This work would not be possible without the many supporters who have helped us over the years. Generous financial contributions have been made by many to allow students the opportunity to study on Blakely Island. Without these gifts, the Blakely Island Field Station could not exist. However, equally important are the myriad other ways people have supported the station, from helping with facilities repairs and renovations to providing advice on various issues.
If you would like to contribute to the continued success of Blakely Island Field Station, there are several ways to do so. If you have a specific project you would like to support for the short term, please contact the station director (contact information below) to discuss how you would like to help.
Several endowments support our activities, and donating specifically to one of them may be of interest. Contact SPU’s University Advancement and designate one of these funds. Thank you!
The Operational Endowment. This fund keeps our facility open by providing the overhead necessary for maintaining a field station program.
The Friends of Blakely Island Endowment. Designated for use in supporting Blakely programs, proceeds from this endowment to date have been used exclusively for supporting scholarships based on either financial need, academic ability, or both. Funds have been provided to students from any home institution.
The Ross and Barbara Shaw Endowment. This endowment supports scholarships for students from any institution who wish to take courses on Blakely.
The Zinza Endowment. This endowment provides scholarships for Seattle Pacific University students taking courses on Blakely Island and having an interest in ecology or environmental science.
The Ronald C. Phillips Endowment. This endowment supports undergraduate research activities, usually as part of a Senior project at Seattle Pacific University.
To support specific projects at the field station, contact:
Eric Long, PhD Seattle Pacific University 3307 3rd Avenue West Seattle, WA 98119 Phone: 206-281-2297 Email: longe@spu.edu
A weekend at Blakely is a field trip. Forest hikes and tide pooling take up most of the day, and in the evening, lectures and lab work trail on till dinner. But when the dinner bell is rung and dinner devoured, students have the rest of the night to themselves.
While dusk still yields light out, the first thing that students of Dr. Elena Brezynski’s “Introduction to Biology Attributes” anticipate is the lake.
Bobbing together, a floating huddle of students skirt the water on paddleboards, canoes, and kayaks. Sophomore integrated studies major Sarah Garvin finds the wide-open lake freeing from the day’s packed schedule.
Students boat across Spencer Lake after dinner. Photo: Micah Lim
“We’re in kayaks and canoes in the middle of a lake in the middle of an island. We did tide pools, so much lecture, a hike, and now we have free time for the first time since we got here, so we decided to sit in the middle of a lake. Jenna and I were thinking about jumping in, but maybe tomorrow morning,” Garvin said.
From one end of Spencer Lake and back, the sounds of laughter carry across the water. After every lifejacket is packed away and shoes are hung up to dry, the students head inside.
Spoons are arranged in a circle, one less than every player. The person who doesn’t grab a spoon in time is out. Photo: MicahLim
Like a retreat center, the field station is also outfitted with a variety of activities, and it is a place to wind down. Inside the field station, encyclopedias sit alongside Apples to Apples, Connect Four, and Settlers of Catan. Decks of cards stack neatly next to Uno and Codenames.
Sophomore integrated studies major Olivia Pederson, opens the utensils drawer and pulls out a stack of spoons.
“To play you deal out cards and pass them to each other,” Pederson said. “When someone matches four [cards] you’re supposed to grab a spoon from the middle [of the table] and if you don’t you’re out.”
Aptly named, spoons is a game of speed, like playing musical chairs, the cutlery clatters when someone slaps down a four-of-a-kind. Between games and the sound of spoons, others gather on the couches to sing songs. Hanging on the wall is an acoustic guitar and an ukulele.
From Taylor Swift to Disney Channel, song requests challenge muscle memory and chorus. Each catch tune brings voices together to sing along.
Upstairs in the dormitory, the fireplace crackles. Caretaker Brian Rodda leaves freshly chopped wood and kindle next to the cast iron fireplace. As students stoke warmth in the common room, they spear marshmallows onto sticks, toasting or burning the Jet-Puffed to their liking.
Students gather around the fireplace to roast marshmallows. Photo: courtesy of Isabella Tranello.
Cozy with blankets, smores, and hot tea, the night ends. Students retire to their rooms with more lectures and hiking ahead of them. Surely, they will wake up and be back on the water and around the fire to do it all again.
Seattle Pacific University student Emily McElheran speaks to how the natural beauty of Blakely Island is inspiring for her as an artist.
