This project was a great mix of indoor and outdoor service! We directly connected to life in the Salish Sea as we served and cared for both natural and human-created habitats, and raised awareness and appreciation for those finned, shelled, and tentacled beings that live outside the Marine Life Center tanks.
With the guidance of MLC staff extraordinaire, Parker (and his pup, Cooper!), we began our day of service down on the beaches of Samish Island. We set off excitedly as crab wranglers and red kelp gatherers, collecting multiple buckets of sea life and hiking them back up the trail to be transported to their new home at the Marine Life Center.
Upon arrival at the MLC, we explored the tanks and its inhabitants before we set to work. We sorted our collection of crabs, limpets, snails, red kelp, and oyster shells into several buckets and then placed them into the various touch tanks and exhibits. Most of our collection was destined to be food for the current inhabitants of the MLC. While distributing the creatures, we learned about the importance of places like the Marine Life Center, which provides refuge for sea life that was trapped illegally and would have been thrown out otherwise and also provides educational experiences for those without easy access to the Salish Sea.
After sorting and re-catching many of the escape artist crabs, we grabbed some nets and ran down to the dock behind the MLC to try our hand at catching fish. There was a HUGE school of small silver fish swirling around all the sailboats and yachts, so we thought it'd be easy to snag at least one. Alas, after many coordinated efforts to corral and catch, the school eluded us all. Our last task of the day was to wash all the windows and outsides of the tanks.
What a truly wonderful day of service, interacting with the fantastic creatures of the intertidal, all for the purpose of educating others about the importance of marine ecosystems.
Our words of the day reflected the impact of service and the connections built: Crab, Fish, Seaweed, Habitat - Let's Make a Crabitat!
Slideshow from our day here.
What a truly wonderful day of service, interacting with the fantastic creatures of the intertidal, all for the purpose of educating others about the importance of marine ecosystems.
Our words of the day reflected the impact of service and the connections built: Crab, Fish, Seaweed, Habitat - Let's Make a Crabitat!
Slideshow from our day here.
Mottos in use today: LIBK, Widen Your Circle, Walk Your Talk, Our Cups Overflow, Stretch Your Edge, Challenge by Choice, Everyone Helps, Attitude of Gratitude, All Things Are Connected!
