Children and their parents explore marine life in the coastal intertidal zone near Seldovia, Alaska, November 2023. Credit: NOAA.

At this time of year in the remote village of Seldovia, Alaska, the best low tides occur long after dark. That didn’t stop over 20 grade school kids and their parents from venturing out to the intertidal to explore the diversity of crabs, sea stars, and other marine life exposed at the very low end of the day’s 25-foot tidal exchange.

The community “low-tiding” event last month, coordinated by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, the NCCOS Kasitsna Bay Lab, and their partners, kicked-off a series of environmental education programs that will continue throughout the winter. The first three of the free, two-hour Friday events will have school-aged children learning about bivalves, marine mammals, and snow science and winter ecology.

In response to requests from the Kasitsna Bay Lab's hometown of Seldovia, NCCOS scientists at the lab started new collaborations with local research and education groups to create student science education programs. Working together as part of the Kachemak Bay Environmental Educators Alliance, the collaborators developed the new series of environmental education events for the community.