Winter low tides occur only at night, and this is a good time to examine intertidal creatures because the animals prefer dark and wet conditions. At low tide on a hot summer day, these same animals are stressed due to the temperature, light, and people, and there are also many more predators during the day.

Stephanie Raymond of People for Puget Sound also says that "Using a flashlight really focuses your attention in one little spot. In the summer you have a lot more input and it's easier to miss things. At night, when you focus your attention on that little circle of light, you see a lot more detail." You can discover limpets, snails, chitons, bivalves, barnacles, crabs, hermit crabs, anemones, segmented worms, and starfish.

German immigrants Ferdinand and Emma Schmitz, for whom Schmitz Park is named, owned the most of the land that has become Me-Kwa-Mooks. Southwest Seattle Historical Society's Judy Bentley and other West Seattle historians reject the popular story behind the park's name, which many thought means "shaped like a bear's head" in the Nisqually dialect. I recently heard the same bear's head description used for the whole West Seattle peninsula; next time you look at a map, you can see why. But Judy Bentley thinks the name actually means "prairie point" from the Lushootseed-speaking people. A student could take on this challenge as a school history project and perhaps settle the matter.

Night Time Treasures: Low Tide Beach Walk

Ages 8 and older

Rejuvenate yourself with one of the best low tides of the year! Find amazing marine creatures and intertidal plants, and learn beach ecology. Dress for the weather and wear shoes that can get wet and handle slippery surfaces. Please register by November 28 by calling 684-7434.

Location: Me-Kwa-Mooks Park

November 29 Sat 10:30-11:59 p.m.

Course #33274 Activity Fee: $7