Vashon Nature Center: Newsletter

Vote Singer for Unofficial Mayor of Vashon!

Sumi Suda — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 21:01:25 GMT

We are thrilled to announce that, after more than 2 years of hard work, Singer’s sculpture now graces the Kay White Atrium at Vashon Center for the Arts! You can see him anytime during gallery open hours (W-Su, 12-5 pm).

Singer’s Sculpture is a blend of scientific accuracy and artistic impression. He is a testament to the power of the Vashon community when we come together for a collective task. Over the past two years, hundreds of islanders have helped make this island icon a reality. Now, Singer has risen from sea to sky as a sentinel for his species, the Pacific gray whale, and as a call for deep climate and ocean awareness. When you vote for Singer for Mayor you will support Vashon Nature Center’s marine conservation and education work and raise awareness of Singer himself.

Vote Here Now!

Friday, June 12th, Vashon Nature Center hosted an exclusive VIP event at the Vashon Center for the Arts. Over 150 project supporters joined us to witness the final steps of the sculpture installation. As the artists and engineers completed their difficult tasks, the crowd gathered around to join in a final countdown to turn on the kinetic articulating tail and fluke bringing the sculpture to life and evoking a sense of wonder in all who were present.

There is still time to become part of Singer’s story by casting your vote for Singer for Mayor or by adopting one of the remaining available bones.

Co-Directors, Bianca and Maria both extend a heartfelt thank you to the whole community that raised Singer up.

As requested by many of you at the event, we are including the text of the talk that Bianca gave:

Vote Singer for Unofficial Mayor of Vashon! $1.00 = one vote!

Vote Here Now!

Scan the QR code below to vote/donate!

- VNC Team

Salish Sea Wide Molt Blitz June 26th!

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 21:28:18 GMT

Help in this Salish Sea-wide monitoring effort for invasive European green crabs on Friday, June 26th! The goal of this all-day event is to monitor as many Salish Sea shorelines as possible, so let’s make sure we get Vashon’s shorelines on the map!

New to green crabs? Register for the training below or join our Education Coordinator, Santiago Ramos Torrescano, at KVI on Friday, June 26th, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm to learn how to identify European green crabs and to report findings. Participants will have plenty of time after the training to help in the molt blitz.

Previously trained volunteers are welcome to survey any shoreline, just be sure to log your effort in the MyCoast App. Thanks to Washington State University and the Washington Sea Grant for funding this community science research.

Join VNC for an invasive European green crab molt training workshop at KVI on June 13th from 11-1:00. Learn about this invasive species, identification techniques, and how to document/report your findings. This training and survey will take place this Saturday, June 13th, from 11am - 1pm.

The European green crab is considered one of the world’s worst invasive species according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. These crabs came to the United States in Cape Cod during the 1800’s on ships from Europe and quickly spread northward. In the late 1980’s, these invasive crabs landed in San Francisco and then made their way up the west coast to our northern shorelines and into the Salish Sea. This workshop will focus on informing the community about how to identify and document their spread, which is our first defense against their establishment in new locations. As of now, the European green crab has not been documented in the southern sound, but early detection is key, and we want to make sure our community is keeping an eye out and knows how to respond if they do make their way here. The best action for any community member to take to address the spread of this invasive species is to notify the Washington Sea Grant/WSU crab teams, who will then set traps to catch them.

We hope to see you at one of these events soon!

-VNC Team

June's Updates and Events

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 18:30:46 GMT

With summer quickly approaching, the Nature Center is concluding our final education unit at VHS and another successful season of programs in Vashon schools. After years of hardwork, we are thrilled to welcome The Singer Sculpture to Vashon Center for the Arts this month where it will stay for the next five years, so time to visit will be plenty! Get involved more directly by signing up for shoreline restoration monitoring, volunteering in the meadow, crab molt survey training or Annie Brule’s Art art class sessions. Visit us in person at First Friday at VCA, the Beaver Detective movie, and at the Low Tide Celebration! Finally, help us in welcoming our incoming summer staff.

Singer’s Installation & Whale Open House

The time has finally come! The Singer Whale Sculpture is starting installation next week at Vashon Center for the Arts! Thank you to all the volunteers and donors who have supported this epic project. We can’t wait for you to see Singer. In the meantime, check out the accompanying First Friday display this evening, June 5th. Scientist in Schools whale art created by high school students, under guidance from VNC instructor Annie Brule, accompanies professional ocean themed art in the gallery at Vashon Center for the Arts. This is the start of a year of educational activities, art, and events as part of the art-science partnership between VNC and VCA and in honor of gray whales and our oceans. The student and gallery art will be on display for one month. Read more here: https://gallery.vashoncenterforthearts.org/event-works.php?eventId=31528&event=Deep+Water+Dialogues:+Art+Beneath+the+Surface .

Once he is up, you can visit Singer anytime during open hours at Vashon Center for the Arts. Vashon Nature Center whale ambassadors will be available during certain events to help tell Singer’s story.

Concluded Education for 2025-2026 school year!

We have nearly concluded all of our 2025-2026 school programs for the season! Next week high school Marine Science students will give a teaching practicum to first grade students to conclude their studies. This will be our final unit with Vashon School District for the school year. All of our programs this season were filled with hands-on learning - from collecting and identifying stream bugs, to multifaceted bird studies, to conducting entire beach seines in the wind and rain - we watched students of all ages becoming more greatly attuned to the wonders of the natural world. We are immensely grateful to our incredible education team, the inspirational educators we work with, the many parent/community volunteers who all make it possible, funding organizations like PIE, Schools Foundation, 4culture and more, and the students who inspire us each time we work with them. Thank you all!

