Please join us for this opportunity to learn from marine and aquatic educators, scientists, traditional knowledge practitioners, and other industry professionals. Speakers will share experiences, educational tips and stories from the field. Registration is required; after registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please contact us at info@pacname.org if you have any questions or problems with the meeting link, or if you are interested in being a presenter.
Not a member? Membership expired? Make sure to join or renew now so you don’t miss out on these fabulous events!
Upcoming Speakers
Tuesday, November 19, 2024, 7:30 PM PT
Eelgrass as Teacher
Nikki Wright
SeaChange Marine Conservation Society, a community conservation not for profit organization on Vancouver Island in British Columbia has chosen native eelgrass (Zostera marina) as the medium for young people at all grade levels to learn about the rich diversity of life within these emerald underwater gardens. This “show and tell” presentation is the story of my experiences with eelgrass as a teacher for exploring seagrass communities for Grades 1-6 and is applicable for other marine educators in the “NAME” community.
Eelgrass as Teacher resource article
Nikki Wright served as the Executive Director of SeaChange Marine Conservation Society from 1998 to 2023, and as Co-Chair of the Seagrass Conservation Working Group since 2001. Hands-on feet-wet marine education is a focus for much of her work throughout the Salish Sea. Nikki works with others to take what has been learned locally about eelgrass restoration in the Saanich Inlet and helps other coastal communities in B.C. contribute to a net gain of nearshore marine habitat. She considers herself very fortunate to work within communities to help make a change in the ways we perceive the ocean and all its beauty.
You will need to register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Zoom meeting. Contact us at info@pacname.org for more info.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 7:30 PM PT
Ecology of Killer Whale Ecotypes along the Pacific Coast
Josh McInnes, MSc Candidate
Marine Mammal Research Unit
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Monday, February 10, 2025, 7:30 PM PT
Sea Stars of the West Coast
Phil Lambert
Between Southeast Alaska and Puget Sound there are 69 species of sea stars, one of the most diverse regions in the world for sea star species. This talk will describe the biology and anatomy of some of the more common species. We will also touch on the recent sea star wasting disease that has had a major effect on the marine ecology of the west coast.
Philip Lambert was Curator of Marine Invertebrates at the Royal BC Museum from 1973 to 2007. He has written 3 handbooks covering the five classes of echinoderms and has Scuba dived in many areas of the BC coast and SE Alaska.
Speaker Archive
Monday, May 20, 2024, 7:30 PM PT
Kelp Forests in a Warming Ocean
Brian Timmer
April 16, 2024, 7:30 PM PT
Ocean Cultures: Northwest Coast Ecosystems and Indigenous Management Systems
Nancy Turner, Ethnobotanist
Nancy Turner is an ethnobotanist who has worked with Indigenous elders and cultural specialists in western Canada for over 50 years, learning about plants and environments. Distinguished Professor Emerita in Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, she has written/edited 30 books and over 150 papers, and is a member of Order of Canada, Order of BC, and Royal Society of Canada, as well as honorary degrees from four BC universities.
June 2023
Starting the conversation about sea otter reintroduction
Michelle St. Martin
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Marine Conservation Coordinator (for Oregon)
Sea otters were once found in nearshore waters across the Pacific Rim but were nearly hunted to extinction during the maritime fur trade of the 1700 and 1800s. While some populations have recovered over time in response to protections and past translocations, sea otters remain absent from nearly a thousand miles of their historical range, including the entirety of the Oregon coast. Join us to learn more about sea otters, their history, their role as a keystone species in the marine ecosystem, and why the possibility of bringing sea otters back to northern California and the Oregon coast is currently under consideration.
May 2023
3D Mapping of Puget Sound Shoreline
Brian Footen
Researcher with Earth View
EarthViews Conservation Society was created to address the immediate, and, indeed, existential need for waterway conservation in the western United States. The organization is presently advocating and facilitating the preservation, protection, and where necessary, rehabilitation of bays, lakes, rivers, and streams by digitally documenting and analyzing these critical and endangered components of our nation’s ecosystems.
Brian Footen has spent twenty plus years working as a fishery research biologist for federal, state and tribal agencies. He has a dual MS degree from The Evergreen State College and the University of Washington in Fishery Science and Environmental Studies. He is currently leading expeditions at EarthViews Conservation Society using modern mapping technology to document and advocate for waterway Conservation.
