Want to learn about anemones, sea urchins, scallop shells and other miracles of tidal life? Drop by select beaches around the Sound -- from Des Moines to Richmond Beach – this Sunday, May 20, from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and get free, hands-on tutoring from Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists, who participate in the Aquarium's "Meet Me at the Beach" program.
If you're new to beachcombing, you'll also want to check out Jennifer Johnson's excellent article on tips for low-tide learning, which we just posted on ParentMap.com. Via Jennifer's article, I now know a good online source on tides is protides.com; that Sunday's lowest tide is at 11:20 a.m., but that the best time for walking the tides is an hour before or after that time; and that an even better day to be out communing with the anemones will be June 3, which will boast a minus three tide.
There will be many more opportunities to walk the tides with the experts this summer. In June, Seattle Aquarium's beach naturalists will be in session on June 2, 3, 4, 6, 17, and 30. In Tacoma, Point Defiance naturalists lead low-tide walks at Owens Beach on June 5 and 21 -- you can even help them collect data; and Tacoma Nature Center will hold a low-tide walk (Tiptoe Through the Tidepools) at Titlow Beach on June 3.
In Edmonds, drop by the Olympic Beach Visitor Station for tidepool teaching on June 2, 3, 16, 17, and 23.
Happy beachcombing!
