Before settling in for a day at the beach last week, people at Coupeville High School gave Sen. Patty Murray a standing ovation.

Through Murray’s work, Washington State Univeristy received $500,000 to expand Beach Watchers, which started in Island County, to the six counties in Northern Puget Sound.

Linda Kirk-Fox, Ph.D., interim dean at WSU-Pulllman, and Don Meehan, Island County extension agent, presented Murray with a plaque honoring her efforts.

I’m so proud and honored,” Murray said. “I’m glad I am a part of this wonderful program.

“I’ll tell every person who comes in my office about Beach Watchers,” Murray said.

After the brief presentation, keynote speaker Curtis Ebbesmeyer discussed how beaches accumulate loads of plastics, shoes, toys and other man-made items.

The crowd gathered to hear Ebbesmeyer and Sen. Murray could have been larger if space had been available.

“We had 475 people register but we had to turn 60 people away,” Dot Irwin, Beach Watcher coordinator, said. The 475 attendees set a record high for the Beach Watchers’ main fundraiser. Registration cost $25 per person for the keynote speech and three classes.

“Every classroom filled quickly,” Irwin said.

Irwin said she’d like to have plenty of room for everyone to attend but knew of no suitable spot on Whidbey Island that can handle so many people.

“Coupeville’s a nice central location,” Irwin said. “We want to keep Sound Waters in Coupeville.”

People taking classes at Sound Waters were looking for more than a way to kill a winter’s day.

Irwin said people found resources in classes as well as learned much the island’s environment.

Linda Kirk-Fox, Ph.D., WSU’s interim dean, traveled from Pullman planning on taking classes that would apply to her Palouse home.

One such class was Kirk-Fox’s first — Raptors in the Reserve which focused on birds of prey that live in Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve.

Saturday, Feb. 5 was Kirk-Fox’s first time at Sound Waters but she’d heard much about the program.

“A university in a day is a unique concept. It clearly meets the needs and interests of people here,” she said, looking around the packed school.

Kirk-Fox said the Island County Beach Watchers program is a legend in the WSU system where it’s known for strong volunteer base.

Kirk-Fox said Beach Watchers are more than volunteer naturalists.

“Beach Watchers are ambassadors to tourists and residents,” she said. “All of WSU is proud of Beach Watchers. As Don Meehan always says ‘This is big!’ ”

As people trooped off to their first class of the day, Cheryl May drove by the school. Debris she and volunteers had collected from beaches at Fort Ebey filled her truck’s bed. May took the refuse to Island County’s dump, then headed to Joseph Whidbey State Park for another cleaning.

May and volunteers practicedtenets Sound Waters preaches: Taking care of Whidbey Island’s environment every way possible.

E-mail smador@whidbey

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