Beach Watcher Nicole Frenzl reports on her experience during an Advanced Training on the MV Indigo. This opportunity was provided to Beach Watcher volunteers by COSEE.Nicole reports: I'm happy to report a fascinating, educational cruise on the "Indigo" research vessel. It was a beautiful day, and we got quite good results from the various tests, i.e., water quality, turbidity, etc. We took water samples from 2 different depths, then looked at the phytoplankton and zooplankton under microscopes. That was wonderful.
Two divers went down with underwater camera and showed us the live pictures on the tv screen on the boat. They images were much more colorful and teeming with activity than I would have thought. Then they brought up some marvelous creatures for us to see. The staff/crew were very knowledgeable and interesting and fun!
Also this summer WSU Beach Watchers and WSU Master Gardeners had an opportunity to tour Naval Magazine Indian Island together. Our tourguide, Environmental Manager Bill Kalina was informative and answered -- oh, about one million questions about the facility from our curious group. We got to see surprises like a pioneer gravesite and learned about the history of the Island. We also learned about the super fund sites that are delisted and cleaned up. Of great interest to Beach Watchers was the soft shore armoring done at one of the sites - instead of riprap or a concrete bulkhead. Bill invited us back for a hike sometime. Any takers?