Volunteer in Heron Meadow with Adria

Looking for a chance to volunteer with us? Join Adria Magrath, VNC’s Heron Meadow Steward, every Wednesday from 9:30am-11:30am for general Heron Meadow upkeep and maintenance work. Tasks vary according to weather and inclination, and tools and gloves will be provided!

Currently, we are trying to remove invasive species, particularly the alkanet in the SW corner of the meadow, preventing the reed canary grass from overtaking certain areas, and weeding out western buttercup and grasses from the native wildflower area. Trail maintenance is also always an ongoing project.

Can’t make this time and still want to volunteer? Are you a student or do you know a student who wants some community service hours? These count and are flexible! Contact Adria at adriamagrath@gmail.com

Join Annie Brulé in Ecosystems Drawing Class

Interested in connecting with nature through art? Join local artist Annie Brulé during our Ecosystem Connections through Nature Drawing workshops. Session 2 on June 6th focuses on shoreline life! Come and explore the beach, learn about ocean ecosystems, and learn to draw as a form of connection. Register here today or on the events page of our website!

Beaver Detective Movie

Come watch a free screening of the documentary film The Freelance Beaver Detective at the Vashon Theatre this Sunday, June 7th at 1pm. Take a look into the fascinating world of urban beavers through the eyes of Pamela Adams, West Seattle’s freelance “beaver detective”. In this documentary, she asks, “How can beavers play an important role in restoring habitat?” and why we should learn to live alongside them. The documentary is 40 minutes and will be followed by a Q&A with Pamela. Doors open at 12:30 so get there early to make sure you can get some popcorn! This event is cosponsored by Vashon Parks District and the Vashon Land Trust.

Low Tide Celebration

The 2026 annual Low Tide Celebration is next weekend, Sunday the 14th of June from 10am - 1pm! This free, family friendly event at Point Robinson invites visitors to explore the shoreline during one of the lowest daytime tides of the year at the longest-running low tide event in the entire Puget Sound. Talk to Nature Center volunteer beach naturalists to learn about the diverse organisms in the intertidal zone, visit inside the lighthouse, join in the traditional Coastal Salish welcome song during the arrival of the Blue Heron Canoe as it lands from paddling across the sound, enjoy delicious food, and check out the many educational and informational booths from many of our community partners.

Come for the day and leave with lifetime memories! We look forward to seeing you there. Are you a beach naturalist and want to volunteer? Contact Sumi (sumi@vashonnaturecenter.org) to sign up to volunteer.

Crab Molt Survey Training Workshop

Join Santiago on June 13th from 11am- 1pm for this training at KVI beach to learn about the invasive European green crab and the importance of tracking their spread. Participants will learn how to identify different types of crabs native to Puget Sound, detect the presence of green crabs, and document and report their findings. These protocols and efforts are possible thanks to Washington Sea Grant’s Crab Team and a team from Washington State University.

The first step to stopping the spread of this harmful invasive species is to learn how to identify and report their presence. If you tried to sign-up last time- no worries, the form is in working order now! Learn more & register here.

Shoreline Restoration Monitoring

Assist us on June 16th, 17th, 18th, and August 11th in monitoring the effectiveness of shoreline armoring restoration to improve nearshore habitat for juvenile salmon and forage fish. Participants in this on-going community science project will be paired with a VNC staff member trained in all research protocols so no experience is required, but the surveys will be conducted throughout the intertidal zone, so we urge participants to wear waterproof footwear and have a comfort conducting research on varying terrains.

Welcome Summer Staff

We have selected our 2026 Summer Research Assistants, welcome Rafael Gahan and Nat Nguyen! These two are college students in Marine biology. They will be joining us this summer as paid Research Assistants. Their primary job will be to coordinate a new research project cataloguing fish use inside and outside of island kelp beds through snorkeling surveys. You can join them! Sign up on our events calendar! This project is part of the statewide kelp initiative working to understand, conserve, and restore kelp in Puget Sound. Vashon Nature Center is working in partnership with University of Washington, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, Friends of the San Juans, Coastal Watershed Institute, Puyallup Tribal Fisheries, and the Port Gamble S’Klallam tribe for this regionwide study.

We have also selected our 2026 Summer Intern Cohort. We are happy to have Cece Aspin, Max Kline, Lilith Spencer, Colin Simpson, Sevie Giller, Connor Delcamp, Abhi Shrestha, and Miriam Casad as a part of our team this summer season.

-VNC Team

Last Chance to become a VNC Whale Docent

Sumi Suda — Tue, 26 May 2026 20:54:49 GMT

Last chance to sign up! Training starts this Thursday, 5/28.

Join the Vashon Nature Center in an epic endeavor to enrich and educate our community through science and nature’s wonder. When Singer the whale washed ashore, we dreamed of turning his tragic passing into something greater. From his slow decomposition on the shore, to collecting and cleaning hundreds of his bones, to the final process that is currently underway - turning his skeleton into a one-of-a-kind sculpture. A process which, as we share this, local artist Ela Lamblin is currently finishing up as installation day approaches!

It has already taken efforts from many corners of our community to make this project possible, but we are asking for one final extension of community support to make his installation at VCA as meaningful as possible. By becoming a whale docent and participating in our 3 training sessions, we equip you with the knowledge and skills to tell Singer’s story to visitors so they can understand his larger-than-life impact.

