Thankfully, Seal Sitters first responders and volunteers were not required to protect any harbor seals - or other marine mammals - during the recent unusual snow events in Seattle. The only seals on a snowy beach to our knowledge were those depicted in renowned artist Georgia Gerber’s sculpture at Alki Beach.

The sculpture, entitled Sentinels of the Sound, was part of a Department of Neighborhoods grant secured by Seal Sitters in 2013 for educational outreach. The sculpture dedication was celebrated with an event, Harbor Seal Day, at the Alki Bathhouse, featuring children’s artwork and educational displays by participating members of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network and environmental groups.

The sculpture has developed a nice patina from years of countless love pats from children who visit Alki. View the video below to see the complex step-by-step creation of this beautiful bronze work.

Tags: Sentinels of the Sound, sculpture

2013 was a roller coaster year for Seal Sitters’ volunteers. Early in the year, we received a grant for an educational outreach project, Year of the Seal, which culminated with the installation of a bronze sculpture at Alki Beach in September. Additionally, it proved to be another record-breaking season for responses to marine mammals on the beaches of West Seattle. Volunteers donated thousands of hours to the very time-intensive endeavor of protecting seal pups on urban beaches while also navigating the sometimes murky waters of a public art project.

THE STATS
2013 was a record breaking season for seal pups on shore in West Seattle. Seal Sitters’ hotline operators fielded many hundreds of calls from all over the Puget Sound region (check back for updated stats on hotline calls). Harbor seal pupping season in South Puget Sound is late June - September, but our busiest months are September and October as pups leave the relative safety of rookeries and strike out on their own.

On July 19th we responded to a report of our first newborn pup of the season, a stillbirth on Harbor Island. Since late July to date in West Seattle, volunteers have logged over 163 responses to marine mammals on the beach, the large majority of which were seal pups, but a few also to harbor porpoise and sea lions. In the past 6 months, we have protected 66 positively identified pups ranging in age from a few days to a few months old (an increase from 51 ID’d pups in 2011’s record year) - a number of these pups hauled out repeatedly for days in a row. With a higher number of seal pups, we also responded to more dead pups, 24 (10 of whom were pups we had protected). Most disturbing was the disproportionate number of emaciated pups for the second year in a row.

A highlight of pupping season was the story of Ruby, a newborn seal pup who had been harassed by people and dogs on a Steilacoom beach and subsequently abandoned by her mom. Only a week or so old, the pup was transported to PAWS in Lynnwood for rehabilitation. Following a successful and lengthy rehab, she was released back to the wild at a harbor seal haul-out near Everett. Ruby appeared one day on shore in West Seattle with her distinctive red rehab tag attached to her flipper (photo right). Over the course of several months, volunteers monitored Ruby’s health as she foraged and rested at Jack Block Park, where she found a true friend in seal pup Buddy. Their friendship was heartwarming and thrilling for both volunteers and the public who observed them daily. Read about Ruby and Buddy here.

Why are there so many seal pups in West Seattle? That is, of course, difficult to answer. Perhaps our proximity to both Puget Sound and Elliott Bay waters with a varied food source. Certainly, it could it be, too, that we have made a refuge on shore for struggling pups so that they can get the rest they need. Our community has rallied around the protection of these small and vulnerable marine mammals. If a seal pup can feel safe on the beach and there is a food source nearby, that pup will continue to forage and return to the beach, gaining the strength necessary to survive that critical first year.

PROJECTS
Seal Sitters received a third City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods in-kind grant award this year. As a result, a high-visibility educational project was completed:

• Year of the Seal. This educational outreach project’s goal was to educate the public about the dangers of marine pollution and its devastating impact on marine life.

• Sentinels of the Sound. A bronze sculpture by acclaimed Northwest artist Georgia Gerber was installed at Alki Beach, along with an informational plaque. View videos here.

• Harbor Seal Day. Over 300 people attended a sculpture dedication ceremony and educational outreach event held at the Alki Bathhouse on September 8th. Proclaimed Harbor Seal Day by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and Washington Governor Jay Inslee, nine environmental groups had booths and educated the public about marine mammals, marine debris and pollution.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Passionate volunteers like Christine, Nina and Connie donated thousands of hours of educational outreach on the beaches and at events, working the hotline and scheduling volunteers. Thousands of Share the Shore pocket brochures were distributed.
• We participated in a number of street fairs and events, educating many hundreds of people about marine mammals, marine pollution and NOAA’s NW stranding network.
• Seal Sitters co-sponsored a beach cleanup with the Alki Community Council and Seattle Parks and Recreation, receiving media coverage and raising awareness about marine debris.
• Volunteers made presentations at schools; area children took the pledge to protect the marine environment and received Seal Ambassador certificates. If you know a child who would like to become an ambassador, contact us.
• 129 new volunteers were trained in 2013.