April 2023
Antarctic Adventures with Adopt-a-Float
Jennifer Magnusson
Outreach Support, GO-BGC/MBARI
Follow along with Jennifer on her journey to Antarctica to deploy ten biogeochemical (BGC) profiling floats for the GO-BGC and SOCCOM Adopt-a-Float program! This free program creates a powerful opportunity for students of all ages to engage directly with world-class scientists and learn about their research by naming and tracking floats. Jennifer will talk about the life of a BGC float, how you can adopt one for your classroom or educational setting, and how to access the data from the floats to use in your lessons and activities.
Jennifer is a marine biologist, educator, and graphic designer. Blazing her own winding trail in marine education, Jennifer has covered the whole Pacific coast, from her undergraduate studies in Baja California to her graduate research in Fairbanks, Alaska. Working from her home in Victoria, BC, she combines her desire to learn about and explore the oceans, her passion for ocean education and stewardship, and her talent for creating visual resources and lessons that make ocean education exciting and engaging for all audiences. She works for three non-profit organizations—MBARI, NAME, and NMEA—focusing on outreach, social media, website development, and science communication.
March 2023
“Wildernizing” our Youth with the Alaska Tides to Tongass Science and Arts Academy
Michaela Larson, Julia Trischman, Trick Trischman
Coordinator/Instructors of Alaska Tides to Tongass Science and Arts Academy
Three leaders of the Alaska Tides to Tongass Science and Arts Academy share what they are doing with the wilderness magnet school, offered through their public school district. This unique program brings a cohort of high school students from around the nation to their very remote, very small, town of Port Alexander, Alaska nestled in a biologically diverse, geologically interesting, beautiful wilderness setting for 9 weeks.
Michaela Larsen is the Coordinator for the coming ATTSAA session and an instructor for the program. Growing up in Southeast Alaska, she is delighted to share her love of the Alaska wilds and some of its important lessons with young people from far and wide. Michaela enjoys being on the ocean, foraging, beachbombing and exploring with her three kids and husband.
Julia Trischman has been an educator for nine years and involved with ATTSAA when it was just an idea three years ago. She grew up in Southwest Montana, but moved to Port Alexander in 2019 and fell in love with the deep connection of nature the Tongass National Forest and North Pacific Ocean has to offer her family. When Julia isn’t busy educating the future of society, or preserving food for her family, she can be found catching the sun and embracing nature with her husband, two kids, and two pups.
Patrick Trischman has also been involved with the ATTSAA program for the past three years. He teaches many of the core high school courses while the students are living in Port Alexander. Patrick loves being outside exploring our natural world.
December 2022
King Tides
Bridget Trosin from Washington Sea Grant and Jesse Jones from Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition will co-present on engaging the public with the reach of the king tides into coastal communities in Oregon and Washington. King tides offer a look into the future of sea level rise and documenting them through photography is one way to predict how coastal communities will be affected by increased flooding. The Washington King Tides Program and the Oregon King Tides Project work with the public every fall and winter to capture the effects of these tides and educate about climate change, using photography as a tool. Each will present about how they work in their respective states with schools and the general public.
November 2022
An Introduction to ShoreZone with Sarah Cook
ShoreZone is a standardized imaging and habitat mapping system that specializes in the collection and interpretation of low-altitude, oblique aerial imagery of the coastal environment. Video and still imagery are collected during the lowest tides of the year to fully capture the interface between land and sea. ShoreZone produces fully georeferenced coastal imagery along with a searchable inventory of physical and biological features of the intertidal and nearshore zones which can be used as a tool by scientists, educators, managers, and the public. Those uses have included blue carbon mapping, marine spatial planning, environmental assessment, and species and habitat modelling in addition to many others. Re-mapping of some areas in recent years has enabled the use of ShoreZone to analyze change over time. The oblique ShoreZone imagery has also been used in conjunction with satellite imagery and bathymetry datasets to create intertidal polygons as well as sensitive habitat polygons for salt marsh, dune grass, eelgrass and canopy kelps. ShoreZone is a publicly accessible dataset that has been created through a partnership of over 70 organizations from two countries including all levels of government, port authorities, First Nations and non-governmental organizations.
Sarah Cook (R.P.Bio) is a marine ecologist who specializes in coastal and subtidal habitat mapping. She has been privileged to study the benthic habitats of the Pacific Northwest for the past 20 years. Sarah has flown over 17,000 km of shoreline in a helicopter as part of the ShoreZone imaging team in BC, Alaska and recently in Nova Scotia.