The first two training sessions will be held virtually on Zoom, and participants will learn the basic anatomy of Pacific gray whales, including how climate change is affecting their populations and habits. The third session will be held at the Vashon Center for the Arts and focus particularly on “Singer,” the sculpture exhibit.

Register for your own curiosity, learning, and delight. Following the workshop, participants may volunteer as sculpture docents and share this information with visitors at the Vashon Center for the Arts when they come to see Singer’s exhibit.

Workshop schedule & Additional Information:

May 28th, 7- 8 pm via Zoom on general gray whale biology, conservation, and anatomy
June 4th, 7 - 8:30 pm via Zoom with guest speakers to share details about Singer’s story in particular.
June 6th, 10 - 12 pm in the VCA Atrium to get familiar with the space and learn how to engage with and educate the public on all they have learned!

This course aims to create a knowledgeable team capable of answering the public’s questions and inspiring awe about the “Singer” whale sculpture. Participants are asked to volunteer at least 10 hours at the sculpture in 2026-2027. Uninterested in volunteering? A suggested donation of $25.00 is recommended for participants who do not wish to volunteer at VCA.

Can’t make the training but want to support?

There are still bones that are available for symbolic adoption. Click on the image above to visit our website and learn more about our Adopt-A-Bone program.

We would also love to see you at our Whale Open House on June 14th from 1-4 pm!

Come and see the incredible whale sculpture for the first time.

This project is made possible through a partnership with Vashon Center for the Arts and Ideas Malleable, and with funding from King County 4Culture and individual donations.

- VNC Team

Session 2- Explore the diversity of beach life at KVI!

May's Updates and Events

Thu, 14 May 2026 17:19:02 GMT

Spring is always a busy time at Vashon Nature Center and this year is no different! With continued eDNA research and results emerging, and all of our education programs in full swing, our team has gone from creeks and shorelines to classrooms across Vashon Island. We also continued fundraising to complete our “Singer” project to raise a whale from sea to sky.

New eDNA Results

The Vashon Nature Center research team, along with King County and the University of Washington eDNA collaborative, are currently wrapping up a 4-month study investigating non-natal rearing of juvenile Chinook salmon in island creeks. Although Vashon’s small creeks don’t host spawning Chinook (at least in modern times), we aim to find out if juveniles are using island streams and pocket estuaries to forage, migrate, and rear before migrating to the Pacific Ocean.

To our delight, through eDNA (environmental DNA) sampling we have detected the presence of Chinook in Raab’s Creek during March surveys. In addition, the King County electrofishing team detected juvenile Chinook using Fisher creek. These are the first records we have of juvenile Chinook using island creeks to rear! During this process, our eDNA surveys are also detecting DNA from other fish, mammals, and plants (as shown above in the Wheel of Life data image). One interesting result from this full biodiversity DNA panel: beavers are using many island waterways! Stay tuned for complete results later this year where we will find out if lamprey are using our creeks as well. Thank you to the island volunteers, school students, and landowners who have participated in this immense and exciting project alongside the science teams.

Nature Drawing with professional illustrator, Annie Brulé

Interested in connecting with nature through art? Register to join local artist Annie Brulé during our Ecosystem Connections through Nature Drawing workshops. The next session focuses on shoreline life followed by edible berries in Pacific Northwest forests. In the first session earlier this month, participants strengthened their observation skills while learning about Camas and it’s key role in the ecosystem. Register today on the events page of our website before spaces fill up!

Session 3 - Learn about the bountiful splendor of PNW’s diverse edible berries!

Whale Ambassador Workshop

We need you! This three-part training workshop combines online and in-person sessions. Participants will learn about Pacific gray whales, with a particular focus on “Singer,” the sculpture exhibit honoring the life of a gray whale that washed ashore on the island in 2024.

Through a blend of virtual and in-person sessions, participants will learn the basic anatomy, ecology, and life history of Pacific gray whales including climate implications and the process of curating a whale through the story of Singer. Register for your own curiosity, learning, and delight. Following the workshop, participants have the option to volunteer as sculpture docents and share this information with visitors at the Vashon Center for the Arts.

Workshop schedule:

May 28th, 7- 8 pm via Zoom on general gray whale biology, conservation, and anatomy
June 4th, 7 - 8:30 pm via Zoom with guest speakers Cascadia Research and artist Ela Lamblin to share details about gray whales in Puget Sound and Singer’s story in particular.
June 6th, 10 - 12 pm in the VCA Atrium to get a sneak peak at the whale sculpture installation in process, get familiar with the space and learn how to engage with the public as part of the whale ambassador docent team.

Invasive European Green Crab Molt Survey Training

During this two-hour training at KVI beach, you will learn about the invasive European green crab, considered by NOAA to be “one of the most invasive species in the marine environment.” Participants will learn to identify different types of crabs native to Puget Sound, detect the presence of green crabs, and document and report their findings.

Recent monitoring has shown no evidence of European green crab presence on Vashon-Maury, however reports are getting closer each year. This training is an effort to improve early detection of this species, should it arrive on our shorelines.

Vashon Epic Day of Service

Help clean up Vashon beaches during this joint effort of an Epic Day of Service this Saturday, May 16th! Zero Waste Vashon and Vashon Rotary have been locating and removing tires from island shorelines for months. Send reports of tires on the beach to Steve Bergman at scbergmanvashon@gmail.com before this Saturday. Or dig them up yourself along with other marine debris, and bring them to Jensen Point during the Epic Day of Service, where disposal will be coordinated by Zero Waste Vashon. Learn more on our website’s events page.

