On July 28, SMEA students Eve Byers, Paul Messier, and Katie Raab joined recent SMEA graduate Sawyer Jenkins for a field sampling trip to an Olympia oyster bed in Padilla Bay near Edison, Washington.

The trip was part of the sample collection process for Eve’s thesis project, which examines larval crab composition in Olympia oyster beds. The research requires getting out into the field to collect samples to better understand the organisms living within these important coastal habitats.

And, of course, fieldwork comes with its challenges, including getting very, very muddy!

Trips like this give SMEA students valuable hands-on experience conducting research in coastal environments and put their classroom learning into practice. From collecting samples to navigating muddy oyster beds, fieldwork is an important part of understanding the complex ecosystems that SMEA students study and work to protect.