Get To Know Our New Dir. of Outreach & Community Relations
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My name is Chanel Hason and I'm thrilled to join Elakha Alliance as the new Director of Outreach & Community Relations. John Goodell who held this position previously, has now transitioned into his new role as Director of Science & Policy. I'm entering this position with a rich background in marine science, animal husbandry, environmental education, non-profit management and marketing.
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I'm an otter alum from CSU Monterey Bay, and volunteered with sea and river otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I've ventured around the globe, whether that be conducting research on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, working as the lead environmental educator for Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ambassadors of the Environment in Puerto Rico, or representing the USA in the Miss Scuba International Pageant in Malaysia.
Graduate school brought me to Portland, where I've since graduated from PSU in 2018 with a MS in Sustainability Education. Locally, I've worked for Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, the Oregon Community Foundation, and the Surfrider Foundation. I'm extremely honored and motivated to be a part of the Elakha Alliance, and look forward to meeting you safely one day soon.
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Elakha Board President wins ORTWS Conservation Policy Award!
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We are so pleased to congratulate Bob Bailey for being awarded the Oregon Chapter of the Wildlife Foundation's 2021 Conservation Policy Award!
'The recipient of many enthusiastic letters of support, Bob Bailey is well-known in the marine environmental community for his thoughtful, knowledgeable, and ecumenical approach to solving problems and guiding marine policy. As the former Director of the Coastal Management Program at the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), Bob played a formative role in the development of the Oregon Ocean Plan and subsequently, the Oregon Territorial Sea Plan that set standards for the rest of the nation.' - Read more... |
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Webinar: A Case for Sea Otter Restoration
Thursday April 8th, 6:30pm
Emerging science reveals that Oregon's kelp ecosystem is undergoing dramatic shifts such as large increases in purple sea urchin barrens following the collapse of sunflower sea stars. The restoration of sea otters may help stabilize this vulnerable system, yet some Oregonian's are concerned about possible negative effects to commercial shellfisheries. The prospect of restoring sea otters to the Oregon coast raises important ecological, cultural, and economic considerations and trade-offs. Join John Goodell, Elakha's Director of Science and Policy, as he discusses what the Elakha Alliance is doing to address these questions and our plan going forward. Register here.
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Webinar: The Return of Oregon's Sea Otters: Considering the Cultural Dimensions of Restoration
Tuesday April 20th, 6:30pm
It is hard to appreciate the cultural importance of a species that disappeared from Oregon’s coastal waters over a century ago. What has the loss of sea otters meant to Oregon’s indigenous peoples? Join Peter Hatch, Elakha Board Member, and member of the Confederate Tribe of Siletz Indians, as he discusses the cultural dimensions of Oregon's lost sea otters, and the hope for their return. Register here.
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Deb Haaland Confirmed As 1st Native American Interior Secretary
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What an incredible historic moment for America's Indigenous peoples.
"Indian country has shouted from the valleys, from the mountaintops, that it's time. It's overdue," Sandia Pueblo tribal member Stephine Poston told NPR after Haaland was nominated. Read more here.
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Sea Otters and Purple Sea Urchins in California: A Nuanced Story
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2014 was the start of an ecological upheaval on the California and Oregon coasts. It started with the collapse of the sunflower sea star due to sea star wasting disease and by the summer, a large “blob” of warm water stretched from Alaska to Baja. In Monterey Bay, researchers documented a large decline in kelp and corresponding spread of purple sea urchin barrens – even in areas with sea otters. To the surprise of many marine biologists, it appeared at first glance, that sea otters were not controlling purple sea urchins - a result that diverged from the previous 40 years of sea otter science.
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It makes sense that sea otter don’t eat empty sea urchins (urchins found in ”urchins barrens” often contain no uni since they have eaten most of the kelp and run out of food). A recent paper by Josh Smith shows that sea otters responded to the dramatic increase in urchins by consuming over 3 times as many urchins than before 2015. Otters indirectly maintained remnants of kelp forests amid widespread sea urchin outbreaks by preferentially targeting energetically profitable (gonad rich) sea urchins in or near kelp forests. These forest patches maintained by sea otters are the spore sources to ultimately replenish the barren grounds. Learn more…
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Preserving Kelp Oases: Elakha Partnering
on a North Coast Project
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Even with a successful translocation of sea otters in Oregon, sea otter population growth and dispersal takes time. If an initial reintroduction occurs on the south coast where most of the best habitat occurs, it may take many decades for a viable sub-population of sea otters to become established further north. There is a chance that trends in kelp declines and spreading urchin barrens will not continue, but what if they do?
In 2020, the Oregon Kelp Alliance (ORKA) launched a pilot project using scientific divers to experimentally remove purple sea urchins to protect specific “kelp oases”. To incentivize long-term removals, ORKA is working with partners to develop a new market for purple sea urchin “uni”. The Elakha Alliance is partnering with ORKA and with David and Talya Semrad from the Oregon Freediving Company to help coordinate a possible second location here on the north coast! We are submitting a permit application for sea urchin harvest to ODFW soon, and hoping to be in the water this season! We think this effort will not only provide valuable insights into urchin management, but help engage the more divers and freedivers in kelp conservation. More to come soon.
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How You Can Help the Elakha Alliance
Your donation provides critical financial support so we can continue to expand our public outreach, general communications, and the scientific assessment we are focused on in 2021. Please consider becoming a monthly supporter. |
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