Where:
Saylor’s Restaurant (upstairs room)
2009 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA 94965

Cost:
$5 Suggested Donation goes toward Student Research Grants

Please join SF Bay American Cetacean Society for a special presentation by Proyecto Ballena Gris Friday June 7^th.  We are proud to be partnering with this important organization. The focus of  this presentation will be to present a deeper view about the context, goals, and activities included in their general project (not only the exhibition), and to invite attendants to support and follow this initiative. The presentation will be lead by Alejandro Boneta and Eunice Calderon (respectively documentarist and coordinator) who are two of the three minds behind the project’s conception.

In partnership with the Consulate General of Mexico in San Francisco, this special traveling exhibit makes its only U.S. stop at the San Francisco Zoo, open to the public June 8, in the Pachyderm Building.  A bi-lingual, multi-media show, Travesia explores the amazing migratory world of gray whales, from the Arctic seas to the Mexican lagoons of Baja. Interpretive works from eight contemporary Mexican artists encourage reflection on the relationship between humans and nature. Models of a gray whale’s head and tail encourage discussion of the life cycle of the gray whale. Illustrative panels explore the significance of gray whales in the bio-diverse Northeastern Pacific region. Come learn about this conservation success story, made possible by the dedication and cooperation of Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Starting in 2011 and ending in 2013, this initiative was born in Mexico and adds strength to the U.S. and Canada, contributes to the conservation of gray whales, spread the natural beauty and the importance of their habitats, promote domestic and international tourism in their sanctuaries and support communities that share their home with them. The project began with the creation of the exhibition of contemporary art and technology “Journey”, which takes one into the lives of gray whales and their sanctuaries across the languages ​​of contemporary art and popular science. This exhibition was presented in 2012 at the State Arts Center in Ensenada, Mexico, then presented at the Science World in Vancouver between February and April 2013, and now will be  in the San Francisco Zoo, California. The final phase of the roaming “Journey”, will be the Black Warrior community in Baja California Sur, where staying permanently in the Eco-museum, whose construction is driven by their project in collaboration with the local population and various government agencies. With these actions we want to share the dream that every day more aware of the richness that surrounds this wonderful species that belongs to us all.

To learn more about PROYECTO BALLENA GRIS visit their website:  http://www.proyectoballenagris.com

Questions Contact:
L.R. Koftinow
415-937-0641
acs.sfbay@gmail.com

Where:
Bay Model Visitor Center
2100 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA 94965

Cost:
$5 Suggested Donation goes toward Student Research Grants

About the Event:

Ship strikes of whales have been recognized as a growing concern worldwide. Documented ship strikes from NOAA NMFS data from 1988-2011, occurring just within the GFNMS/CBNMS region, total 20 whales killed by ships (i.e., death caused by vessel collision or carcass exhibited signs of trauma consistent with vessel collision) and an additional 10 injured and possibly killed (i.e., collision observed, but final status unknown).  The true number of ship strikes could be at least 10 times higher than the number documented.

Anthropogenic noise in the ocean, including off the California coast, has increased exponentially over the past 60 years, largely due to the increased number, size, and tonnage of vessels in the commercial fleet. The sanctuaries, given their coincidence with the TSS adjacent to San FranciscoBay ports, are especially susceptible to increased amounts of anthropogenic noise. Commercial vessels are responsible for relatively loud, low-frequency underwater noise. This ship noise overlaps significantly with the frequency range used by many cetacean species, especially with low-frequency vocalizers such as blue, fin, humpback, and grey whales, and can cause what is known as masking. Masking occurs when increased levels of background noise reduce an animal’s ability to detect relevant sounds and can hinder prey detection and reduce the range of communication.

