The King County / Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalists Program is a great local asset for people that love the shoreline, its critters, and learning about our local Puget Sound ecosystem. The Beach Naturalists are all volunteers, and have gone through an informative multi-week training program held at the Seattle Aquarium before they are let loose on our local public beaches to help casually teach beachcombers young and old about what they are seeing. I was personally a Beach Naturalist for several years and enjoyed both what I learned and what I could teach others. It meshed well with my other volunteer work as a People for Puget Sound community “Pod Leader”, too.

One of the most interesting things about going out to a beach on a Beach Naturalists day is experiencing all of the hidden aspects of beach life that you would likely otherwise just walk on by without ever noticing. Even on a seemingly “barren” gravel beach there is a surprising amount of life under every little rock. And on beaches where large boulders are strewn about, the variety and intensity of sea life exposed at low tides is exceptional.

Definitely check it out; you’ll learn a lot and every visit afterwards to your own front yard or to a local beach will have more depth.

Resources:
Beach Naturalists Program
Beach Naturalists’ schedule on local public beaches
Seattle Aquarium
Seattle Times article about Beach Naturalists

Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalists Program