Discovery Speaker Series

Name: Tiny Tides Storytime
Start: 2025-04-05
End: 2025-04-05
Location: Puget Sound Estuarium

Every 1st Thursday at 6:30 pm, October - March

Talks with artists, educators, scientists, and Earth advocates. These talks are free and hosted at the Timberland Library located at 313 8th Avenue SE, Olympia, WA 98501.

View Our Video Archive

Watch past Discovery Speaker Series talks on demand. These are great for sharing in the classroom or for feeding your personal curiosity!

VIEW UPCOMING SPEAKER EVENTS

Past talks include: Sacred Sea, UW Fisheries Biologist,

Discovery Speaker Series Archive

2024-2025 Discovery Speaker Series

March 2025: Clam Gardens ~ Coming Soon ~ Coloring Pages 1 & 2

Hear from Joe Williams, Shellfish Community Liaison for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community about addressing declining clam populations by reviving the ancient practice of clam gardening.

February 2025: Deschutes Estuary Restoration – Coloring Page

Hear from Tessa Gardner-Brown, Principal and Senior Environmental Planner for Floyd|Snider about the monumental restoration project to restore the mouth of the Deschutes River.

January 2025: Allure of Seaweed Farming – Coloring Page

Hear from Meg Chadsey, Carbon Specialist for Washington Sea Grant about why we should (or shouldn’t) cultivate kelp and other seaweeds in Washington State.

December 2024: Reducing Noise Pollution for Orcas – Coloring Page

Hear from Sara Adams, Program Manager at Quiet Sound on why boat noise harms orcas, what voluntary measures are being done, and how collaborations are making a noticeable impact.

November 2024: Salmon Recovery in this Political Climate – Coloring Page

Hear from Joseph Bogaard, Executive Director of Save our Wild Salmon about their efforts to restore salmon populations and what’s to be expected with recent election results.

October 2024: European Green Crabs – Coloring Page

Hear from Dr. Brian Turner from WDFW’s Aquatic Invasive Species Unit about European Green Crabs and why they are making headlines as the most prolific invasive species in the world.

2023-2024 Discovery Speaker Series

March 2024: Tossing Salmon for Student Stewardship – Coloring Page

Hear from Davy Clark, Program Director at Nisqually River Education Project on the ways they provide student service learning projects that inspire stewardship and beyond.

February 2024: Birding is for Every Body – Coloring Page

Hear from Virginia Rose, Birdabilty founder about how you can be aware of accessibility channels and get involved in making birding for everybody and every body.

January 2024: Sanctuary and Recovery of Wolves – Coloring Page

Hear from Danielle Ransier, Education and Outreach Specialist at Wolf Haven International about wolf-dogs vs wolves and their importance in maintaining balance in the ecosystem.

December 2023: Restoring Kelp Forests – Coloring Page

Hear from Jodie Toft and Aurora Oceguera of Puget Sound Restoration Fund, about their kelp restoration efforts, and using ROVs to monitor kelp forests with Zachary Randell of the Seattle Aquarium.

November 2023: Climate Action Through Art – Coloring Page

Hear from international artist Carrier Ziegler about her expertise in using collaborative art to break down barriers, take action, process difficult concepts, and open hearts.

October 2023: Sustainable Shellfish Farming – Coloring Page

Hear from Bill Dewey, Director of Public Affairs for Taylor Shellfish Farms about shellfish farming in Puget Sound and the ecosystem services provided by them.

2022-2023 Discovery Speaker Series

March 2023: Noxious Weeds – Coloring Page

Hear from Heidi Steinbach, Noxious Weed Specialist about identifying noxious weeds and how we can make a difference with general control strategies.

February 2023: Ornithology with a Black Birder – Coloring Page

Hear from Wildlife Biologist and Black Birder, Alex Troutman about his passion for increasing diversity in the STEM field showing there are wildlife biologists who look like you.

January 2023: Steh-Chass The People – Coloring Page

Tour the Squaxin Island Museum with Assistant Director, Jeremiah George and hear the history behind Steh-Chass, the place and people of the water.

December 2022: Surviving Hood Canal – Coloring Page

Hear from Shaara Ainsley from Long Live the Kings, about the substantial migration barrier that is Hood Canal Bridge and how they are working to find a solution for the steelhead population.

November 2022: Mapping the Nearshore – Coloring Page

Hear from EarthViews Conservation Society’s Executive Director, Brian Footen about his goal of mapping the entire Puget Sound nearshore using just a camera and a kayak.

October 2022: Interconnectivity of Salmon and Orcas – Coloring Page

Hear from ecologist and evolutionary biologist Dr. Alexandrea Safiq about her nature-based spirituality survey using resident orcas and chinook salmon as case studies.

2021-2022 Discovery Speaker Series

March 2022: Water Quality Testing – Coloring Page

Hear from Marshall Middle School students on their research into local water quality which they’ll be presenting at Student GREEN Congress.

February 2022: Celebration of Birds – Coloring Page

Hear advice from birding leaders Elaine Chuang and Tiffany Adams about becoming a fledgling birder, and how to get involved with pigeon guillemot surveys from Terence Lee of the Nisqually Reach Nature Center.

January 2022: The Sacred Sea – Coloring Page

Hear from Lummi tribal member Tah-Mahs (Ellie Kinley) about the non-profit Sacred Sea and the importance of promoting ancestral knowledge for the revitalization of the Salish Sea.

December 2021: Status of Salmon – Coloring Page

Hear from biologist and professor Tom Quinn about salmon biology, habitat parameters, and eye-opening behaviors and how that’s impacting their current status in the pacific northwest.

November 2021: Orca: Shared Waters Shared Home – Coloring Page

Hear from environmental journalist Lynda V. Mapes about her experience reporting on the heartbreaking scene when the orca Tahlequah carried her recently deceased calf for 17 days.

October 2021: Voice Above Water – Coloring Page

Watch and hear from filmmaker Dana Frrankoff’s about her film Voice Above Water and how we can take action locally to care for our waterways with Liz Schotman from Surfrider of Olympia.