About
We acknowledge that we are on the ancestral homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples, who have lived in the Salish Sea basin, throughout the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades watershed, from time immemorial. We express our deepest respect and gratitude for our Indigenous neighbors, the Suquamish Tribe and the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.
Vision
To be an exceptional regional marine science resource for all.
Mission
Inspiring stewardship of the Salish Sea.
SEA fulfills its mission by connecting the community to the animals, habitats, people and cultures of the region. This is done through experiential aquarium experiences, school visits, online information and community collaborations.
Values
The following values guide SEA Discovery Center and are the core of our commitment to the future.
Conservation Advocacy
Our primary responsibility is to advocate for marine conservation. By focusing on local marine life and habitats, we draw connections between our precious region and the world’s oceans and share how we can work together to conserve these resources. Accessible
Accessible Education
We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn about the animals, habitats, people, and cultures of the Salish Sea. SEA Discovery Center is committed to remaining free and accessible to everyone and securing funding to provide free or low-cost field trips for area schools.
Community Connections
There would be no SEA Discovery Center without the community. The original center was created by the community, for the community. We remain rooted in this legacy and invite community members and partners to join us in collaborations.
Organizational Sustainability
Creating sustainability for SEA Discovery Center is imperative for the long-term viability of the organization. Our focus is on delivering the greatest experience to visitors, students, volunteers, staff, and partners with the most efficient use of resources.
History of SEA Discovery Center
SEA Discovery Center has had a long history as an educational resource built by the community to serve the community. Originally conceived in the 1960s as the Poulsbo Marine Science Center and located on the shores of Liberty Bay, the center began its history as a marine education resource for the Kitsap community and school districts. In the 1990s, it moved to its present location in downtown Poulsbo, where it continued to serve the community with programming for all ages, until its temporary closure in 2005.
In 2006, long-time Poulsbo entrepreneur and marine science advocate, Bill Austin, along with local resident Bruce Harlow and others reopened the center with the City of Poulsbo’s partnership and community support and contributions. Working tirelessly, they reopened the center with new seawater systems and aquarium exhibits that are still present today, and eventually added a floating boathouse laboratory for elementary students.
In May 2016, the Poulsbo Marine Science Center was formally gifted to Western Washington University to continue stewardship of the community’s marine center. As a self-sustaining entity of WWU, the center reopened under a new name, SEA Discovery Center and once again served the community as a public aquarium and marine environmental education resource for the school districts, families, and learners of all ages until the current COVID-19 pandemic once again forced its closure.
During the 2020-2022 closure, Western worked with city and community partners to create a reopening plan to meet the needs of local communities and other institutional and regional marine science centers. Updates were made to the physical building, new staff were hired to oversee the aquarium marine life, operations, outreach, education and fundraising.
In May 2022, SEA welcomed the community back to discover the joy of the marine environment and cultivate the next generation of marine stewards once again.
Meet our Team
- Bridget Anderson, Director of Operations and Outreach, SEA
- Tom Record, Building Assistant, SEA
- Kenna R. Visitor Services Staff, SEA
- MacKenzie Schaefer, Aquarium Curator, SEA
- Holly Hill, Senior Director Western Locations, Outreach and Continuing Education
Contact
Please contact SEA staff at SEA@wwu.edu or 360-650-4905.
Mailing address
PO Box 2318, Poulsbo, WA 98370
Street address
18743 Front Street, NE Poulsbo, WA 98370