National Marine Sanctuary Foundation: Olympic Coast Fest

NMSF Assistant Director Joy Williams and Logistics Coordinator Rachel Lillestolen helped coordinate the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary 10th anniversary celebration, July 16-18, in Port Angeles, Washington. The weekend’s activities, dubbed "Coast Fest," drew hundreds of visitors to this remote area of Washington state.

Olympic coast

A major highlight was the dedication of the Olympic Coast Discovery Center, a high-tech exhibit and visitor center located at The Landing in downtown Port Angeles.

Among those attending the opening ceremony were U.S. Representative Norm Dicks, who was instrumental in securing funding for the sanctuary; former Washington Governor Mike Lowry, who was governor when the sanctuary was designated; and National Marine Sanctuary Program Director Dan Basta.


NMSP Director Dan Basta, Congressman Norm Dicks, and Olympic Coast NMS Superintendent Carol Bernthal cutting the ribbon on the Olympic Coast Discovery Center.	NMSP Director Dan Basta speaking during the dedication.

The Olympic Coast Discovery Center is meant to inspire, as well as educate people about the sanctuary, which spans 3,310 square miles of open water and rugged coastal beaches. The center includes a two-seat dome theater, which allows people to sit as they might in a submersible craft and view videotape of the Olympic Coast seabed. "We have had our eye on doing a visitor center for a long time," said Carol Bernthal, superintendent of the sanctuary. "We hope it will start to bring the message home that this is a special place and it takes all of us to protect it."

Six Washington Peninsula tribes, representing the cultural heritage of the area, joined the celebration as well. The Quinault, Hoh, Queets, Makah, Lower Elwha Klallam, Jamestown S'Klallam and Port Gamble S'Klallam tribes conducted a tribal welcoming ceremony, landing traditional cedar canoes at Hollywood Beach on Saturday morning. In addition, the tall ship Lady Washington, featured in the film “The Pirates of the Caribbean,'' arrived for public tours all day Saturday.

Coast Fest kicked off Friday night with a reception and then a presentation by Dr. Julia Parrish about seabird research on the Olympic Coast. The sanctuary is used by nearly 100 different species of marine birds and shorebirds. The reception and lecture, hosted by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, was attended by approximately 200 people. “It has been a wonderful opportunity for us to participate in this unprecedented outreach event for the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary,” said Lori Arguelles, NMSF Executive Director. “And much more can and will be done to raise public awareness about Olympic Coast and all of our national marine sanctuaries.”

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation congratulates Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary for an astounding first decade! In its first ten years, the sanctuary has led exciting research off Washington's Coast, created a network of partners dedicated to conserving its resources, and educated tens of thousands of people about its ecological and cultural value.

You can help further the mission of Olympic Coast and all our national marine sanctuaries by supporting the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation! >> I want to help!