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Welcome to the enews from Bainbridge Beach Naturalists. You are receiving this email because you indicated an interest in learning of opportunities to explore Bainbridge Island beaches with our naturalists. Some of you have already met us on the beach, and others have heard or read about our activities and requested this email.
The Bainbridge Beach Naturalists are volunteers who have received training in marine biology and shoreline ecology from the Kitsap County WSU Extension - Beach Watchers program, or the Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalist program. We love being out on our wonderful beaches, especially at low tide events, and even more, we are pleased to share our knowledge with others who are interested.
This newsletter includes information about coming events and opportunities to explore with the Bainbridge Beach Naturalists, right here on the island. While winter nights might seem an unlikely time to explore the shallow waters of our shoreline, what we find there is amazing in terms of variety and quantities of things that we typically don't see during our summer day trips. And nighttime is when the low tides occur. Come and see for yourself!
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DECEMBER 22 NIGHT EXPLORATION
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Thursday, December 22, 7:30 pm - 9 pm at Bainbridge Ferry Terminal Beach 
This beach is amazingly productive given the amount of disturbance it experiences every hour. Unlike other beaches inside our harbors, the action of the ferries disperses the silt that would otherwise build up on the beach. It also oxygenates the water, and stirs up potential meals for the invertebrates living there. We have found an astonishing array of nudibranchs (beautiful sea slugs) at this beach. This beach is also great sea star and moon snail territory. And this will be a good -2.6 tide.
Parking for this beach is on Bjune or Brien, near the Senior Community Center. Walk down into Waterfront Park and follow the waterfront trail east across the wooden footbridge. Cross the road (Harbor Drive) and follow the public shore access trail alongside the condos. If you are walking off the ferry, cross Olympic Drive at the first pedestrian light, and go down hill on Harbor Drive. On the left you will see the sign and trail for the public shore access to the beach. Bring your strongest flashlight and wear footwear that allows you to wade in the shallow water. Warm clothes are particularly important if you are to enjoy this night walk. If you feel unsteady walking down a rocky beach in the dark, a hiking stick can give you added stability. No sign-up is necessary to attend a beach exploration with us -- just show up at the site and look for beach naturalists in their neon-orange vests on the beach. You will recognize us by the bobbing lights. You'll next hear from us in January with the details for our next night low-tide walk.
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RECENT BEACH EXPLORATIONS
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If you missed the beach exploration at Point White Pier, you missed a great evening. The weather was perfect, and it wasn't even very cold. Barking sea lions and howling coyotes accompanied our explorations! While we can't promise such optimal conditions with every event, it can be surprisingly comfortable when you are having such a great time exploring.
The sunflower stars were in abundance the night we visited the Point White Pier beach. And the normal numbers of large ochre sea stars were conspicuously absent. Sunflower stars are voracious predators, so that might explain the "lost" ochre stars. One of the fascinating things about exploring our beaches is noticing differences from one visit to the next. And wondering about the possible causes of the changes we see.
Eagle Harbor Books is carrying several useful references if you are interested in checking out some of the species that are found on our beaches. The store now has the laminated "intertidal invertebrates' and "intertidal seaweeds" ID cards that we find very useful.
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