Sound Stories

Sound-Friendly Gardening with Ciscoe

Ciscoe Morris wants to help clean up the Sound! In this video, he shows us how to garden in a Sound-friendly way, by not using pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers — which all end up in the ocean. To learn about cleaner gardens, check out our special featured video content from KCTS at http://kcts.vo.llnwd.net/o10/ram/psm/psm5_ciscoe300.ram

Art that Helps the Sound

The Olympic Sculpture Park in downtown Seattle is much more than a world-class exhibition of art. The park is designed with a healthy Sound as its first priority. Wanna see what was there before the park? Check out our special featured video content from KCTS at http://kcts.vo.llnwd.net/o10/ram/psm/psm4_sculpture300.ram

The Hunt for Native Oysters

Did you know that Olympia has its own oyster? Did you know that it's in danger of becoming extinct? Did you know that the Puget Sound Restoration Fund is working hard to re-introduce it? Learn about this species by checking out our special featured video content from KCTS at http://kcts.vo.llnwd.net/o10/ram/psm/psm4_peabody300.ram

A New Shoreline Park

A bald eagle makes an appearance in this video about a couple who enjoy the beach just the way it is! Our shorelines are important, so check out our special featured video content from KCTS at http://kcts.vo.llnwd.net/o10/ram/psm/psm6_beach_park300.ram

Our Governor Loves the Sound!

Governor Gregoire shares some childhood memories of the Sound, and speaks to the importance of keeping it clean for future generations. To see the governor's vision for the Sound, check out our special featured video content from KCTS at http://kcts.vo.llnwd.net/o10/ram/psm/psm6_gregoire300.ram

Kids Around the Sound!

Want to watch some real stories from real kids who live around the Sound? Wise, funny, and honest — these kids are the future of the Sound, so check out our special featured video content from KCTS at http://kcts.vo.llnwd.net/o10/ram/psm/psm2_kids300.ram

A Smile Generator in the Heart of the City

Children are interesting creatures. A scientifically educational toy festooned with things to pull, push, twiddle and fiddle that drives you mad with every chirpy bell or digital sing-along invitation holds about a tenth of the fascination of throwing stone after stone into the water, until you begin to seriously worry about denuding the beach. Or possibly giving salmon fingerlings and harbor crabs a serious case of mass concussion. Luckily, anything they throw out the tides bring right back, that being the way of water.

Sweet Pea gets MUDDY!

This is my story of getting MUDDY, and challenging other dogs to take my mud-up pledge...

Birds of the Port Susan Bay Preserve

On any given day, you might find Brian Scheuch walking the dike of the Port Susan Bay Preserve, scanning the tidelands for birds. “I have the best job in Western Washington,” claims Scheuch, a volunteer site steward at the preserve near Stanwood. “It’s a labor of love for me.”

When the world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful

When I was very young I lived nowhere near water. I lived in a suburban house with a suburban backyard punctuated by privet hedges. I longed for a stream or a pond, but I only had a hammock, strung between two maple trees. I spent my summers on that hammock, eating chocolate chips and reading books that got stickier and stickier as the sun moved across the sky. It was bliss, but something was missing.

Billy Frank Jr.'s Memories of Playing in the Mud of the Nisqually River Flats

When I was just a little guy, us Indian kids used to play in the mud when the tide was out at the mouth of the Nisqually River. We’d have a great time all day long having mud fights and sliding maybe 40 or 50 feet on the mud flats, one after another while our parents fished for flounder in nearby Red Creek. It was so much fun just playin’ in that good, clean mud.

Miss Emerald City's Muddy Childhood Memories

Although you wouldn't guess from looking at the crown, I loved getting muddy when I was a little girl. My family owns a sailboat and, growing up, my older brother and I spent most of our summers on the shores of Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, and the Gulf Islands in Canada. Low tide was an adventure for us: we spent hours watching strange creatures in tidal pools, digging for clams and geoducks, building mud castles, and letting our feet squelch into the cool, viscous mud that the outgoing tide left behind. We could occupy ourselves for hours in that mud; there was so much to look at and explore. Much to the chagrin of our mom, we usually returned from these expeditions covered head to toe in mud that reeked of low tide: we had mud in our hair, on our clothes, under our fingernails; we looked just like little mud monsters!!

From Mountain to Sound

Lina Rose reluctantly relocated from high mountain towns to the seaside Sound area, but has found a natural sense of beauty and wonder in the land of the Puget Sound.

Sunny Sunday brings out the people at Alki

The Shoreline Adventure day was a smashing success with hundreds of participants attending throughout the day. They learned about toxics in Puget Sound at Seacrest Park, shoreline ecology and Best Beach Behavior at Duwamish Head, learned about Best Beach Behavior at Constellation Park, and even participated in a Kids For Puget Sound Art Contest at the Alki Bathhouse. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day, and the north shore was crowded!

Encouraging and Teaching People to be Stewards of the Sound

It's easy to see how people can fall in love with Washington state. The beauty and diversity of the local environment can be overwhelming on a summer day. There are not many places in this country that allow you to experience ocean shorelines, mountain meadows, and alpine peaks all in one day. I feel the people in Washington also have a strong sense of community.

A Call for 'Sound Mentors and Guardians'

I'm Ron Schuster and I've lived in Seattle over 50 years. I don't have one favorite place, each part of the Sound is too unique to quantify. The San Juan Islands are great, our estuaries hold hope, and our bays and wetlands are majestic. Just being able to share the beauty with those who've never seen it is enough to make me happy.

The Restorative Power of Alki Point

I grew up here and for all my 37 years, I've been in love with Puget Sound. I live in West Seattle south of Alki Point, around the corner from Duwamish Head and my favorite place is the nearby Emma Schmitz Memorial Viewpoint/Mee Kwa Mooks Park beach. When I go there, I love to watch the herons and ospreys that feed there, and every Spring I look forward to the migratory brants returning.

The Revelation of Walking in the Mud

"I’ve lived on Puget Sound for 30 years," said volunteer Roger Carnes, at right in photo. “So much of our pleasures have come from the Sound‑sailing, kayaking, swimming in Budd Inlet. It feels really good to give something back."

Start with Some Simple Things

Noelle Eschete and her mom, Britta, have called Mount Vernon home for the last eight years. When they have some free time, Noelle likes to go to Bayview State Park on the shores of Padilla Bay, right along the water on the beach.

Hiking and Swimming on Whidbey Island

My name is Ryan Hale and I've lived in Seattle all of my 13 years. The place I like best in Puget Sound is Whidbey Island-- it's close to Seattle and it has nice beaches and very fun hikes to go on. Swimming is my favorite thing to do in Puget Sound.