HOW’S THE WATER?

As you gaze out over the usually still waters in our sector of Puget Sound’s vast marine labyrinth, you may take them for granted. You might think that salt water is pretty pedestrian stuff: just liquid with a lot of salt dissolved in it. Actually, it’s more complicated than that.

Scientists routinely take measurements of various aspects of the waters around Puget Sound. The factors being measured are those that experts watch closely in waters throughout the world. Things like salinity, oxygen content, and pH sound pretty uninteresting on the surface, but if you’re a crab, an octopus, a clam or a fish, these elements of salt water are crucial to your ability to make a living and reproduce successfully.

Dissolved oxygen is one important indicator of our waters’ overall health. Lowered levels of oxygen put marine life under stress, demonstrated tragically by summer events in Hood Canal. What depletes oxygen? It’s lowered when substances such as animal waste, improperly treated sewage and fertilizers wash into the water. This increases algal growth, and its ultimate decomposition, when it dies and falls to the bottom, uses up the oxygen that marine animals need.


All life in all the world's oceans rely on just the right chemical balance in the waters around them.

Another measurement is salinity, which refers to the amount of salts dissolved in the water. Too little or too much also affects marine life. The sea’s natural salt comes from the mountains, washed down by rivers. But humans can increase oceanic salt through agricultural runoff, wastewater from industry, and sewage plant effluent.

Temperature is also measured religiously; scientists are alert for big changes. Most marine creatures cannot tolerate a wide range of temperatures. Many fish, for example, have migrated up to northwest waters from the south because the southern reaches of the Pacific simply became too warm, particularly during those infamous “El Nino” events, and more important, gradually through global warming.

Another factor to measure is pH. This refers to the acidity or alkalinity of the water. If pH levels are too low or too high, fish may not be able to produce healthy young. Acidity is increased by the same human activities that alter salinity.

So there’s more to salt water than just the salt. Fortunately, scientists take these and other measurements continuously, all over the world, to determine how healthy the waters are, for the creatures that live in them, and we human creatures that live along their edges and interact with them on a daily basis.

Stormwater Solutions

We’ve all seen it in the rainy season here in the Northwest - water pooling in parking lots, coming off of roofs, running down the street and into the storm drain. Most of this water goes directly into our waterways without any treatment to filter out the contaminants it picks up along the way.

Stormwater is the leading contributor to water quality pollution of urban waterways in Washington (http://www.psp.wa.gov/stormwater.php). Polluted stormwater can contain contaminants that are toxic to salmon and other stream and marine inhabitants and been a factor in the closure of some Puget Sound shellfish beds and beaches.

Polluted water runs into a storm drain.

Pollution from factories or sewage treatment plants, while still a problem, is easier to manage because the pollutants come from a single location. Stormwater runoff on the other hand, picks up small amounts of pollution until it is a veritable chemical cocktail by the time it reaches our waterways.

The pollutants in stormwater runoff can come from a variety of sources, including our lawns and gardens, and that is what this month’s newsletter will focus on. There are two major ways that you as a homeowner, can help reduce the impact of polluted stormwater. Once, is by reducing the amount of pollution coming from your property, and the other is by reducing the amount of water runoff from your property.

Landscaping

The easiest way to make sure that chemicals that you use for your lawn and garden aren’t polluting our waterways is to not use those chemicals! There are lots of ways to keep a beautiful yard without using chemical pesticides or fertilizer.

If you mulch heavily in planted areas, it makes pulling weeds very easy. If you have weeds that need to be removed from your lawn, a weed puller is very effective. Another effective weed solution is spraying them with white vinegar (this usually works best if the vinegar is applied during warm weather when plants are “thirsty”). And for getting rid of weeds coming up through the sidewalk, driveway, or other nonflammable area, a weed torch can be used to incinerate them.

Sometimes people fertilize their lawn or garden, without considering whether their soil is actually deficient in nutrients, and if so, which. It may be obvious that your soil needs fertilizer if your plants are not thriving, but if you’re not sure, a simple soil test can tell you what your soil needs. Most garden stores sell simple at home soil tests, but this are not always accurate. For really accurate results, you can send a soil sample in to a laboratory for analysis (your local Extension office will have a list of these labs).

