Park Volunteer profile: Dennis Linden

Dennis loves the west side....

As we continue our series about volunteers at Lime Kiln State Park, here’s more about Dennis Linden, as he answered some questions we asked him:

Tell us about yourself!

Number of years living in the San Juan archipelago: 10 years

Occupation in your real, or unreal, life: Food Writer, Fresh Blueberry broker

Furthest place in the world from LKPSP that you have visited: Sierpe River, Costa Rica

Major passions, besides the whales:
Cooking, writing about almost anything, my place in and with these islands.

1. What inspired you to volunteer at Lime Kiln Point State Park?
The Beach Watchers program provided the initial incentive to voluinteer at the Interpretive Center. I keep coming back each season because the whales have inspired me to tell their story in hopes that the knowledge will help save them and the Salish Sea.

2. What is it that you most enjoy about volunteering here?
Seeing the awe on a visitor’s face, who obviously didn’t even realise that there were whales here before walking into the Interpretive Center and is now bursting with questions. Discovery is a beautiful thing.

3. Any memorable park experience that sticks out since volunteering?
The not so coincidental appearance and swim by of all three pods at last year’s summer soltice celebration at the lighthouse. Would not have believed it if I had not been there.

4. If you were limited to only one sentence, how would you describe these islands to a visitor right off the ferry?
You are now “on island” which is a state of mind that you cannot possibly understand until you experience being “off island” again.

5. Something that you have learned since volunteering at the park?
That a little education,if presented in a friendly and entertaining way, can challenge even the most vacation-minded visitor to think about his or her impact on the planet [see the discovery thing]
6. If you were a kabillionaire and cost was no object, what would you buy & contribute to Lime Kiln Park?I would donate the building of an annex to the Interpretive Center that would serve the community as a marine educational center.

7.  Is there anything else you would like to share?
HOPE.

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