Protecting endangered species and sanctuary resources is a priority issue for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). To address this issue locally, Gulf of the Farallones (GF) and Cordell Bank (CB) Sanctuary Advisory Councils formed a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Vessel Strikes and Acoustic Impacts, represented by a diversity of stakeholders including the shipping industry, and the conservation and scientific communities. Staff from federal agencies (including NMFS, the Sanctuaries, and the U.S. Coast Guard), as well as members of the scientific community and environmental organizations served as technical experts to the JWG. Over one year, the JWG met and came to consensus on a set of recommendations to the sanctuary: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/protect/shipstrike/pdfs/strikes_acoustic.pdf).

This panel consists of members of that Joint Working Group.  Experts in their field, they will discuss the process and how stakeholders came together to achieve consensus on a set of specific, solution-oriented recommendations.

Leslie Abramson: Resource Protection Specialist with the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, John Berge: Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, Frances Gulland: Senior Scientist at The Marine Mammal Center and one of three Commissioner positions at the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, Lance Morgan: Marine biologist and President of the Marine Conservation Institute, Jackie Dragon: Senior Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace, Michael Carver: Deputy Superintendent for Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (CBNMS),  Cascadia research, Michael Jasny:NRDC (focus on legal and acoustics issues), Carol Keiper: Marine ecologist and founding board member/researcher with Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge

Tentatively, if available: John Calambokidis ( Olympia ,  WA )

Biographies:

Leslie Abramson:  Leslie is a Resource Protection Specialist with the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. She has been working to protect whales along the California coast since 2008, when she lead-authored Reducing the Threat of Ship Strikes on Large Cetaceans in the Santa Barbara Channel Region and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary: Recommendations and Case Studies (http://channelislands.noaa.gov/sac/pdf/sscs10-2-09.pdf) for the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary. Last year, Leslie, along with staff from the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, facilitated a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Vessel Strikes and Acoustic Impacts, which included representatives from conservation groups, the shipping industry, and the scientific community. Leslie received her Master of Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara, spent the subsequent year in Washington DC as a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard and currently lives in the Sunset District of San Francisco with her husband, Nathan, and newborn baby son, Chase.

John Berge: John Berge is Vice President of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA), a regional maritime industry trade association headquartered in San Francisco . Joining PMSA in 2000, John has over 32 years’ experience working in the maritime industry. PMSA is active in many aspects of maritime trade and has been involved in the development of navigational risk reduction and response programs, regulations and best practices. John is an appointee of the Governor to the State Oil Spill Technical Advisory Committee, and also sits on the Harbor Safety Committee of the San Francisco Bay Region, the Oiled Wildlife Care Network Advisory Board and as an alternate maritime representative on the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.

Frances M. D. Gulland, Vet MB , PhD, MRCVS

Frances Gulland is the Senior Scientist at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito , California . She has been actively involved in the veterinary care and rehabilitation of stranded marine mammals and research into marine mammal diseases there since 1994. Her interests include determining the impacts of human activities on marine mammal health, and how marine mammals can in turn serve as indicators of ocean health. She received a veterinary degree from the University of Cambridge, UK, in 1984, and a PhD in Zoology there in 1991. Before moving to California in 1994, she worked as a veterinarian and research fellow at the Zoological Society of London. She currently serves as Commissioner on the U. S. Marine Mammal Commission.

Lance Morgan: Marine biologist and President of the Marine Conservation Institute

Dr. Morgan is a marine biologist and President of the Marine Conservation Institute. Growing up as a son of a US Navy nuclear submarine captain, Lance learned about and became deeply committed to conserving our living oceans while living in California , Hawaii and Washington . Lance received his Master’s in Marine Science from San FranciscoStateUniversity . His doctoral research explored factors influencing recruitment of marine invertebrates, for which he received his PhD in Ecology from the University of California-Davis (1997). Prior to joining the Marine Conservation Institute Lance was Science Director at the Marine Mammal Center, and a Postdoctoral Associate with the National Marine Fisheries Service. His research interests include marine ecology and conservation science and he has studied taxa as diverse as deep sea corals, rockfishes, seabirds, sea lions and orcas. He led the identification of Marine Priority Conservation Areas from Baja California to the Bering Sea for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (2005). He has explored the ocean as a SCUBA diver, aquanaut and submersible pilot. He has authored reports on the impacts of fishing methods on marine life as well as scientific papers on marine protected areas. In 2010 he traveled to the remote Johnston Atoll in the Central Pacific to help establish the first field camp at this new marine national monument. He currently chairs the Cordell Bank Sanctuary Advisory Council and holds a research faculty appointment at Bodega Marine Laboratory. His most recent conservation project is leading development of a new global tool to help better understand the current state of global ocean protection – MPAtlas.org.