If you find that your soil does need amendment, the best thing to use is organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizer breaks down slowly in your soil, delivering nutrients to your plants over a period of time instead of in one burst. This is healthier for your plants and the slow release action means that even if some of the fertilizer does wash off in a rainstorm, it is not as damaging to our water. Compost is another good way to boost the nutrient content of soils. If you are unable to obtain organic fertilizer or compost, slow-release fertilizer is the next best thing.

A copper strip around a wine barrel planter.

Pesky garden slugs can be caught and killed in a homemade trap by filling an empty margarine tub half full with beer (or apple juice) and sticking the tub in the ground so that the lip of the tub is level with the ground. The slugs will go in for a drink, but can’t climb back out. If you have raised beds, you can put a strip of copper around the bed and slugs will not crawl over it.

Water quality problems can be caused by what we put on our lawn and garden, and they can also be caused by what our pets put on our lawn. Bacterial contamination from pet waste can cause shellfish beds and beaches to be closed. It’s not a glamorous job, but the responsible way to take care of your pet’s poop is to double bag it and throw it away.

Planting a buffer of vegetation between your property and the water is a great way to prevent pollution from entering the water. The plants will trap chemicals that may be in the water, and will also trap sediment that can harm water quality. Using native plants in your buffer has an added benefit of needing very little or no maintenance (fertilizer, watering or pesticide) once established and provides habitat for animals.

Trapping and Infiltrating Stormwater

Impervious surfaces (such as concrete) prevent rain from soaking into the ground and are the reason that we see rivers of stormwater running down the street when it rains. Reducing impervious surfaces and finding ways to trap rain water for later use, will allow the water to infiltrate the ground where the soil can filter out any toxins it may have picked up.

Some of the suggestions below (permeable pavers and rain gardens) will involve letting more water infiltrate your soil during a storm event. If you live on bluff property, or any other type of property where landslides may be an issue, water infiltration must be done with extreme caution. It is best to consult a hydrogeologist prior to making changes with regards to water infiltration if you live on this type of property.

Sidewalks, driveways and patios are often paved with concrete or other impermeable materials that do not allow water to pass through into the ground. There are many alternative materials that can now be used to cover such areas. Permeable concrete can be used in many situations and is porous so that water can pass through. Permeable pavers are laid like bricks and create a lattice-work that allows water to soak into the soil.

Your roof is another example of an impervious surface, and there are simple measures you can take to reduce the runoff from your roof. Rain barrels can be hooked up to your downspouts to catch rain water. Not only do rain barrels minimize the amount of stormwater runoff, they are a great way to reduce your water bill too; water from your rain barrel can be used later to water your garden.

Rain gardens are another tool for managing runoff. A rain garden is made by digging depression in the ground, then planting this depression with plants that can tolerate having their roots wet. When there is a rain storm, excess water will flow into the rain garden where it can be soaked up by the plants, or slowly infiltrate the soil. For more detailed instructions on how to build a rain garden, see the resources section.

A newly planted raingarden traps runoff from a parking lot.

Not all runoff comes from storm events. Sometimes, we are the cause of runoff. This can happen when sprinklers are not directed correctly and are spraying water on sidewalks or streets or it can happen when we wash our cars in the driveway, allowing the water to run down the storm drain. Making sure your sprinklers are only watering your plants not only reduces runoff, it saves you money. One way to avoid runoff from washing your car, is to wash your car on the lawn (make sure to use a phosphate-free soap), but this is not foolproof and if you have a septic system, it may be challenging to find a place to park your car this is not over your drain field or your septic tank. Many commercial car washes recycle the water that gets used, so not only are you not contributing to runoff, you’re saving water at the same time.

