Citizen Science Projects at PTMSC are carried out in partnership with scientists or scientific organizations who value our help in answering real-world scientific questions. To learn more about these projects and to find out how you can get involved, contact Jean Walat, Citizen Science/Volunteer Coordinator, at 360-385-5582, ext 114.

Water Quality and Harmful Algal Blooms

Sound Toxins —Volunteers collect plankton and monitor for algae that produce toxic substances. This is part of a Sound-wide study of harmful algal blooms carried out by NOAA.

Sound Citizen Water Quality Monitoring—Volunteers assist Dr. Rick Keil, of UW, in a study that tracks the presence of cooking spices in Puget Sound, to investigate the connection between our urban landscapes and its marine waters.

BEACH—In partnership between, EPA and WA Departments of Health and Ecology, volunteers collect water samples from Fort Worden beaches and send them to a state lab where they are tested for fecal bacteria.

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Detection Network—Volunteers collect mussels from the PTMSC dock in a program run by WA Department of Health that monitors shellfish for toxins responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning.

Dinophysis Monitoring Project—In partnership with WA Dept of Health, our AmeriCorps staff sample the entire water column weekly to detect and count the dinoflagellate Dinophysis, implicated in Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning.

Orcas and other Marine Mammals

Orca Project—The Orca Project has brought together many members of the community to help us clean, measure and photograph the skeleton, and to prepare it for articulation. As the Project moves forward, volunteers will work under the supervision of Lee Post (aka Boneman) in putting together and hanging the complete orca skeleton a new new exhibit at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. The exhibit will help us educate about the orcas and the challenges they face today.

Salish Sea Hydrophone Network—PTMSC is a node in this network of organizations using underwater microphones to monitor orcas. Volunteers listen to sounds coming in to help recognize the presence of endangered southern resident killer whales. Learn more more at our hydrophone page.

East Jefferson Co. Marine Mammal Stranding Network—volunteers respond to reports of dead, stranded or abandoned marine mammals and collect data on the incident for NOAA Fisheries, Office of Protected Resources . They occasionally "pup sit" seal pups resting on the shore.

Other Project Topics

Point Wilson Native Plant Restoration—The Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society is leading efforts to restore and protect the diverse native beachfront flora in Fort Worden State Park. Find out more.

Dungeness Crab Larva Monitoring Project—Volunteers use collectors to trap the megalops larvae of Dungeness crabs, in a study carried out by the Suquamish Tribe on the origins and movements of crab larvae in Puget Sound and Hood Canal.

Beach Seines—For over 20 years PTMSC has regularly sampled the fish and invertebrates living in eelgrass beds adjacent to its exhibits at Fort Worden State Park, using a 100-foot seine net. Specimens are quickly identified and released.

Plastics in the Marine Environment—In this study led by PTMSC, volunteers sample, sieve and sort sediments from beaches througout Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits to determine the amount of plastic present on local beaches.

Puget Sound Sea Bird Survey (PSSS)—This citizen-science survey organized by Seattle Audubon empowers volunteer birdwatchers to gather valuable data on wintering seabird populations in Puget Sound.