Get Involved at Olympic Coast
National Marine Sanctuary!

Taking an active role caring for the environment is easy. Hours that you spend working to improve marine habitats, understanding trends in marine wildlife and sharing knowledge with others show your generosity to future generations.

Volunteer opportunities at Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary are open to young and old alike.

1. Select an activity appropriate for your available time, interests and physical abilities.

2. Contact the appropriate OCNMS volunteer contact person.

3. Submit all the volunteer forms to your contact person.

4. Pitch in to work!

Volunteer Opportunities

Annual Beach Clean-Up

You are invited to join us one weekend per year (usually towards the end of April) for the annual Washington Coast Cleanup Day. We will collect and remove debris from Washington's Olympic Peninsula Pacific Ocean beaches. This clean up is energized by a partnership of community organizations, businesses, tribal and government agencies that formed the Washington Clean Coast Alliance in 2008. More information on the Alliance and volunteering for this and other beach cleanup events is available at www.coastsavers.org. Marine debris will be hauled off the beaches and brought to roadside collection sites for proper disposal. This community/volunteer effort will help preserve the beauty of our ocean beaches, reduce impacts of marine debris to wildlife, and make our shores safer for recreation.

For information and next year's dates, please contact
Jacqueline Laverdure at
(360) 457-6622 x21
jacqueline.laverdure@noaa.gov

Olympic Coast Discovery Center (OCDC)

Sea otters, submersibles, seabirds, science, education, resource protection, weather, currents, Marine Protected Areas... Do you have an interest in broadening your knowledge about the ocean?

Come volunteer at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary's Olympic Coast Discovery Center (OCDC)!

You are invited to participate in the Olympic Coast Discovery Center Volunteer Training, in Spring 2008.

Training to become a docent for the Olympic Coast Discovery Center will be held Thursdays, April 3rd through May 1st, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The training will be conducted in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary conference room on the second floor of The Landing mall, 115 E. Railroad Ave., near the Discovery Center and Downriggers restaurant.

Five training sessions:

April 3 - "Introducing National Marine Sanctuaries and the Olympic Coast Discovery Center"
April 10 - "Research in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary"
April 17 - "Diversity of Life and Ecosystems in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary"
April 24 - "Maritime Heritage and Current Issues"
May 1 - "Tips for Volunteering"

And two field trips:

May 8 - Tide pool Exploration at Tongue Point
May 15 - Makah Cultural &Research Center and Cape Flattery


To sign up, please contact
Jacqueline Laverdure
(360) 457-6622 x21
jacqueline.laverdure@noaa.gov

COASST

The Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST)is a citizen-science program established to identify the carcasses of marine birds found on beaches along on the outer coast of Washington State.

Pairs of specially trained COASST volunteers conduct monthly or bi-monthly surveys of a particular stretch of coastline. Each carcass is measured, identified, photographed, marked individually, and left in place.

COASST data help create a baseline, or the 'normal' pattern of beached bird mortality. Armed with this information, we can detect unusual events such as increased mortality due to weather or oil spills.

Perhaps most importantly, COASST data can be used to identify long-term changes in the status of our resident marine bird populations.

For more information, or if you are interested in volunteering with COASST, please contact
Mary Sue Brancato at
(360) 457-6622 x20
mary.sue.brancato@noaa.gov

Volunteer Recognition

Volunteers' Stories

Volunteer Newsletter

Sanctuary News

Calendar of Events