Resources

City of Bremerton, Your Own Rain Barrel - http://www.cityofbremerton.com/content/sw_makeyourownrainbarrel.html

Department of Ecology, Managing Drainage on Coastal Bluffs - http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/pubs/95-107/drainsys01.html

Department of Ecology, Stormwater webpage - http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/index.html

King County Rain Barrel Information - http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/stewardship/nw-yard-and-garden/rain-barrels.aspx

Pacific Northwest Regional Water Program, Stormwater Management Directory - http://www.pnwwaterweb.com/initiatives/pnw_081.htm

Puget Sound Partnership, Stormwater webpage - http://www.psp.wa.gov/stormwater.php

Rain Garden Handbook for Western Washington Homeowners - http://www.pierce.wsu.edu/Water_Quality/LID/Raingarden_handbook.pdf

Washington Coalition for Alternative to Pesticide - http://www.pesticide.org/

Washington Toxics Coalition - http://www.watoxics.org/

WSU Pierce County Low Impact Development webpage (contains information on permeable pavers) - http://www.pierce.wsu.edu/Water_Quality/LID/

A VALUABLE LESSON

by Nancy Sefton

One fall day, members of our little homeowner’s association gathered to clean up the brush along the sides of our gravel road. A small row of alder saplings had dared to sprout in our drainage ditch, threatening to disrupt the flow of rainwater from our hillside neighborhood into Puget Sound.

My husband was about to start up his chain saw when a 12-year-old boy from down the street came by on his bicycle. He stopped, his eyes wide with astonishment. "You can’t take those trees away," he said. "Didn’t you know? Trees are the lungs of the earth!"

We all stopped working. There was a long silence. Finally I spoke, curious to know whether this young man was simply repeating a phrase heard in class, or if he really understood the concept. "How do you mean, Sammy?" I asked.

"Well, trees breathe carbon dioxide from the air. Then they breathe out oxygen. We all need oxygen!" he replied with self-confidence, and an air of satisfaction; after all, he'd just given 6 attentive adults a mini-lesson about our planet’s life processes.

Why do I remember this so well? Although I’ve long believed in education as one solution to the earth’s environmental woes, that was the first time I’d seen it so graphically at work.



Since then, I’ve seen it repeated time and time again. At places like Islandwood and the Poulsbo Marine Science Center, kids are finding adventure in discovery. A six-year-old learns that some sea stars have 20 arms; a nine-year-old learns that leaves falling to the forest floor are part of a cycle on which the entire forest thrives. Children exploring a beach with a naturalist learn even more, because they’re actually immersed in a natural habitat, watching a variety of marine creatures trying to make a living on a muddy, sandy, cobble or rocky shore.

Decades ago, there was no such thing as "environmental education". Today it’s all around us, in the classroom, in the field, in community youth programs, and on the TV screen, an effort born of necessity. Altogether, we’re creating better stewards of the natural environment that sustains all life.



Now, I must confess that the alder saplings rising in our drainage ditch were ultimately sacrificed in the name of more efficient runoff. But the incident left me with better feelings about our planet’s future, thanks to a young neighbor and his concern for trees and their precious gift of oxygen.

LOTSA MUSCLE

by Nancy Sefton

The vertical rock wall I paddled by in my kayak was exposed by low tide. It was covered with bumps, little rounded knobs of various colors... animals hanging on tenaciously to the sheer face, using suction and some incredibly strong muscles. Had I tried to pull one of these limpets off the wall, I’d have failed; it’s like they were stuck to the rock with super glue.

Among marine animals without backbones (invertebrates) there’s one group that qualifies as the Arnold Schwartzeneggers of the underwater world…excessively strong. It’s a diverse group as well. I’m always amazed that the little limpets with their conical shells, like Chinese hats, are close cousins of the octopus. Both are classified as mollusks, along with squid, cuttlefish, oysters and clams, and other marine snails of many kinds. Most species wear a shell on the outside, a few on the inside.

Besides the shell, what gives all these animals an odd kinship is muscle, pure muscle. That giant squid may never have let go of Capt. Nemo’s submarine (in Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”) if the captain hadn’t applied about 20,000 volts of electricity to the metal hull. Likewise, it takes a screwdriver and some elbow grease to pry apart the shells of an oyster.

