Applications are now being accepted for the upcoming 2014 WSU Beach Watchers training program.
WSU Island County Beach Watchers are trained volunteers dedicated to protecting and preserving the marine environment of Puget Sound and the greater Salish Sea through research, education, outreach, and stewardship.
Beach Watchers training is an opportunity to receive more than 100 hours of university-level instruction from experts in diverse fields. The training is a mix of indoor instruction and guided field trips held at various locations both on and off the island. Topics include watersheds and groundwater, marine biology and oceanography, salmon and nearshore habitats, forestry, native plants and animals, intertidal beach monitoring, coastal geology, climate change, waste reduction, recycling, sustainable living, and much more.
Spring training classes will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, from April 2 through May 14, with one additional field trip to the Elwha Dam removal site.
The fall training classes will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 18 through Oct. 30, with one additional field trip to a salmon hatchery and a tidal rehabilitation site.
Summer trainees will choose from a variety of projects to participate in.
Cost is $100 and class sizes are limited.
Call Stinger Anderson at 360-240-5558 for details and visit www.beachwatchers.wsu.edu/island for an application. Submission deadline is midnight Feb. 27.
