Support Sea Otter Conservation by Recycling
Protecting Oregon’s ocean ecosystems doesn’t always require diving into the water or attending an event. Sometimes, it’s as simple as returning your bottles and cans. The Elakha Alliance is excited…
Mourning the Loss of Dr. Jane Goodall, an Advocate for Wildlife and the Planet
Today, with heavy hearts, we honor the legacy of Dr. Jane Goodall (1934–2025), whose light guided so many toward a deeper connection with our planet and its creatures.Earlier this year, we…
Oregon’s Sea Otter Awareness Week: Join Us for Exciting Events & Conservation
The Elakha Alliance, an Oregon non-profit working to restore sea otters to the Oregon coast, invites the public to celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week (SOAW) September 21–27, 2025. SOAW is…
Grant Callegari/Hakai Institute
BIG NEWS: Scientists Discover The Cause of Sea Star Wasting Disease
Discovery of the Decade” - so proclaimed Drew Harvell, the disease ecologist at the University of Washington who co-led the research unveiling this critical breakthrough.After years of uncertainty, scientists have…
Courtney Edwards
Action Alert – We Need Your Help!
Here's the deal:The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) is in the process of revising the Oregon State Wildlife Action Plan. The Oregon State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) provides…
How to spot the differences: Sea Otter or River Otter
Thank you to illustrator, Liz Birdwell, for this amazing graphic!Here in Oregon, we often get asked: “Wait, aren’t otters already here?” Yes - North American river otters live in many of…
Empowering Youth to Advocate for Oregon’s Oceans
On May 19, we teamed up with the Oregon Ocean Alliance to lead an inspiring group of youth advocates at the State Capitol in Salem for Oregon Ocean Youth Lobby Day,…
Elakha Partners with Artist Mike Bennett for Portland Art-quarium
On June 6 the Portland Aquarium by Mike Bennett Studios opened its doors in downtown Portland. This is an immersive art experience featuring over 100 whimsical, cartoon-style marine animal artworks.…
Oregon Zoo Sea Otter Behind the Scenes Tour
Amy Hash from the Oregon Zoo joins Elakha Alliance Board
We are thrilled to welcome Amy Hash to the Elakha Alliance Board of Directors! Amy brings a wealth of experience in sea otter biology and community engagement, along with a…
Elakha Alliance Mourns the Loss of Jim Estes
The Elakha Alliance has lost a friend. Renowned ecologist Jim Estes succumbed on the morning of May 20, 2025, to injuries sustained as the result of a horrific hit-and-run event…
Cheers to Another Successful Oregon Otter Beer Festival!
The 2025 Oregon Otter Beer Festival, held on April 12, 2025 at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, was a sold-out celebration of craft beverages and…
Siletz Tribe Receives Major Grant to Aid Tribes in Returning Sea Otters to Oregon and Northern California
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Press ReleaseJanuary 21st, 2025 Tribal Chairman Delores Pigsley of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (CTSI) has announced that the Tribe has been awarded a…
$80 for 80 – Celebrating Bob Bailey: A Champion for Oregon’s Coast and Sea Otter Restoration
Bob Bailey is a name synonymous with the protection and preservation of Oregon’s stunning coastline. As the Board President of the Elakha Alliance, Bob’s unwavering leadership and passion have been…
Sea Otters & Kelp Forests: Elakha Interviewed on Rewildology Podcast
The Oregon coast is a rugged, untamed landscape, shaped by powerful waves and teeming with marine life. But one critical species is missing from this ecosystem – the sea otter.…
Steadfast in Our Mission: Navigating Change to Restore Oregon’s Sea Otters
A letter from Elakha Alliance's Executive Director, 11/11/24: Dear Elakha Alliance Friends and Supporters,I have taken some time to think about what the outcome of the recent election means for…
Elakha joins OCVA’s Every Stay Gives Back Program
Elakha Alliance is thrilled to announce our partnership with Kind Traveler's Every Stay Gives Back program alongside the Oregon Coast Visitors Association!The Oregon Coast Visitors Association—which is championing sustainable travel—sums…
Oregon’s Sea Otter Awareness Week: Join Us for Exciting Events & Conservation Efforts!