Emily, a Visual Communication and Illustration double major, went to Blakely Island with Dr. Langford’s Creation Care class in the Spring of 2024. While there, she was struck by the beauty of the island.
Sitting on Bald Bluff, looking out over the San Juan Islands, with sketchbook at the ready, Emily noted, “As an artist, I definitely feel like I can like engage with nature differently and I just, I see a lot of the details, I think.”
The view from Bald Bluff that inspired Emily McElheran. Photo: Staff
The breathtaking landscape in front of her was more than just inspiration for Emily, it was a challenge: “I see all these different like lines or all these different patterns and I just immediately think of how I could create that.”
This stunning backdrop helped Emily intersect her faith and her art. She said, “It’s so insane the different like patterns that God can create and the different intricacies that nature has. It’s like a constant puzzle of like how I could get remotely close to recreating that beauty and like capturing that.”
When asked what her artist’s eye was most drawn to on Blakely, she said that the mountains drew her attention the most: “Specifically on Blakely I think I’ve noticed honestly like more of the mountains. In the heart of Seattle, every now and then you can see them if you’re like going across the Aurora bridge or every now and then but like here that’s kind of like any opening you get, that’s all you see.”
Emily McElheran stands on Bald Bluff. Photo: Staff
Her time at SPU and experienced eye for art helped her to engage with this unique place in a way starkly different than the biology students who frequent the island. Still talking about the mountains, she said, “As far as you can see are all these different mountains and my brain then goes to like honestly to a color analysis of them. And then I’m like, how could I paint that? And I think of, ‘oh there’s a little bit of orange in here mixed in with that blue or there’s some yellow over there.’”
Emily sat looking out from the Bluff and commenting on it for only a moment before she put pen to paper and started sketching all that she saw.
Blakely Island, a peaceful and beautiful retreat, is a beloved escape for many, including Elise Nelson, the daughter of the current director of Blakely Island, Dr. Tim Nelson. Over the years, Nelson has created countless memories, drawn to the island’s natural charm and close-knit communities.
“It’s a place where people can leave the city behind and truly reconnect with nature,” Elsie Nelson said.
As the rain poured down outside, dimly lighting the atrium, Nelson cuddled Kaya, the caretaker’s dog, under the skylight, reminiscing about her first visit to Blakely. The island’s magic continues to weave into her life, providing a sanctuary where cherished memories and new adventures unfold.
Elsie Nelson on Blakely Campus, taking a stroll (Sharli Mishra).
Since the tender age of three and a half months, Nelson has visited Blakely Island, building a quilt of memories that intertwine with the island’s serene landscapes and vibrant community.
“One of my favorite memories is a boat ride, playing cards, probably Go Fish, with my family and the previous caretakers’ black Labrador sitting by the door,” recalled Elsie Nelson. These early experiences laid the foundation for a lifelong bond with Blakely Island.
Dr. Tim Nelson and Elsie Nelson on the peak of Blakely chatting about the Douglas Fir (Sharli Mishra).
The island not only has a beautiful environment, but it also fosters a sense of community.
“The community that gets built in just one weekend is amazing,” Elsie Nelson shared.
This camaraderie, coupled with the opportunity to disconnect from the city’s chaos, makes each visit a rejuvenating escape. The consistent return to familiar faces and places cultivates a sense of homecoming and nostalgia. Each trip to Blakely is marked by familiar rituals and new adventures. A favorite spot for Nelson is a little pier by the lake, offering a peaceful retreat to soak in the surroundings. Nelson’s connection to Blakely is also deeply rooted in family traditions.
Many memories involve exploring the island with her father, strengthening their bond through shared adventures. The relationship with past and present caretakers of the island has also enriched these experiences. From enjoying cookies set out by previous caretakers to bonding with the current ones, these interactions add a layer of warmth and familiarity to each visit.
Elise cuddling Kaya by a door in the Atrium (Sharli Mishra).
One of the highlights of any trip to Blakely is the encounter with Kaya, the caretaker’s affectionate dog.
“Kaya is a sweetheart, always ready to greet you when you get off the boat,” Elsie Nelson fondly mentioned.
