All Things Connected

Kathleen and her daughter Beth process a Common Murre
during their July survey of Marine View Drive, a survey I
was delighted to be able to join

I wrote not long ago that, for many COASSTers, participation in the program is as much about the live birds they see as the dead ones.  Turns out, the connections people make with other members of our own species is pretty significant too! Conducting several interviews in Ocean Shores, WA today, I quickly found that when it comes to COASSTers in this area, all things are connected. It all started when Kathleen and her late husband joined COASST as founding members many years ago. Kathleen would later recruit Dianna (whose father was a prominent leader in the area years prior) as well as Barbara and Mike, who kept expanding the circle by recruiting friends Don and Dalene (see a post about these two here). There are indeed many more connections here, but I ran out of time to meet them all in one day! Rest assured, however, Kathleen hasn’t stopped her recruitment efforts, she darn near convinced me to move up and join the program myself! Remarkably, every one of these great and committed people used one word consistently today: family. As I discovered in my conversations, COASST is much more than a monthly commitment to survey the beach, however important that may be. Although significant, COASST is more than the birds and the top-notch research and even the beaches themselves. At the end of the day, COASST is also about family.  COASSTer to COASSTer, COASSTer to COASST staff, and COASST (the program) in the community. A collection of folks, strung from the far reaches of Alaska to the warm beaches of California, that share a common purpose, commitment, and yes, even kinship.

Hand-written notes like this one
from COASST staff, congratulating
Barbara and Mike on the completion
of over 130 surveys, are part of what
keeps the COASST family strong

COASST family members like Dianna are active throughout
the communities where they live. Dianna organizes the annual
Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival, coming up April 24-27 2014