It was a pleasure partnering with the Raincoast Education Society to bring two, 6 day summer camps to Vargas Island this July! Raincoast Education Society summer students Brittany, Ava and Christine worked with Taylor, Cedar Coast’s summer student to provide a week full of activities! The camps were designed not only to foster personal growth, but also aimed to instil a greater appreciation and understanding about the natural world by showcasing local flora and fauna on Vargas island.
Campers got to experience an interpretive guided tour of our local coastline to Mud Bay, a nearby mudflat, and saw bald eagles as well as many fish zooming between eelgrass.
We saw and learned about crabs, algae, chitons, sea urchins, a large California sea cucumber as well as other marine life during intertidal nature walks. There was a focus on the challenges that these animals face and how species in this ecosystem have adapted to not only survive, but to thrive despite extreme fluctuations in temperature as well as water coverage.
On the last full day, the group conducted a beach seine and showcased local fishes, crabs and other invertebrates as well as performed a plankton tow to find out more about these abundant, yet not often seen microscopic creatures. We were able to clearly see what these tiny plankton looked like using microscopes and see which ones were responsible for producing bioluminescence, a magical phenomena that happens during certain times of the year here in our oceans. Cedar Coast had a blast hosting both summer camps and appreciated and valued the collaboration with Raincoast Education Society to make these camps successful. We’re excited for what next summer will bring!
Written By: Taylor Restall