Snails such as top shells, whelks and turbans simply suction themselves onto the rocks using that muscular foot on the underside. When they hunker down, pulling their shells over all the soft parts, they’re fairly well protected from predators. They feed using their tongues, which have a rough surface, to scrape algae from the rocks.

The mussel secrets strong fibers called byssal threads, guy wires that tie it to the bottom and to its fellow mussels crowded together securely on the sometimes stormy rocky shore. Mussels pump water through their siphons, filtering food particles.

A clam like the geoduck uses its muscular foot as a shovel . It digs quickly, and must often relocate as sand gets shifted around by heavy waves. A “soft” beach is a very different habitat than a rocky shore, and any mollusk trying to make a living there must be equipped to burrow. Like the mussels, these bivalves pump water to feed.
limpet underside: This limpet underside shows off the strong muscular suction device that keeps the animal attached to rocks.


limpet top: This limpet is starting to rise up on its muscular foot, from its attached position.


mussels: These small mussels, common on docks and pilings, show off the twin siphons through which they filter plankton via a pumping action.

Perhaps the most popular mollusk is the octopus. Our local species, the giant Pacific octopus, reaches 100 lbs. when fully grown, with an armspread of up to 18 feet and more. The 8 muscular arms of these mollusks are lined with powerful suction cups. A scuba diver embraced enthusiastically by “Octopus dofleini” would simply have to wait for his new friend to lose interest and relax its grip.

In the octopus, the traditional mollusk shell is just an interior sliver, but it’s there nonetheless, as it is in the squid and cuttlefish. These smart cephalopods are carnivores, using speed and agility to capture crabs, fish and other prey items with those efficient tentacles.

So despite their differences…in size, shape, feeding habits and intelligence, all these animals and more are bound by family traits that make them the diverse and fascinating mollusks.

THE NAME OF THE GAME IS CONFUSION

by Nancy Sefton

A geoduck is not a duck. A starfish is not a fish. A wolf eel is not an eel.

Some popular names for nature's critters are so badly chosen that it seems as though someone, way back when, was gleefully trying to confuse us non-zoologists about who's who in the animal kingdom.

Most people already know that a starfish is anything but a fish. A fish, after all, has a head and tail, eyes and fins, and is pretty mobile. A "sea star" (let's straighten things out starting here, and give the creature a proper name) has none of these, and, in fact, just sits around most of the time like a lump on a rock. Of course, it can creep slowly in anything but "hot" pursuit of a delectable bivalve like a clam or mussel, but it has to work fairly hard to do this.

Instead of moving parts like fins and tail to swim with, the sea star has thousands of tiny tube feet on its underside. These are operated by a very clever hydraulic system (invented long before we humans created the hydraulic piston). The tube feet are hollow, so the star can pump water in and out of each one, in just the right sequence so that the animal can move on what pass for little legs. So sea stars are amazingly talented in regards to motion, even if they're not fish.

Also, sea stars are invertebrate animals ("vertebrate" relates to spinal columns, "in" means "no way", "nada", "zilch", and that translates to "animal without a spinal column"). Vertebrates, animals WITH spines, of course include fish, aardvarks, platypuses, and us.

Now, to the lowly geoduck. How this huge clam which lives in the mud won the name of a free-swimming feathered creature with webbed feet is anybody's guess. "Geoclam" would be a better name, but then I wouldn't be having so much fun with this article.

The geoduck, much prized for its succulent flavors, is another invertebrate. Being a bivalve, it has the usual twin shells, hinged to open slightly when it's comfy cozy in its muddy burrow, and close like a trap door when it's disturbed. Most bi-valves extend a couple of siphons up through the mud to the surface; a simple pumping action pulls water in through one siphon, back out through the other.

Wolf eels, despite their streamlined shape, are really fish, not eels. What's the difference? Both eels and fish have spinal columns, which again, makes them vertebrates. But true eels are not found in our waters. Instead, our local "wolf eel" just happens to be a fish with a very long, snake-like body. It spends much of its time hiding in a rocky den on the bottom, more like an eel than a fish.

