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Divers Phil Sconce and Mike Doyle brought crabs, sea cucumbers and sea stars to the surface, as a dozen children and adults touched and watched them and listened to volunteer Roberta Woods discuss the creatures.
James Waltz, 11, who will be a sixth-grader at Washington Middle School in the fall, stroked the tentacles of a sea anemone.
“They want to suck you into the mouth area,” he said. “It’s really cool.”
James said that he noticed lion’s mane jellyfish and other creatures as the group walked to the end of the dock.
“The starfish are huge.”
The free event was part of Marine Creature Mondays, organized by Stream Team, a multi-agency educational and volunteer program focusing on Puget Sound waterways.
Ann Marie Finan, outreach and education specialist in Thurston County’s water resources program, said that Marine Creature Mondays are meant to introduce local families to the South Sound environment.
“We’re hoping it helps them develop more of an appreciation for marine creatures that we don’t normally see,” she said. “When you get to see them up close, you’re more apt to want to do things to protect them.”
The group also promotes water monitoring, educational programs and removing litter from waterways.
Janet O’Connell of Olympia brought her two children, 8-year-old Claire and 5-year-old Jack, to learn more about creatures that they would normally not notice when they are spending time on the water.
“I have two kids who are naturalists by heart,” O’Connell said.
Venice Buhain: 360-754-5445 vbuhain@theolympian.com
