Sea Otters: Bringing Oregon’s Climate Change Warriors Back with Bob Bailey, Elakha Alliance Board President and Chanel Hason, Elakha Alliance Director of Outreach and Community Relations and marine biologist
June 21, 2022 7-9PM, Doors @ 6PM
McMenamins Kennedy School
736 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, OR 97211
Imagine spotting a raft of furry sea otters floating atop a thick bull kelp forest canopy along Oregon’s rocky coast, what a sight it would be! Sadly, sea otters have been an absent predator along the Oregon coast for over a century, due to being hunting to near extinction during the maritime fur trade. Their return to Oregon would be extremely beneficially culturally, economically, and ecologically. Previous sea otter reintroduction efforts have been successful in California, Washington, and British Columbia. Now, the Elakha Alliance is working towards returning these once native marine mammals back to OregonThe Elakha Alliance is a non-profit organization based in Oregon, made up of tribal, conservation, and non-profit leaders working towards returning sea otters to Oregon.
This talk will feature Chanel Hason, a marine biologist and Director of Outreach & Community Relations for the Elakha Alliance, highlight why sea otters are a keystone species in the nearshore marine ecosystem, and how that benefits climate change. The talk will also highlight the current status of sea otters returning to Oregon, with a summary from Elakha Alliance’s Board President, Bob Bailey regarding the results from their recently published Feasibility Study.
If you are unable to join us in person, you can join us on zoom. You must register in advance- Register Here.
Questions? Email sciencepub@omsi.edu
