Blakely Island Field Station 3307 3rd Avenue West, Suit 205 Seattle, WA 98119-1950

Blakely Island Field Station's tripartite mission includes the education of undergraduate students in a field station setting, research in ecology and systematics, and conservation of the natural environment of Blakely Island.

The Blakely campus physical plant consists of three buildings: a dormitory-residence designed to house twenty students and teaching and research staff; a dining hall-library-classroom building designed to accommodate up to 24 students and staff; and a dive-shop building equipped with an air compressor for SCUBA, showers, dressing room and a small shop for storage and maintenance of tools and equipment. The University maintains a 17' Boston Whaler and 25' Bayliner for field work in marine waters surrounding Blakely Island and several smaller boats and canoes for work on the two lakes on the Island. The Laboratory designed for undergraduate teaching is equipped with microscopes, dissecting scopes and other instruments used in field classes in fresh-water, terrestrial and marine biology.

Research programs conducted at the Laboratory by faculty and students include: marine ecology studies of the islands, bays and marshes; natural history of intertidal invertebrates and ecomorphology of marine organisms; limnological investigations of the two lakes on the Island, and marine algal studies. There are opportunities for researchers to visit the station. Investigators with research interests in organisms and habitats found at Blakely should write to the Director to make special arrangements for work at the station.

The Laboratory offers a summer program of 16 weeks and weekend classes during Spring and Autumn Quarters. University classes in natural history, marine biology, freshwater biology, plant and animal taxonomy and behavior, and marine and terrestrial ecology are offered at BIFS. Courses for non-science majors include Astronomy, Oceanography, Bioscience, and English classes. The summer session is operated cooperatively with Seattle University. Faculty and students from both schools participate in the program.

David Brubaker, Ph.D., marine ecology and limnology
Bruce D. Congdon, Ph.D., terrestrial ecology & entomology
Cynthia Fitch, Ph.D., molecular biology
Timothy A. Nelson, Ph.D., marine plant ecology
Richard Ridgway, Ph.D., ecomorphology, neural development, and function in molluscs
Doug Thorpe, Ph.D., Writing, nature, and spirituality
John Lindberg, Ph.D., Physics and Astronomy
Lane Seeley, Ph.D., Physics and Oceanography
Ken Cramer, Ph.D., Conservation Biology, Entomology, Arachnids

Seattle Pacific University's Field Station is located on Blakely Island, in northern Puget Sound, Washington. In 1977, the University was given 970 acres of land and granted an open space conservation easement on an additional 3000 acres of land on the island. Since 1984, when facilities were completed, the Laboratory has served the University as an education and field research center. The Laboratory operates seasonally from March through November. Approximately 100 persons are accommodated annually with primary emphasis on undergraduate education in the marine and environmental sciences. Located on a private island, 15 miles (25 km) northwest of Anacortes, Washington, transportation to and from the Island is by private boat or commuter air service from Anacortes. The field campus is located on the shore of Spencer Lake, a 70-foot deep lake with 70 acres of surface area, near the center of the Island. Blakely Island and the surrounding marine waters provide a diverse setting in which to study. The intertidal waters around Blakely Island provide a rich diversity of marine plants and animals common to Puget Sound. The Island is home to Black-tail deer, raccoons, river otters, bats and several small mammals. Several families of Bald Eagles nest on the Island each year and there is a diverse group of birds which are permanent residents, as well as spring and fall migrants. Many marine and shore birds occur throughout the year in the surrounding Puget Sound waters.

Tim Nelson, Ph.D.
e-mail: tnelson@spu.edu
Telephone: 1-206-281-3640
FAX: 1-206-281-2899