Submitted by the Friends of the San Juans

Students in grades 9 through 12 are invited to join Friends of the San Juans on a free boat trip to explore Stuart Island. At 9 a.m., July 19, the boat will leave Friday Harbor and return at 5 p.m. Students entering ninth grade in the fall are eligible to join.

Participants will learn about how the San Juan Islands were formed, the area’s natural history, connections between land and marine habitats, outer island off-the-grid lifestyle, and current environmental issues. Students will also collaborate to create a short video about the voyage.

They will travel along the geologically diverse shores on San Juan to Stuart Island, learning about how the islands were formed, why they look the way they do, and how they are still changing. Students will disembark for a five- mile hike to the Turn Point Lighthouse where they can witness and learn about shipping traffic, currents, and, with luck, orcas passing by. Along the hike, students will learn about how people on Stuart Island live off the grid using alternative sources of energy. In Reed Harbor, they will sample a known spawning beach for forage fish eggs and learn about why this connection between land and sea is critical to the marine environment. The return trip will focus on the connections between all that was seen and learned and planning for the collaborative video.

The boat captain, Greg Hertel, is a retired science teacher and will provide expertise on geology and natural history. Friends’ Science Director, Tina Whitman, will teach about forage fish, salmon, and their connection to the health of endangered orcas. Friends’ Community Engagement Director Katie Fleming will provide info on threats from increasing shipping traffic, orcas nand other wildlife, and alternative energy options.

Registration deadline is July 12. Contact Flemming at 378-2319 or katie@sanjuans.org to register.