Submitted by the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team.

On May 20 and May 22, the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team will deliver a training session on Lopez Island and Friday Harbor respectively. COASST participants help make a difference for the environment by collecting data on beach-cast carcasses of marine birds on a monthly basis to establish the baseline pattern of beached bird mortality on North Pacific beaches.

Through an interactive, hands-on workshop, trainees will become acquainted the custom COASST field guide, Beached Birds, and have a chance to try out their newly acquired identification skills on seabird species common to the North Pacific. The COASST training provides participants with the tools to monitor for potential changes in the marine environment and promote stewardship of local marine resources.

COASST is a citizen science project of the University of Washington in partnership with state, tribal, and federal agencies, environmental organizations, and community groups. COASST believes residents of coastal communities are essential scientific partners in monitoring marine ecosystem health. By collaborating with community members, natural resource management agencies and environmental organizations, COASST works to translate long-term monitoring into effective marine conservation solutions. Currently, nearly 1000 participants survey beaches in Washington, Oregon, California, and Alaska.

The training session will be held at Lopez Island Library and Friday Harbor Laboratories. There will be a short break in the middle of the session for lunch, so please bring your own sack lunch or money to purchase food in the area. Participants need NO prior experience with scientific data collection, just a commitment to survey a specific beach at least once a month.

For more information and to reserve your training spot email coasst@uw.edu. More information on COASST at coasst.org.