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exploring the modern world of citizen-science

filmmaker & Explorer

Follow me on my journey to document the new world of modern citizen-science and its contribution to conservation. What started as a simple beach debris survey down the coast of Washington has taken me to remote volcanic islands in the Alaskan Aleutians as well as joining the hunt for invasive species in the Salish Sea.

science

THERE’S A REVOLUTION HAPPENING IN SCIENCE. AND NOW, MORE THAN EVER, YOU CAN BE PART OF IT.

Return to Strawberry Point and Our Gray Whale

Science

Where does a dead whale go? After death, if the carcass ends up on a beach, it plays an important role in its surrounding terrestrial ecosystem.

A Sad Gray Whale of a Tail

Science

Despite the foulness riding the breeze from the south, curiosity kept us moving forward. We knew we had to be close to our target.

Sunset on Quillayute River during Halibut opener

Sun and Halibut at Toleak Beach

Science

Once again we were blessed with some outstanding weather and we had the bonus of watching the opening of Pacific Halibut and all the serious anglers heading out beyond James Island.

Another Run at Toleak Beach

Science

What’s the saying about Murphy’s Law? Weather, tide….all was in our favor I was thinking what a great day, that's when Murphy's Law kicked in.

Despite Record Snowfall A Successful Beach Survey

Science

Tides and weather are the keys to whether we have can conduct a successful bird survey. Tides are predictable; the weather has been anything but this year.

Winter Storms Creating Havoc with COASST Surveys

Science

We haven’t had quite the cold weather we usually get but the wind has been remorselessly beating up Washington and playing havoc with our attempts to get to our beach for a COASST survey

First Beach Cast Bird Found

Science

I really don’t want to think about the number of miles or the total elevation lost and gained that were traveled to find our first bird but it finally paid off with the discovery of our first bird (and second) to document for the volunteer COASST program.

A Summer Hunting the Green Crab

Science

This was only our second year for this site, and actually our first full year. Last year we had a late start as we waited for the permits to make their way through the system. I mention this because it makes is somewhat difficult to come up with any hard conclusions regarding the data.

up next

Mt. Iliamna coughs up some secrets

We spend two weeks in the Alaska back-country supporting the AVO (Alaska Volcano Observatory) team while they surveyed and studied one of Alaska least understood volcanoes.

Not only did we leave with a better understanding of this unique volcano but we made some new friends in the process.

upcoming events

Teams Back!

It was a hard two weeks but we're back in Washington. The team accomplished all their objectives. Look for upcoming articles as soon as we work through our backlog of correspondence.

Alaska Volcano Observatory

-- August 2019 --

Steve will be heading north once again to the Last Frontier. This trip will be about helping the Alaska Volcano Observatory conduct field research. The team will be conducting hard science to support AVO’s mission:

“Assessing the full range of potential hazards at specific volcanic centers. This effort involves studying a volcano to determine the style and frequency of past eruptions, and potential impacts of future activity.“