June 30, 2004
Low life guide debuts
By Susan Mador
Whidbey Island beaches intrigue Mary
Jo Adams and Jan Holmes. For years, the WSU Cooperative Extension
/ Island County Beach Watchers have photographed and documented
Whidbey Island beach residents. But they haven't processed kite
flyers, beachcombers or picnickers.
Their focus has been on anemones, crabs and snails. And even more
obscure life.
Adams and Holmes find the minutae of beach life between high and
low tides fascinating. After a few minutes with them, anyone can
be converted to the allure of Whidbey Island's smaller residents
including worms, slugs and isopods.
"We have friends in low places," Adams and Holmes said. They aren't
joking about socioeconomic status. They are referring to the geographical
location of their subjects which live under rocks and seaweeds,
in between tides.
They've combined their knowledge and photography into a guide. "Intertidal
Invertebrates of the Salish Sea and the Pacific Northwest coast"
is four laminated pages packed with information. Many of which aren't
covered in other guides. There are scientific classifications, including
Latin names, but this shouldn't scare anyone. The photos of the
sea stars and sponges as well as segmented and unsegmented worms
provide information on where the animals may be found - rocky shores,
muddy sand, eel grass - and at what tide heights.
People examining limpets and barnacles will find sketches profiling
the shells. A limpet shell's geometry is key to identification as
are the arrangement of a barnacle's inside plates.
Unlike other guides, the photographs are local. Almost all were
taken on Whidbey Island with others taken on Camano and Fidalgo
islands.
It's been a labor of love and exploration as Adams and Holmes have
discovered realms of printing, photography and technical detail
they never imagined.
The first run of press was being laminated - in a Lucy and Ethel
montage, according to Holmes - when they noticed a mistake. Scientific
names weren't italicized. That was the equivalent of misspelling.
Back to press and finally, they had a suitable product.
Every item on the guide is researched, documented and explained.
"It's for people who really want to know what they are seeing,"
Holmes said.
The laminate allows people to place the guide on the beach as they
examine life. This compact guide doesn't give the exact life structure
and ecology of each creature. Instead, it's a guide to identification.
The bibliography in fine print provides information for people to
find out more.
"People can have more fun at the beach if they know what they are
seeing," Adams said.
Holmes and Adams will donate any proceeds to WSU Beach Watchers
' beach monitoring program and WAIF.
The guides are available at Admiralty Head Lighthouse in Fort Casey
State Park and One More Thing on Front Street in Coupeville. With
the year's lowest tides this week, people interested in seeing another
dimension of Whidbey Island life will want to have a copy of the
guide.
© Copyright 2003 Whidbey News Times
Reproduced with permission