Fidalgo Bay Day

Skagit MRC's 14th annual Fidalgo Bay Day event was held Saturday, August 12, 2017 at the Samish Indian Nation's beautiful Fidalgo Bay Resort in Anacortes.

For the fifth year in a row, the Skagit MRC collaborated with the Friends of Skagit Beaches who sponsored the "Discovery Passport" to actively engage visitors in exploring the discovery stations hosted by a variety of different organizations including the Skagit MRC and the Northwest Straits Initiative.

An estimated 400 visitors came to learn about the marine ecosystem and the plants and animals that live there.  Many indicated they learned something new and would likely share what they learned with others to help protect our beautiful estuaries. 

Some of the event highlights included: our popular beach seining demonstration; Shannon Point Marine Center’s portable aquarium "touch tanks" with live marine critters to see and touch; Deception Pass State Park’s gray whale skull display; interactive educational exhibits hosted by several local agencies and organizations; kid friendly craft tables; face painting; fun games and prizes; and samples of local seafood.

We are extremely grateful to Pete Haase for chairing Fidalgo Bay Day for the second year in a row (he did an amazing job as always), and the 48 volunteers who contributed many long hours to make this year's event a huge success. It wouldn't happen without all of you! Thank you!!

A big 'Thank You' also goes out to the following participating organizations who hosted educational displays and fun activities for the kids and adults alike:   Coastal Volunteer Partnership, Deception Pass State Park, Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserve Citizen Stewardship Committee, Friends of Skagit Beaches, New Pilgrims Church, Northwest Straits Initiative, Orca Network, Pacific Biodiversity Institute, Pacific Mammal Research, Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, RE-Sources for Sustainable Communities, Salish Sea Biological (Daniel Penttila), Shannon Point Marine Center, Skagit Conservation District,  Skagit County Marine Resources Committee, Skagit County Public Works Clean Water Program, Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, Skagit Land Trust, Skagit Valley College, Washington State Department of Ecology, Washington State Department of Natural Resources Aquatic Reserves, Washington Sea Grant, and Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehab Center.

We would also like to thank the following partners and local businesses who generously contributed to this year's event: The Samish Indian Nation for hosting our event at their beautiful Fidalgo Bay Resort facility and Rosie Cayou-James and family for providing a warm Samish welcome and their traditional no-host BBQ salmon lunch; Adrift Restaurant, Johnny Picassos, and Mary Anne's Kitchen for providing tasty complimentary seafood chowders; Taylor Shellfish for providing scrumptious oysters and mussels; Gere-A-Deli for providing amazing brownies; the Anacortes Boys and Girls Club for loaning their popcorn machine; Friends of Skagit Beaches for developing and coordinating the Discovery Passport activity and prizes; and Shell Puget Sound Refinery for their generous donation to support this wonderful community event.

Fidalgo Bay Day is an event of the Skagit County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) and the Northwest Straits Initiative and is funded in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency via the Puget Sound Partnership.

For more information about past Fidalgo Bay Day events click here.

If you would like to stay informed on the goings-on of the Northwest Straits Commission, the seven Marine Resources Committees, and our projects around the region, please sign up here for the Northwest Straits Initiative's electronic newsletter or visit the Northwest Straits Initiative's website: www.nwstraits.org.