Earth Day: “My Sea Stories: Commencement Bay and Coral Reefs” with Sheri Tonn, Professor Emerita, Chemistry, Pacific Lutheran University

Earth Day 2026, special illustrated presentation by Dr. Sheri Tonn, who has led exploration and documentation of water quality in our Commencement Bay’s tidal waters, as well as dives in the Caribbean. Free and open to the public, 6:00–7:00 pm, Wednesday, 22 April, 2026, at Christ Episcopal Church’s Wells Hall, 310 N. K Street, Tacoma 98403. Doors open at 5:30 pm. Light refreshments will be served.

Active community advocate, founder of the non-profit organization Communities for a Healthy Bay, named 2025 “Volunteer of the Year” by the American Chemical Society Puget Sound Section, and recreational SCUBA diver, Dr. Tonn will share stories from her forty years working to improve water quality and habitat in Commencement Bay and her underwater experiences in warmer waters.

The nonprofit Communities for a Healthy Bay combines on-the-water science with legal accountability, advocacy, and education, engaging research collaborations on such matters as salmon recovery, orca protection, eelgrass health, and microplastics.
An avid underwater photographer, Dr. Tonn has made more than 2500 dives in the Caribbean and the Coral Triangle of the western Pacific, particularly Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines and, Papua New Guinea.

Dr. Tonn will talk about individual actions audience members can take to help our marine environment. Please bring your questions and concerns!

This event is free and open to the public. Freewill contributions to Communities for a Healthy Bay, a 501(c)(3) Washington nonprofit corporation, are welcome.