Volunteer Training Beach Walk

This year, we are asking our fans to help us raise $10,000 to support our digital beach walks and the continued operation of the Skansie Visitor & Interpretive Center. Right now we are a little over halfway to our goal at $5,175!!! Your donation will help us inspire tens of thousands of people to be good stewards for the Salish Sea in 2022.

Thank you for your support.

Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon

Sitting on a dock or walking along the water you may hear before you see the Kingfisher, take this as a sign of goodluck. The Kingfisher's unique song resembles a shrill chattering. Kingfisher's are found year round in Pierce County and are very active birds. These beautiful birds can be found perched high above water-ways guarding their territory, ready to plunge headfirst into the water to collect a fish. Their distinctive blue plummage, "mohawk" head feathers, and orange heartshaped chest all in a tiny compact body give this bird its appearance. The smallest species can be as tiny as 10 cm in length, and the largest species as big as 46 cm. Their long thick beak is shaped like a dagger to better catch their prey. These birds have amazing eye sight and can even determine the depth of a fish in the water. They dig burrows in dirt banks, tree holes, or even old termite mounds to create their nests. One of the most famous kingfishers is a native of Australia and is the Kookabura, known for their call that sounds like laughter.

Less Fertilizer, Less Pollution

With gardening season coming around the corner, it’s time to get our seeds, fertilizer, and water ready to grow some plants. As we start gardening for this season, remember to not lay the fertilizer on too thick. Too much fertilizer can hurt your plants and important microorganisms. It can also make root systems not develop fully which can cause problems in nutrient uptake for plants and cause them to be more susceptible to the weather. Not only can too much fertilizer hurt plants, but it can also hurt the environment. The excess of salt in fertilizer creates carbonic acid in water and sea life does not handle carbonic acid very well. So just remember, as youre laying the fertilizer to help your plants grow, try not to put too much. Small changes like these help preserve our environment.