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Vashon Nature Center Co-Director Bianca Perla’s father, Guido Perla. Guido was a beloved local artist, a boat designer, a long-time supporter of our work, and an inspiration to all of us. Bianca took some time off to be with family and is beginning to return to her role here.

Thank you for all the support this GiveBig season! We were able to raise over 11,500 towards completing our whale project. Your support is key to our ability to say yes to the unexpected gifts that come from working with nature!

Are you a King County employee? We are now registered as an eligible non-profit for monthly giving! We hope you consider VNC as your regularly scheduled donation.

- VNC Team

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GiveBig and Join Vashon Nature Center in Raising Singer from Sea to Sky

Vashon Nature Center — Tue, 05 May 2026 16:55:49 GMT

Your gift today will help carry Singer’s story forward—from ocean to sky, from loss to learning. Vashon Nature Center is in the final phase of this long-term project, which began two years ago when the gray whale, affectionately named Singer, washed ashore on Vashon Island. The whale’s journey could have ended at the water’s edge, but what followed has become something much larger—an unfolding story of science, community, and renewal. Will you help us raise the final $50,000 by June?

This project is the result of the Vashon Nature Center’s initiative to research, preserve, and display the skeleton of a gray whale from its initial stranding to the eventual display for public education. It is a collaboration between VNC staff, community members, students, and regional partners.

In the months ahead, Singer will rise again. Efforts will culminate in the installation of a sculpture by artist Ela Lamblin, blending science and art to express the whale’s anatomy and overall form through a combination of skeletal bones and metal work. With the goal of completing the installation by June, $50,000 remains to bring this vision fully to life.

Singer was a male Pacific gray whale, part of a species known for one of the longest mammal migrations on Earth. Each year, gray whales travel over 12 thousand miles between Arctic feeding grounds and the warm breeding lagoons of Baja Mexico. But not all complete the journey. A necropsy revealed that Singer likely died from malnutrition, reflecting a growing pattern tied to shifting ocean conditions and declining food sources.

As you read this, Ela is assembling the skeleton into a suspended sculptural articulation that honors both the biological reality of the whale and the expressive possibilities of art. Rather than recreating a museum mount, the installation emphasizes spatial experience, balance, and movement—allowing the bones to tell a story that is both factual and poetic.

With the finish in sight, the Vashon Nature Center invites you to help complete Singer’s journey—from a vast ocean to a quiet shoreline to a lasting symbol of resilience, learning, and wonder.

Your gift today will help carry Singer’s story forward—from ocean to sky, from loss to learning, from stillness to motion, from climate casualty to a sentinel for his species and a reminder to all who witness him of humans’ connection to the ocean.

GiveBig for Vashon Nature Center

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 18:00:13 GMT

We need to raise $50,000 by June to bring “Singer” into his final form as a sentinel for the seas to inspire marine conservation and stewardship for generations to come. Support Vashon Nature Center in our final stage of raising Vashon’s whale from sea to sky.

As you read this, we are creating “Singer,” a powerful convergence of art, science, education, and community story, along with local contracted artist Ela Lamblin. This installation will be more than a scientific display: it will be an artist-designed sculpture that interprets the whale’s form, scale, and presence, rather than a simple suspension of bones, and will be displayed in the atrium of the Vashon Center for the Arts for all to experience.

Since 2024, over 200 high school students and dozens of community volunteers have supported this project. Join this community effort by donating today!

“It was such a cool experience to see all of the different whale bones, and to see how many bones a whale has.”

A gift of $1,000.00 will support the sculpture installation. The first 25 at this level will be honored by the adoption of a rib bone with your name included in the exhibit. 10 gifts of $500 allow the creation of a youth climate council to elevate student voices and increase local climate resilience. Every gift of $100 supports additional eDNA sampling to better understand the marine food web.

Will you Give Big to Raise An Island Icon? Early giving begins April 28th.

Checks made payable to Vashon Nature Center P.O. Box 2522 Vashon, WA 98070

- Vashon Nature Center Team

April Updates

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 17:01:03 GMT

Spring is here! We are back educating Vashon’s students and have completed two units at Chautauqua Elementary School. Our ongoing eDNA research is continuing with interesting results. Join us for a fun free event and sign up for upcoming workshops and trainings now on our website.

Spring Education programs at CES

4th Grade Bird Unit

The Nature Center has launched into spring education! We completed another successful year of our 4th grade bird unit! Together with the Vashon Bird Alliance, all the 4th grade students at Chautauqua Elementary got hands-on experiences with bird specimens, learned how to identify birds by calls, and got to apply all they learned during a field trip to Camp Sealth.

5th Grade Salmon Unit

We also met with Chautaqua’s 5th grade class for field-based salmon education at Shinglemill Creek. During this part of their salmon unit, students released the salmon fry they had raised, did water quality tests, and got to learn about salmon anatomy and about how watersheds affect salmon.

Vashon eDNA Research

Our team, together with King County and UW eDNA collaborative scientists, has started taking monthly eDNA water sample tests from 10 of Vashon’s creeks. These monthly samples began in February and will continue to be taken through May to improve our understanding of the island’s biodiversity. One of our goals of this project is to figure out if chinook salmon are using island creeks for non-natal rearing and just last week the King County electro-fish team found the first juvenile chinook of the study in Fisher creek! We are thrilled for this first confirmed record of young chinook using our streams and can’t wait for more surveys this month with Vashon high school students! Will we find more? Stay tuned!

