Putting Salish Sea in kids’ hands

The SeaDoc Society, based in Eastsound on Orcas Island, has launched an Idiegogo campaign to bring the beauty and wonder of the Salish Sea to 5th and 6th graders throughout Puget Sound.

They are publishing a book, Explore the Salish Sea: A Nature Guide for Kids, that aims to educate kids about the sea’s importance and what needs to be done to protect it. The SeaDoc Society hopes supporters will help fund efforts to put the book into kids’ hands.

Not only is the Salish Sea extraordinarily beautiful, but it also plays a vital role in our economy and our way of life. Increasingly, the sea and its surrounding watersheds are challenged by an ever-growing list of threats. As with any difficult issue, the more we understand and care about the problem, the more likely we are solve it.

To inspire today’s youth and tomorrow’s leaders to connect with and protect our unique inland sea, SeaDoc and Little Big Foot publishing are releasing Explore the Salish Sea: A Nature Guide for Kids. It inspires outdoor exploration, ownership of this place, and action to take care of it. Through this IndieGoGo campaign, we intend to share this important new book in schools, outdoor camps and libraries with every 5th and 6th grade student regardless of their ability to pay.

Low-income families are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation. There are about 81,000 5th graders in Washington State, and 43 percent are low-income. More than half live in counties next to Puget Sound, meaning there are more than 20,000 low-income 5th graders in Washington to whom we’d like to provide books annually.

SeaDoc’s first book, The Salish Sea: Jewel of the Pacific Northwest, was published in 2015 and was the first book of its kind to describe the Salish Sea which is one of the world’s largest inland seas and a unique ecosystem home to thousands of different species of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles.