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Olympia, WA – The Port of Olympia partnered with the Puget Sound Estuarium to present hands-on learning experiences about Budd Inlet biology and history to over 400 fifth graders from local school districts. These Estuary Life & Landforms field trips took place over two weeks in October and included oyster dissections, landform modeling, and historic shoreline walking tours.
“Estuaries are where salt and fresh waters meet and these are biodiversity hotspots,” said Puget Sound Estuarium Executive Director Paris McClusky. “It’s exciting to provide an opportunity for students to learn more about the marine life of our area and how their habitat has been impacted by humans through Olympia’s history.”
Field trippers were able to examine shellfish that live in tidal flats. They delved into bivalve anatomy by doing oyster dissections and learned how to filter feeders contribute to water quality. They were also introduced to the math needed to calculate dredging and fill and learn about the role that engineering plays in real life. The Port of Olympia led students on walking tours of the Port Peninsula to explore the history of Olympia’s working waterfront and what the Port is doing to cleanup legacy contamination.
“While many of the industries that used to operate on the shores of Budd Inlet no longer exist, the Port of Olympia continues to provide jobs and support economic growth of our region,” said Port of Olympia Executive Services Director Lisa Parks. “Past industrial activities, unfortunately, left behind pollution, and the Port is working to clean up and restore Budd Inlet. We wanted to give students a chance to experience the uniqueness of this body of water firsthand, and show that by working together, we can achieve a healthier ecosystem.”
The Estuary Life and Landforms field trips were supported by a No Child Left Inside grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office and an environmental education grant from The Russell Family Foundation. While these field trips can only be arranged through the school districts, the Puget Sound Estuarim offers many in-person programs such as Tiny Tides Storytime and walking tours. Visit pugetsoundestuarium.org. For more information about the Port’s work to cleanup and restore Budd Inlet, visit portolympia.com/remediation.
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Media Contacts:
Joy Johnston, Port of Olympia Communications,
portnews@portolympia.com, 360-995-2492
Paris McClusky, Puget Sound Estuarium Executive Director, paris@pugetsoundestuarium.org, 717-580-0425
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