Kids corner: SeaStars, sunStars study marine biology aboard historic schooner

Adventuress hosts Harbor Wildwatch students for a day

Hugh McMillan

Kids corner

A Kids’ Corner told of the adventures of a group of youngsters affiliated with Harbor Wildwatch at Penrose Point State Park this summer. This impressive group of inspired kids learned how to respect and protect marine life and the waters in which it flourishes.

The kids had a fabulous end-of-summer adventure in September. Had I learned of it earlier, I’d almost have sold my soul to be part of it.

Twenty-seven graduates of Harbor Wildwatch’s seaStar and sunStar Junior Naturalist programs had a marine biology adventure aboard the historic schooner Adventuress.

Built in 1913, the 133-foot Adventuress is a work of maritime art owned and operated by Sound Experience, a non-profit organization that sails the historic schooner “to help people discover Puget Sound and learn from its majesty and of its vulnerability,” said Sandy Dawson, HWW’s seaStar program coordinator.

Dawson said the seaStars and Beyond Program is a grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to environmental education in Gig Harbor and the Key Peninsula.

“Our goal is to provide residents with fun, memorable engaging programs that encourage stewardship of Puget Sound and the world’s oceans,” Dawson said.

There are two groups in the Junior Naturalist Program — first-year seaStars and second-year sunStars.

Racheal Villa, sunStars program coordinator, said kids who graduated from seaStars in 2007 were invited to participate in a series of four marine biology workshops led by some local experts at various sites.

“SunStars met new seaStars at Penrose’s beach to mentor or guide them at the summer ‘Get Your Feet Wet’ events and help HWW Naturalists with the interpretive center and temporary touch tanks,” Villa said.

She added that Dr. Ernie Karlstrom, a retired marine biology professor and a Fox Island resident, led the kids on a treasure hunt for different marine species during a beach walk at the Fox Island bridge.

At another workshop at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, biologist Rachel Easton led the kids on a guided tour through the aquarium’s touch tanks and the large salt water tank.

“Dyanna Lambourn, a biologist who specializes in marine mammals, met us at the Department of Natural Resource’s Woodard Bay and showed the kids the harbor seals and their pups,” Villa said.

Julie Finch’s kids, Ethan and Adam — a fifth-grader and third-grader at Harbor Heights Elementary, respectively — said they enjoyed being aboard the Adventuress.

“It was informative, and I hope I can do it again,” they said. “My favorite part of sailing was when I got to steer the boat with the ship’s captain.”

Fourth-grader Annalise Buttafoco of Harbor Heights “liked seeing and learning about all the different sea critters that I’d never heard of.”

“Dr. Karlstrom is so fascinating to listen to,” Dawson said. “He makes it exciting for the kids (with) his passion for marine life.”

“The crew’s memorable presentations helped promote environmental stewardship,” said Chris Mayer, the father of Purdy Elementary third-grader Sasha Mayer. “What a wonderful, hands-on experience for both kids and parents.”

Artondale Elementary fifth-grader Leah Meyer said being on the Adventuress was a “ton of fun.”

“Rotating through the different stations with the crew and learning the history of the schooner was thrilling and educational,” Meyer said. “My favorite part was the plankton we collected from sea water to observe under a microscope; we found tons of little plankton. I’m going to continue the seaStars & Beyond program.”

Dawson’s daughter, Kait, is a sunStar who is a sixth-grader at Kopachuck Middle School.

In an e-mail, Kait wrote: “This was one of those once-in-a lifetime chances. I was so excited to go on the Adventuress! It was a fun experience because we got to put the sail up while singing a chanty. We also learned how to furl the sail and use the daisy chain knot.”

Kait said she learned 97 percent of the Earth’s water is salt water and 3 percent is fresh water.

“Of that 3 percent, 2 percent is frozen in the ice caps, so we only have 1 percent of the entire Earth’s water to use,” she wrote. “We have to take care of that 1 percent, because it’s all we have!”

Sherri Lauer’s Discovery Elementary students, Dominic, a fifth-grader, and Audrey, a third-grader, said sailing on the Adventuress was the best part of the program “because you got to learn about parts of the ship.”

All seaStars earned blue HWW shirts by completing four educational workshops and earned their HWW hats by planning and carrying out a service project.

All of them volunteered alongside beach naturalists with “Get Your Feet Wet” programs, which educate the public about local marine life with touch tanks containing marine species they helped collect.

“People who are aware how rich our beaches are with life are more likely to promote stewardship of our beaches in their daily choices,” Dawson said. “All the HWW kids have given back by designing and carrying out an environmentally focused service project.”

Key Peninsula Middle School eighth-grader Colton Ward said it was fun to drive the Adventuress.

“It was so cool. They let us turn the wheel and see the ship turn that direction!”

Ward’s sister, Megan, a sixth-grader at KPMS, said, “It was so cool to see how the crew lived on the ship! The workshops were also fun! I learned more new things about Puget Sound.”

The Wards’ mom, Vicki, has volunteered on the beach alongside HWW naturalists with her children.

“It was a beautiful sunny day for a sail, so we had a great time,” she said. “The kids got to pull the ropes and raise the main sail, singing with the sailors. They had a chance to tour the ship, and the captain let them sail it.

“The knowledgeable crew taught them about the history of the vessel and the Puget Sound watershed. They collected plankton, looked at it through a microscope and got a close look at local sea creatures collected by Dr. Karlstrom.”

Dawson said the group of kids fulfilled the mission of the seaStars & Beyond Program by becoming good stewards of the environment. She said they learned and studied the various ecosystems and the group’s connections to them.

“As seaStar Program Coordinator, I’ve had a great summer with this group of kids,” Dawson said. “They are all very focused and have a passion for improving our environment. They are great stewards of Puget Sound. Our future is lucky to have kids like these; they will make tomorrow a better place for us all.”

Harbor WildWatch offers junior naturalist summer programs for students ages 8 to 12 with an interest in marine biology. For information or to request applications for the 2009 summer program, visit www.harborwildwatch.org.

Hugh McMillan is a longtime freelance writer for The Peninsula Gateway. He can be reached at 253-884-3319.