MEDIA
• KCTS-9 documentary filmmaker Katie Campbell did a feature segment on Seal Sitters which continues to air regularly on the PBS station. The segment centered on last year’s survival struggles of seal pups on our West Seattle shores, the impact of toxins on marine mammals and funding cuts for research.
• Print, tv and internet media kept Seal Sitters’ work in the news.
• Seal Sitters young volunteers were featured in a Scholastic Magazine cover story. Our kids rock!

YOU CAN HELP
Thanks to all our amazing volunteers and to the community for making this such a successful year. If you’d like to help support Seal Sitters’ work with a donation, please click here. We receive no funding for our on-going expenses and even the smallest amount helps defray the cost of our dedicated hotline, websites, gas and stranding and educational supplies. We wish everyone a peaceful and happy new year!

Tags: harbor seal day, Ruby, Sentinels of the Sound

An estimated 300 people took part in the festivities on “Harbor Seal Day” Sunday afternoon, as Seal Sitters hosted an event celebrating the dedication of Georgia Gerber’s “Sentinels of the Sound” sculpture of a harbor seal mom and pup.

The Alki Bathhouse was filled to the brim with educational exhibits and children creating jellyfish, seal puppets and other cool sea creatures. Shown at right is one of Seal Sitters’ first responders and talented artist Lynn Shimamoto (with her 6 year old grandaughter) in the puppet show booth she created for kids to enjoy. Just outside, lots of folks had fun posing for photos, poking their heads through the painted underwater scene (check back for a gallery of submitted photos - email your photo of the puppet show or underwater scene here).

For Art and Story contest winners and the great donated prizes the kids won, please click here.

FLIPPER HUGS TO OUR HARD-WORKING VOLUNTEERS
Many, many hours were devoted to the day’s event and many thanks to all of the awesome volunteers who helped out in the weeks before the event, designing posters and displays, craft projects for children, posting flyers and getting word out to the media. And to those who helped out Sunday, picking up the many specialty cakes, setting up (and breaking down) chairs, stages, tables, artwork, helping exhibitors - all the tasks that go into pulling off a major event. Everyone who helped deserves huge kudos! Core team members who contributed countless hours to “Harbor Seal Day” event planning were JoDean Edelheit, David and Eilene Hutchinson, Lynn Shimamoto, Lars Halstrom, Larry Carpenter, Karin Cumming, Candace Sullivan and Robin Lindsey.

Special thanks as well to Chas Redmond and Tony Fragada who donated their time to provide professional sound for the event.

FLIPPER HUGS TO OUR FANTASTIC EXHIBITORS
Our outstanding exhibitors included the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Mammal Investigations, Seattle Aquarium, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, The Whale Trail, NOAA Marine Debris Division, Tox-ick, NOAA Marine Mammal Stranding Network and Sno-King Marine Mammal Response, PAWS Wildlife Center (with a fascinating inside look at seal pup rehabilitation), Killer Whale Tales, Soundside Marinelife Rescue. Huge thanks to all of you who donated your Sunday afternoon to help us celebrate and educate the public! So many people remarked how wonderful the exhibits were and how much information they gleaned from those staffing the tables.

FLIPPER HUGS TO OUR PRIZE DONORS AND BUSINESS PROMOTIONS
Local businesses generously donated great prizes to help Seal Sitters raise money to fund our on-going operating expenses, including dedicated hotline costs, webhosting fees, and stranding and educational materials. Donors included Alki Kayak, Mountain to Sound Outfitters, Phoenecia Restaurant, NW Art and Frame, Bakery Nouveau, Sunfish Seafood Restaurant and Saigon Boat Cafe.

Spud Fish and Chips, Bamboo Bar and Grill, Subway on Alki and Hotwire Coffee ran special promotions to benefit Seal Sitters.

QFC Bakery on 42nd Ave SW and Baked Seattle donated specialty cakes for the event. West Seattle Thriftway and Seattle Costco donated gift cards used for food for volunteers and exhibitors. Saigon Boat Cafe provided delicious sandwiches for hungry volunteers, too. Starbucks on Alki donated coffee to keep us going for the day.

Great prizes were donated to the winners of the children’s Art & Story contest (see post here) by The Seattle Aquarium, Woodland Park Zoo, Northwest Art and Frame, Slices, Young at Art, and MacMillan Publishing Group ( Leopard and Silkie and Seal Pup Rescue).

FLIPPER HUGS TO OUR GUEST SPEAKERS
Master of Ceremonies Jim Dever (of Evening Magazine fame) was the perfect “host” for our dedication ceremony. His witty interlude with young Seal Sitters was a highlight of the program. Kid vols Etienne, Elizabeth and Louisa answered questions with great poise and authority.

