Blog
Fin whale on Vashon
by: Bianca Perla, featured photo above by Kelly Keenan. Have you ever touched whale skin? It’s slippery and firm like the smooth skin of a wet apple. Have you had the chance to stand and look down into a whale’s gaping mouth? The lines of stiff baleen fray open to...
BeachNET launches as part of larger Salish Sea restoration
by: Kathryn True On several cold, wet nights this winter, while the rest of us cozied up by the fire, a group of intrepid scientists and volunteers visited local beaches to pan for gold—fish gold to be exact. They carefully measured out predetermined beach sections,...
Walking on water
by: Kathryn True Every few years, islanders are treated with a rare and miraculous gift: the ability to walk on water – water in its solid state, that is. The far reaches of ponds that we normally gaze longingly at, bound as we are to terrestrial shores, are suddenly...
Brrrrr… January wildlife update
Brrrrr!!!! These icy bluebird days have delivered much beauty to us this winter. But long cold spells are a challenging time for our Pacific Northwest wildlife. During cold spells it is harder to find food and water. While some animals will go into torpor/hibernation...
Annual Christmas Bird Count: a long-standing citizen science tradition
Kick off the New Year with the Christmas Bird Count A guest blog for VNC from Audubon Master Birder Ezra Parker As a grand finale to your holiday season, consider ringing in the New Year by participating in the Vashon-Maury Island Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count...
Recent alpaca kills
All of us at Vashon Nature Center are saddened about the recent livestock kill this week. Read Beachcomber article here. From the time we first learned of the cougar on our shores we have been hoping for a happy ending but also cognizant of the challenges that our...
Vashon Nature Center Wildlife Update
by: Bianca Perla As Thanksgiving approaches I am thankful for my time with the wildlife and natural areas on this island which constantly remind me that there is so much more to this existence than our human world. It’s been quite an exciting few weeks. After a...
Champions for Biodiversity: Judd Creek BioBlitz 2016
Thank you to all who turned out for BioBlitz 2016! What a wonderful 24 hours it was. Below you will find the preliminary highlights along with some photos. But first, we’d like to share some fitting reflections on the BioBlitz experience from VNC Outreach and Program...
Nature at the Door
With apologies for anthropomorphism. Recently my friend, Kate, told me about being awakened in the middle of the night by her yowling cats. She walked into the kitchen and looked out her glass door, expecting to see a raccoon on the other side. Instead she found a...
Header Photo: Bianca Perla