These small yet significant moments with Kaya encapsulate the welcoming spirit of the island. Nelson speaks fondly of the tall Douglas fir trees and the shorter hemlocks, whose presence contrasts sharply with the concrete jungle of Seattle. The island’s flora, including the distinctive skunk cabbage, evokes a sense of nostalgia with its unique scent, bringing back memories.
Reflecting on her father’s influence, Nelson acknowledges the impact of Tim Nelson’s long association with Blakely. Tim Nelson first visited the island as a college freshman in 1984, taking a junior-level ecology class.
“We were measuring trees, just hanging out at the field station. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I thought it was an amazing place,” Tim Nelson recalled.
The experience left such an impression that he resolved to take as many classes as possible that involved fieldwork, often returning to Blakely for research and teaching.
“It was warm, it was comfortable, it was welcoming. Nature there is spectacular,” Tim Nelson added.
Tim’s dedication to the island has shaped Elise’s experiences as well. He fondly recounted how the island has evolved over the years.
“There have been a few new homes built, and the island did have a pretty serious thinning operation that cut down a lot of trees. But in a lot of ways, it hasn’t changed much in terms of the physical structure,” Tim Nelson noted.
The unchanged aspects of Blakely contribute to the timeless charm that continues to draw the Nelson family back. In addition to family hikes and teaching moments, Tim has countless memories on the island. These explorations not only strengthened the father-daughter bond but also instilled in Elise a deep appreciation for the natural world.
Elise exploring the Tidepools (Sharli Mishra).
Despite the strong connection to nature, Elise’s career aspirations lie elsewhere. Preferring a math-based path, she aims to enter elementary education, inspired in part by a family legacy of teaching. Interestingly, one of her former teachers was a student of her father, highlighting the interconnectedness of their educational journey and Blakely Island. Elise Nelson considers Blakely Island a place of peace, community and personal growth. Her visits to this cherished place strengthen the bond, making it a constant source of joy and nostalgia. As Tim explained in his testimony, Blakely was the start of a legacy of shared experiences and a deep connection to nature that will continue to shape his and his family’s lives for years to come.
Dr. Eric Long’s office is a sanctuary for the curious mind, a repository of knowledge and memories. Upon entering, one is immediately struck by the walls lined with a rich collection of ecology books on the freshly polished shelves. These shelves groan under the weight of an impressive mini ecology library, with volumes ranging from ancient botanical texts to the latest research in environmental science. Each book, lovingly worn, tells a story of countless hours spent in study and contemplation.
Scattered throughout the room are personal photographs, capturing fleeting moments of joy and discovery. In this small part of his room, Long can be seen smiling broadly with a group of students, their faces alight with the thrill of learning. There is also a candid shot of him and his family on a rugged hiking trail.
Dr. Long Office tables that reflect memories created over a lifetime
These pictures, framed in simple, understated wood, bring warmth to the space, reminding visitors of the man behind the scholar. But perhaps the most arresting feature of Long’s office is his collection of deer skulls. These macabre yet fascinating artifacts are displayed with a reverence that borders on sacred. Each skull is unique and carefully mounted, with its antlers stretching like gnarled fingers grasping the air. They are not trophies of conquest but relics of curiosity, each representing a story of the wild and untamed.
The room is bathed in a soft, natural light that filters through a large window overlooking a verdant campus quad. This light, coupled with the earthy scent of old paper and polished wood, creates an atmosphere of quiet contemplation. Dr. Long has created a space that is as much a reflection of his mind as it is a tribute to the natural world he cherishes.
Long shared insights into his lifelong passion for wildlife and ecology, tracing his journey from a young ornithologist to a distinguished expert in large mammal ecology.
“I have always been interested in wildlife,” Long said, reminiscing about his early experiences with birds. “I just loved the feeling of working with wild animals and figuring out what stories these things could tell me if I had a chance to track them.
Long’s master’s project involved working with cougars, which he described as a “blast,” despite the challenge of working with a small number of individuals over many years. Transitioning to his PhD, he found himself immersed in deer ecology.
“I enjoyed it because I was still working with large mammals, but there were a lot of deer,” Long explained. Over four years, he and his team captured over 2,000 deer and placed radio collars on 600, allowing them to ask and answer critical ecological questions.
Long talks about how blacktail deer got into Blakely. He mentioned one of his memories with a deer named Pablo, who traveled on and off Blakely Island.