Come see Ocean on 4/21! - VNC’s GreenTech night at Vashon Theatre

Celebrate Earth Day early with the Nature Center at GreenTech night at Vashon Theatre, April 21st! Doors open at 5:30 for a 6:00 viewing. We will be viewing Ocean, featuring David Attenborough at this free event!

Upcoming Events

Sign up for and learn more about our upcoming spring and summer workshops, available on our events page of our website. Get connected with nature through Annie Brule’s art workshop series or engross yourself in Vashon’s rich natural world for a week in our summer naturalist series.

We hope to see you at one of our events soon!

Summer Interns Selected!

We are happy to announce that we have selected this year’s Marine Science Interns! These 9 high school students will partake in 3 weeks of learning, data collection, and gaining irreplaceable marine science knowledge and opportunities. Congratulations to our 2026 group!

With our interns being selected, we are now looking for 2026 Research Assistants! Research Assistants are brought on to our team for the summer to assist with field research and data analysis and is an excellent opportunity for college students or recent college graduates who are looking for experience in a natural resource and science-related field. This year Research Assistants will focus on a kelp fish use survey- they will conduct snorkel surveys in all three island kelp beds, upload and analyze data, and communicate their findings to the island community.

Learn more about the position here and interested applicants can email their resumes and cover letters to bianca@vashonnaturecenter.org.

One of our advisory board members, Kathryn True has co-authored a new nature book! Seattle Field Guide is an inspiring guide to 38 nature-filled outings across the greater Seattle area that offer seasonal adventures that reveal the hidden wonders in the city’s parks, shorelines, greenways, and neighborhoods.

Kathryn will speak about the book with her co-author Maria Dolan with the Vashon Bird Alliance on May 6th at the Vashon Land Trust Building for her book release tour. The event starts at 7pm. We are so proud of her for spreading nature wonder far and wide and hope you support her work as well!

Feeling inspired? We always appreciate the support. A $600 donation can cover an entire summer intern’s stipend!

Donate Here

Singer’s one-of-a-kind whale sculpture’s installation is just months away! We are gearing up for welcoming this art piece into our community so Singer’s sculpture can inspire ocean stewardship in all who come to visit. This also means your chance to adopt a bone is dwindling! Don’t miss your chance to symbolically adopt a bone and be part of bringing this amazing project to completion. Help raise a whale from sea to sky!

Singer landed on our shores and could have easily been another sad story about the state of our oceans health. But, we chose to rally behind his story - so his life can mean more. We hope Singer inspires all who meet him - we know he has sparked awe and wonder amongst many in our community already.

- VNC Team

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March Updates & Events

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:00:27 GMT

Gearing up for the busy spring, getting back into classrooms, and sampling streams - March is amping up VNC activity in the community! We continue our whale project and are preparing for the next phase. We celebrate members of our staff who accomplished dreams in nature education and we await applications for our marine science summer internship program.

Creating a Kinetic Sculpture

Now that Singer the whale’s bones are cleaned, weighed, scanned and sorted (thanks to over 450 hours of work from an amazing team of volunteers) commissioned artist Ela Lamblin has begun work on the sculptural articulation of the skeleton! Ela’s creation will be a one-of-a-kind kinetic sculpture that will honor both the biological reality of the whale and the expressive possibilities of art. The plans highlight Ela’s personal artistic style and focus on movement, balance, and spatial experience that we hope sparks a sense of wonder and awe for all viewers who encounter the art piece. During Singer’s first month of display at VCA, he will serve as the centerpiece for a confluence of art, science, and education that will reflect the community’s commitment to continued learning about ocean conservation through creative expression.

You can still support the creation of this iconic sculpture through symbolically adopting a bone! Have a group of friends who also want to support this one of a kind work? Join together and adopt a bone as a group.

Interested high school students have just a few days left to submit their applications for our summer internship program! Interns will participate in naturalist training, learn procedures and take important scientific data, and earn a $600 stipend. Learn more here and apply before March 15th! Applicants must be 16 years old by internship dates.

eDNA Research Volunteers needed!

Our eDNA research continues on March 18th & 19th! Interested volunteers can sign up here or on the events page of our website. These will be the last eDNA sessions for community volunteers as the work will be continued by students at Vashon High School in April. There are just a few spots left to learn about this new scientific process and partake in community science!

eDNA Sign Up

Birders - Sea Bird Surveys need your help!

We’re looking for a few additional birding volunteers to help with the final session of this season’s Sea Bird Surveys on April 4th. Check out the event on our website to learn more and sign up!

Sea Bird Survey Sign Up

Introducing: Whale Ambassador Trainings

Interested in becoming a Whale Ambassador? Our next phase of whale volunteering will be less bone-cleaning and scrubbing intensive, and more focused on community education. Learn about gray whales and share your knowledge with the public as a whale ambassador once Singer’s sculpture is installed. We invite you partake in our three training sessions:

May 28th, 7- 8 pm via Zoom on general gray whale biology, conservation, and anatomy
June 4th, 7 - 8:30 pm via Zoom with guest speakers to share details about Singer’s story in particular.
June 6th, 10 am - 12 pm in the VCA Atrium to get familiar with the space and learn how to engage with and educate the public on all they have learned!
Whale Ambassador Sign Up

Whale Podcast Out Now!

In case you missed it, you can now listen to all three parts of our podcast series - The Raising of a Whale - from Sea to Sky on our SubStack! Learn about Singer’s story, gray whale biology and conservation, and . Listen now here:

- VNC Team

Thanks for reading! Make sure to subscribe so you always get our updates.

