A Seal pup was observed, just adjacent to Point Williams near Colman Pool this afternoon, Feb. 22 and it attracted the attention of the curious, even though it was hard to see, the view obscured by some driftwood

SealSitters.org took action and the area was taped off to warn people to stay well away. The pup, estimated to be six or seven months old was observed around 3:30 pm by West Seattle Photo Journalist Steve Shelton who used a long telephoto lens to get the photo.

Robin Lindsey of Seal Sitters was on hand to warn people away and noted that the pup may have been suffering some respiratory distress.

To report a marine mammal on the beach in West Seattle or beaches north to Kayak Point (in Snohomish County) call the Seal Sitters Hotline 206-905-7325 (SEAL). If a marine mammal is being harassed or harmed it is a violation of federal law and you are asked to call NOAA Enforcement at 1-800-853-1964 or in the case of imminent danger please call 911.

Seal Sitters is holding a Volunteer training on March 3 if you are interested in learning more about protecting marine mammals.

Winter/Spring 2012 session
Saturday, March 3rd
Camp Long, 5200 35th Ave SW (West Seattle)
10am-12:30ish

Seal Sitters will hold a training for new volunteers on Saturday, March 3, 2012 from 10am-12:30ish. The event will be held at beautiful Camp Long in West Seattle, 5200 35th Ave SW (just south of Dawson - map it). This session will be a special training for those wanting to respond to and protect marine mammals on the beaches of West Seattle and along the Duwamish River. A multi-media presentation with photos and videos by SS lead investigator Robin Lindsey will illustrate our educational work in the community and the particular challenges of protecting seals and seal pups in an urban environment. Zoologist and education and science advisor Buzz Shaw will discuss the biology and behavior of seals and other pinnipeds of Puget Sound. A followup "on-the-beach" training will be scheduled in the weeks to come. There will be no training sessions during the summer or height of pupping season due to time and staff constraints; however, there will be a new volunteer training in late May if you can’t make this date. Contact SealSitters with any questions.

Space permitting, we encourage current volunteers to feel free to come in for a “tune up” - and we could always use a helping hand with setup and breakdown. Please rsvp as seating is limited to 60.

You can visit the Seal Sitters blog here.

You can see more work by Steve Shelton on these websites:
www.stevesheltonimages.com
www.becurrent.org