One significant focus of Dr. Long’s research has been the impact of hyper-abundant deer populations on ecosystems, particularly on Blakely Island.
“The population density of deer is higher than it was historically, largely due to the eradication of predators and extensive logging, which opened up the forest canopy,” Long noted.
This has led to an imbalance in which preferred tree species like Douglas fir and Western Red Cedar struggle to regenerate, while less favored species like Western Hemlock thrive. Long and his students have spent nearly two decades at Blakely, a tenure that has also led to his extensive collection of deer skulls.
“It’s kind of a research project,” Long said. “Whenever my students find a deer skull, they bring it back to me, and we take basic data on it.” This collection, now numbering over 700 skulls, has provided a unique opportunity to study the effects of ecological changes on the deer population.
The Deer Skulls that have been collected over two decades by Dr. Long and his students
In discussing the broader ecological implications, Dr. Long highlighted the concept of trophic cascades.
“If you remove predators, the deer population increases, which then decreases the vegetation they feed on,” Long explained.
This imbalance affects plant regeneration and increases the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
“Hemlock, which deer don’t prefer, is more fire-prone than other species. With the climate getting hotter and drier, these hemlocks become tinder, creating a fire ladder that can turn ground fires into devastating canopy fires,” Long said.
Long’s work underscores the complex connections within ecosystems and the far-reaching consequences of human interventions. His research, deeply rooted in both scientific inquiry and a profound respect for nature, continues to shed light on the delicate balance required to maintain healthy and sustainable environments.
Dr. Bruce Congdon inspects leaf litter under microscope in Blakely Island Laboratory (Sophie Beadle).
My first interaction with Dr. Bruce Congdon was full of laughter. The retired SPU professor spends his time attempting to play guitar, gardening, and bushwacking through the forest. After our first interaction Congdon was blown away by how much we admired him.
After only a couple minutes Congdon’s articulate and colorful storytelling skills stuck out. We were immediately engaged with his life story and adventures.
It took only a couple hours before he was added to our ‘cool kids club.’
Which he mentioned “that is the first time anyone has ever called me cool.”
At first, I was not sure which scientist I should observe and interview for a project about research on Blakely, after my first interaction with Congdon I knew that he would be the story.
From his undergrad adventures to his professional studies all the way to his bushwhacking adventures around Blakely, the man is full of life and even more full of curiosity, which he claims is the key to staying young.
What initially started as interest in what scientific research on what you can find at Blakely quickly shifted to what Blakely can make you find out about yourself. Congdon slowly reminded me what is important is not what you find at the end, but what you find on the way.
Education
Congdon was a Professor Emeritus of Biology at Seattle Paciific. He obtained his Bachelors of Science at the College of the Ozarks and his Masters of Science at Colorado State University, ultimately obtaining his PHD at University of California, Riverside.
In 1993 Congdon began his role at Seattle Pacific University where he aimed to study ecology, biology, and the evolution of animals in the context of Christian Faith. This was Dr. Congdon’s focus for nearly 10 years, at which point he began to start leaning into leadership roles and focusing on his calling as a teacher and mentor. At this point he became the full time dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition to these accomplishments he also served as interim provost at Seattle Pacific University in 2013-2014 and 2019-2020.
Career
As far as scientific accomplishments Congdon was humble in revealing his discovery on Blakley, which is now safeguarded at the Smithsonion Museum in Washington DC.
Initially, Congdon took every oppurtunity he could to collect funnel seeds initially in areas of Washington, such as Skagit and Whatcom County.
He said “wherever I could beat on a bush, I was there.”
On Blakely he found interest in looking under the leaves of Salal, which is typically a very robust dense shrub, typically one to four feet high. During this time he had collected the organisms living on this bush and found a Phytoseiid living in these bushes.
Congdon admitts “that was unusual.”
“There was actually quite a few of them for multiple samples. And it turned out to be a species new to science. And I named it after Tom Crowley.”
Tom Crowley was the man who had largely assisted in acquring Blakely Island for Seattle Pacific University, who Congdon greatly admires.
Making scientific discoveries is no simple feat though, Congdon admitts that he was “suspicious because of where it was.”
Being on Blakely made this discovery even more meaningful in the eyes of Dr. Congdon, someone who has been a career long and lifelong advocate for what he calls “Blakely Island Magic.”
