Otters of the Salish Sea

Did you ever want to be able to tell the difference between a sea otter and a river otter? Do you know which ones are more common in Puget Sound?  Joe Gaydos, Chief Scientist at the SeaDoc Society will share this and more information about these furry and elusive creatures at our March program night.

We are privileged to have as our speaker Joe Gaydos, a wildlife veterinarian and Regional Director and Chief Scientist for the SeaDoc Society on Orcas Island.  He studies wildlife health and is interested in what we can do to ensure healthy wildlife and ecosystems.  Dr. Gaydos' paper on "Top Ten Principles for Designing Healthy Coastal Ecosystems like the Salish Sea" recently appeared in the international journal, EcoHealth.

The SeaDoc Society works to ensure the health of marine wildlife and ecosystems through science and education. Some of their primary mechanisms for doing this include: funding scientists through an annual Competitive Grants program to conduct important and innovative research on topics essential to the health of the region and its wildlife; providing expertise and assistance in the areas of marine conservation and animal health through an on-site staff scientist and veterinarian; and conducting scientific research on key indicators of ecosystem health and ways to ameliorate ecosystem health problems.

SeaDoc also does important bird research.  They supported research to develop a tool for determining which sites are most important for refueling migrating Western Sandpipers.  They are also pulling together the science and writing the status review for listing the Western Grebe as threatened.  In addition, SeaDoc-supported science that showed that in four Washington counties, scoters are being hunted at non-sustainable rates.  For more information, and to receive free quarterly Wildlife Posts from the SeaDoc Society, go to www.seadocsociety.org.

Please join us Thursday, March 25, for Dr. Gaydos' intriguing presentation on river and sea otters.  The meeting will start at 7:00; however, you are welcome to come early and enjoy the Activity Fair.  Joe's presentation is FREE and open to the public - invite a friend.

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