When Coleman was in second grade, his father pulled him out of school for a few days to accompany him on a business trip to the northern and western Peninsula. It was a much different world back then. There were fewer people living here and there were more old growth forests. It all seemed very magical to Coleman. That visit planted a seed in his mind and it was then that his desire to live here was born. Numerous visits to the Peninsula over the years only reinforced that desire and he finally made the move in 1988. Since then he has been involved in many volunteer programs in the community, including with the North Olympic Salmon Coalition.
What is the most interesting job you’ve had?
I’ve had a lot of really great jobs. Being paid to hike in the Rocky Mountains, to survey streams, to ride a boat around the Salish Sea while studying seabirds and to do salmon recovery work in the shadow of Mt. Baker for 2 years was pretty cool. So was going out to sea in Alaska as a fisheries observer, and surveying for Marbled Murrelets in the Olympics.
What are your favorite projects you’ve worked on as a volunteer with NOSC, NOLT, NOPLE, and other organizations on the Peninsula? How has being involved with these organizations changed your relationship with the Peninsula and its ecosystems?
Helping with a long term study of the Hoko River estuary for Streamkeepers has been one of my favorite volunteer projects. Estuaries are complex environments and forever changing and fluctuating. Since they have oceanic and freshwater components, one encounters the fauna of both. They are very productive biologically. I also enjoyed doing snorkel surveys in the Gray Wolf and Dungeness headwaters.
Can you describe your connection to the Peninsula and the awesome things you have been involved with on the west end?
I especially like living near the Western Strait of Juan de Fuca. The population out here is small and there is still room for predators like cougars and bobcats. It is a good place to find silence and solitude. It is rare to find beaches where one can be alone but here along the western Strait those beaches can still be found. There are miles and miles of public beaches out here and few people utilizing them. Every time I walk on the local beaches or hike in the hills bordering the Strait, I feel that I’m in the center of the universe.
Recently you spent the day with us hiking up a tributary of the Little Hoko River to conduct habitat assessments as a part of the Hoko Fish Barrier Prioritization Project. You mentioned that walking river banks is one of your favorite activities. Can you explain your fascination with riparian ecosystems?
I’ve always been interested in natural history and at a young age, while fly fishing, I discovered that rivers and streams were great places to explore biodiversity. A riparian forest has a higher concentration of nesting birds than other forested ecosystems. A river bank is a great place to encounter our local reptiles and amphibians, and it also is where large mammals come to drink. And of course it’s where the fish are.
From what I understand, you are quite the birder. How did you first get interested in birds and what is your involvement with bird surveys on the Peninsula? Do you have a favorite bird species?
I can’t think of a time when I wasn’t interested in birds and other types of animals. I’m fond of just about every bird out there and don’t have a favorite. However, I’m especially fond of aquatic species. I love the winter moths when the Salish Sea fills up with water birds from the northern regions and the continental interior. Freshwater swamps are a wonderful place. I do volunteer bird studies for the Puget sound Seabird Survey, the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Teams (COASST) and the Pigeon Guillemot Study. I also submit data to Cornell University for the Ebird and Feederwatch data base. I’ve been monitoring Shi Shi Beaches marine birds for several different organizations for close to 30 years. I’ve been there close to 300 times and have yet to tire of it.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
The Olympic Peninsula is a special place. Get outside and enjoy it.
Thank you, Coleman for all of the work you do with the Salmon Coalition and other organizations in the community. You are an inspiration to many!
