Re: “Seattle Aquarium lays off 12 as revenues fall short” (Feb. 4, Northwest):
Left unreported is the impact on the public and classes of schoolchildren who visit Puget Sound beaches in King County during spring and summer low tides. With the two lead Beach Naturalist Program permanent staff laid off, and the nearly two dozen dedicated seasonal staff not being rehired, Seattle Aquarium will no longer provide 300 trained volunteers and staff as beach naturalists helping educate and connect diverse audiences to the wondrous tide pool animals.
For the first time in 25 years, tens of thousands of local residents and schoolchildren coming to 11 beaches (from Dash Point to Richmond Beach) each year will not be greeted by aquarium naturalists. The general public, of all economic circumstances, loses this long-standing, valuable and free opportunity to deepen their understanding and caring for our Northwest marine ecosystem.
Our advice: Continue to visit our beaches and enjoy the life at low tide. Do what you can to conserve this amazing part of where we live. Share your discoveries with others on the beach. Perhaps you’ll end up talking to an out-of-uniform former naturalist who just cannot stop coming to see the excitement that’s in the tide pools.
Former Aquarium seasonal staff: Daoud Neil Miller, Kenmore; and Stephanie Burkemoore, Noelle Congdon and Jess Keating Hassman, Seattle
