Improving Marine Life
Back in 2013, marine biologist Casey Mclean and Meadow Vanessa Greenwood recognized the need to have an animal rehabilitation center focused solely on local marine life.
“We were both inspired to see a dedicated marine animal rescue center be built in Washington after witnessing first hand cases of sick, injured and orphaned marine mammals in need of care yet with no options for rehabilitation available,” Mclean said.
Both Mclean and Greenwood have individually traveled around the country working with various rehabilitation and research facilities.
Since the center’s inception, the two co-founders of Soundside Marinelife, along with a handful of dedicated volunteers, set out to raise funds for the center. The organization, whose offices are currently located in Mukilteo, is still looking for a site with saltwater access to build the hospital.
“We’re not one-of-a-kind. There are around 30 throughout the country, but Washington and Oregon don’t have one dedicated solely to marine animals,” Mclean said. “We do have two terrestrial rehab centers that do a wonderful job of caring for some harbor seal pups, but there are many animals such as large seals and sea lions, small dolphins and porpoise, and sea otters that do not have options for care.”
By having a dedicated marine rehab center, Soundside’s staff can focus on rescuing and preserving endangered species such as the sea otter. Mclean explained that the sea otter population in Washington is very concentrated, which makes them all vulnerable to any kind of crisis, be it environmental or disease. They want to be prepared to deal with a crisis such as the recent one with California sea lions, which took a hit in because of depleted fish populations.
“Starving sea lions were washing up on beaches in astonishing numbers, and if any sort of crisis were to happen up here, we don’t have a way of dealing with that,” she said. Even with eight centers in California they struggled to keep up.
Oil spills are also a very real possibility, and the center wants to be prepared to care for any affected marine life.
“We are primed and ready for an oil spill, and we want to be prepared in the event of a crisis,” Mclean said.
Not only do they recognize the impending or perhaps inevitable threat of environmental disaster, they see the need to care for marine animals as a benefit to the environment and to humans as well. When marine animals become sick or stranded, it is often advised for people to “let nature takes its course” instead of interfering with the animal. Do-gooders could actually cause further suffering to the animal or potentially be contaminated themselves by the animal’s ailment or become injured by it. It’s inevitable, however, that people untrained to rescue animals become involved. For that reason, it’s important to have a place to take these animals for care.
“(The center will) reduce human-wildlife interactions since the animals are no longer on the beach sick or injured, protecting both parties,” she said. “In the past stranded marine mammals have been left on the beaches undisturbed and nature took its course, but time has proven how much of a negative effect we are having on the marine environment and therefore the animals that depend upon it and making it our duty to help these animals when they are in need. … Sometimes these interactions are happening simply because they are well-meaning people who just want to see the animal get some help.”
The need for continued and improved research is also of utmost importance for the identification of new diseases or disease outbreaks and protects both animals and people from spreading disease or becoming infected.
“It’s important to remember how closely human health is tied to that of the marine environment,” she said.
Education goes along with the research and environmental work the center aims to provide. Currently, most of their work is focused on outreach. They run an after-school program for area residents in Mukilteo but also travel to speak to schools and community groups. They teach about the local marine mammals that inhabit the area and the environmental challenges the animals face. Their overall goal is to show people how humans impact the environment and what can be done to turn that around, eventually improving the survival of all species.
“Rehabilitation isn’t really about population numbers but instead about providing a humane response to animals that are suffering on our beaches and oftentimes due to human causes. … By helping the animals we do have the opportunity to mitigate some of the negative impact humans have on the marine environment,” Mclean said.
The more information the center acquires about marine animal health, the more they know about the health of the ocean and ultimately man’s imprint on it. Just as the animals can be nursed back to health, so too can our actions be “rehabilitated” and create a more positive environment for all animals.
“This facility will be more than just a place where animals can be rehabilitated; it will also provide a place for everyone to come and learn about our local marine life and the impacts we as humans are having on our marine environment, even more importantly, it will inspire people to change their habits for the benefit of the environment, the animals and ourselves,” she said. “We believe that the unique educational experience that a rehabilitation center can provide will inspire the next generation of ocean stewards.”
For more information about donating to the center purchasing adoption packages, go to facebook.com/soundsidemarinelife or to their website at soundsidemarinelife.org.