Microscopic view of soil micro-arthropods that Dr. Long and Dr. Congdon collected on Blakely Island (Sophie Beadle).
“This is the only place that I that I put litter from under salal bushes, and onto a Berlese funnel and looked at the mites that came out of it” Congdon said.
After making the discovery he was able to get the opinion of other scientists, such as Seattle Pacific University Biology professor Dr. Eric Long, who has also conducted countless research projects and class teachings on Blakely.
Congdon specifically kept his focus on discovering new forms of life and unique aspects of ecology at Blakely, starting off on Blakely in 1995 Congdon is a career long and now lifelong advocate for the island and its “magic.”
Legacy
Dr. Congdon shared multiple aspects of his professional and personal life, and was even kind enough to share about his spiritual journey. Before actually physically visiting Blakely Island, you here about how amazing it is, but you do not know until you go.
Dr. Congdon brings that to a human embodiment. As a professional researcher and amateur hiker Congdon is truly able to bring Blakely’s best qualities to life.
Dr. Congdon’s research and career will physically never be forgotten as his Blakely Island discovery is being kept at the historic Smithsonian Museum, and his lively character and adventurous spirit will forever be imprinted on my classmates and I.
Check out this vlog style video on a quick rundown of things to do on Blakely. Most definitely come prepared for any weather.
The sunny weekend that we were blessed with sheds light on the many Blakely activities focusing mainly on the outdoors. Getting the opportunity to travel with the professors and their families outside of any structured class allowed for great freedom in getting to explore, run wild, and ultimately allowed us time to explore Blakely and all its magic.
SPU students share experience of living, taking classes on the island, the transformative nature of Blakely
Blakely Island in the summer is a unique experience, but unless students are part of the biology department, it can be hard to find information about what the experience is really like.
Ashley Goss, a cellular and molecular biology major, is a senior at SPU who went to Blakey in the summer of 2023 to take Environmental Physiology with Dr. Wall-Scheffler. She broke down what a typical day on the island looked like for her class.
“It is a five credit academic class, lab class included. We would start off the morning, have breakfast, and go to class in the laboratory classroom for a couple of hours. We would take quizzes based on the readings we had to do. And then about every day we would leave the classroom to go out into the environment to do some sort of interactive lab,” she said.
Tidepool creatures found while doing lab work (Courtesy of Ashley Goss).
Goss also spoke about the variety of different labs she and her classmates participated in.
“One day we went to tidal pools and we observed different species within the tidal pools, which correlated to one of the readings we had done about how intertidal regions are really hard for species to overcome and adapt to,” Goss said.
But this was by no means the only lab they completed. Goss shared a story from the island about a lab gone wrong.
“We did a lab with plants looking at stomatas. So, we got to go out and collect our own plant that we wanted to look at. We dispersed based on what we were looking at to come back to the lab to run it with nail polish,” Goss said.
Students completing the fern project in the lab. (Courtesy of Ashley Goss).
“We collected ferns. And we went to the lab thinking, this is going to be so easy. But we spent seven hours in that lab because we could not get it to work. And then we found out that we just happened to pick a really bad species for it where the nail polish doesn’t adhere properly. It was really funny. But at the time we were so distraught,” Goss said.
For those in other classes, the workload was less intense. Naide Perez, a senior majoring in social justice and cultural studies, took Environmental Biology back in 2022 with Dr. Ferrer. She spoke about the some of the field work that she and her classmates engaged in.
Canoes from the water lab day (Helen Petersen).
“On the second day we went on a really long hike taking tree samples. The third day was when we took the water samples. When we went canoeing out on the different lakes and took samples to look for organisms and bacteria. That was the best experience by far,” she said.
Perez also found value in working together with her classmates.
“We had to do a project where we had to collect a bunch of different plants and identify them. Everybody was in the lab room trying to get their projects done. Especially since most of us weren’t STEM majors, everybody was like, well, this isn’t my field of expertise. It just made it so much more easier to build those genuine connections. We relied on each other,” Perez said.
Outside of classwork, students found time to make connections and get to know their peers.
“We had an unscheduled movie night that we put together for ourselves. Everybody had put their defenses down and was willing to vibe. Some of us were working anxiously to get our projects done. And then others of us had it in the bag. But we were all in the same space enjoying a movie,” Perez said.