October 2022
Engaging Youth in Environmental Justice
In this talk, learn how Dr. Mindy Chappell leveraged chemistry curriculum in collaboration with the Youth Participatory Science Collective to study heavy-metal contamination as an issue of environmental justice. Acknowledging that environmental issues are context-based, the focus of this talk will rely on personal experiential reflection and non-prescriptive strategies to help teachers and students navigate some of the challenges they might encounter when exploring issues of environmental justice in science classrooms. This talk is meant to be an avenue of hope for educators’ who want to leverage their agency and curricular resources to teach science from a social justice or justice-centered science pedagogy.
Resources:
June 2022
A Conversation with Nuu-Chah-Nulth artist Hjalmer Wenstob
Tlehpik Hjalmer Wenstob was raised on Tzartus island in Barkley Sound, in Huu-ay-aht First Nation’s territory; it was there that his understanding and desire to pursue both his traditional Nuu-chah-nulth and contemporary art practices began. Hjalmer is an interdisciplinary Nuu-Chah-Nulth artist who specializes in sculpture and carving. He is Nuu-chah-nulth from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, as well as Norwegian and English. Hjalmer speaks of three dialects of his work: contemporary, traditional, and community-based. His art practice ranges from ceremonial masks for his community, to community collaborative carving events, to contemporary works such as oil barrel totem poles and Styrofoam bentwood boxes. Hjalmer completed both an undergraduate and master’s degree at the University of Victoria, exploring the relationships between culture and art, and the balance between traditional and contemporary. His work, at times highly political, uses humour and irony to pose difficult questions of respect, reconciliation and environmental issues. Hjalmer lives with his family in his Tla-o-qui-aht community of Ty-Histanis, and they own and operate Cedar House Gallery in Ucluelet, BC.
Hjalmer recently reimagined the NAME logo, and will discuss the creative process and reveal the final result!
For those interested, here is the link to the Nuu-chah-nulth Healing Song & Performance (COVID-19) Hjalmer spoke of in his talk!
May 2022
Building and Writing Whales—Peter Wayne Moe, Associate Professor of English at Seattle Pacific University and author of Touching This Leviathan
In August 2020, I led a project to hang a whale skeleton at my university. And the next year, because I am an English professor, I wrote a book about whales. People often ask me why an English professor would build a whale, and my answer is that trying to come know something as big and mysterious as the whale requires interdisciplinary work. We need the scientists and the poets. In this presentation, I’ll share about the fascinating work of building a whale as well as excerpts from my new book Touching This Leviathan.
April 2022
Urgent Message from a Hot Planet, An Evening with Author Ann Eriksson
Join BC author Ann Eriksson as she introduces her new book, Urgent Message from a Hot Planet: Navigating the Climate Crisis, which outlines the science behind global heating and its root causes, provides ways to take action and honors the efforts of the millions of youth and adult allies from around the world working tirelessly to make a difference. The book is available in bookstores throughout Canada and the US, and online through Orca or Amazon. Ann will then be opening up a conversation, so please come with questions and thoughts ready to share.
Nature is at the core of biologist and writer Ann Eriksson’s work. Ann is the author of five adult novels and three non-fiction books for younger readers: Dive In! Exploring Our Connection with the Ocean, Bird’s-Eye View: Keeping Wild Birds in Flight and newly released, Urgent Message from a Hot Planet: Navigating the Climate Crisis. Ann is a founding director of the Thetis Island Nature Conservancy and works for SeaChange Marine Conservation Society, restoring near-shore marine ecosystems – a nature-based solution to climate change. Ann lives on Thetis Island, BC.
March 2022
More Joy – Less Stress in the Classroom—Kristy Banks, special education teacher in Seattle
I’m a special education teacher in Seattle with more than a decade of experience teaching grades 3rd – 12th, and a desire to help spread the benefits of mindfulness and compassion to educators, classrooms, and communities.
My journey with mindfulness began in 2014 when I was forced to deal head on with my past personal trauma. It was the beginning of my personal growth journey. In 2016, I developed a mindfulness program for my school which increased emotional regulation and social awareness in the students I worked with.
In 2021, I earned my teacher certificate for Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) through the Compassion Institute (developed at Stanford University) and I have continued to share these lessons with students, parents and teachers in the PNW. Click here for more information on CCT and the latest class offerings. Additionally, I created a free 5 minutes a day for 5 days video program specific for teachers to help reduce stress and bring more joy into their lives. Please find more information here: Caring Teacher.
I am excited to share with you some pedagogy, activities and mindset shifts to help you and your students have more joy and less stress! Please join me!