The Elakha Alliance, an Oregon non-profit working to restore sea otters to the Oregon coast, invites the public to celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week (SOAW) September 22-28, 2024. The Alliance…
Kevin Campion joins Elakha Board
Let's give a warm welcome to Kevin Campion, Elakha Alliance's newest Board Member! Kevin is the founder of Deep Green Wilderness . Believing strongly in a sailboat’s power to inspire and…
We Welcome Brittany Blades to Elakha Board
We are thrilled to announce that Brittany Blades has joined the Elakha Alliance as our newest board member! Brittany is the Curator of Marine Mammals at Oregon Coast Aquarium. She has worked with sea otters…
Two Sea Otters Spotted in Cannon Beach, Oregon
The Elakha Alliance is excited to report the sighting of two sea otters at Ecola Point, Cannon Beach on June 28th, 2024. This is a significant event as there has…
Elakha Featured on Nonprofit Solutions Podcast
The Elakha Alliance was recently interviewed on the Charity Auctions Today Nonprofit Spotlight Podcast where they highlight organizations making a difference in our world. Tune in to discover the critical…
2023 Year in Review
2023 Year in Review Summary provided by Bob Bailey, Elakha Alliance Board President Condor Lessons On a lovely fall day in 2017, as the idea of returning sea otters to…
Oregon Zoo Sea Otter Behind the Scenes Tour
Call for Donated Art for Sea Otter Fundraiser
The Elakha Alliance announces a call for donated art submissions for a silent auction fundraiser on September 28th, 2024 at the Yaquina Bay Yacht Club (Newport, OR) in honor of Sea…
Mourning the Loss of CTCLUSI Chief Doc Slyter, Elakha Board Member
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Chief Doc Slyter, Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI), who has been a valued member…
Local Scholars Reveal History of Sea Otters, a Now-Absent Cultural Keystone Species in Oregon
Press Release from Oregon Historical Quarterly: A special section of the Oregon Historical Society’s Oregon Historical Quarterly highlights sea otter history in the Pacific NorthwestNote: Elakha Alliance Board Memebers Cameron La…
Credit: Oregon Zoo
Oregon to Celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week
The Elakha Alliance, an Oregon non-profit working to restore sea otters to the Oregon coast, invites the public to celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week (SOAW) September 24-30, 2023. The Alliance…
Jacobsen Salt Co. & Elakha Alliance Return in 2023 with Limited Edition Sea Otter Salt Tins
It's been two years since we first teamed up with the Jacobsen Salt Co. for their 10th Anniversary, where they launched a 2021 special edition slide tin to help raise awareness and…
USFWS to host Open Houses in OR & CA regarding Sea Otter Reintroduction
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will host 16 public open houses with communities in Northern California and Oregon this June to gather input on the potential reintroduction of sea otters…
Job Announcement: Director of Science & Policy
Director of Science & Policy Start Date: July-August 2023 Salary: $5,500 - $6,200/ month, full-time equivalent, exempt Option for 0.75 - 1.0 FTE with prorated salary/ benefits. Reports to: Executive…
Job Announcement: Coastal Community Coordinator
Coastal Community Coordinator Start Date: May-June 2023 Salary: $5,000-$6,000/month full-time equivalent, exempt Although we are looking for someone interested in full-time (40 hours/week) work, we are open to applicants who only want…
Top 7 Sea Otter Book Recommendations
Previous Next Serendipity: An Ecologist’s Quest to Understand Nature by James Estes, 2016, University of California Press. The author is one of the giants of modern ecology who began as…
2022 Year in Review for the Elakha Alliance
Written by Bob Bailey, Elakha Alliance Board President We Set SailOn November 9, 2017, a group of seven people gathered in Siletz, another joined by telephone, and agreed to incorporate the…
Release of Economic Impact Assessment
The Elakha Alliance is pleased to announce that an assessment of the potential economic impacts of returning of sea otters to Oregon is now available on the Elakha Alliance website. …
A sea otter hunter, Northwestern University Library, Edward S. Curtis
Honoring Native American Heritage Day
November 25th is recognized as Native American Heritage Day. The Elakha Alliance is proud to honor the 4 Indigenous individuals that serve on our Board. Peter Hatch: Peter is a…
Photo: Ingrid Taylar
First Half of 2022 Donation Dedications
The Elakha Alliance would like to thank the following who made honorary, tributary, or memorial donations during the first half of 2022. Makini Chisolm-StrakerWelcome to Isaac Aubrey Giye’we HatchBradley DanielsIn…
