Algal blooms, seabird deaths topic of talk at Forks training session
Published 12:01 am Monday, September 5, 2011
FORKS — The 2009 algae bloom that killed thousands of seabirds off the coast of the Olympic Peninsula will be the topic of a talk on Friday, Sept. 30.
The day after the presentation by Julia Parrish, executive director of Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team — or COASST — the agency will provide a training session for new volunteers.
Parrish will talk on “The Perfect Storm: Harmful Algae, Migratory Seabirds, and Warming Seas” at the free presentation at the University of Washington Olympic Natural Resources Center Social Hall at 1455 S. Forks Ave., Forks.
The talk will be from
7 p.m. to 8 p.m., preceded by light refreshments served from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“Harmful algal blooms are increasing in number, intensity and duration, especially in coastal environments,” said Annie Woods, volunteer coordinator for COASST, in a prepared statement.
“Are conditions that caused the deaths of seabirds in 2009 simply a perfect storm or the result of changing environmental conditions favoring certain species of algae and spelling disaster for coastal seabirds?” she said.
On Saturday, Oct. 1, the COASST will offer a training session for new volunteers from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the same place.
The event is free to the public; new volunteers are required to pay a $20 deposit for materials received.
Lunch will not be provided.
COASST volunteers collect data on beach-cast carcasses of marine birds on a monthly basis to establish the baseline pattern of bird mortality on North Pacific beaches.
Data collected provides information to address marine conservation issues and protect marine resources.
To RSVP, contact COASST at 206-221-6893 or coasst@uw.edu.
