Events
Upcoming Events
July 2024
Whale Ambassadors
During April, a gray whale washed up on the east side of Vashon Island and it was decided to leave the whale on the shore to decompose naturally. To study the decomposition process, we installed motion-sensing wildlife cameras to document visits from scavengers. Cameras recorded a coyote tearing off parts of blubber, a curious mouse […]
September 2024
Salmon Watchers
Help count salmon in our annual community science survey! Volunteers are assigned a spot alongside a creek on Vashon and they visit twice a week for 15 minutes to count salmon returning. In 2024 a mandatory zoom training is scheduled for old and new volunteers alike from 7-8 pm on September 26th. For new volunteers […]
October 2024
Winter Bird and Mammal Surveys
Help us contribute data to a long term Puget Sound wide monitoring effort the Puget Sound Seabird Survey while also collecting crucial baseline data on Fern Cove wintering seabirds and marine mammals. Surveys last 30 minutes and happen on the first Saturday of every month from October-April. Learn more about the Puget Sound Seabird Survey […]
December 2024
Science & Art Series: Slugs & Snails
Did you know that snails can have up to 2500 teeth on their tongue and slugs can stretch up to 20 times their length?! Dive into the fascinating world of slugs and snails with our unique Science & Art Series workshop! Learn about terrestrial mollusk diversity and forest floor ecology from Maria Metler of Vashon […]
January 2025
Fin to Feather: Naturalist Training Course
A Naturalist Series exploring Vashon Island from subtidal to treetop canopy. Teachers, Islanders, and Off-Islanders welcome! Explore Vashon Island from the surrounding underwater kelp forests and nearshore ecosystems to the forest canopies, and strengthen your connection to the natural history of central Puget Sound. Throughout this seven month course, you will learn about geology, weather […]
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Previous Events
November 2024
Salmon Poetry Night
Attend an evening of poetry from the anthology I Sing the Salmon Home and hear from salmon advocates about how to get involved in efforts to protect these cherished and imperiled species. The event will be held at the Land Trust Building (10014 SW Bank Rd, Vashon) on November 14th from 7-9 PM. Hosted by […]
Mushroom Walk with Hannah Morosoff
Join naturalist Hannah Morosoff for an enchanting exploration of the fungi of Frog Holler Forest on November 10th, 2024 at 11 am. This family-friendly walk will be about two hours and meander through the forest trails, where you will be learn about fungi present that day. Please dress for the weather and bring a backpack […]
Day of the Dead: Heron Meadow Work Party
Join us in a fall planting work party at Heron Meadow! What: The Heron Meadow is a two-acre wetland forming part of the eastern headwaters of Judd Creek, Vashon Island’s largest salmon-bearing creek. In 2019, the Vashon Center for the Arts and Vashon Nature Center created a partnership to restore this wetland meadow to become […]
October 2024
Vashon eDNA Project
Have you heard of eDNA? It’s like nature’s invisible fingerprint! Environmental DNA (eDNA) is genetic material collected from environmental samples—such as seawater, freshwater, soil, sediment, ice, permafrost, or air—without needing plants or animals to be physically present. They leave behind traces of DNA through things like feces, urine, sloughed skin, scales, decaying matter, gametes, mucus, […]
Meet Singer the Gray Whale
What: Meet Singer the whale at the Coop! With help from Student LINK science students we completed a preliminary articulation of the whale bones to inventory them after recovery from the beach. We are using this opportunity to allow the community to get up close and personal with the whale before we move him to […]
Talks on the Rocks: Seth Zuckerman on Forest Nation
The fate of forests and the fate of our climate are inextricably bound up together. Forests store carbon, keeping it out of the air where it makes mischief with the weather, but the global warming already underway is destabilizing forests, including those right here on Vashon Island. As our forests are degraded and put at risk, […]
September 2024
Nature Magic with Vashon Nature Center
Explore the wonders of native medicinal herbs with Vashon Nature Center as part of a weeklong celebration of Lord of the Rings at Vashon Library. As the great Gandolf once stated: The world is not in your books and maps, it’s out there! A hobbit must prepare before stepping out their front door – learn […]
Campout at Camp Sealth
Camp Sealth is hosting an adult only, glammed up version of the summer camp experience. There will be a wide range of outdoor and creative activities, including a birding unit led by Vashon Nature Center! Click here to learn more and register.
June 2024
Low Tide Celebation
Join us for the 16th annual Low Tide Celebration, a free and family-friendly community event honoring the wonders of our shorelines. Sign up to volunteer as a beach naturalist by emailing info@vashonnaturecenter.org
Crab Molt Search – Training Session
Vashon Nature Center invites the public to assist in WSU Extension and Washington Sea Grant’s “Molt Search” program, a citizen science initiative to combat the growing concerns about the invasive European green crab. The European green crab is considered to be one of the world’s worst invasive species and it threatens the overall health of […]
Spring Snorkel Surveys – Lost Lake
What: Join us on a snorkel surveys this spring! We are looking for snorkelers who will be documenting fish use of shoreline restoration sites by swimming 100 m transects at different depths along the shoreline, and a shore observer to record our data from the beach. When: June 4th 5-6pm Where: Lost Lake, potentially at […]
Spring Snorkel Surveys – Tahlequah
What: Join us on a snorkel surveys this spring! We are looking for snorkelers who will be documenting fish use of shoreline restoration sites by swimming 100 m transects at different depths along the shoreline, and a shore observer to record our data from the beach. When: June 4th 5-6pm Where: Tahlequah Ferry Dock It […]
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Header Photo: Alex Koriath