|
Ocean interpreters at waysides
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 10:36 AM PDT
Shoreline Education for Awareness’ wildlife interpretive season is under way. Volunteer interpreters are at waysides Saturday and Sunday through the end of June.
Interpretation at Simpson Reef on Cape Arago has begun with the three national volunteers, who have come from several different areas of the country to join the SEA docents in sharing wildlife information with the public. SEA’s official season at Simpson Reef begins on June 1, and docents will be stationed there until the end of Labor Day weekend, along with the National Volunteers who will remain for four days a week for several more weeks.
In Bandon, docents are at Coquille Point from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. sharing their spotting scopes with visitors (local and distant) to show them the wildlife that uses the offshore rocks as breeding grounds.
The most prevalent species is common murres, along with pelagic (ocean dwelling) cormorants, Brandts cormorants, western gulls, pigeon guillemots and harbor seals. Recently, people have noticed tufted puffins returning to Bandon’s rocks, as several have been seen on Face Rock and on and in the water north of Table Rock.
Professionals in each field of study from universities and public agencies impart detailed information to the docents during the winter seminar series.
They then tell visitors what each species uses for food, when the young are born and when they go off on their own, plus many other details of the private lives of the species.
Docents will be wearing bright blue jackets, sweatshirts or T-shirts with the white SEA logo on the back. |