Jackie Dragon:  Senior Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace

Since 2008, Greenpeace Senior Oceans Campaigner Jackie Dragon has campaigned to protect some of the world’s most valuable and threatened marine regions. In California ’s National Marine Sanctuaries, she worked to promote conservation and reduce ocean noise pollution and ship strikes on whales from large commercial vessels. In the Bering Sea, she is fighting to conserve the largest underwater canyons in the world from destructive fishing practices and, in the Arctic , she journeyed on Greenpeace’s Esperanza to bring international attention to the irreversible destruction posed by undersea oil extraction. Jackie holds a conservation seat on the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, and she initiated and co-chaired a Joint Working Group of the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank Sanctuary Advisory Councils on Vessel Strikes and Acoustic Impacts. Significantly, this multi-stakeholder group, which included representatives for more than 90% of U.S. shipping companies, delivered full-consensus recommendations for dynamic management of the sanctuaries, calling for large vessels to alter their speed or course when whales are present in the shipping lanes. Jackie also successfully partnered with California Congressman (then Assembly member) Jared Huffman and local allies to pass AB1112 – a bill to protect the California coastline from the threat of oil spills and save taxpayers from bearing the burden of clean up efforts.  When not campaigning for a healthy ocean from land, Jackie likes to scuba dive, free dive, and occasionally pilot submarines into the ocean depths.

Michael Carver:

Deputy Superintendent for Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary(CBNMS
Michael Carver is the Deputy Superintendent for Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary(CBNMS) who oversees resource protection and operations for CBNMS. Michael’s responsibilities include overseeing enforcement, permitting, planning, and management actions to address threats to the marine environment of the Sanctuary. Michael works with the NOAA office of law enforcement to coordinate enforcement activities between Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies to protect Sanctuary resources. Michael also provides engineering support for sanctuary field operations, and serves as the staff lead on emergency response issues. In addition, Michael also coordinates, annual budget planning and execution, interagency agreements, writes and manages contracts, and works closely with the sanctuary superintendent to ensure smooth operation of the sanctuary. Since the fall of 2009 Michael has been working with the USCG, and a team of partners, to address the issue of ship strikes in the entrance to  San Francisco .

Michael has been with Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary since 2000. Michael started the sanctuary’s monthly at sea monitoring program and managed it for over 6 years. Michael graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Management from  North Carolina   State   University .

Michael Jasny:

Michael Jasny is Director of the Marine Mammal Protection Project and a Senior Policy Analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).  He is a leading expert in the law and policy of ocean noise pollution, and has worked domestically and internationally for more than ten years through high-profile litigation, lobbying, science-based policy development, and public advocacy to improve regulation of this emergent global problem.  Michael is also engaged in securing protection for endangered marine mammal populations and critical habitat, opposing development projects that threaten marine mammals off the U.S. and Canada , and improving management of fisheries, whale-watching, and other sectors under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the nation’s leading instrument for the conservation of these species.  Michael is the author of several NRDC reports and author or co-author of various publications in legal, policy, and scientific journals.  He holds a bachelor’s degree from YaleCollege and J.D. from HarvardLawSchool .