We were honored to have Ken Workman (great-great-great-great grandson of Chief Sealth) of the Duwamish give a welcoming message. National Geographic author and co-founder of Seal Sitters Brenda Peterson gave an engaging overview of our work. Many thanks to Department of Neighborhoods’ Bernie Matsuno and State Representative Joe Fitzgibbon for respectively reading Mayor McGinn and Governor Jay Inslee’s “Harbor Seal Day” proclamations.

HUMONGOUS FLIPPER HUGS TO ARTIST GEORGIA GERBER
Georgia’s stunning work, “Sentinels of the Sound”, will grace Alki Beach for many, many years to come and raise public awareness of the need to share the shore with all wildlife. We cannot begin to express our gratitude.

Click here to download the “Harbor Seal Day” Program listing all participants and acknowledgements.

MEDIA COVERAGE
Both the West Seattle Herald and the West Seattle Blog gave the event generous coverage in weeks leading up to and day of the event. Thanks to Patrick Robinson (WS Herald) and Tracy Record (WS Blog) for your on-going support! Please visit their links below.

West Seattle Herald (article and slideshow)

West Seattle Blog (photos and video)

Tags: harbor seal day, Year of the Seal, Sentinels of the Sound

Seal Sitters volunteers are busy tying up loose ends for tomorrow afternoon’s highly anticipated public event, “Harbor Seal Day”, at the Alki Bathhouse. Cakes have been picked up, videos tweaked, programs are printed. It will be a busy morning as volunteers will be at the sculpture site early, sweeping the installation and dusting the “Sentinels of the Sound”. The sculpture dedication ceremony will be held at 1:30.

The culmination of our “Year of the Seal” educational outreach project, the Bathhouse will be open from 1-4pm and will be filled with marine-related environmental groups.There will be crafts for kids - even a puppet show booth. Groove to the smooth sounds of “Seals Love Jazz Quintet”, led by Sno-King Marine Mammal Response’s very own lead investigator, Rachel Mayer.

Local businesses have donated some great raffle prizes, among those are restaurant gift certificates and a sunset kayak tour for 2 by Alki Kayak. Bamboo Bar and Grill, Spud Fish and Chips and Subway along Alki Ave are having food promotions tomorrow (Spud’s special is today AND tomorrow) and will be making donations to Seal Sitters based on sales. For a list of the super raffle prizes (tickets only $1) and promotions, click here.

We hope to see you there!

Tags: harbor seal day, Sentinels of the Sound, Year of the Seal

At the request of Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network, recently elected Governor Jay Inslee has proclaimed Sunday, September 8th “Harbor Seal Day”. Included in the proclamation is the message to all Washington residents across our state to join Governor Inslee and help keep our waters free of trash and toxins, and to “share the shore” with harbor seals and all wildlife.

Please help us celebrate “Harbor Seal Day” this Sunday afternoon - meet “Sentinels of the Sound” sculpture artist Georgia Gerber and visit the educational exhibits by 10 marine-related organizations in the Alki Bathhouse. There will be kids’ activities, music and cake as well!

Thank you so much, Governor Inslee! We appreciate your commitment to restore the health of Puget Sound and the marine life that calls it “home”.

Read the full proclamation here.

Read more about Seal Sitters’ “Year of the Seal: Sentinels of the Sound” year-long educational outreach project here.

Tags: harbor seal day, Sentinels of the Sound

Early Thursday morning, prominent NW sculptor Georgia Gerber, Randy Hudson (husband and fellow artist) and Virginia Keck (decades-long assistant) made the long trek from Whidbey Island with the “Sentinels of the Sound” sculpture carefully secured in the back of their pickup. Arriving at Alki Beach at 6:30am, they were met by several Seal Sitters volunteers, eager to help with the installation of the long-awaited sculpture.

Several hours later, after precise measurements and boring of holes, the sculpture was bolted and cemented into place onto the rock especially designed to support it, courtesy of the artistry of Turnstone Construction. The work is the culmination of Seal Sitters’ Year of the Seal educational outreach project.

4-year-old Max was the very first person to pose for a photo op with the newly installed piece - and a steady stream of admirers, young and old, has followed suit throughout the weekend.

A dedication ceremony will take place on “Harbor Seal Day”, September 8th at 1:30 at the installation site just north of the Alki Bathhouse (2701 Alki Ave SW). The public will have an opportunity to meet and thank Georgia for this stunning work of art. The Bathhouse will be open from 1-4pm, featuring environmental groups and children’s activities.

Check back for a video of the installation of the sculpture.

Tags: Sentinels of the Sound, Year of the Seal, harbor seal day