Podcast Archive
Explore podcasts focusing on sea otters, kelp, climate change, and related topics effecting marine resources in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest!
Northwest Nature Matters
The Elakha Alliance partnered with Northwest Nature Matters to produce a special podcast series presenting expert guests including kelp ecologists, fisheries managers, rockfish researchers, otter biologists, and more!
Northwest Nature Matters was created by the Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife Society.
Introductory Episode: An overview of sea otter Restoration in Oregon with elakha alliance board president Robert Bailey
July 17th, 2019: In this episode we discuss sea otter population restoration with Robert Bailey, the Board President of the Elakha Alliance. “Elakha” is the Chinook and Clatsop Indian word for sea otter. In the late 1990s, the Elakha Alliance was organized by members of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Coquille Indian Tribe and others to promote the restoration of sea otters and a healthy marine ecosystem on the Oregon coast.
Evaluating Sea Otter Reintroduction in Oregon: The Kelp Ecosystem in the PNW Part 10
#35: Interconnected: First People from the Kelp Highway
June 8th, 2020: In this episode three leaders from Oregon coast tribes provide heartfelt reflections, as they frame the loss of sea otters and the vision of its return with the history of their own people’s struggles, and how sea otters represent their own interconnectedness to the natural world.
Don Ivy Chief of the Coquille Indian tribe; Robert Kentta the Siletz Tribal Cultural Resources Director; and Peter Hatch with the Siletz tribal Cultural Resources Program.
#34: Ancient Evidence – Sea Otters and First Peoples on the Oregon COast. Dr. Roberta Hall discusses her excavations of shell middens on the Oregon Coast Range
May 12th, 2020: Dr. Roberta Hall is an anthropologist and Professor Emeritus at Oregon State University. Roberta conducted numerous excavations of shell midden sites on the Oregon coast where she document use of various wildlife including sea otters, and other marine resources by ancient First Peoples. Roberta holds expertise in zoo-archaeology, medical anthropology, skeletal biology and more!
#33: Sea Otters Up-Close. Dr Shawn Larson from the Seattle Aquarium discusses sea otters genetics and captive husbandry
May 4th, 2020: Marine Biologist and Researcher Dr. Shawn Larson from the Seattle Aquarium discusses sea otters up-close! Shawn explores sea otter diet, physiology, reproduction, and genetics – and how her research informs conservation.
#32: A Deep Dive on Sea Otters: Leading Sea Otter Researcher Dr. Tim Tinker discusses sea otter ecology and populations from Alaska to California
April 27th, 2020: A great conversation with leading sea otter researcher Dr. Tim Tinker. Tim discusses new science and reveals the varied issues effecting sea otter populations across their pacific range – from Alaska to California – including his perspectives on a possible Oregon reintroduction.
#31: From Science to Solutions: Rockfish Scientist and Kelp Ecosystem conservation leader Tom Calvanese
April 20th, 2020: Tom Calvanese is a rockfish scientist, the Station Manager of the Port Orford Field Station, and a catalyst behind developing action to address kelp declines along Oregon’s south coast. Join us for a multi-dimensional conversation about kelp conservation.
#30: Renowned ecologist Jim Estes shares his story of discovery
April 13th, 2020: Renowned ecologist Jim Estes shares his story of discovery – from a young graduate student on the Aleutian Islands to scientific breakthroughs revealing the profound ecological effects of a keystone predator
#29: Marine biologist Scott Groth discusses Urchin population trends on oregon’s south coast
Marine biologist Scott Groth is undertaking one of the longest monitoring projects on Oregon’s nearshore. While red sea urchin numbers appear normal, purple sea urchin populations have exploded in recent years with alarming impacts to kelp forests.
#28: A fascinating window into new discoveries in kelp ecology and conservation with Sara Hamilton
March 30th, 2020: 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 State University.
#9: Dr. Burke Hales and Dr. George Waldbusser discuss ocean acidification in the Pacific Northwest
February 27th, 2019: An eye-opening conversation with Dr. Burke Hales and Dr. George Waldbusser about the effects of ocean acidification on ocean ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. Professors and research partners at Oregon State University, Burke and George definitively linked an increase in ocean acidification to the collapse of oyster seed production at a commercial oyster hatchery in Oregon. We discussed the overarching science behind climate change, the chemistry behind atmospheric and ocean carbon and acidity, effects on marine organisms and their ecosystems, and more!
Various Podcast Interviews
EcoNews Report
EXPLORING SEA OTTER REINTRODUCTION
Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) once swam along the North Coast of California, but 18th- and 19th-century fur trappers nearly caused the species to go extinct. Statewide, only one remnant population of approximately fifty individuals was left in Big Sur by the 1930s.
Today, thanks to concerted efforts, more than 3,000 sea otters call California home from that small initial remaining population. While recovery efforts have increased the overall population, sea otters are still only occupy a narrow belt, roughly from Santa Cruz to Point Conception, of their historic range.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has studied the feasibility of sea otter reintroduction efforts and is hosting open houses across the North Coast to discuss potential reintroduction. Guests Chanel Hason of the Elakha Alliance and Andrew Johnson of Defenders of Wildlife join the show to discuss the vital role that sea otters play in ocean ecosystems and their work to facilitate sea otter introduction
Statesman Journal
Chanel Hason, Elakha Alliance’s Director of Outreach & Community Relations, was interviewed by the Statesman Journal to discuss the next steps of sea otter reintroduction along Oregon’s coastline.
Oregon Coast Daily News: Hotline
ELAKHA ALLIANCE INTERVIEW ON SEA OTTER REINTRODUCTION IN OREGON
Elakha’s Director of Outreach & Community Relations, Chanel Hason, was invited to Newport OR to be interviewed on the topic of sea otter reintroduction along the Oregon coast (8/23/22). This radio show was produced by the Oregon Coast Broadcast Center by Cheri Brubaker.
CASCADE HEAD BIOSPHERE COLLABORATIVE’S 2ND ANNUAL ART ON THE BEACH
The Elakha Alliance partnered with the Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative for their 2nd annual Art on the Beach event. Learn more from Elakha’s Director of Outreach & Community Relations, Chanel Hason, on why it’s important to raise awareness about ocean conservation through art. This radio show was produced by the Oregon Coast Broadcast Center by Cheri Brubaker.
Beyond Your Front Door Oregon
Elakha! Oregon’s Sea Otters with Bob Bailey
Learn how one group is working hard to return sea otters to the Oregon Coast. I’ll be in the studio with Bob Bailey, President of Elakha Alliance, a group working to return this important keystone species back to the Oregon Coast. This episode was produced by KXCR Community Radio.
Oregon Wildcast
The Lost Sea Otters of Oregon
This episode was produced by Oregon Wild in 2018 and features Board members of the Elakha Alliance.
