Beach Naturalists help others 'sea' beach critters in a new way

Get your hands dirty, your feet wet and your questions answered at your local beach this weekend. King County's Beach Naturalists will be out giving guided tours of the cool creatures and plants that live around Puget Sound. There should be much to see because low tides means oodles of marine life close to shore.

Beach Naturalists are citizen volunteers who care about Puget Sound beaches and want to teach others how to protect them. Wearing khaki vests and crab-emblazoned hats, they teach beach-goers important beach etiquette, show off moon snails and anemones, and reveal the answers to such mysteries as why barnacles stand on their heads and what sea stars eat.

Last year, more than 100 volunteer Beach Naturalists spoke with more than 18,000 beach visitors over the five summer weekends of the program.

Look for Beach Naturalists at Richmond Beach, Carkeek Park, Golden Gardens, South Alki Beach, Lincoln Park, Seahurst Park in Burien and Des Moines Beach Park on the following weekends:

• Saturday, July 9: Noon - 3:00 p.m. (tide -1.1 at 1:27 p.m.)
• Sunday, July 10: 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (tide -0.4 at 2:03 p.m.)
• Saturday, July 23: 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (tide -2.7 at 12:58 p.m.)
• Sunday, July 24: Noon - 3:30 p.m. (tide -1.5 at 1:44 p.m.)

For proper beach etiquette, remember these tips:

Walk carefully. Watch where you are stepping and avoid eelgrass beds, which are nearshore nurseries for many animals.

Leave dogs home. Dogs are not allowed on most Seattle beaches. Instead, take them to parks with designated "off-leash" areas.

Leave it at the beach. Don't take away rocks, shells, seaweed, logs and other beach items that are food and shelter for many critters.

Let it be. Don't pull on animals like anemones and barnacles that are tightly attached to rocks or pilings. Also, if you move rocks to look underneath, gently put them back the way they were. Rocks protect critters -- many too small to see -- that live under and on top of them. Also, fill in any holes you or others dig to protect the critters that live buried in the damp sand and need cover.

Remove trash. Remove the trash you bring and the trash you find, especially fishing line and plastic six-pack holders.

The Beach Naturalist Program is co-sponsored by Seattle Aquarium, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Forum for WRIA 8 (the Lake Wash./ Cedar/ Sammamish Watershed), Forum for WRIA 9 (the Green-Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed), King Conservation District, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team, People For Puget Sound, Russell Family Foundation and King County Water and Land Resources.

For more information about the Beach Naturalist program, call the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks at 206-296-8359, Toll-Free 800-325-6165 Extension 68359, TTY 800-833-6388 or the Seattle Aquarium at 206-386-4365. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to people with disabilities upon advance request.