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Cloud Ridge Naturalists
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CONSERVATION IN FOCUS (3):
THE SALISH SEA & SAN JUAN ISLANDS
September 29-October 6, 2013 8 Days/7 Nights
Jenny Hahn, Dr. Geoff Hammerson, Audrey
Benedict, Bob Rozinski & Wendy Shattil,
Sarah Drummond and the M/V Catalyst Crew

Thousands of years before Europeans first arrived in the Pacific Northwest, the Coastal Salish people flourished along the shores of one of the most biologically rich inland seas in the world— the Salish Sea. Named in honor of those first inhabitants, the Salish Sea straddles the Canadian border and includes Washington’s Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the San Juan Islands, and British Columbia’s Gulf Islands and the Strait of Georgia. Connected to the Pacific Ocean primarily via the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Salish Sea receives an almost constant influx of nutrientrich freshwater from British Columbia’s Fraser River, the Skagit, and the many smaller rivers of Washington’s mainland—all of which provide the essential building blocks for the region’s extraordinary biodiversity. The strong currents and extreme tidal exchanges that typify the Salish Sea create optimal conditions for nutrient upwelling and for the proliferation of the photosynthetic plankton forming the basis of the food chain.

Life in the San Juan Archipelago is governed by the sea’s rhythms—its extraordinary biological richness attributed to the rain shadow cast by the Olympic Mountains and the greater diversity of habitats available to plants and animals in these islands than occurs along the wetter mainland coast. Not surprisingly, the San Juan Islands provide critical habitat for marine mammals such as migrating grey whales, resident and transient populations of orcas, harbor seals, Steller and California sea lions, and river otters. More than 165 species of birds depend on the Salish Sea and adjacent terrestrial habitats for their survival. The overwintering seabirds and sea ducks we’ll see— murrelets, guillemots, murres, rhinoceros auklets, scoters, and harlequin ducks—will have recently arrived from their North Pacific breeding areas. All seven species of Pacific salmon, including rainbow/steelhead and coastal cutthroat occur in the Salish Sea. Near-shore and deep-water habitats are also home to several “giants” of the marine world, including the North Pacific giant octopus, plumose anemone, giant red sea urchin, and the geoduck, largest of the burrowing clams. Once again, our “classroom afloat” is the superbly comfortable M/V Catalyst, a 76-foot lovinglyrestored wooden boat built in 1932 as the floating laboratory for the University of Washington. Jenny Hahn, one of the Northwest’s foremost naturalists, kayak guides, and an award-winning author, joins our naturalist team at the helm and will also share the cultural history of the coastal First Peoples as well as the culinary delights to be found at the sea’s edge. Guest scientists for this voyage include Dr. Joe Gaydos, director of the SeaDoc Society, a science-based marine conservation program associated with the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine/Wildlife Health Center, and Russel Barsh and Madrona Murphy, founders of Kwiáht, the Center for the Historical Ecology of the Salish Sea. To extend our learning beyond the intertidal zone, Dr. Gaydos and his dive team will conduct a “virtual dive” for us—transmitting live coverage of the magical deep-sea world to a big-screen TV on board the Catalyst for us all to enjoy—without having to don a wet suit!

Today, over 7 million people live in the watersheds that nourish the Salish Sea. Many scientists and citizens are trying to do the right thing to secure the future environmental health of this extraordinary inland sea. The impacts of a burgeoning population, global warming, ocean acidification, commercial fishing pressures, fishfarming, and the threat of a major coal shipping port at Cherry Point all pose significant environmental challenges for the future. Our goal is to create a book that truly captures the essence of the Salish Sea region—as well as the challenges looming on the horizon. Refine your natural history understanding, be inspired, and learn how you can make a difference!

Price: $2,550 (includes a $500 deposit)
Group Size: 12
Trip Rating: 2-3

Price Includes: 5 nights/6 days aboard the M/V Catalyst, all meals and beverages (including wine and beer), 2 nights’ lodging (September 29 & October 5 in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island), two group dinners ashore, all instruction by our photographic and naturalist leaders, guest lecturers, full sea kayak outfitting, Catalyst’s four-person crew and all gratuities, a copy of our group-produced photo book, and a copy of Jenny’s Pacific Feast. The price quoted is per person based on double occupancy. The Catalyst has only one single-berth cabin. A single supplement of $250 is required of any participant preferring non-shared hotel accommodations or for whom we have no roommate. Does not include roundtrip airfare or travel from your point of departure to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island. Seminar begins with dinner and lodging in Friday Harbor on September 29 and concludes with dinner and lodging in Friday Harbor on October 5. Travel home or to other destinations may be scheduled for the morning of October 6th.

Need more information? Visit the Pacific Catalyst website at www.pacificcatalyst.com for boat pictures, cabin details, interior spaces and amenities, and crew biographies.

 
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