Carol A. Keiper M.Sc.: marine ecologist with Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge

Carol A. Keiper M.Sc., a marine ecologist with Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge, a non-profit organization founded over a decade ago and she was one of the founding board members and directors.  She received her Master’s Degree in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories through  San Jose   State   University  and published her thesis entitled:  Keiper ,  C.A. , D.G. Ainley, S.G. Allen, J.T. Harvey. 2005. Marine Mammals and ocean climate off  Central California , 1986-1994, 1997-1999. Marine Ecology Progress Series Vol.289:285-306. Her research interests include understanding and assessing impacts of human activities on our complex marine ecosystems. The latest project involved doing a risk assessment of vessel traffic on the endangered Blue and Humpback whales off central  California  and this was one of the first projects that focused on this issue in the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries.  This project was initiated in 2010 and the report was completed in 2012:   Keiper ,  CA , J.Calambokidis, G.Ford, J.Casey, C.Miller, T.R. Kieckhefer.  Risk assessment of vessel traffic on endangered Blue and Humpback whales in the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries. (Available on website: www.oikonos.org).  Carol has been participating in surveys as a marine mammal and seabird observer since 1997 off central and southern  California , the Gulf of Alaska, Kauai HI, and the  Caribbean . She has also been a trip leader and marine naturalist on trips off central  California ,  Southeast Alaska , and Baja for almost 25 years.  Her undergraduate degree is in teaching and she has also been contributing to ocean conservation and stewardship through education outreach.

Tentatively:

John Calambokidis:  Research Biologist and one of the founders of Cascadia Research, a non-profit research organization formed in 1979 based in Olympia , Washington . He periodically (1991-2012) serves as an Adjunct Faculty at the Evergreen State College teaching a course on marine mammals. His primary interests are the biology of marine mammals and the impacts of humans. As a Senior Research Biologist at Cascadia Research he has served as Project Director of over 100 projects. He has authored two books on marine mammals (on blue whales and a guide to marine mammals) as well as more than 150 publications in scientific journals and technical reports. He has conducted studies on a variety of marine mammals in the North Pacific from Central America to Alaska . He has directed long-term research on the status, movements, and underwater behavior of blue, humpback, and gray whales. Some of his recent research has included attaching tags to whales with suction cups to examine their feeding behavior and vocalizations. His work has been covered on shows by Discovery Channel and others and is featured in National Geographic TV specials and a magazine article in 2009. In 2012 he received the American Cetacean Society’s John Heyning Award for Lifetime Achievement in Marine Mammal Science.

Be sure to come early to reserve a seat. We look forward to seeing you there and sharing this very special presentation with you.

Also please join us for:  June 6th, 2013

Cordell Bank Photography Exhibit reception, World Ocean Day Mini ocean film fest!

Where: Point Reyes Library, Point Reyes, CA

When: 6-8 pm FREE event Join us for a free reception to enjoy the first installation of the traveling photography exhibit featuring the best images of wildlife and habitats at Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Light refreshment/appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks will be available. We will celebrate World Oceans Day, enjoy a mini ocean film fest and recommit to our efforts to protect our ocean. Open to all, families included.

You can visit the photo exhibit anytime the library is open.

Sponsored by the Cordell Marine Sanctuary Foundation

Questions – Contact:
L.R. Koftinow
415-937-0641
acs.sfbay@gmail.com

Where:
Saylor’s Restaurant (upstairs room)
2009 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA 94965

Cost:
$5 Suggested Donation goes toward Student Research Grants

About the Event:

Shannon Waters of Algalita Marine Research Institute recently returned from the Japanese Tsunami and Plastic Pollution expedition (June 2012). She will share some of their preliminary findings as well as general experiences sailing across the Pacific and, sadly, witnessing too much plastic in our seas. She will also update us of current findings since the expedition.

Biography:
In June of 2012, Shannon Waters joined a crew led by Algalita Marine Research Institute and the 5 Gyres Institute to sail across the Pacific Gyre researching plastic pollution and Japanese tsunami debris. Since returning from the month-long expedition,Shannon has acted as a volunteer Ambassador for Algalita and 5 Gyres, presenting to diverse audiences about the perils of plastic pollution and solutions we-collectively- can undertake. Most recently,Shannon led a plastic pollution curriculum workshop at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Ocean Plastic Pollution Summit, attended by local teachers. In her day job, Shannon serves as the Volunteer Programs Coordinator at the California Coastal Commission, where she manages the state-wide Adopt-A-Beach Program and co-coordinates the annual Coastal Cleanup Day Program, which together engage over 100,000 volunteers annually in beach, shoreline, and creek-side cleanups. 