February 2022
The Oregon King Tides Project—Jesse Jones, volunteer coordinator for CoastWatch
Sea level is predicted to rise over the next century. Several areas of the Oregon coast are already vulnerable to high water levels because of their low elevations and proximity to the shoreline. Rising sea levels means increased erosion and more frequent and expanded flooding in the future. An infrequent event today could become normal in the future.
Understanding and documenting the extent and impacts of especially high tide events is one way to highlight the need to prepare for the effects of future climate conditions. The King Tides Project generates information that coastal communities can use to reduce vulnerabilities to rising sea levels.
Jesse Jones is the volunteer coordinator for CoastWatch, a mile by mile beach adoption program in Oregon that links volunteers with citizen science opportunities in their coastal neighborhoods. She lives in Astoria and works with volunteers from Fort Stevens to the Winchuck River. CoastWatch is program of Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition.
January 2022
Flukes, Fins, & Blows: Whale ID 101—Aaron Purdy, Outreach & Education Lead, Southern Vancouver Island Cetacean Research Initiative (Ocean Wise)
Join Aaron Purdy to learn all about the whales in our waters! Aaron will discuss tips and tricks for identifying BC’s common cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), the threats they face, and how Ocean Wise helps to mitigate these threats through research and conservation efforts. He will also describe how you can become a citizen scientist by acting as an observer for the BC Cetacean Sightings Network while out on your next coastal adventure. After this talk, you will have all the tools you need to jump in and do your part to protect BC’s cetaceans!
Aaron joined Ocean Wise in 2019 as the Outreach and Education Lead for the Southern Vancouver Island Cetacean Research Initiative. He works to promote the BC Cetacean Sightings Network, educate BC residents about whale conservation, and coordinate community-led research in the Southern Vancouver Island area. Since completing his BSc in Zoology from the University of Calgary, Aaron has worked both as a researcher and educator in the non-profit sector. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2019 with a MSc in Zoology where he studied the diving physiology of Steller sea lions.
Cover image photo credit: Ocean Wise.
December 2021
Pumping with Passion: The Importance of Heart-Based Connection—Savannah Smith and Ebony Welborn of Sea Potential
In December of 2020, Savannah Smith and Ebony Welborn founded Sea Potential. Through youth engagement and strengthening workplace culture within maritime industry businesses, they have been carrying out Sea Potential’s mission to cultivate a full cycle of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) representation in maritime. Through their work and lived experiences, they have learned the importance of fostering heart-based connections to marine environments. Join us as they share why heart-based connections are a key component of career path interest and community stewardship, as well as share tips for how to facilitate experiences that connect the hearts of others in culturally relevant ways.
November 2021
The Elwha Nearshore 10 Years After Dam Removal: Whats New and Different, and What Looks the Same—Ian Miller, Washington Sea Grant: Coastal Hazard Specialist, Olympic Peninsula
Join Dr. Ian Miller as he provides an update and summary of results from two on-going investigations into the changes in the Elwha Delta ten years and removal of the dams. Seasonal topography and bathymetry surveys conducted in partnership with USGS and Washington Department of Ecology provide insights about how the delta of the Elwha River is continuing to evolve in response to the dam removal. Annual SCUBA-based surveys of algae, invertebrates and benthic fishes, are used to assess if and how the sub-tidal marine community has changed (or not) through and after dam removal.
A skilled science communicator and media spokesperson as well as a trained scientist, Dr. Ian Miller is Washington Sea Grant’s coastal hazards specialist, working out of Peninsula College in Port Angeles. Ian works with coastal communities and public agencies on the Olympic Peninsula to strengthen their ability to plan for and manage coastal hazards, including tsunamis, chronic erosion, coastal flooding and other hazards associated with climate change.
Resources
October 2021
Oh the stories the beach can tell!—Join Alan Rammer, retired shellfish biologist for WA Department of Fisheries, to learn about beach ecology, geology and history. Alan has always had a keen eye for the most obscure items and the stories they tell. He has explored almost every Washington beach from the mouth of the Columbia River to Tatoosh Island as well as many of the Salish Sea beaches, and will share some of his most fascinating stories that have biological, geological and human history origins. Don’t miss this talk on Monday, October 4th!
Alan grew up exploring the beaches along Monterey, California’s famous Cannery Row then came to WA for college and graduated in 1974 from the U.W with a double major in shellfish biology and invertebrate zoology. Alan worked for the Washington Department of Fisheries in numerous capacities and retired after 36 years in 2009. He was named national marine educator of the year in 2012 and has not lost his passion for the Marine environment in his retirement.
June 2021
Frozen Sunlight Series: Connecting Ecological Research with Indigenous Knowledge—Janet Clarke, Education Director at the Sitka Sound Science Center.
