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Highlighted Program- Washington State University Beach Watchers

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Link to webpage about the Guide for Growing Programs Link to 803 K pdf file about Using the Guide Link to Why Monitoring Makes Sense 582K portable document format fileLink to Designing Your Monitoring Strategy, 1.6 M p.d.f. fileLink to Monitoring Matrix, 80K p.d.f. fileLink to 986K p.d.f. file about effective training techniquesLink to 437 KB p.d.f. file of Monitoring Equipment SuppliersLink to listing of direct links to online manuals from volunteer monitoring (Extension) programsLink to 1.5 MB pdf file about Building Credibility for Volunteer Monitoring Programs (Quality Assurance and Quality Control)Link to 1020 KB pdf file about SHaring Information Through Internet ExchangeLink to fact sheet learning module about Volunteer Management (7 M pdf file)Link to 6086 KB pdf file about planning your program's data management systemOutreach ToolsLocating Support and Funding

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Link to Secchi Dip-In websiteLink to National Water Monitoring Day InformationLink to Volunteer E. coli Monitoirn gProject website

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Beach Watchers logo and website linkOutcomes
The WSU Beach Watchers program:

  • Has grown from 10 volunteers monitoring 5 marine (intertidal zone) locations to 80 volunteers monitoring 30 marine sites and additional riverine sites since its beginning in 1990.
  • Records more than 10,000 hours of volunteer time each year.
  • Created a wealth of information on intertidal monitoring.
  • Allowed volunteers to define methods that produce valuable data and are not too in-depth for volunteers to manage.
  • Collects a large dataset of biological organisms and physical parameters recorded at intertidal sites on an annual basis.
  • Offers citizen volunteers an increased understanding of marine environment biodiversity which is an indicator of the habitat health.
  • Demonstrates to citizens that marine beaches are indicator zones of watershed health.

Background
Photo of W.S.U. Beachwatchers taking a beach profile. PHoto courtesy of W.S.U. Beachwatchers Program.The WSU Beach Watchers program began in 1990 to provide public education related to watersheds of the marine environment; it is not solely a monitoring program. Don Meehan, Chair of WSU-Extension in Island County, included a volunteer monitoring component to capture the excitement and attention of citizens to marine ecosystem quality and its relationship to watershed health. At the program's inception, there was not much information about intertidal monitoring. Jack Serwold, a local (Washington state) scientist, was a key contact in developing the program. His research experience in beach profiling and biological assessment combined with his willingness to teach others helped to get the program up and running. Continued development of the program is credited to a great amount of effort and leadership of key volunteers within the program, since methods initially taught to volunteers proved to be too involved. The volunteers put in hundreds of hours working to define methods that would produce valuable data and that were not too in-depth for volunteers to follow.

Today, most intertidal zone monitoring sites (located in Puget Sound) are assessed annually for biological organisms and physical parameters. Some monitors record presence/absence information about organisms at the monitoring site, while others identify organisms (including seaweeds and invertebrates) to the genus level. Volunteers (70% of whom are senior citizens) are trained in the classroom and in the field, including on-site mentoring by program staff, scientists, and trained volunteers. Each new volunteer receives about 25-30 hours of related training and returning volunteers receive about 10 hours of training each year. The Beach Watchers have a written manual and follow quality assurance/quality control procedures that they have developed. Advanced training is also offered to program volunteers. Beach Watchers volunteers are recognized with certificates of participation and through special awards.

Beach Watchers staff interact and communicate with their volunteers continuously in a wide variety of ways. The staff visit volunteers' sites, speak with them on the phone, hold quality assurance meetings, and meet with volunteers in person on a regular basis. The staff hold monthly meetings, which consist of a business meeting followed by an educational program that is open to the public. The program also has a newsletter, an email list server, a website, and holds an annual meeting.

In short, the WSU Beach Watchers Program seems to be doing it all, and the length of their existence shows that it is a success. To learn more about the program, visit their website or visit the website for archives of the Environmental Protection Agency's Volunteer Monitor newsletter to see an article about the program written in the Winter 2002 issue.

WSU Beach Watchers Program Coordinator: Don Meehan, meehan@wsu.edu, 360-679-7327

To view other highlighted programs, visit our highlighted program archives.

Updated Friday, 05-Jun-2009 13:49:44 CDT

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