Prior to her work at the California Coastal Commission, Shannon served as the Education Coordinator for the non-profit I Love A Clean San Diego, providing and developing environmental education to thousands of San Diego’s youth, and developing an after-school program centered on watershed education and storm water pollution prevention. She received her BA from the University of California at Santa Barbara in Political Science and International Relations in 2006, where she served as the Publicity Chair of the campus-wide Environmental Affairs Board. In her free time,Shannon volunteers as the co-chair of the Rise Above Plastics Committee at the San Francisco Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.

Questions Contact:
L.R. Koftinow
415-937-0641
acs.sfbay@gmail.com

Where:
Saylor’s Restaurant (upstairs room)
2009 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA 94965

Cost:
$5 Suggested Donation goes toward Student Research Grants

About the Event:
Please join naturalist Jerry Loomis of “Journeys with Loomis and Jones” as he tells us of his experiences Whale Watching in the Sea of Cortez , Laguna Magdalena, and Laguna San Ignacio.
He and Dana Jones created “Journeys with Loomis and Jones” and in so doing began exploring the interior of Baja on their trips as well. He will talk about the Cultural and Natural history of the region. He has made over 20 trips to Southern Baja as a Naturalist and fisherman, of which 15 trips were to see Gray Whales in the calving lagoons of Laguna San Ignacio and Laguna Magdalena. His base of operations is now in marine life rich LoretoBay where an incredible variety of wild life is seen on their day trips by boat. He has a special connection and understanding with the people and the gray whales of San Ignacio Lagoon and a creative approach to gray whale conservation. Jerry is also the President of the Monterey Chapter of the American Cetacean Society.

Biography:
As a naturalist, he has made several trips to San Ignacio Whale Lagoon in Baja , Mexico . Not only did he study and observe the gray whales there, he also became involved with some of the locals in the village of San Ignacio . He, along with Monterey ACS Chapter Board members Carol Maehr and Esta Lee Albright, initiated an outreach program which purchased educational supplies for the students at the village school. The people there already had a strong conservation ethic with regard to the gray whales that calve and breed there. Jerry felt that if they helped the children of San Ignacio they would be better able to continue whale protection in the future.

Jerry was fundamental in connecting with students in Mexican universities, encouraging them to apply for research grants from across the border. Several grants have been awarded to graduate students attending Mexican universities.

Jerry has long supported conservation through his role as a State Park Ranger for over 20 years. During that time he was the dive master at Point Lobos for nearly 2 decades, was a guiding force for the Point Lobos Docent program, participated in the sea otter translocation project at SanNicolasIsland and participated in baleen recovery projects in 1984 and 2000 during which blue and humpback whale baleen was recovered. These projects occurred during a time when there was little baleen available for educational purposes. The recovered humpback baleen is now on display at the Whaler’s CabinMuseum at Point Lobos and the blue whale baleen has been distributed far and wide for educational uses. Jerry now serves on the Point Lobos Association Board of Directors and recently co-chaired the month long celebration of Point Lobos’ 75th Anniversary as a CaliforniaState Park.

Questions Contact:
L.R. Koftinow
415-937-0641
acs.sfbay@gmail.com

Where:
Saylor’s Restaurant (upstairs room)
2009 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA 94965

Cost:
$5 Suggested Donation goes toward Student Research Grants

About the Event
Teri Shore, Program Director Turtle Island Restoration Network, SeaTurtles.org The rare snubnose dolphins along the remote Kimberley coast of Northwest West Australia.

