During the rest of the year, the Volunteer Beach Naturalist program hosts community education programs including night beach walks, guest lectures and winter birding opportunities.
To volunteer & more information, please contact Doug Stark 
here or call (360) 733-8307.
Birch Bay State Park - Visit the State Park Website
The second most popular destination for clammers in Washington State, Birch Bay's wide sweeping beaches of sand and gravel are home to crabs, sand dollars and other treats such as the sand dab, a small flounder. Dig a hole and find various clams and sand worms - but don't forget to refill that crater!
Larrabee State Park - Visit the State Park Website
Wildcat Cove hosts Whatcom County's finest public rocky intertidal shoreline. A great spot for tide-pooling, visitors find sea stars, red and green anemones and tide-pool sculpin, with many more treasures revealed under the myriad sea weeds at low tide. Look under rocks for shore crabs and blenny eels and remember to carefully replace their shelter.
Marine Park in Fairhaven - Visit the Port of Bellingham Park Website
Renovated from Rip-Rap by the Port of Bellingham, Marine Park reopened in 2005 with a welcoming sandy-gravel beach. At low tide kids can still find crabs under rocks, mussels under the bridge and explorers may walk the beach to rocky Post Point to see aggregating anemones.
Semiahmoo Park - Visit the Whatcom County Parks Website
The cobble shoreline at low tide leads to vast sandy flats. Wander across the expanse of sandy bars and pools to find crab, sand dollars and clam shells. Check the large boulders at the south end for ochre sea stars. Watch out for the holes – those horseneck clams will squirt ya’ as they retract their necks.
Sunset Beach, Washington Park, Anacortes - Visit the Anacortes Park Website
Picnickers and beach goers might see shore crabs and cling-fish beneath sea weeds and boulders of the picnic area, while explorers further down the shore find black-katy chiton and thatched barnacles freckling the exposed rock formation.
Beach Naturalists are returning to Sunset Beach, thanks to the volunteer efforts of WSU Beach Watchers of Skagit County with assistance from the North Sound Baykeeper.
Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve- Vist the Marine Reserve Website
Whatcom County's newest park is now open to the public. Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve features 54 acres of forest, bluff and beach, with a 3/4 mile fully accessible trail to spectacular viewpoints of the Strait of Georgia and San Juan Islands. A switchback path descends from the bluff to access a windswept cobble beach.
Beach Naturalists were among the 400 people in attendance at Point Whitehorn Park grand opening on Memorial Day, 2009.
(thanks to Annie Prevost for photos) |
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Blood stars, sunflower stars and this moon snail were among the stellar finds of the day.
The Beach Naturalist Program is made possible by volunteers and the North Sound Baykeeper, a project of RE Sources for Sustainable Communities.