Elakha Alliance Response to USFWS Sea Otter Feasibility Assessment
On Wednesday, July 27, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a report to Congress on the feasibility of reintroducing sea otters to their former range on the Pacific coast. …
Help Us Welcome Our First Executive Director, Jane Bacchieri
On June 13, Jane Bacchieri was unanimously and enthusiastically selected by the Elakha Alliance Board of Directors to lead the Elakha Alliance!! Her broad, deep background in organizational management and…
Jason Younker, Chief of the Coquille Indian Tribe, Joins Elakha Board
Since the passing of Chief Don Ivy last summer, the Elakha Alliance Board of Directors has been without a member of the Coquille Indian Tribe. We are very pleased to…
Congratulations to Elakha’s Tribal Youth Summer Internship Recipients
The Elakha Alliance received funding from the Siletz Tribal Community Foundation and the Spirit Mountain Community Fund to support two summer internships for tribal youth in the state of Oregon.…
Elakha Presents for Women High School Students in Science & Engineering
Written by Elakha Alliance Board Member: Katie Russell On Thursday, May 26th, I was able to join the young scientists of Eugene’s 4J high schools at the 10th annual Women…
Support Healthy Kelp Forests & Sea Otters this Mother’s Day
Sea otter moms raise their pups on their own without the help of males or other females. A mother sea otter will give birth at sea and then be a…
Elakha Alliance Offers Paid Summer Internships to Tribal College Youth in Oregon
The Elakha Alliance is seeking to fill two paid Full Time Summer Internship positions for tribal youth to support the mission to reintroduce sea otters back to the Oregon coast.…
Elakha Alliance Seeks an Executive Director
We are pleased to announce that the Elakha Alliance is searching for our first Executive Director. This position will play a key role to furthering the efforts of the Elakha…
Meet our New South Coast Community Liaison
Frank Burris' first love has always been wildlife management, so he is retiring from OSU Extension Service at the end of March, and starting a new job in April working…
Photo: Ingrid Taylar
4th Quarter 2021 Donation Dedications
The Elakha Alliance would like to thank the following who made honorary, tributary, or memorial donations during the 4th Quarter of 2021. Ryan BlumIn Honor of Kate Laubach and Will…
Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve, Port Orford, OR. Photo by Patrick Webste.r
Elakha’s 2021 Year In Review
Summarized by Bob Bailey, Elakha Alliance Board President 2021 is in the books. It was such a good year for the Elakha Alliance and our work to bring sea otters…
Photo: Ingrid Taylar
2nd and 3rd Quarter 2021 Donation Dedications
The Elakha Alliance would like to thank the following who made honorary, tributary, or memorial donations during the 2nd and 3rd Quarters of 2021. Paulianne Balch-RancourtIn memory of my mom,…
1st Quarter 2021 Donation Dedications
The Elakha Alliance would like to thank the following who made honorary, tributary, or memorial donations during the 1st Quarter of 2021. Paulianne Balch-RancourtIn memory of my mom, Dot Balch,…
4th Quarter 2020 Donation Dedications
The Elakha Alliance would like to thank the following who made honorary, tributary, or memorial donations during the 4th Quarter of 2020. Marilyn Bailey and Jim LeMayIn Honor of Bob…
Help us improve
Blue Banner Thanks for participating in our October 2020 virtual symposium: "Sea Otters and the Kelp Ecosystem." Please help us improve our future work by filling out this evaluation form.…
Podcast Episode: A Deep Dive on Sea Otters
In Part V of our series, leading sea otter researcher Dr. Tim Tinker discusses new science and reveals the varied issues effecting sea otter populations across their pacific range -…
Copper Rockfish in Kelp Sebastes caurinus
Podcast Episode: From Science to Solutions
In part IV of our series on the kelp ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest, we discuss kelp conservation on Oregon's south coast with Tom Calvanese. Tom is a rockfish scientist,…
Podcast Episode: A Narrative of Discovery with Jim Estes
In part III of our series on the kelp ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest, renowned marine biologist and sea otter researcher Jim Estes shares his story of science discovery. Fom…
Podcast Episode: Understanding Urchins Part II
In part two of our series in the kelp ecosystem, marine biologist Scott Groth discusses an important urchin monitoring projects on Oregon's nearshore. While red sea urchin numbers appear normal,…
Podcast Episode: The Kelp Ecosystem in the PNW Part I
A fascinating window into new discoveries in kelp ecology and conservation with Sara Hamilton - a leading researcher studying trends in kelp forests. Sara is a PhD student at Oregon…