Reawakening and Returning Restored

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 17:03:24 GMT

The Nature Center staff is returning rejuvenated after our slow, peaceful, holiday hibernation. We took this past cold month to travel to new places, enjoy the great outdoors, spend time with loved ones, partake in traditions, and restore so we can return to our work with joy. Spring and summer are our busiest seasons, so we appreciate this slow time to prepare for the coming months of frantic field work, educational immersion, and continued community building through science.

A Successful SalmonWatcher Season Summary

Thanks to our dedicated Salmonwatchers we wrapped up another successful year monitoring the return of spawning salmon to our island creeks. Our volunteers made 553 visits to Judd, Shinglemill, Fisher, Christensen, Tahlequah, Ellis, Ellisport and Baldwin. Judd and Shinglemill creeks had spawning salmon reported while all others except Tahlequah had juvenile salmonids reported. In all, Judd Creek came in with 17 coho, 6 coho redds, 101 chum, and 30 chum redds in Judd Creek and Shinglemill creek had 6 coho, 6 coho redds, 0 chum. See a summary of results here. Salmon Watchers 2025 year end summary.pdf

This year was a pink salmon year so we were expecting that we would experience lower salmon counts this year as other species of salmon tend to dip in population during pink years. This could account for the low numbers in Shinglemill but we were happy to see the numbers at Judd less affected than we anticipated. Learn more about that from this coverage by KUOW. https://m.kuow.org/stories/a-record-size-run-of-pink-salmon-may-be-headed-toward-washington-state

High School Marine Science Summer Internship Applications Opening

We invite students ages 16-18 to apply for a summer internship in marine science. No experience is necessary, although comfort on and near the water is recommended. Interns work alongside VNC staff scientists and seasonal early-career research assistant mentors.

Applications open Feb. 1st and close March 15th. Acceptance Notifications made April 3rd.

Internship dates July 21 - Aug 7th (Monday - Friday)
Learn more - 2026_ Intern Flyer.pdf & Apply

Join Our Sea Star Galaxy of Recurring Donors

Thank you to our existing Sea Star Galaxy members! Recurring monthly donations provide stability, help us grow our programs, and allow us to quickly respond to the changing needs of our community.

You too can make a lasting impact with just one click! Sign up today to become a recurring monthly donor by checking the monthly box in our general donation form: https://vashonnaturecenter.org/donate/

$10.00/mo supports cutting edge eDNA research
$25.00/mo supports one student in our Scientists in Schools education program.
$50/mo supports one high school summer research intern
$100/mo supports safeguarding biodiversity data

There is still opportunity to symbolically adopt a gray whale bone and become part of the collective effort to raise a whale from sea to sky. 65 bones have been adopted by individuals and groups so far. Thank you community!

Adopt A Bone And Help Us Create An Island Icon

It can be easy to get bogged down with paralysis when it comes slowing the impacts of climate change. And while a large portion of that requires system changes from businesses and governments there are simple things we can do at home and in our daily lives to help make a difference. In 2026 we wish to celebrate local action to offset the anxiety often associated with comprehending how to make a difference.

Read our latest guest blog post, the second in a 2-part series covering simple stormwater solutions you can use on your own property to improve water quality in the Puget Sound and help support healthy salmon runs.

This series is funded in part by a King County Waterworks grant from King County Wastewater treatment division. The content herein does not constitute an endorsement by King County government, its employees or its elected and appointed officials.

Another way to learn about local issues is by listening to our new podcast about our whale project!

This is our educational coordinator, Arianna Fardad’s last week at VNC. She is departing to embark on new adventures in North Carolina. Good luck Arianna! We are so appreciative of all the time and meaningful dedication Arianna has put into the Nature Center during her time here, and who knows, maybe she will return to her welcomed place here one day in the future. Everyone remains part of the VNC team no matter where they venture.

Just like Santiago Ramos Torrescano, who is returning to our team after a year of traveling the world! He will be taking on Arianna’s role (and his previous one) as our new education coordinator. Having worked with Santiago in the past, we are thrilled to welcome him back and are looking forward to his incredible abilities to continue high standards of nature education and connection with island youth. Give him a welcome back wave when you see him around!

Donate today!

Thank you & farewell to 2025!

Sumi Suda — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 19:05:46 GMT

Thank you all for an incredible 2025! And thank you for your widespread support that has set us up for success in 2026. We are deeply grateful.

In the year ahead we will continue our valuable local programming to bring nature into the lives of over half of the Vashon School District student body while also hosting summer internships, early career fellowships, and urban youth group visits.

We will continue to expand our role as a Salish Sea Ecological Observatory hub– networking with powerful research partners and local communities to collect the same information throughout the Salish Sea. Through these networks we pool data to help solve regionwide conservation challenges like tracking fish biodiversity, refining understanding of shoreline restoration, and contributing to natural kelp bed conservation.

We are prepared to say yes to partner requests and opportunities from nature that enrich our local community and safeguard the biodiversity of the entire Salish Sea ecosystem we exist within.

Without you, we would not have over 20 years of data collected on salmon populations in island creeks available to inform restoration practices. Without you, we would not have documented over 3500 species with which we share our island lands and waters. Without you, we would not be able to engage nearly 50% of island school students with hands-on science programs each year. Without you, we would not be able to sustain youth internships, host urban youth in the outdoor lab of Vashon’s beaches and streams, or be able to raise a whale from sea to sky. Without you we would not be able to say yes to requests from partners to safeguard community collected data, share our results in both public and professional forms, fill holes in research as agencies and pilot new cutting edge research projects for conservation of biodiversity.

Thank you for joining us in safeguarding biodiversity, enhancing local climate resilience, and connecting with nature for the long term.

