PORT TOWNSEND — As Jefferson Community School students have learned, pinto abalone, a shellfish unique to Puget Sound, are nearly extinct.
From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, June 9, science students from the school will present results of their yearlong research projects on the rare shellfish.
Free event on pier
The free presentation will be at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s Marine Exhibit on the pier at Fort Worden beach.
“We welcome the public to the students’ presentations about their work over this past year and invite questions regarding their findings,” said Jamie Landry, the citizen science coordinator at the marine center and head science teacher at the school.
“The students’ research is real science; they are contributing valuable data to the scientific community on how this almost-extinct species responds to different types of food.”
Researchers can use the information to raise juvenile abalone in a lab before setting them free to help restore the species.
Students used a stock of juvenile pinto abalone given to the marine science center for research by the Puget Sound Restoration Fund.
Once the research projects were completed, several of the abalone were kept for display at the marine science center.
Visitors will have an opportunity to view the rare animals and learn more about the restoration efforts taking place in the region.
For more information, contact Landry at 360-385-5582, ext. 112, or jlandry@ptmsc.org.