Fortunately most sea creatures have popular names that aren't misleading. Of course, one can always avoid any doubt by using a species' Latin name; but "sea urchin" is so much easier to say than "Strongylocentrotus franciscanus"!

Shore Stewards February Newsletter

Here is the February Shore Stewards Newsletter. Peg's apologies for forgetting to hit send. Stay tuned soon for the March Shore Stewares Newsletter . Also included are some upcoming septic system and blue thumb gardening workshops you may want to attend.

Remember to check with the Shore Stewards contacts for your county for
shoreline stewardship information and upcoming classes.

The Shore Stewards Contacts for your own counties are:
Linda Smith lsmith@jefferson.wsu.edu - Jefferson County
Pat Pearson pearsonp@wsu.edu - Jefferson County
Peg Tillery ptillery@co.kitsap.wa.us - Kitsap County
Tess Frazier frazier.tess@gmail.com - Kitsap County
Emily Sanford elpiper@wsu.edu - Mason County
Nora Moloney nmoloney@wsu.edu - Mason County
ESTUARIES
By Jeanne Bogert

Estuaries are places of wonder. They are formed when fresh water flows to the ocean and mixes with seawater. Also called lagoons, inlets, bays, or sounds, they comprise only a small slice of the earth's surface (less than 3/100 of 1%), but contribute tremendously to water purity, wildlife and human well being. This is where sediments and pollutants are filtered before they can enter the ocean and where many small sea creatures begin their lives. The "food web," begins here, where smaller animals nourish larger ones. Estuaries also absorb energy from storms and floods that have the potential to wreak havoc on humans.

Mudflats are the foundation of life in estuaries. Detritus (dead organic matter), flows along with silt and clay from fresh water rivers, swamps or coastal wetlands. In time, a slimy mix of bacteria and fungus is formed. Eelgrass grows here, providing food for many of the residents as well as filtering contaminants from the water. Microscopic organisms called plankton thrive in this environment.The plant variety (phytoplankton) uses sunlight for energy. Phytoplankton is eaten by the animal plankton (zooplankton), which is then in turn eaten by juvenile salmon, herring or sand lance larvae, starfish, clams, crabs, birds and many other fish and animals.

Estuaries nourish and protect people as well as fish and wildlife. More than two thirds of the fish and shellfish we eat spend some part of their lives in estuaries. Salmon, perch, octopus, scallop, sea urchins, flounder, sole and cod, shrimp and smelt are a few familiar examples. Estuaries also protect us from erosion and flooding. Many scientists believe that Hurricane Katrina had two to three times more velocity and 20% higher storm surges because of estuary loss and reengineering of swampland along the Louisiana coast.

A century ago the importance of estuaries was not fully understood. Consequently, nearly 70% in the Puget Sound area are gone and despite recent laws protecting these valuable resources, more are at risk. We all have the opportunity to help save remaining estuaries and perhaps restore others. What can we do? Prevent pollutants from washing into your waterways by making sure your septic system is in good working order and regular check-ups are scheduled. Also pick up pet wastes and minimize stormwater runoff. Preserve or restore the native forest and wetlands area near your shoreline. When possible, eliminate hard sea barriers and instead, plant trees to protect your bluff, coast and estuarine habitats. Most importantly, become aware of the principles of watershed management and share what you learn. These actions will help estuaries to continue to provide, protect and fill us with wonder.

Jeanne Bogert is a WSU Watershed Master / Beach Watcher volunteer from the Class of 2008. To learn more about the Watershed Master / Beach Watchers or to join, visit our website at http://whatcom.wsu.edu/environ/water/bw.htm or call 360-676-6736.


To Grind or Not to Grind - That is the Question
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Grind or Not to Grind

As with most other things in life, the question of whether or not to encourage the use of garbage disposals (or garbage grinders) is not an easy one to answer. One might be tempted to think that they are a "green" solution to food waste since they return the little bits of food to nature's water stream. Unfortunately this is not true. Using garbage disposals puts a strain on treatment plants, septic systems, and the streams, lakes, and bays which receive the treated wastewater from these systems.