We wish you a wonder-filled 2026 and hope to see you outside.

In gratitude, Vashon Nature Center staff and board

You are Helping Kickstart New Nature Opportunities in 2026

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 18:12:17 GMT

Thank you to all who have already donated. If you have not, there is still time! Your support helps us enter 2026 prepared to take on new planned projects along with saying yes to unforeseen opportunities and partnerships that may arise. (We just hope it is not another whale!).

Thanks to your contributions so far, in 2026 we will be able to:

Sustain continued hands-on science programming for 50% of students in the Vashon School District in a challenging funding climate for education.
Create opportunities to participate in 20 different community science projects island-wide that connect to and help improve large regional issues like water quality, salmon, climate change, shoreline health, kelp, and more.
Address the question of “Are there chinook salmon in Island creeks?” We will begin a new project to test if juvenile chinook from larger river systems rear in island streams in partnership with the eDNA collaborative and King County. Sign up to help on our events page!
Help launch a new project where you can snorkel in kelp beds. You can help us investigate patterns of juvenile salmon use of natural kelp beds in partnership with the University of Washington WET lab, the Puyallup, and Fort Gamble Skallam Tribes, and others. Jump in with us by signing up on our events page.
Expand our seasonal early-career scientist research assistantships! In the next few years, with donor help, we are aiming to extend our existing summer research assistantships to year-long residential fellowships that bring talented young scientists to Vashon from all over the world. While here, they will learn how to do research in step with local communities while enriching our island with fresh ideas, talents, and passions. Fellows will concentrate on their own research projects and act as mentors for local high school students and interns. We are currently looking for sponsors for this program. Contact us if you are interested in donating directly.
Answer the question: “Where is the Vashon Nature Center?” We are working towards a central location with room for educational workshops, events, conferences, housing for interns, fellows, and visiting scientists, uses for partner groups, and a cutting-edge environmental research lab! Look for more information as we roll out a stewardship endowment and strategic planning towards a physical nature center in the next 5 years!
See successful completion of the stunning educational art installation of Singer the Whale for Earth Day, April 2026, by commissioned artist Ela Lamblin to kick off a year of associated whale and ocean conservation events and education in partnership with Vashon Center for the Arts.

We are excited for the opportunities in the year ahead and have heartfelt gratitude for all of you in our nature community who help make these initiatives happen. Safeguarding biodiversity and increasing climate resilience on our island and across the Salish Sea is a huge endeavor with many ever-changing opportunities. It takes a village, and we are grateful to be part of this incredibly important work. Thank you for your support!

Sincerely, Bianca and Maria co-directors

Donate to Vashon Nature Center

Community Enrichment and Partnership Development

Sumi Suda — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 19:28:17 GMT

Founder Bianca Perla in BC, Canada visiting the Hakai Institute.

A network of local, regional, and international partnerships enables Vashon Nature Center to increase the impact of our small and nimble organization by aligning local projects to large-scale efforts and expertise. No one saw the immensity of Singer on the horizon, and yet, due to your strong support, we were able to say yes to an opportunity to share Singer’s story in a way that will impact generations of islanders to come.

Whale bones being stored in the Vashon High School Greenhouse.

Your individual contributions enable us to have the flexibility to respond and take advantage of the changing needs of our community. Your support allows us to pilot projects and show early successes. The first year of our salmon watch program, our first program in local schools, the first 3 of 6 Bioblitzes, and the Whale Ambassadors program were all initially run solely on donations.

SalmonWatcher coordinator, Kelly Keenan, during SalmonWatchers training with onlooking volunteer.

Through working with Singer, we have enhanced partnerships with community land-owners, island non-profits, local Tribes, and international organizations like Haikai Institute in Canada. By gifting himself to our community, Singer has helped connect us to a network of caring individuals and organizations working together to educate and steward our planet’s oceans.

You are part of this network! We listen to our community and incorporate your ideas into our programming. Singer was first found on the beach by neighbors in the community who reported his existence. Our popular mushroom walks were a direct response to requests from community members for naturalist workshops. And our first school program was initiated when 6th-grade science teacher Gay Roselle asked if there were any citizen science opportunities for her students.

Donate to Vashon Nature Center

Your donations allow us to say yes! You keep Vashon Nature Center nimble, responsive, and continually relevant as both a local organization and a regional leader in research, community science, and nature education. Thank you for your year-end support!

Creating Community Through Science

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:05:22 GMT

A whale ambassador carefully cleans one of 164 bones to prepare it for the articulation. By inviting our community into the process of this monumental project, we cultivate a culture of care and compassion for the natural world. This, along with the 19 other community science programs we coordinate across the island, offers ways for participants to see this island differently as they learn about and care about it more fully together, whether it be through taking stormwater samples, collecting forage fish eggs on the beach at night, or snorkeling in the kelp forests.

This community-collected data helps safeguard biodiversity and increase climate resilience on local and regional scales. It is used by local land managers and informs policy on a regional scale. For example, we are partnering with the Land Trust to monitor their large-scale Judd Creek watershed restoration project. For over 8 years, we have monitored King County and Washington Department of Transportation beach restoration projects, contributing important information to improve restoration practices. We work with the Department of Natural Resources as local stakeholders, where our long-term monitoring is used to better inform management of the Maury Island State Aquatic Reserve. We also partner with over 40 groups including universities, Tribes, government agencies, and non-profit organizations on critical research projects to inform the statewide kelp initiative tasked with stopping kelp decline. As university scientists and government agencies face challenges to their work and funding, we are increasingly being relied upon to fill in the gaps in these collective projects.