Teri Shore has traveled extensively to the remote region of Northwest Australia to count humpback whales, walk sea turtle beaches, and help protect the pristine marine bioregion from industrial development. Spending a week in the fall of 2012 helping to observe humpback whales migrating along the remote Kimberley coast of Northwest West Australia, Teri will be telling us of this region and the rare snubnose dolphins, turtles and other marine life. Hear about her adventures and learn about the largest population of humpback whales in the world, the rare endemic snubfin dolphin and the mysterious flatback sea turtles that inhabit the Kimberley coast.

Biography:
Teri Shore is Program Director at Turtle Island Restoration Network (SeaTurtles.org) in California where she directs conservation, policy, and advocacy campaigns for sea turtles, sustainable fisheries and oceans. Widely recognized for more than 15 years of successful environmental activism, Shore has won protections for sea turtles from commercial fisheries, secured marine protected areas for sea turtle habitat and achieved legal, policy and legislative victories for the oceans in the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and internationally.

Recently, Shore has built international support to protect sea turtles and marine habitat in the Kimberley of Northwest Australia from rampant oil and gas exploitation by Big Oil including California-based Chevron.

Shore is a respected sea turtle and oceans policy expert who is regularly quoted by major U.S. and international media including Associated Press and National Public Radio. She is also a published journalist with extensive credits in print media, environmental journals, online media and policy reports.

Shore has conducted field work studying sea turtles on nesting beaches in Australia. She has presented her winning campaign strategies at the International Sea Turtle Society Symposium and at scientific and environmental conferences in the U.S., Australia, India and Mexico.

Previously Shore directed oceans campaigns at Friends of the Earth (previously Bluewater Network) focused on greening the world’s ports and shipping fleets, where she achieved stringent new passenger ferry-emissions standards and pollution laws for cruise ships and ocean-going vessels.

Questions Contact:
L.R. Koftinow
415-937-0641
acs.sfbay@gmail.com

Where:
Bay Model Visitor Center
2100 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA 94965

Cost:
$5 Suggested Donation goes toward Student Research Grants

About the Event:
Michael Stocker, bioaccoustician and founder of Ocean Research Conservation org. New book release and signing. Ocean Conservation Research is focused on understanding the scope of, and exploring solutions to the growing problem of human generated noise pollution and its impact on marine animals. OCR engages in marine biological and technological research based on conservation priorities. They use the products of this research to inform the policies and practice of the public, industry, and lawmakers so that we may all become better stewards of the sea.

Biography:
Michael Stocker is a generalist by predilection, an acoustician and naturalist by trade, and a musician by avocation. He has written and spoken about marine bio-acoustics since 1992, presenting in national and regional hearings, national and international television, radio and news publications, and museums, schools and universities. His understanding of both physics and biology has proven invaluable in court testimony and legal briefs, defending the environment against the dangers of human generated noise in the sea.

He is the founding director of Ocean Conservation Research, a scientific research and policy development organization focused on finding solutions to the problem of ocean noise pollution. In this context he has participated on many national and international science and policy workshops and committees focused on the impacts of human generated noise on the marine environment.

Michael’s gift for conveying complex scientific and technical issues to the public in clear, understandable terms is instrumental in his role as a public spokesperson on issues of ocean conservation, physics, communication technology, and biology. In this capacity he has been the subject matter expert in many national and international radio and television interviews. He has also published many articles on science, biology, acoustics, and technology in various national and international journals. Also in this capacity he hosted the Bioneers Ocean Sessions from 2006 through 2009 and was the resident science speaker at Robert Bly’s “Great Mother Conference” in 2010.

Michael began his technical career in 1972 as an electronics systems engineer for the music and film industries. This work led to his work as an acoustical and electronics designer for media presentation and production facilities in Hollywood and San Francisco CA, Seattle WA, and Dallas TX. In 1986 he designed a cutting edge switch-mode uninterruptible power supply and formed Gamma Research, for which he served as General Partner and Chief Design Engineer designing magnetic and electronic power control systems for the computer industry.

He has advised and designed environments and technical systems for a diverse array of clients including the U.S. National Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., George Lucas’ “Skywalker Ranch,” the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, Mexico City’s “El Museo Papalote” children’s museum, and various premier Hollywood sound and film studios.