Putting your food scraps down the disposal requires a large amount of increasingly precious water, and sewage with a high organic content, such as garbage disposal waste, is more difficult to treat. Higher organic content means more water, more chemicals, and more energy is used to clean the sewage before it is expelled into free-running bodies of water. Where, if it is not adequately treated, it adds to "nutrient pollution" - one of the main causes of coastal dead zones in estuaries, gulfs, and bays.

In a septic system, garbage grinder waste increases the amount of solids in the tank which can mean that the tank must be pumped more frequently. These solids may also be slow to separate and settle in the tank, and the higher concentration of floating food particles in the effluent increases the risk of clogging in the drain field.

Considering all of the above, you might be tempted to think that putting food scraps in the trash is the simple solution to this problem. But that creates a whole different set of challenges. Food waste makes up about 11% of garbage nationally. And while landfills continue to expand, space for this purpose continues to shrink. In landfills, discarded peels, rinds, and cores have no access to oxygen and therefore biodegrade very slowly. This slow, anaerobic decomposition also leads to the production of methane - a potent greenhouse gas with 23 times the insulating effect of carbon dioxide.

An interesting approach to garbage being tested in Europe, captures this methane, and converts food scraps to fuel. In Malmo, Sweden, a government-sponsored project includes 200 disposals in apartment buildings. The disposals are not linked to the sewer lines, but to a separate system for turning food scraps into methane by means of an anaerobic digester. The methane is then burned to produce power. http://www.gonomad.com/readuponit/2007/12/tor-tells-world-about-malmos-bo01-area.html A similar system is under consideration for a proposed 2,000-home development in London.

Anaerobic digesters are also being piloted in the US with a variety of applications including chicken and cow manure, and restaurant waste. Not only do they capture and burn methane that would otherwise add to the greenhouse effect, they also serve as a solution to increasingly strict policies for disposal of agricultural waste.

What almost all the experts agree on is that, aside from turning food waste into fuel, the most environmentally responsible way to dispose of organic waste is to compost. It keeps the trash out of the waste stream, uses no chemicals, and when amended to existing soil, enriches the garden or farm.
San Francisco, a leader in the area of environmental municipal waste removal, is providing a composting option in addition to the normal recycling program. Residents can put all their food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings in a green cart. Compostable liner bags are available to use as part of the green cart program. The food scraps are made into nitrogen rich compost and used by vineyards in the heart of California's wine country, including Napa, Sonoma, El Dorado and Mendocino counties - where wines are grown for sale in San Francisco's restaurants.

You can also compost at home, for free. Compost piles are easy to create and manage provided you have a little land to devote to one. While compost piles aren't a practical solution for everyone, they have become more and more popular as the desire to reduce our impact on the earth grows. For those with little or no garden space, worm bins are a great option. Worm bins can be used on a large or small scale and the resulting worm castings are an excellent source of additional nutrients for your potted plants, or lawn, or garden.

A great place to learn more about composting and raising worms is by contacting your own county resources at:

KITSAP COUNTY:
http://kitsap.wsu.edu/hort/mc_info.htm for Kitsap County
http://www.kitsapgov.com/sw/
WSU Kitsap Master Gardeners - 360-337-7158

MASON COUNTY:
WSU Mason Co. Master Gardeners- 360-427-9670 x 680
City of Shelton, Environmental Projects Coordinator, Tracey Farrell: 360-432-5126
Mason County Solid Waste- Recycling, David Baker: 360-427-7771 x 771

JEFFERSON COUNTY:
http://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/publicworks/solidwaste/default.asp - Jefferson County

So instead of using your garbage disposal, thereby increasing the use of additional "clean" water, putting a strain on our municipal wastewater treatment facilities (or your own septic system), and encouraging harmful algal blooms, start a compost pile in your yard or in your neighborhood, or keep a worm bin under your sink. The world will thank you.