Vashon Nature Center’s prioritization of building a strong network of local and regional partners, enables us to take on large projects like the recovery and articulation of Singer the Whale, because we can tap into an immense network of expertise that ultimately benefits our island.

Your support helps us cultivate a strong conservation network so that we can leverage local research to impact regional environmental decision-making. Help us stay on top of the most recent professional techniques and knowledge and bring it to bear to restore and safeguard island biodiversity into the future. Donate today!

Restoring Relationships to Restore the Earth

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 23:01:04 GMT

A student studies the details of one of the 164 bones recovered from Singer the whale, during a Scientists in Schools program with Vashon Nature Center. She is learning scientific illustration by working with the bone, along with the rest of the 9th-grade biology students. While she works with the bone over many days, a relationship is formed between the student and the whale in a way usually prevented by the barriers of the water and air realms where whales and humans naturally exist. How rare an experience to handle whale bones! How honored we are by Singer’s gift to our community. He has woven through every part of the work central to Vashon Nature Center and has enriched our education programs and broadened our research and partnerships.

In our work, we prioritize creating connections between people and the natural world because we know that successful nature conservation fundamentally depends on establishing nurturing relationships with the earth and each other. As Robin Wall Kimmerer says in her book, Braiding Sweetgrass, “what we contemplate here is more than ecological restoration, it is the restoration of relationship.”

Your support helps us give island youth continuing opportunities to develop long-lasting, authentic relationships with nature. Our tiered programming in the Vashon Island School District, paired with our summer internship and youth volunteer opportunities, creates a supportive scaffolding for youth to progress into ever deeper relationships and increasingly sophisticated learning about natural systems.

YOU have helped us build a suite of interlocking programs that are unparalleled in most public schools. These programs matter not only for children who want to go into environmental careers but to every child who walks this earth so that they can have the significant benefits that connection with nature provides.

During this giving season, support Vashon Nature Center in helping create long-lasting relationships with nature for our youth.

Donate now!

Happy Giving Tuesday!

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 23:41:33 GMT

Today is Giving Tuesday! Your gift enables us to continue long-standing education and research programs across the island while accepting the unexpected gifts from nature. With your help, Vashon Nature Center is Raising a Whale from Sea to Sky.

Donate today to help us raise $20,000 by the end of the year to reach our general fundraising goal of $71,500 for 2025! Adopt-A-Bone to become part of creating an island icon - they are going fast.

Your support enables us to achieve this whale of a project without impacting our ability to provide long-standing quality community science and education programs.

At Vashon Nature Center this year, that meant expanding community science monitoring to include cutting-edge eDNA research in Quartermaster Harbor and monitoring forever-chemicals in island streams; expanding school programs to develop units with the LINKS alternative learning program; and strengthening local and regional partnerships

Give this Tuesday to Vashon Nature Center! Visit our website now to find out more and various ways to donate now.

Whale Gratitude from VNC

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 21:44:57 GMT

You are helping Raise a Whale from Sea to Sky!

This Giving Tuesday, please consider supporting our work to connect people to nature through research and education and help us remain a nimble organization prepared to accept the unexpected gifts of nature, like Singer the Whale.

Thanks to the over 200 donors who have helped us close in on our year-end fundraising goal of $71,500! Help us close the gap by donating today.

Thanks to your support thus far:

Over 475 volunteer hours have supported this project through site visits on the beach, helping to recover, process, digitally scan, and prepare the bones for display
We hosted a recent event at the Vashon Theatre to a packed house eager to learn more about Singer the Whale!
Launched an Adopt-A-Bone campaign to raise funds critical to the success of this project and have successfully adopted 20% of the available 164 bones. Secure yours today! Vashon Nature Center’s Adopt-a-Bone Campaign

All of this while our staff continues to manage:

19 community science monitoring programs across the island that connect to larger issues throughout the Salish Sea
Hands-on education for nearly 50% of Vashon Island public school students;
Internships for high school and early career natural resource professionals;
Robust partnerships with 54 local, regional, and international programs and funders
A network of over 200 volunteers who make our research and education programs a success!

Thank you for helping us create a world awakened to the wonders of nature and please consider donating here now!

-Vashon Nature Center Team

Thanks for coming to Raising of a Whale - From Sea to Sky at Vashon Theatre!

Sumi Suda — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 21:24:27 GMT

Thank you to all who came and packed the house for The Raising of a Whale from Sea to Sky, our Greentech night at Vashon Theatre! We are filled with excitement, gratitude, and appreciation for the Vashon community’s ongoing care and support following our event last night. What a gift to have a community that cares so deeply about whales and their impact on the world!

Turning the gift of Singer’s body that landed on our shores into an iconic piece of art that will educate and inspire all who get to see it wasn’t a project we anticipated, but we are honored to be undertaking. We are grateful for the community support that allows us to be a nimble organization poised to take on unexpected gifts such as Singer.

If you missed last night, you can still be involved! Through our Adopt-a-Bone campaign, you can help make the Singer sculpture a reality! Share your wish for the whales, for Singer, for the ocean with each adoption or dedicate it to a loved one! What a lovely gift to give or receive!

Adopt a bone today by visiting our website: https://vashonnaturecenter.org/adopt-a-bone/

Thank you to those who couldn’t wait and have already stepped up to adopt bones. So far, 23 of Singer’s bones have already been adopted, and we are excited to see that number grow as Singer’s impact continues!

We will continue to share about this project as it develops, so stay tuned…