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South Fidalgo Beach Combing
| My old dog Sonny was the best beach comber. He loved it more than I did. He was a sucker for chasing herons, but never got close. One even turned on him and chased him back. He would not go into the water, however, not one paw. If coaxed I got, "I'll do it, but I won't like it." Dobermans are like that. In his last year, he was too disabled for beach hikes. I had to sneak out when I went, lest I hurt his feelings. Dobies are like that also. In Omoo, Melville said beach combers were "drifters, ex-sailors or criminals on the run." Add dobermans to that list. Before we begin exploring, let's check the tides... | 
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South Fidalgo Tide Predictions
 | Without tides there would be no beach. The land would end where the sea begins. The moon makes the tides, and so it is the moon that gives us beaches. The South Fidalgo Tide Chart reveals this relationship. Notice how regularly the moonrise and set times correspond to high tide here.
|  | And right back at ya, "the good earth" as seen from the Apollo 8 lunar orbit mission. The famous photo "Earthrise" was taken by astronaut William Anders on December 24, 1968. Our one large moon stabilizes the earth's rotational axis and makes the planet habitable. Without it, the earth might tumble in solar orbit, and be a very different place. There would be no ice caps, no tropics, no seasons, no beaches and possibly no "us." We owe a lot to our moon. Now, a bit of history... | | |
Some Local Beach History
The native peoples of the Northwest Coast made their living from the beaches, bays and estuaries of the region. An abundance of fish, shellfish and game bestowed great wealth and there was no need for a seasonal migration. They lived in settled communities and built permanent post and beam dwellings of cedar planks. The architectural lines of their houses may still be seen in modern homes of the "Northwest Style." The wealth of the people and a settled lifestyle allowed for leisure time. Out of this free time came a highly developed and stylized artistic tradition seen in wood carving, painting, weaving and textiles. Everyday items were elaborately decorated. In a unique festival called "Potlatch," the host gave away his belongings and wealth to guests. This was regarded as good manners and conferred prestige upon the host. Salmon was the local food staple, another sign of their wealth. For some 5-10,000 years, they thrived on a high-protein seafood diet. Today, native people try to live as we do on a carbohydrate-based European diet. The result has been great suffering from diabetes. In this, the beach holds a lesson for all of us. For more about the peoples of the Northwest Coast, tour the Burke Museum in Seattle. |
Explore the Salish Sea Ecosystem
| This great inland sea is named for the Salishan language family of its first inhabitants. Native people called it khWuhlch or Whulge which is Lushootseed for “salt water.” Spanning two countries and dozens of nations, it includes the Strait of Georgia, Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. Warmed by Pacific currents and sheltered by mountain ranges, the climate is unusually mild for its latitude. It is fed by several major river systems including the Fraser, Skagit, Stillaguamish and Nisqually. This continuous infusion of fresh water makes it less salty than the ocean. Despite more than six million human inhabitants, it remains one of the most diverse biological ecosystems in North America. At its very heart, Fidalgo Island is a good starting point... | | “Click on me.”
| Raven will be your guide. Click on his image to begin exploring.
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