Septic Sense and Blue Thumb Gardening Workshops
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Below are several Septic Sense and Blue Thumb Gardening workshop offerings to be held this spring in Belfair and Union that may be of interest.
For more information contact Teri King or Janis McNeal, Washington Sea
Grant, University of Washington
360-432-3054 or wsgcanal@u.washington.edu

---------------------------------------------------
LAWN & GARDEN CARE WORKSHOP
Thursday, March 19, 2009
6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Theler Community Center
22871 NE State Route 3
Belfair, Washington 98528

SEPTIC SENSE WORKSHOPS
Learn the Three Supreme Insights into the Fearless Flush!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Union Marina
5101 E Hwy 106
Union, WA 98592

BLACK GOLD: A COMPOSTING WORKSHOP
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
N. Mason Timberland Library
23081 NE State Route 3
Belfair, WA 98528

SEPTIC SENSE WORKSHOPS
Learn the Three Supreme Insights into the Fearless Flush!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
N Mason Timberland Library
23081 NE State Route 3
Belfair, Washington 98528

SEPTIC SYSTEM LANDSCAPING
Saturday, May 16, 2009
9:00 am to Noon
N Mason Timberland Library
23081 NE State Route 3
Belfair, Washington 98528

Harbor Seals

by Nancy Sefton

It was a glorious, noisy (and nearly bloodless!) battle.

I was in my kayak, sitting quietly behind a flat rock in Puget Sound. About 50 feet in front of me, two male harbor seals were going at it, tooth and flipper. Between open-mouthed lunges, they’d roll and thrash as the water around them boiled.

Finally, one of the combatants emerged with a bloody wound on his forehead, where his adversary’s teeth had found their mark. The injured seal, using discretion no doubt borne of experience, barked one last time and swam away. The victor snuffled as if thinking, “Well, another rival taken care of. Now where was I….”

All this violence is not the norm when observing harbor seals. Normally we see them on breakwaters, fur-covered flour sacks snoozing in the sun, paying little attention to passing human traffic. (Harbor seals are the species most adapted to urban life!) Or, they’re gliding through the water, dolphin-diving now and then in search of lunch.



Harbor seals are the smallest of the pinnepeds, the name referring to flippers. Of the two types of pinnepeds, our harbor seals are “phocids”, seals having no ear flaps, but simply small ear openings. (The other group is the “otariids”, which have noticeable ear flaps; sea lions belong in this category.)

Male harbor seals, like the participants in the sparring match, reach 5 to 6 feet in length, and weigh up to 200 lbs. The species’ spotted fur gives them the name leopard seal. They’re at home in warm and cold water alike, having a broad range from Baja California to the Arctic; they feed mostly on fish.

One of my memorable scuba diving experiences involved harbor seals. I was hanging in a kelp forest, the harbor seals were all around me, pirouetting like obese ballerinas through the tall stands of this prolific seaweed. One female took a particular interest in me and approached closely. Soon we were eye to eye, her whiskers practically brushing the glass of my diver’s mask. Her stare was hypnotic as it focused on my face with what poet Hart Crane called “the seal’s wide spindrift gaze.”

Perfectly weighted for this depth, I hung motionless in a sitting position. Then, I felt a slight pressure and looked down; the seal had placed one flipper against my knee. I was mesmerized. It was a magic moment. Since then I’ve wondered if she was merely stabilizing herself in the current, or perhaps trying to make sure I was real. I’d like to think she was trying to establish a moment of rare communication between creatures from two different worlds, but then, I’m a dreamer.

In a few seconds, the seal backed away and joined her friends. The group moved off through the kelp fronds like twisting torpedoes, perfectly formed masters of the sea, becoming gray apparitions in the limited visibility.

Nancy Sefton is a Trustee of the Marine Science Society of the Pacific Northwest, operators of the Poulsbo Marine Science Center. New members and volunteers are welcome; phone 360-779-5549. Visit the web site at www.poulsbomsc.org.