25th Anniversary Gala A Success

By Linda Hunter, Executive Director
Published: June 2006

Barbara Boxer calls for a Sanctuary.

Mr. Panetta was the Chief of Staff to the White House during the Clinton administration and as a Congressman, he wrote legislation establishing the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

The sold out event featured a silent auction and sit down dinner for two hundred.  The program entertained people with a retrospective video of the last twenty-five years that included photos of pop culture and people involved in the Sanctuary’s designation. I must say, we all looked great twenty-five years ago!

Maria Brown, Superintendent of the Sanctuary told the retrospective story – a story of adventure, intrigue, love, sex and death. The audience was treated to live footage of a common murre colony where the birds were living up to the sex part of the story. Imagine 300,000 birds that fall in love and raise families in the Sanctuary!

Dr. John McCosker tells Sanctuary tales.
Photo credit Larry Lynch.

Noted Great White Shark expert, Dr. John McCosker from the California Academy of Science regaled the crowd with his tales of intrigue in the Sanctuary and settled once and for all the question that every eight year-old clamors to know – if a Great White Shark and a Killer Whale got into a fight, who would win? (Hint: based upon an actual battle at the Farallon Islands, the winner is mostly black).

Ed Ueber, Sylvia Earl and her grandson
enjoy the gala.
Photo credit Larry Lynch.

In reality, the marine sanctuaries that we so cherish off the coast of California were created because of citizens’ reaction to the 1969 oil spill that killed thousands of seabirds and other wildlife. These dedicated activists knew that the only way to ensure that such a tragedy would not happen again would be through sanctuary designation, and the 25th Anniversary Gala Celebration was a tribute to that grassroots effort started a quarter of a century ago.

 

A Special Thank You To Our Sponsors:

Marin Community Foundation         Aquarium of the Bay

California Academy of Science      Anonymous Foundations

 

In-Kind Donors:

Zuni Café                                            Hog Island Oyster Company                                                                     

Longboard Vineyards                      Foppiano Vineyards

Cakebread Cellars                           Lagunitas Brewing Company          

Frey Vineyards                                  Forchini Vineyards

Kenwood                                            Neibaum-Coppola

Thumbprint Cellars                           Valley of the Moon Winery

Half Moon Bay Brewing Company