The Frozen Sunlight series includes easy to ship educational kits for secondary and adult learners. The topics focus on energy transfer in ocean ecosystems by weaving together current ecological research with Alaska Native cultural wisdom. The first Frozen Sunlight kit titled “Algae Connects Us” includes a beautiful film featuring the perspectives of Sitka Tribe of Alaska cultural liaison, Chuck Miller and University of California, Santa Cruz PhD candidate and marine ecologist, Lauren Bell. Information about identifying and collecting seaweed is provided and the materials included in the package allow students to collect and press algae for use in collections or art.
Algae Connects Us!—Sitka Sound Science Center video
The Frozen Sunlight series is funded by the Biomedical Learning and Student Training (BLaST) program at University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Due to technical difficulties, this video recording is unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.
May 2021
Seabed Mining: “The Dawn of an Industry” and the need for a precautionary approach—Lee First, Co-Founder of Twin Harbors Waterkeeper, and Liz Schotman, Washington Regional Manager Surfrider Foundation. Washington State’s waters contain known mineral deposits, and there is increasing pressure to begin mining the ocean floor in some areas of the world. Given the present reality of rising ocean temperatures and acidification, nearshore marine waters and coastal communities along the Pacific do not need another threat. Oregon banned ocean mining in their state waters in 1991. Attend this presentation to learn why Washington should close their state waters to seabed mining. This step is a necessary precaution for coastal towns and cities where fishing and tourism depend on these valuable but vulnerable waters for their livelihoods.
April 2021
Astonishing Annelids—The COVID-19 pandemic challenged marine educators at all academic levels to provide their students with an engaging on-line educational experience. Dr. Louise Page, Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Victoria (who was recently recognized by a UVic Teaching Excellence Award), didn’t miss a beat in preparing videos to substitute for the hands-on laboratory section of her Invertebrate Biology course. The decades of Louise’s passion for research and teaching about invertebrates permeate this work. Join us as she presents excerpts from her annelid lab, which showcase the astonishing diversity of morphology, behaviour and lifestyle among annelids.
March 2021
Investigating Crayfish + Freshwater Ecosystems Online—Learn to engage students in fascinating crayfish studies and water quality monitoring in this presentation with partners from The River Mile Network. Janice Elvidge from the National Park Service will team up with Rick Reynolds from Engaging Every Student and Jim Ekins from the University of Idaho Extension Service IDAH2O Master Water Stewards program to step you through student activities including scientific investigations in your local watershed to benefit people and wildlife. Learn methods to monitor native and invasive crayfish, as well as a variety of factors that impact water quality, while meeting the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards. Learn about ways to participate with The River Mile’s Crayfish Study project helping biologists and wildlife managers, and how different tools can be used to collect, analyze, and share data and student observations.
Resources from The River Mile Network
- Crayfish Study
- Complete Crayfish Curriculum
- Free Virtual Training
- Crayfish Study Resources
- Sign up for The River Mile Community Virtual Gathering, March 24, 2021 3:30-4:30 pm
Resources from IDAH2O
- IDAH2O Hydrologic Information System interface and interactive map of all sites
- IDAH2O classroom portion—asynchronous, self-paced
Other Resources
- The Pacific Northwest as an emerging beachhead of crayfish invasions: Julian D. Olden | School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences | University of Washington, Seattle
February 2021
Virtual Field Trips:Exploring and Sharing Our Local Ecology—Rosemary Anderson High School science teacher and NAME President, Kay Shoemaker, gave a presentation on how to conduct field trips in these oh-so-atypical times so that you can still engage your students in the wonders and magic of the natural world, even while we’re all sitting in front of computer screens for ten hours a day.
Resources
January 2021
Kayaking the Salish Sea During a Pandemic—WA-NAME Co-Directors Giovannina Souers (Environmental Education Program Supervisor City of Seattle) and Woody Moses (Highline College Biology Instructor) spent six weeks paddling over three hundred miles through the Salish Sea from West Seattle to the San Juans and back to Hood Canal. Learn what it took to do the trip, the challenges and surprises they faced and how they embraced adventure and uncertainty in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
December 2020
Monitoring Axial SeaMount: Research techniques for 1500 meters Beneath the Surface—Fawn Custer, CoastWatch Citizen Science Trainer will lead a fun holiday activity to start out the night followed by Bill Hanshumaker, former National Marine Educators Association Rep and OSU Researcher Emeritus talking about monitoring an axial seamount and research techniques for 1500 meters beneath the surface.