2015

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (SITC) recently began a restoration project to establish, expand, and research Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) populations on Reservation tidelands. Olympia oysters are the only native oyster to the Puget Sound region and they traditionally played an important role in tribal culture. Yet, due to overfishing, pollution, and the widespread cultivation of non-native Pacific oysters (Crassostrea… Read Project SummaryRestoring an endemic species to native tidelands: Olympia oysters in Swinomish pocket estuaries

Beavers are both ecosystem engineers and keystone species. As ecosystem engineers, they modify their environment through dam building to create wetland systems which reduce their predation risk and increase growth of preferred food types. Their role as keystone species results from their ability to transform a stretch of single-thread stream into a large and wide wetland complex, with numerous pools… Read Project SummaryThe Skykomish Beaver Project: Building educational opportunities for aspiring ecologists