Nisqually Watershed Festival

[September 24]

We took a Saturday morning trip down towards Olympia to see the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. I'm writing an article about the Puget Sound and this was a recommended spot to visit. Even better, they were having a festival that day so I convinced Dean to drive down with me.

Our coolest find was this huge turtle, just munching away in a grass strip between the parking spaces.



The turtle didn't seem to mind the millions of kids around him/her, all trying to "pet" the shell.



Nearby, the Reptile Man was giving a presentation on creepy critters, like rattle snakes and young crocodiles. He was really good and had some interesting information about the reptiles. Here he is, holding the young croc on display.



We also went on a short walk around the refuge. It's a haven for birds, but in our limited time we only saw a heron and some ducks.



I also spent some time getting to know the local groups involved with the Puget Sound. I thought I would meet some good sources for my article, so I went around talking to everyone at their displays. Dean thought it would be fun to take some pictures, so here's me in action. By the way, my new job is at the University of Washington. I'm a science writer working on several projects to help communicate science and technology to the general public. It's great fun!