Seabirds to Land at New Marine Center

Seabird Conservation Bolstered with Partnership

The wild coastline of the North Olympic Peninsula is never dull. In the course of a few minutes, you might see a diving eagle; a fledgling gull; a patient kingfisher or storm petrel. Or, if you’re lucky, a tufted puffin. Port Angeles, Washington’s largest northern coastal community, is on the cusp of something monumental that will help conserve these threatened birds. 

Washington’s old logging town turned outdoor-enthusiast gem is stepping into a project that will define and highlight this regional jewel for hundreds of thousands of community members and visitors. For decades, Feiro Marine Life Center has been a steady cornerstone for families, tribal communities, and educational institutions in the region. Today, the non-profit is gearing up to build a new facility in partnership with NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, beginning this summer. This public-private partnership aligns education and science research missions with a public aquarium and learning center. The center strategically integrates NOAA content into exhibits and programs. 

A key element of the new center is an exhibit on seabirds, which is coming to life, in part, as a result of regional conservation leaders and enthusiasts who have been involved from the start. Now, after a decade of effort and teamwork, the center is ready to take flight; and tufted puffins are leading the charge. 

The center doesn’t stop with birds, but it might begin with them.

Arnold and Debbie Schouten have been operating a private waterfowl sanctuary known as Dry Creek Waterfowl for the past four decades. Their work with seabird conservation, along with the need for a new marine life center, created Arnold’s vision for a seabird exhibit. His passion for seabirds began in December 1985 when the Arco Anchorage oil tanker ran aground in Port Angeles, spilling 239,000 gallons of crude oil in the harbor. More than 4,000 birds perished. 

Response teams treated 1,560 birds at Port Angeles High School  with the help of many dedicated community volunteers. Only 20% of the treated birds were released back to the wild. That year, they made a T-shirt that said “Christmas 1985 was for the Birds.” 

After the spill, Arnold and Debbie decided to have birds in captivity for the benefit of wild populations. It is their hope that the new marine center will inspire, connect, and bring communities together to honor the ocean, protect wildlife, and continue Arthur Feiro’s legacy of education. Arnold says “Everyone probably has a personal story and experience that has helped give voice to and advocate for the ocean and its creatures. This center is also for you. Water does connect us all…humans, wildlife, land, birds…as an integral part of our home on earth, and it is our responsibility to do what we can to protect it.”

Ken and Mary Campbell, longtime residents, and friends of Arnold and Debbie, have supported the center since it was just an idea. For the couple, it’s a lifetime of love and appreciation for wildlife, and protection of endangered species, that inspired their generosity of a $1M gift to the center. That, and their close relationship with Arnold and Debbie Schouten. Mary says “We wanted a place to highlight such a key element of our community and region, while also honoring Arnold and Debbie and supporting local conservation efforts. We love watching seabirds and their interesting, unique behaviors. We have enjoyed traveling the world to photograph them in action.”

With the generosity of the Campbells, and numerous community members, along with a partnership with NOAA, over $24M dollars has been raised for the center. That’s enough to break ground this summer. A series of exhibits are planned that will celebrate regional geographies, local people including coastal tribes, marine life, and seabirds. In addition to the development of immersive exhibit experiences and hands-on experiences for exploration, the Arthur D. Feiro Learning Center will triple educational programming and capacity for locals and visitors. 

But, the decades-long decline in local puffin populations is driving the center’s research and conservation focus. The seabird exhibit plans to highlight tufted puffins, common murres, long-tailed ducks and harlequin ducks. Part of the center’s planned Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation also means they will be shaping, and driving, research projects aimed to help conserve these threatened species.

Regarding education of threatened species, and how you can help, the Campbells have some insights. They have been active with the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST). They’ve never missed a month (well, except for a few months during COVID) in almost 18 years. Established in 1999, COASST is a citizen science project housed at the University of Washington and focused on the beach environment of the Pacific coast. 

“We were interested in participating in this citizen science project because we know the importance of advocating for and protecting what you love. The Olympic Peninsula is such an amazing place with incredible beauty and wildlife, the only place like it in the world. Highlighting the tufted puffin, common murre, long-tailed duck and harlequin duck in the new center will have a lasting impact. Not everyone can live here, but visitors can learn about the delicate balance needed to sustain ecosystems for threatened species, and how they can help. Education is the first piece of that puzzle. Our hope is that others will learn and be inspired to advocate on behalf of the birds, leaving the world a better place for them than we found it.” 

Community Champions of Regional Importance

The importance of community involvement in bridging the gap between community, science, and conservation should not be overlooked. In Mt. Vernon, Maynard and Laurie Axelson are leading the way in another bird research project on Brant Geese. Many waterfowl have their own special tale of adaptation and survival. Brant Geese have a fascinating story of amazing migrations, unique ecology and social structure, and long history of importance in Native and pioneer civilization.  Maynard notes that beyond the science and research of bird patterns and behavior, they are an accessible source of connection to wild places, and their balancing act of migration, food, etc. mirrors the delicate balance we often face as humans. 

Anyone can take an active observer role of birds in their own back yard, and note their chirps, social behavior, and meal time. Take Kathy Fries, for example. She and her husband Ed have been cultivating a beautiful native garden on the shores of Lake Washington for over three decades. Kathy’s love of birds began as a 5-year old carrying around a rooster at the Polynesian Cultural Center in the Hawaiian Islands. When she had to leave her rooster behind, she cried. Harboring the dream of her own future birds, Kathy grew up adjacent to 16-acres of woods. She spent her days outside, in awe and appreciation of the natural world. Her rooting in PNW beauty, and appreciation for native ecosystems and wildlife, stayed with her. 

Three decades after that fateful encounter with the rooster, her garden and collection of birds has blossomed. Her property now not only includes roosters and chickens, but also mandarins, wood ducks, and native species like wild mergansers on the property. Several of these local species will be represented at the new center, and allow the public to glimpse some of their splendor. 

Kathy’s garden is a beautiful blend of native species, natural habitat, and ornamental plants. Kathy takes pride in utilizing the natural contours of the site as well as repurposing its available materials. Instead of terracing the slope, the garden rooms are situated into the existing topography. Walkways are edged with stones found while planting and fallen branches from the beautiful native Arbutus menziesii (Madrona tree) are used to build plant supports, arbors and chicken roosts. Conservation and preservation are at the core of the couple’s home and gardens.

Global Leaders & Supporters

Beyond Washington State, national conservation leaders are recognizing the importance of the growing partnership on the Olympic Coast. Paul Dickson, Chairman and Founder, and Jacob Kraemer, Aviary Director of Pinola Conservancy—an AZA-accredited aviary based in Shreveport Louisiana—have maintained a longstanding friendship and research collaboration with Arnold and Debbie Schouten. Together, Paul and Jacob have cultivated one of the world’s most significant private avian preserves. Having directed the preserve for the past 17 years, Jacob now oversees one of the largest and most diverse collections of birds in the world, including the largest collection of Arctic species globally.

“True conservation does not happen in isolation—it thrives through collaboration. At Pinola Conservancy, we have long believed that protecting species and their habitat requires partners who are equally committed to stewardship. Through our friendship and work with Arnold Schouten and the emerging efforts on the Olympic Coast, we see an opportunity to connect global expertise with local impact. While Pinola Aviary operates as a closed facility dedicated to advanced avian research, management and propagation, the development of a public-facing center on the coast will inspire hundreds of thousands of people to better understand, value, and protect seabirds. This kind of collaboration strengthens conservation not only regionally, but also worldwide.”

Questions about this article? Contact Elise Ricci