Marine Science Education aboard the SnowGoose

The SnowGoose spends the winter months at Gate 12 of the Squalicum Marina where it holds a prominent place in the educational community of Bellingham. Though organizations such as The North Cascades Institute and Huxley College of Environmental Studies frequently charter our 65-foot trawler for workshops and seminars, The Snow Goose is most locally known for the marine science based field trips that run September through May on Bellingham Bay.

During these excursions, the boat visits four locations; The Whatcom Waterway, Post Point, the mouth of Padden Creek and the Nooksack River Delta. Students get a hands-on cooperative learning experience as they rotate through four activity stations, with an objective of accumulating data and determining whether or not Bellingham Bay is ecologically sound. They get the rare opportunity to collect and identify various species of plankton, as well as measure dissolved oxygen, salinity and turbidity through use of marine biology equipment. The various elements of the watershed are demonstrated in depth through a series of group activities, and up in the pilothouse, students learn how GPS works while taking turns at the helm.

Every school group that comes aboard our 'floating classroom' gets a twenty minute tour of the Whatcom waterway where we discuss its ecology, natural history, and the environmental impact of the working waterfront, while keeping a lookout for marine mammals and various sea birds indigenous to the area.

landscape and are often inspired and eager to contribute to the preservation and restoration of their home shores. It is our hope that through these excursions we will continue encourage generations of students to observe the connection between the land and sea, and their role as stewards of the watershed. Your Alaskan adventure helps support our Marine Science Program that reaches 1200 learners annually.

If you are interested in our education programs, or would like charter information, please contact: dan@snowgoosealaska.com

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