Over the course of his work he has been occasionally asked to manage teams of technicians for electronic assembly (16 assemblers at Gamma Research), and technical facility installers (18 “wire droids” at Skywalker Ranch). Throughout the 1990’s Michael ran a technical facilities design and installation firm as a California licensed contractor (CA Licence # 544155).

He also served as the electronic and musical engineer on the benchmark film “Koyaanisqatsi,” and as a project development engineer for Pax Scientific (San Rafael CA) working in applied physics and acoustics, exploring how the principles of bio-mimicry can be used in fluid and air movement systems.

Michael also contributes his time as Executive Director for the Seven Circles Foundation (www.sevencircles.org) that promotes and supports Native American Elders and the teachings they bring to the community. Seven Circles sponsors weekly Inipi (sweat lodge) ceremonies in the SF Bay area, and hosts visiting Native Elders in other sacred ceremonies throughout the year.

His book titled “Hear Where We Are” will be published in June 2013 by Springer. The work is a popular science book that explores the effects that sound and sound perception have on our sense of self, community, and surroundings. The book reveals how humans and other animals use sound to establish their placement in their environment, and communicate that placement to others.

Michael is also a professional level musical composer and multi-instrumentalist, occasionally performing original and standard jazz compositions on piano, bass-viol, flute, and vibraphone.

Contact:
L.R. Koftinow
415-937-0641
acs.sfbay@gmail.com

Where:
Saylor’s Restaurant (upstairs room)
2009 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA 94965

Cost:
$5 Suggested Donation goes toward Student Research Grants

About the Event
Sharks have swam the oceans for over 400 million years, helping to shape and maintain the balance of ocean ecosystems. Sharks have survived the five great extinction events, including the last which caused the dinosaurs to go extinct. For all this time, sharks were the top predators in the ocean.

Until Now.

Today, many species are threatened with extinction within our lifetime. Overfishing and shark finning is killing tens of millions of sharks per year at an alarmingly unsustainable rate.
Fortunately, global attitudes are rapidly shifting in favor of sharks. We are at the forefront of the glocal movment to protect sharks, ban the shark fin trade, stop illegal shark finning and establish shark sanctuaries.

There is lot to do to support shark populations, and Shark Stewards is here to help. We provide the tools for activists to take action and stop shark finnning and ban the shark fin trade.
Shark Stewards is a project of The Turtle Island Restoration network, a 501c3 non-profit based in the San Francisco Bay area. Launched as Sea Stewards in 2006 by award-winning film conservationist and marine biologist David McGuire, Shark Stewards is dedicated to conserving our oceans through the protection of sharks.

Start a Shark Stewards Chapter.
Support Shark Sanctuaries and Shark Fin Trade Bans.
Stop Shark Finning.

Biography:
David McGuire is the founder of the non-profit Sea Stewards and the Shark Stewards initiative.
Educated in Marine Biology, David holds a masters degree in Environmental Health and has worked in education and public health at the University of California at Berkeley for over a decade. David is the writer, producer and underwater cinematographer of several award-winning documentaries, including Sharks of San Francisco Bay. He also worked as cameraman on feature films such as 180 South with Patagonia and A Beautiful Wave. Films in production include a series on sea turtle conservation with Fish Finder, and a series on local sustainable seafood with fish guru Kenny Belov of Fish. He has also published numerous articles on the state of the ocean and sharks and writes a blog on sharks and ocean health.

As the Director of Sea Stewards and the Shark Stewards project, David helped build a coalition leading to the passage of the California Shark Conservation Act, AB 376. David is a published author and sits on several boards of non-profits including The San Francisco Green Film Festival and the Cordell Bank Marine Sanctuary Association. He has received numerous awards for his work including the Hero of Marin Environmental Stewardship Award in 2011, and an Emy for his filming on the documentary Reefs to Rainforests.

