Seal Sitters began as a loosely-formed group of enthusiastic volunteers organized by co-founder Brenda Peterson, a well-known author who lives on the shores of Puget Sound in West Seattle.
Over the past years, Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network (MMSN) has responded to hundreds of animals. A stranding means that an animal can't return to the water - like a whale or dolphin stuck in a low tide - or is sick, injured or dead. But most of the animals we protect are seal pups. They come ashore on beaches crowded with people who worry that something is wrong and disturb their rest. Volunteers look after them in shifts, protecting them until they return to the water.
Seal Sitters volunteers educate thousands of people each year about marine mammals and our environment - on the beaches, in schools and in the community. If you live in the Puget Sound area, contact Seal Sitters about visiting your school. Not only will you learn a lot about marine mammals, you'll learn what a difference volunteers can make. Much more than an animal conservation group, Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network is dedicated to the health of the Puget Sound ecosystem as a whole.
Our trained volunteers all share the same passion - a love for animals and a desire to protect them. People of all ages participate, from kindergarten to 80 years old. Kids earn extra school credit for volunteering and often do their homework at the beach while watching over a seal pup. Stranding networks composed largely of volunteers like Shanna and her two daughters cover almost the entire coastline of the United States. You could volunteer, too, for a stranding network or wildlife group near you.
Learn more about the marine mammals of Puget Sound and our volunteers by visiting Seal Sitters' website.