Friends of Skagit Beaches is a 501c3 non-profit. Established in 2008, we develop local financial support for volunteer programs and activities in Skagit County aimed at protecting our marine shorelines and nearshore waters through education, citizen science, and stewardship projects. Friends of Skagit Beaches partners with the Skagit MRC to host the Salish Sea Steward Training Program along with supporting volunteer coordination for multiple programs and agencies in need of citizen scientists and volunteers. Our members include active volunteers who support our work through their annual membership fees and donations. We offer a four lecture series in the winter with top-notch speakers on topics that range from local flora and fauna to whales out in the depths of the Salish Sea. These are free lectures and always kid-friendly. Our Fidalgo Shoreline Academy is hosted in Anacortes WA where people from around the area can come and learn about our ecosystem and how humans interact with the shorelines. Presentations range from algae to port management. We promote public education on the local beaches with various projects: Trail Tales (interpretive signs along the Tommy Thompson trail); forage fish and intertidal monitoring pop-up displays; and Discovery passports for hands on learning at Fidalgo Bay Day in September (National Estuary Week).