Sound Water Stewards

Mission

Sound Water Stewards are trained volunteers working in and around Island County for a healthy, sustainable marine environment through education, science, and stewardship.

Who We Are

Sound Water Stewards 501 (c)(3) originally Beach Watchers, now has trained over 800 volunteers. We are a community of like-minded individuals who care deeply for our natural environment, enjoy learning together, and engaging socially with one another to celebrate what we have accomplished while continuing to aim to be better stewards.

We train community members to become volunteers with a locally renown annual program which includes:

• 80 hours of expert training from top professionals
• 20 hours of hands-on training, including expert guided field trips

What We Offer | Education & Outreach

• Provide outreach and education with school groups and the community, including a safe seafood class called Digging for Dinner.
• Interactive educational Coupeville Wharf display of local marine mammal skeletons including, Gray Whale (Rosie), Dall's porpoise, and Steller sea lion.
• Sound Waters University annual weekend event;You, Me, and the Salish Sea. Our largest educational event is open to all, including, families, community members, beach enthusiasts,  and researches. We seek to bridge generations to encourage learning about our near shore environment.
• 8,000+ Education volunteer hours reported for 2023

What We Do | Community Science

• We are the 'boots on the ground' (and in the water and mud!) for many science projects - following exact protocols to guarantee the accuracy and value to scientists of collected data.
• 10,000+ mussels were bagged by our Sound Water Steward volunteers for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2023 to support the Stormwater Action Monitoring program. 
• 4,440+ volunteer hours reported for community science projects in 2023

We Provide | Stewardship 

• We perform trail maintenance, beach cleanups, pull noxious weeds, plant native plants for habitat restoration, collect and recycle monofilament fishing line at 14 fishing destinations, and clean 33 shoreline interpretive signs in Island County.
• Provide public outreach events with our partners to educate the public about Noxious Weeds and how to safely remove them.
• 1,190+ Stewardship volunteer hours reported for 2023

Together we can work to protect the Salish Sea & all of its inhabitants through Education, Stewardship, and Community Science.  Are you with us?

 Text SaveTheSea to 844-844-6844.