Tread Lightly When Looking At Marine Life

When the tide turns minus - that's extra low, at 2:08 p.m. today and 2:54 p.m. tomorrow on Seattle-area beaches - the tide pools and creatures revealed will be greeted by thousands of humans, eager to explore some of the seldom-seen lower tidal-zone beach life.

At Mee Kwa Mooks, Discovery Park and Richmond Beach Saltwater Park today, naturalists are leading afternoon walks and helping visitors understand parts of beaches that are usually underwater. These and other beaches offer walks at least monthly; school and other groups get to visit them on weekdays.

The naturalists who lead the walks are delighted to have people come to look, learn and enjoy - and maybe gather garbage off the beach.

But they worry that some people come with the wrong expectations.

Because of pollution, it's illegal and unhealthy to gather clams, fish and seaweed on city beaches.

And it's harmful and usually fatal to fragile animals and plants to gather pretty shells, driftwood, rocks and tiny creatures such as hermit crabs or snails.

"Consider a beach like someone's home," says Jeanie Murphy-Ouellette, a Seattle Parks naturalist. "You can visit, enjoy, but don't take their furniture - rocks, old shells, bits of wood - and don't wreck their yards."

On the walks, the naturalists help visitors identify what they see and better understand beach life, says Sally Lider, environmental education coordinator at the Edmonds Beach Ranger Station.

What do you see?

Don't come expecting to see beached whales, edible crabs or other large creatures, Lider says. Do come with plenty of curiosity.

Many people bring a magnifying glass, camera, field guide and notebook.

"Tide-pool and beach creatures are usually small and well-camouflaged," Lider says. "They're used to living underwater, but manage to survive when the tide goes out, twice a day. From afar they're not flashy, but get up close and you'll see amazing colors, shapes and behaviors."

That could include a half-dozen kinds of tiny crabs and clams, a dozen colors and shapes of seaweed, and many slugs, worms and tiny snakelike fish called gunnels.

There are snails, barnacles, mussels and chitons on rocks and pilings. You'll find echinoderms (spiny-skinned creatures), including sand dollars and seastars (often called starfish, but they're not a fish), and lots of holes that squirt water when you walk by.

Actually, it's the creatures inside the holes that squirt, Murphy-Ouellette explained to kids on a recent tide-pool walk at Mee Kwa Mooks Park in West Seattle. "When they feel your weight or hear noise, they pull back deep into the sand by expelling water. You see the hole and squirt as they leave."

If you go on a guided walk, the first thing you'll learn is beach etiquette, which is equally important for those who go on their own.

-- Walk gently, slowly and carefully. Try to avoid crunching animals or empty shells that might shelter smaller creatures.

-- Don't walk in tide pools. A hard one for kids, but it's far better to kneel gently at the edge of a pool and peer inside than to splash the water, stir up the sediment and crush the inhabitants.

-- Put creatures, rocks and logs back as you found them. If you lift a rock or log to see what's underneath, put it back gently so you don't hurt whatever is there.

-- If you dig holes, refill them or your pile of sand or rocks may suffocate creatures underneath, and your hole may reveal animals that can't take exposure to light, air or other animals.

-- Respect the terrain. Be careful of plants that grow and protect beach bluffs and sand dunes. Walk on establish paths so you don't erode hillsides.

-- Don't take anything from the beach and don't leave anything. Don't litter or leave the remains of lunches, snacks or pop cans. ----------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE TO GO FOR EXPLORING

Here are some beaches that have free activities today, and a listing of beaches you can explore on your own:

Mee Kwa Mooks Park, West Seattle: Beach Discovery, 1-2:30 p.m. today, just north of Southwest Jacobsen Road on Southwest Beach Drive. Preregister by 11 a.m., 684-7434. Some days you can park near this beach, midway down the miles of rocky shores stretching from Alki Point to Lincoln Park and beyond. Today you may have to park a few blocks away or near Alki Beach, and walk around the point.

Discovery Park, Magnolia Bluff: Help, the Tide is Out! 1-2:30 p.m. today, from the visitor center, 3801 W. Government Way. Preregister this morning, 386-4236. Very limited parking. Most visitors must walk a mile to the beach.

Richmond Beach Saltwater Park, Shoreline: Family Beach Walk, 2 p.m. from the park at 20th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 190th Street.

Edmonds beaches: Spring beach cleanup, noon to 3 p.m., Ranger Station on Olympic Beach, Admiral Way and Dayton Street. At 2 p.m., Emerald Sea Dive Club will finish cleaning Edmonds' Underwater Park and display subtidal creatures (and garbage) they've gathered. The creatures will be in tanks for viewing, then returned to the water.

More tidal beaches to explore on your own:

In Seattle, downtown's Myrtle Edwards and Elliott Bay Park, and more rugged Carkeek Park, off Northwest 110th Street.

To the north, Meadowdale Beach Park (north of Edmonds), Mukilteo State Park and Picnic Point near Everett.

To the south, Seahurst Park in Burien, Des Moines Beach Park, Saltwater State Park, Redondo Waterfront Park and Dash Point State Park in Federal Way.

To the west: Bainbridge Island and Kitsap Peninsula, including Fay Bainbridge State Park.

Helpful guides:

"Walks & Hikes on the Beaches Around Puget Sound," by Harvey Manning and Penny Manning, and "Mac's Field Guide to Northwest Coastal Invertebrates" (both from The Mountaineers). "Pacific Intertidal Life: A Guide to Organisms of Rocky Reefs and Tide Pools of the Pacific Coast," by Ron Russo and Pam Olhausen (Nature Study Guild).

Beach-walking tips:

Tides change twice a day in this area. Tide books (from sport shops) and newspaper charts tell when water will be high or low.

Rocky beaches can be tough on bare feet. Wear boots or waterproof footwear.

Dress in layers, including a water-repellant jacket or poncho. Bring sunglasses and sunscreen.

Think safety. Even shallow tide pools can be hazardous to small kids; waves of open water can knock down an adult.