Questions Contact:
L.R. Koftinow
415-937-0641
acs.sfbay@gmail.com

View full Cetacean Gallery

American Cetacean Society (ACS) friend and member Chankrit Chamnivikaipong (Thailand) made this lovely video, entitled “Cetaceans in the Upper Gulf of Thailand”, and donated it to ACS for use on our new website’s homepage (www.acsonline.org) and on our YouTube Channel. Can you identify the cetacean species in the video?

Capt. Dave and his wife, Gisele, were headed to dinner with friends Friday evening at 5:30 PM when they received a call from one of their whale watching boats that a whale with a huge amount of gillnet wrapped around its tail flukes had been spotted. They quickly abandoned their plans and headed to Dana Point Harbor where they met up with volunteer members of Capt. Dave’s crew, Tom Southern, Mark Tyson and Steve Plantz and headed out in their whale watching boat to see the entangled whale and attempt to help it before it got dark.

After getting permission from National Marine Fisheries Service they quickly attached a buoy with a strobe light to the whale in the hopes they might be able to stay with the whale through the night and begin the disentanglement process in the morning. Plans went temporarily awry around 9 PM when the whale somehow managed to break free of the buoy and light and the crew members were now unable to follow the whale in the dark.

Knowing that this whale was in serious trouble and that it would be very unlikely that it would ever be seen again they made the decision to try the impossible and attempt to attach another buoy on the whale in the dark. With the engines shut off and listening for the whale in the dark, and with only a small flashlight for lighting, in what Capt. Dave called their ‘first miracle’, they were able to relocate the whale and re-attach the buoy after two hours.

Knowing that the next day would be a very long one, Gisele Anderson placed a call to another team member, Peter Bartholomew, and asked if he would ‘babysit a whale through the night’ so the ” disentanglement Team” could come back and get some rest before the strenuous day that was ahead. Bartholomew readily agreed and after rallying two other volunteers, Hank Davis and Gary Weiberg, headed out to sea to truly ‘whale watch’ throughout the cold night until daylight the next day.

Early Saturday morning, the original team from Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari, assembled and were joined by Dana Friedman and Scott Davis from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC), and Capt. Dave’s friends Barry Curtis and Mike Johnson. Curtis and Friedman provided their Rigid Bottom Inflatables for the procedures. Bartholomew’s team handed off the whale they had watched throughout the night and the disentanglement team decided to name the whale “Bart” to honor Bartholomew’s efforts.

Working with specialized disentanglement equipment, Capt. Dave led the team through a dramatic effort that continued all day, until shortly before dark. Anderson observed a vast array of dead marine life called “by-catch” caught in the estimated 50-feet of netting.

What happened next was nothing short of astonishing. The team wasn’t sure they would be able to finish the job with time running out before dark when one of the control lines snapped. ‘Bart’ submerged, taking four huge buoys with him like a scene from ‘Jaws’. When he surfaced one minute later, the pull of the buoys had broken off the last of the partly severed ropes and netting and Bart was free.

‘Bart’ went first to the second support vessel and swam close by and underneath it several times. After placing their face masks in the water and taking underwater photos, they were able to confirm that ‘Bart’ was now free of nets. Bart then went back to the first boat, and came close enough to be touched. He raised his head out of the water, and opened his mouth. Team members all felt that this was his way of saying ‘thank you’.

A sea lion, a leopard shark, two angel sharks, various crabs, fish and rays were all caught in the net. “This whale was towing an entire ecosystem behind it,” said Anderson, “Nearly a thousand dolphins and whales die in nets every day, and untold numbers of other marine life die as well. Seeing it right there, in front of me, only made me want to get the word even more. ” In a strange coincidence , Anderson just released a new book, “Lily, A Gray Whale’s Odyssey” a photographic, coffee table novel on this very topic, about Lily, another gray whale who was entangled in nets and rescued with Capt. Dave’s help two years earlier. Half the profits from the proceeds of this book go to charity to help the plight of hungry children and entangled whales. http://www.TalesFromThePod to check out .