Our kayak patrol activity was launched in 2021. For the time being, we strive to host 2-3 kayak patrols per month, except in December through February. The locations will change periodically, as will the theme of the patrols. Specialists from a variety of fields will join us to educate volunteers on different topics. We hope you can enjoy this unique opportunity to learn about your watershed directly while having fun in a kayak or other vessel. If you are interested in participating, please complete the volunteer application form located in the Volunteer Center.
Are you interested in serving as a field guide on one of our patrols? If so, please reach out to us at olydert@gmail.com
Boston Harbor Marina is located at 312 73rd Ave NE, Olympia, WA 98506. You can either rent kayaks or launch your own vessel. Single kayaks cost $30 for a 2 hour rental. Boston Harbor also serves food and drinks to enjoy after paddling around.
Tugboat Annie’s is located at 2100 W Bay Dr NW, Olympia, WA 98502. You can either bring your own vessel or rent from the marina. Single kayaks cost $20, tandems cost $30 for a 3 hour rental. Tugboat Annie’s is a restaurant, so after exploring the Sound you can grab a meal & a drink!
We do not want the cost of kayak rentals to prohibit anyone from participating in our patrols, so DERT is happy to cover the cost of rentals if needed. Just let us know!
Upcoming Kayak Patrols
Saturday, April 30th, 2 PM @ Boston Harbor (High Tide – 6:51 PM, 13.5′)
Field Guide: Aimee Christy, research biologist at Pacific Shellfish Institute.
Topic: What’s Blooming in South Sound? Monitoring for plankton communities and water quality.
Every week, PSI biologists dip their net into Budd Inlet to track plankton communities and screen for harmful algal blooms, or HABs. HABs are blooms of phytoplankton that cause harm to people, animals, or local water quality. This data will be submitted to NOAA’s SoundToxins program, a phytoplankton monitoring network designed to provide early warning of HABs in an effort to protect human health and economic losses to fisheries. Ever wonder what microscopic organisms you’re swimming with? During this kayak activity, we will collect water quality data and plankton samples that will be analyzed onshore using microscopes. Click here to learn more about PSI’s What’s Blooming program.
Saturday, May 7th, 10 AM @ Boston Harbor (High Tide – 9:28 AM, 10.7′)
Field Guide: Liz Schotman, Washington Regional Manager, Surfrider
Topic: Liz Schotman, Surfrider Foundation’s Washington Regional Manager, will discuss how Surfrider works to ensure the protection and enjoyment of our ocean, waves, and beaches for all people through a powerful activist network. She’ll discuss how our volunteer-run campaigns and programs, such as Rise Above Plastics, Ocean Friendly Restaurants, and the Blue Water Task Force, can fight plastic pollution, protect clean water, and address the threat of climate change to our coasts and communities. Surfrider has a proven strategy of leveraging these on-the-ground grassroots efforts towards scalable change by not only connecting people with their waterways, but by enabling them as leaders of our coastal communities, lobbying on behalf of our waterways to pass local, state, and federal policies to protect our coasts and our access to them.
Saturday, May 21st, 10 AM @ Boston Harbor (High Tide – 9:40 AM, 11.8′)
Field Guide: TBD
Topic: Environmental Impact Statement and the 5th Ave Dam – We will be updating participants on the status of Department of Enterprise Service’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Capitol “Lake” and the Deschutes Estuary. We will discuss the history of the dam, and the severe impact it has on habitat and water quality conditions.
Past Kayak Patrols
The pictures above are from a kayak patrol DERT conducted with Pacific Shellfish Institute biologist, Aimee Christy, who taught participants about plankton communities. Late summer can be a particularly interesting time to sample as decomposing phytoplankton deplete oxygen levels and stratified waters encourage harmful algal blooms. We paddled around Boston Harbor to collect plankton samples and water quality data (temperature, salinity, pH, oxygen, clarity) at various locations. Then, returned to shore to view these lively critters under microscopes. PSI has been monitoring Budd Inlet plankton for 8 years as part of NOAA’s SoundToxins program. Aimee shared knowledge regarding seasonal and annual trends as well as what makes Budd Inlet plankton so fascinating! The document below describes the plankton we saw and the water quality data collected.
Below is another report from the second plankton monitoring kayak patrol we conducted with with Aimee Christy in March 2022.
Wendy Gerstel led a great kayak patrol on Nov 20th, 2021. The weather was perfect, with sun and calm waters throughout the afternoon. Wendy taught us about different issues related to geology and shoreline modification. Wendy drew our attention to the change in composition of the shoreline, from fine sediment in areas with native vegetation, to coarse gravel where the vegetation was replaced by armoring. In addition, she explained LiDAR technology, distributed LiDAR maps of the area, and told us how these maps would be used to assess a shoreline or nearshore area. The group shared a lot of personal knowledge, stories, and laughter throughout the patrol.
