love to hear from you!
Please contact Hillary Kleeb at hkleeb@ptmsc.org if you have something you think is cool that you'd be happy sharing.
Volunteer Corner
PTMSC hosts 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!
Brown Bag Lunch-PTMSC's Hydrophones
Sept 8, 12pm, PTMSC exhibit at Fort Worden
Did you know that PTMSC has a couple of hydrophones under the pier at Fort Worden? These allow anyone to listen to what is happening in the water around us. In our first Brown Bag Lunch of the season, volunteer Eric McRae will be talking to us about our hydrophones.
Announcements
Volunteer Appreciation Party
Wednesday, September 30
Please save the date for our Volunteer Appreciation Party, on Sept 30, from 5-7p.m. We'd like to celebrate you! And if you don't want to be celebrated, and we hope you'll join us anyway. Invitation to come soon. Thank you for everything you do.
Goodbye Gabriella and Kelly!
Gabriella and Kelly, our AmeriCorps members have finished their service, and are moving on from PTMSC. Gabriella is moving back to Portland to research graduate programs, and Kelly will be working with PTMSC for a little while longer, and has also accepted a position with Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue. From Kelly:
"Thank you to all the volunteers I've had the privilege of working with as an AmeriCorps member! Whether it's been through the exhibit, education programs, brown bag lunches, or citizen science projects, it's been awesome getting to work with so many kind, talented, and generous volunteers. I've learned so much working alongside everyone, thank you PTMSC volunteer community!"
And speaking of AmeriCorps members:
Housing leads wanted! PTMSC is currently recruiting AmeriCorps members and we have some great candidates who are interested in housing leads that are affordable on the stipend they'll be receiving. FYI, all members do go through background checks before starting service. If you (or someone you know) has a room, ADU, studio, etc available for rent we would be happy to pass the information along. Please reach out to Carolyn (Education Manager) at cwoods@ptmsc.org
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, PTMSC's Aquarium Specialist, to explore a marine-themed book each month. September's book is The Ocean's Menagerie: How Earth’s Strangest Creatures Reshape the Rules of Life (2025), by Drew Harvell, about the vast and fascinating world of marine invertebrates. Please RSVP here.
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)
Kul Kah Han Native Plant Garden Speaker Series
Kul Kah Han's final speaker of the season is Patrick Loafman, botanist and author, who has discovered 29 native plant species not formerly associated with the Olympic Peninsula.
Sunday, Sept 20, 1pm
HJ Carroll Park Salmon Shelter
Volunteer Appreciation
Thank you to this season’s BEACH volunteers: Diane B, Mel R, Erica C, and Dori B!
BEACH volunteers venture out every week from Memorial Day to Labor Day to take water quality samples, ensuring our local beaches are safe to swim. Learn more at:
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!
Thank you to everyone who has submitted their hours! If you haven't yet, we're happy to help you catch up.
Photo by Wendy Feltham
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.
PTMSC Exhibit at Fort Worden Hours 502 Harbor Defense Way
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