Sound Water Stewards

Safeguarding the ecological integrity of the Salish Sea.

WHO WE ARE

Sound Water Stewards of Island County (SWS) is a community of trained volunteers dedicated to protecting the Salish Sea through education, stewardship, and science. Our goal is to raise awareness of our fragile marine ecosystems and inspire everyone to become environmental stewards.

OUR SPRING 2025 CAMPAIGN

Trained volunteers are the hearts and ‘soles’ of SWS. We spend more than 20,000 hours each year stewarding 197 miles of shoreline on Camano and Whidbey Islands with countless hours on local beaches and at state parks educating our communities and sharing the wonders of our coastal environment. Our spring campaign goal of $20,000 is to directly support and ensure our core programs have the capacity to pivot given the shifts in policy making and changes in our marine environment. Your generous gift will help our SWS volunteers maintain nearly 40 essential programs such as shellfish collection for state agencies to monitor biotoxin levels for safe harvesting by the public, bluff monitoring for scientists to assess the climate's impact on erosion along vulnerable shorelines, and surveys of pigeon guillemot burrows, a key indicator species for assessing the health of the Salish Sea.

Our local shorelines are unique and awe-inspiring, yet fragile. Come learn with us. Discover ways you can make a difference. Support Sound Water Stewards – GiveBIG today.

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OUR MISSION

Protecting and preserving our coastal ecosystems through education, science, and stewardship.

OUR PROGRAMS

At the heart of what we do is Education. Our signature programs include Sound Waters University, a full-day conference on marine biology offered every February; Volunteer Education Training, a rich series of classes on ecosystems of the Salish Sea that each spring trains up to 40 volunteers; and monthly educational opportunities open to the public with topic-expert speakers helping us learn more about the Salish Sea.

As Stewards we work to restore and protect the marine environment and critical habitats along 197 miles of shoreline along Camano and Whidbey Islands. Our volunteers collect and recycle monofilament fishing line, delve into beach clean ups, native plant restoration, water quality monitoring, marine wildlife conservation efforts, and so much more.

Our trained steward volunteers engage in Community Science and support critical research in partnership with universities, scientists, government agencies, tribes, and data managers across the Salish Sea. These data collection and monitoring efforts enhance our understanding of local ecosystems and inform future policy making.

Help protect the Salish Sea & all of its inhabitants.

Our Story