#GRGCommunityStory | Puget Sound Esturaium | Olympia, WA
The Puget Sound is what makes the Northwest unique. The robust sea life, stunning views, and vibrant ecosystem offer people of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds a rare opportunity to learn more about the environment around them. Since 2007, Puget Sound Estuarium has been fostering these opportunities, by providing multiple programs that allow the community to explore, connect, and be inspired by the beauty of the Puget Sound area.
Sandy Ziener is a board member and volunteer with the Estuarium and works professionally in the field. She joined the organization because of its ability to connect kids with nature.
“Being a biologist myself, I love to teach to the little kids,” she says. “I love to show them all the fun things that they can find on the beach during a low tide. We've got moon snails and crabs and little fish and all sorts of stuff.”
To achieve its mission, Puget Sound Estuarium has created programs like Meet the Beach, walking tours, and Tiny Tides Storytime to help everyone learn about the precious ecosystem around them.
Puget Sound Estuarium also works to protect the shoreline by providing essential education services like summer camps, hosting field trips, and providing local schools with estuary-themed educational kits. Each program is meant to create the next generation of conservationists, something that Ziener says is crucial to maintaining our beautiful landscape in the future.
“These beaches are very special,” she says. “We’re going to start losing a lot of our beaches and having these programs and showing what we need to protect is huge.”
To learn more about the Puget Sound Estuarium, visit their website by clicking here.
