Thanks to your generous support 22 veterinary students in class years one through three were able to travel to Friday Harbor Laboratories Biological Preserve over President's Day weekend. 

For students from the East Coast, it was their first foray with western Washington, and for students from desert states it was their first time witnessing sea stars in real life. 

Pictured Above: The ferry our club members rode on for an hour to get to San Juan Island from Anacortes.

 Your support allowed the carpool drivers to be reimbursed for their vehicle ferry fare and allowed each club member clean and comfortable housing in the cottages on campus. Sunday was our big adventure day, as we started the morning at the Whale Museum.

Your donations allowed our entire group to receive a guided tour and make connections with San Juan Island residents who serve on the Marine Mammal Stranding Response necropsy team. That afternoon, your donations funded two lectures and a tour. 

The first was by Dr. Deborah Giles on Southern Resident Killer Whales. Immediately following, Dr. Jason Hodin lectured on his lab's Sunflower Sea Star recovery effort and then took us on a tour to see his work in real time. Our kind docents also gave us a tour of another lab on the campus at the same time.

 That evening we went tide pooling at Deadman's Cove where our club Secretary, Katie McDonald, put her invertebrate prowess to use. 

I feel truly blessed to have gone on this trip and the entire club is grateful for the wonderful weekend you funded for all of us.

- Aquatics Club President Lola Taylor

Pictured L to R: Katie McDonald (Secretary), Lola Taylor (President), Katelin Buckley (Treasurer), Izzy Hughes (VP) on the dock at FHL