Beyond bonding and classwork, some students come away from the summer class experience changed on a deeper level. Ellie Jancola, a senior biology major, is one such person. Jancola has been to Blakely many times, for Conservation Biology and Environmental Physiology.
“I see Blakely as a place of peace and restoration. It makes me want to go outside more. It makes me sad that I live in Seattle where the green is harder to find and air is not as fresh. But Blakely offers a separation from that and an escape from that. I really appreciate how empty it is,” Jancola said.
Even two years on from her Blakely experience, Perez still highly values the effect that her summer class had on her academically, as she found a new understanding of science while on the island.
“Science has always been a super hard subject for me to approach. It was nice having this different approach to it where you’re actually on the island doing things instead of in a controlled laboratory on campus, trying to simulate outdoor conditions. There’s no other way I would have wanted to learn about environmental science than through that trip,” Perez said.
Whether taking an upper-level science course or a general biology class, going for the second time or the first, taking a class on Blakely Island in the summer is an unforgettable experience which students come back from changed, academically as well as personally.
2009 restoration project clears wood waste from nearshore area on Blakely Island
The old sawmill that sat above Thatcher Bay (Photo: SPU Archive)
Before it was restored to the coastal beauty it is today, Thatcher Bay was once polluted with so much wood waste that it was dubbed “Sawdust Beach” by visitors and locals on Blakely Island of the San Juan Islands.
This nickname came from the wood waste that engulfed the bay from the old sawmill that sat over Thatcher Bay on a pier from 1879 to 1942. Over the course of decades, the sawdust collected formed a four-foot-thick layer on the bottom of the vein in the intertidal area. This layer of contaminated sediment became toxic enough to be uninhabitable and lethal for marine organisms.
Wood waste cannot decompose in saltwater, and the types of fungi needed to break it down wood cannot survive there. Thus, the wood waste pollution in Thatcher Bay would never resolve itself naturally.
This unfortunate circumstance was noticed in 2009 by Joel Breems, a then-graduate student from the University of Washington, who was seeking a restoration project for his graduate thesis in marine biology.
Breems writes in his thesis, “Wood-waste in Thatcher Bay [contributed] to elevated levels of total organic composition (TOC) of the sediment. Increased TOC favors anaerobic respiration in marine sediments and sulfide, a toxic by-product of this process, was found at levels as high as 17.5 mg L-1 in Thatcher Bay. The Thatcher Bay sulfide levels are several orders of magnitude higher than those known to impact benthic invertebrates.”
The nearshore habitats of the San Juan Islands are necessary for terrestrial and marine organisms, and the degradation of the area surrounding Thatcher Bay convinced Breems that a restoration and conservation effort was of paramount importance.
To accomplish this, Breems approached Dr. Sandy Wyllie-Echeverria, a research scientist at the University of Washington (since 1991) stationed at the Friday Harbor Laboratories in the San Juan Islands (since 2005) for help and guidance in setting up and conducting the project.
“Joel got in touch with me and said he wanted to do his master’s degree,” Wyllie-Echeverria said. “We decided on the project [and] my role was to encourage him to use certain techniques and methods to get some idea of how much wood waste there was and what would be the best way to dispose of it. It was a discussion as to whether it needed to be disposed at sea or on land.”
Dr. Tim Nelson, a biology professor Breems studied under at Seattle Pacific University, recalled that Breems worked for the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group during this time. While working with SFEG, Breems began organizing the project and secured its funding from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board.
“[Breems] went off to work in the Peace Corps for a couple of years, came back and worked for [SFEG] and got them interested in trying to do a restoration of the bay,” Nelson said. “They were set up with funding from state and federal agencies, so they came in and dredged out as much of the sawdust as they could and then brought in clean fill to bury whatever else was left.”
One of the companies contracted by SFEG to assist in the restoration was Anchor QEA, which offers environmental and ecological services for businesses. In this case, Anchor dispatched a field team led by Dr. David Gillingham, a kelp biologist, to monitor the turbidity (clarity or haziness caused by individual particles), pH (acidity or basicity) and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels of the bay’s ocean water.
“There’s a linear requirement that you can’t exceed the turbidity, pH or dissolved oxygen within an area designated when you do a project,” Gillingham said. “We had instrumentation that measured turbidity and pH and that measured everything compared to certain levels. If it exceeded them, we had to slow the operation down or stop the operation until the measurements came back in compliance.”
