Pacific Northwest Fish and Invertebrate Identification classes are being presented free of charge in Belfair, Washington, on Friday, October 13th and Saturday, October 14th, 2006, by the Puget Sound Action Team (PSAT), the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group (HCSEG), and the SeaDoc Society. These classes are designed for SCUBA divers and will also be of interest to others who appreciate our marine ecosystem and would like to know more about the wildlife in the water. The free, adult-level classes prepare divers and snorkelers to conduct Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) marine life identification surveys in the Pacific Northwest. Participants will learn how to identify about 45 fish and 45 invertebrates.
Friday, Oct. 13, 2006
5pm – 9pm Pacific NW Fish ID Class – The Mary Theler Center
Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006
9am – 1pm Pacific NW Invertebrate ID Class – The Mary Theler Center
2pm – 6pm 2 Optional Shore Dives – Sund Rock Marine Reserve ($10 entrance fee for class participants)
Completion of the class quiz plus two dive surveys will qualify attendees as REEF level 2 surveyors. Shore dives will happen at Sund Rock Marine Reserve ($10 entrance fee for class participants) NOTE: This is a change from Twanoh State Park!!! on Saturday and participants need to provide or make arrangements for their own transportation. Please bring a sack dinner or lunch to eat in class, if needed, as Friday’s class will proceed through the dinner hour and those who are going diving on Saturday will travel from classroom to beach.
Janna Nichols, of REEF,
is the instructor for the classes. The REEF Survey Project allows volunteer SCUBA divers and snorkelers to collect and report information on marine fish and invertebrate populations. The data are collected using a fun and easy standardized method, and are housed in a publicly-accessible database on REEF's website (http://www.reef.org). These data are used by a variety of resource agencies and researchers and will complement Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group activities. During the class, the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group will share information about the Hood Canal Diver Observation Program and how divers can help monitor marine life in Hood Canal as dissolved oxygen levels change over time.The classes will be held at the Mary K. Theler Community Center, 22871 N.E. State Rte. 3, in Belfair, Washington. More information is available at: http://www.thelercenter.org or 360-275-4898.
To register for the classes send email including your name, mailing address and phone to Lavonne Hull at lwhull@ucdavis.edu and indicate whether you will attend both sessions or the Fish (Friday) or Invertebrate (Saturday) session only. Please also mention if you are planning on diving, which will help track demand.
The registration deadline is Oct. 12, 2006 and space is available on a first-come first-served basis. More information on the Puget Sound Action Team is available at http://www.psat.wa.gov , on the Hood Canal Diver Observation Program at http://www.hoodcanal.washington.edu and on the SeaDoc Society at http://www.seadocsociety.org
PADI Specialty certifications are available for an additional fee - contact Janna at 360-798-6414 for more info.
"FISH-O!"
and, why yes, I AM GOING CRAZY 
thanks for asking! [cue music: "they're coming to take me away, ha ha, they're coming to take me away, ho ho, ha ha, ho ho, he he, etc." ] OK OK, now STOP, BREATHE, THINK, ....Whew, I feel a bit better. Hey I guess my Rescue Diver training is starting to pay off already!)
