King County offers chance to teach about your beach

2005 Archived News

King County is recruiting volunteers for the Beach Naturalist Program -- a fun, hands-on project for local citizens who care about Puget Sound beaches and want to teach others to do the same.

Beach Naturalists learn and teach such things as why seaweed is slimy, what sea stars eat, and why barnacles stand on their heads. More importantly, they teach about the importance of respecting and caring for our fragile near shore ecosystem.

Naturalists will receive training from marine and interpretive experts on three weekday evenings (April 5, 21 and May 3) and three Saturdays (April 9, 30 and May 7). Once trained, volunteers spend three summer weekend days educating visitors about beach ecology and beach etiquette at Constellation Park (Alki), Lincoln Park, Golden Gardens, Carkeek Park, Seahurst Park, Des Moines Beach Park and Richmond Beach.

A program orientation is scheduled Tuesday evening, March 22, 2005 at the Seattle Aquarium. To sign up or learn more, please call Polly Freeman at 206-296-8359, e-mail polly.freeman@kingcounty.gov, or check out the Beach Naturalist Web site.