The purpose for these measurements came with the method of restoration Breems suggested: removing the approximate 11,600 cubic yards of wood waste and replacing it with layers of clean sand. Depositing large amounts of cap material (clean sediment, sand or gravel) can negatively impact coastal areas if improperly monitored.
To preserve the nearshore habitat and ensure their efforts resulted in healthier water, the conditions of the ocean water could not exceed a certain threshold measurement of pH, turbidity or DO.
“The remedy chosen was to place a layer of clean cap material to contain the contaminated sediment so it wasn’t available to the animals that lived in the habitat,” Gillingham said. “Ocean water itself has its normal pH, turbidity and DO and [at about] five parts per million, so if we go in there and measure 20 parts per million before they start, then their effect has to be less than five parts per million over that background.”
Gillingham explained his role was most important to confirm the safety of the bay’s marine life.
“One of the reasons why you don’t want the turbidity to go up is it makes that dissolved oxygen in water unavailable to animals,” Gillingham said. “Thatcher Bay is a nursery environment for small fish, and if they can’t breathe in the water that they’re living in, they won’t reproduce there.”
Thatcher Bay would remain under study for another five years before the removal and replacement of contaminated sediment began in November of 2014. The restoration was completed in December of 2014.
A 2015 post-project monitoring report sent to SFEG by the University of Washington’s Thomas Peterson found that the bay was slowly healing and becoming more hospitable to marine life.
“Analysis of grain size results show that sediment obtained from the project site, 10 months after completion of the work, are predominantly sand at 99.2%,” Peterson wrote. “Previous results from 2009 sampling data indicated that the sediment that was to be dredged was predominantly silt at 83.7% overall. Total volatile solids were also lowered from 12.9% in 2009 samples to 5.4%.”
Thatcher Bay in May of 2024, 10 years after the restoration (Photo: Uriah Aguon)
Although no evidence of forage fish spawning was found at the time, these results meant that the bay was within the parameters to host forage fish spawning, set by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“The results demonstrate that the sediment at the site went from mostly silt to predominantly gravel and sand. The [WDFW] states that the preferred sediment attributes for surf smelt spawning are a sand and gravel mix where most of the sediment is between 1-7 mm in size,” Peterson wrote. “The restoration site may continue to provide suitable habitat for future spawning events, [fulfilling] one of the project’s objectives to improve forage fish habitat.”
Most importantly, Peterson’s report called for continued monitoring to certify the long-term progress and success of the restoration.
“Monitoring is a vital component of any comprehensive restoration project,” Peterson wrote. “The success of restoration work hinges on [whether] ecosystems can be altered to a desired condition, and whether … the alterations have produced the desired condition. The scientific uncertainties are what monitoring efforts try to better understand so that [future] endeavors can be improved upon.”
Nelson’s recent visits to Blakely Island show the success of this project, as he and others observe the quality of life and water in Thatcher Bay. According to Nelson, the water is significantly better than he had known before.
“We’ve seen seaweed starting to grow again. [Some] folks have a little oyster farm established out there now,” Nelson said. “In April, when I was up with a class, a crab fisherman said a buddy of theirs pulled 10,000 pounds of crab out of the bay. We didn’t see crab in Thatcher Bay before the restoration, so they definitely improved the water quality.”
Brian and Deborah Rodda service SPU, treat their souls
Blakely Island Dining Hall (Photo: Uriah Aguon)
Seattle Pacific University has maintained a field station on Blakely Island since 1976 for students and faculty to visit and utilize for classes, program retreats and faculty interviews. During weekends in the school year and throughout the summer, the Field Station hosts faculty and students conducting research and observational surveys of the island’s habitats and ecology of lakes, marine bays and forests.
Dr. Tim Nelson, a biology professor at SPU, has spent many years between Seattle and Blakely Island conducting class trips, research and hosting interviews and visiting groups. First visiting the island in 1984 as a student himself, Nelson has seen multiple caretakers inherit and look after the university’s field station.
“There have been different caretakers over the years that have had different approaches. Some ask students to do particular tasks in terms of cleaning up,” Nelson said. “We had one caretaker when I was a student who tended to plan meals very precisely so there were no leftovers. At [one] time, our caretaker was a pilot who had his own plane that flew out to Anacortes and got pizza for everybody.”
The station is equipped with a dining hall, dorms, an on-site generator, a water well and a hydroelectric plant. Power outage vulnerability is managed by its on-site generator and nearby hydroelectric dam.
“In terms of generators, we get power from the same grid as back home. We do have a dam and hydroelectric plants where we generate electricity in the wintertime and sell it back to the grid,” Nelson said. “We’re not making much money [but] we’re making enough money to pay for the spare parts to keep the generator and hydro plant running.”
Brian Rodda inside the field station’s workshop (Photo: Uriah Aguon)
Deborah and Brian Rodda are the current caretakers of the field station, its generator and other utilities. They live at the station year-round to monitor its conditions. They have been the caretakers on Blakely Island since September 2022 and have already experienced a few issues with the station.
“We lost power to the dining hall for three weeks our first winter, we’ve had our septic system go down [and] we’ve had our two vans out of commission for months at a time,” Brian Rodda said.
Deborah Rodda in the dining hall’s kitchen (Photo: Uriah Aguon)
Logistically, Brian and Deborah divide the total responsibilities for keeping the Field Station afloat between themselves according to their strengths and abilities. As the resident manager, Brian oversees the field station’s technical issues and upkeep (power, water, etc.).
“One of my bigger jobs is to ensure that our drinking water is safe,” Brian Rodda said. “We’re on a well and I monitor that daily, take water samples throughout the year, and then submit samples for testing once a year to the state to certify and get our permit to continue to operate. Plumbing is another big part of that. Each morning I walk through our buildings, do basic tests to see everything’s working from heat to water to monitoring our lake and the dock.”
Another challenge Brian faces when caring for a field station on a remote island is when basic utilities fail or break down. Brian often has to either learn how to fix the issue himself or figure out how to get a mechanic on the island to fix it.
“I try to oversee everything or call somebody else to come up and fix it [but] I’ve had to learn to tackle 90 percent of what’s happened. Last fall, the whole sewer system stopped working. It took over a week to get back up and running,” Brian Rodda said. “It was stressful because I had to learn how to fix it myself, which was satisfying, but it was the grossest job I’ve ever done.”
While Brian manages the station’s technical side, Deborah, as the guest services coordinator, focuses on the station’s food and living facilities.
“Myself and anyone who works for me in the kitchen has to get their food handlers card from Washington State,” Deborah Rodda said. “We have [nutritional and medical] forms that each student fills out [with] their dietary needs and allergies. Then, I check in personally with anyone who listed any issues and make sure that we provide a safe environment here for them that won’t make him sick.”
In addition to their individual responsibilities, Brian and Deborah have other shared responsibilities they work together on, such as ensuring the station’s medical supplies are stocked and prepared for visiting professors and students to use when they need them.
“We make sure that the professors have first aid kits to take with them during the day trips for sprained ankles and cuts and the typical things that happen up here,” Deborah Rodda said. “Thankfully, we haven’t had any major injuries yet but we can get medical services up here if we need to. They just have to fly here or come by boat.”
Besides these issues, a weekly challenge for Brian and Deborah is supplying and resupplying the station’s food, medical and other supplies. At the start of every week, Brian and Deborah travel from Blakely Island to CostCo in Anacortes, Washington, and back.
“The university covers us to leave the island once a week for supplies and errands. Every food item was loaded and unloaded eight times before it finally hit the table,” Deborah Rodda said. “A big part of both of our jobs is just moving things, like carrying food, tools and everything else.”
For all its challenges, Blakely Island is not without its perks. Living on the island year-round gives Brian and Deborah more than enough time to explore and take advantage of the adventures surrounding them each day.
“We just love the environment, exploring the island and spending time on all the trails, on the lake and the ocean,” Deborah Rodda said. “Getting to know a new ecosystem has been really fun, and then watching students from different backgrounds get to do the same when they come to learn, to really appreciate this special place, has been fun.”
Brian and Deborah have enjoyed their time as caretakers for the Field Station and are looking forward to continuing their service to SPU, to students and to themselves.
“We’ve really enjoyed this calling. It’s not a job that either Deb or I anticipated,” Brian Rodda said. “We feel like it is a gift from God [and] we love what we’re doing.”
