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Summer 2010 |  |
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Protecting Our Ocean Wilderness Through Public Stewardship www.farallones.org |  |
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IN THIS ISSUE Teens Visit the Sanctuary ACCESS Cruise GFNMS Condition Report New Books
Oct 9, 6-10pm During San Francisco's Fleet Week, you're invited to Farallones sanctuary headquarters to watch the Fleet Week airshow from 1-4 pm and for a special outdoor preview screening of "Sanctuary in the Sea - the Gulf of the Farallones Experience" with the original soundtrack played live by the Mermen. The film, by Bob Talbot, will profile the sanctuary's amazing wildlife, including white sharks, and features long-time sea urchin diver Ron Elliott. The film and Mermen concert will play from 6-10 pm. Bring a picnic blanket and layers. Activities are outside and run from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Refreshment proceeds to benefit the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association. Admission is free. Oct 14 - Sharktoberfest Night &Oct 21 - Farallones Film Night During these two NightLife events at the California Academy of Sciences, the focus will be on the Farallon waters. Oct 14th will feature amazing sharks and other wildlife, and Oct 21st will premier the film "Sanctuary in the Sea - the Gulf of the Farallones Experience." Enjoy music, science, entertainment and cocktails, while experiencing the Academy’s world-class exhibits and having fun with friends. NightLife: 6:00-10:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 ($10 for Academy members)
Nov 4, 5:30pm Obsessed by octopuses? Intrigued by ink? Tickled by tentacles? Delve into the watery world of cephalopods! Watch squid and octopus films. Learn about Humboldt squid adaptations through our naturalist led dissection. Make your own Humboldt squid print with the assistance of our guest printmakers. Cephapalooza registration required by contacting Peter Winch
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Teens visit the Sanctuary Thanks to the generosity of San Francisco Whale Tours, the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center was able to send 17 teenagers from Seven Tepees Youth Program on a whale watching trip aboard the M/V Kitty Kat into the marine sanctuary on July 7th. Students have completed independent group projects studying plankton and are preparing to use their training to lead field programs for the middle school students in the Seven Tepees Youth Program. Seven Tepees Youth Program is dedicated to impacting the lives of promising inner-city youth in San Francisco. Emphasis is placed on social competency, self-esteem, academics, the natural environment, and preparing for future success.
A special thanks to San Francisco Whale Tours for making this trip possible!
ACCESS CruiseACCESS cruise documents high abundance and diversity of birds and marine mammals Research staff from Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries and PRBO Conservation Science completed 10 days of ecosystem monitoring on board the R/V Fulmar as part of the ACCESS (Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies) partnership. 
ACCESS cruises collect data on the oceanographic conditions, zooplankton community (focusing on krill and copepods), seabird and marine mammal distribution and abundance within the offshore and near shore regions of Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones and northern extend of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries.
Excellent sea conditions allowed the team to complete the entire survey grid and document a high abundance and diversity of marine mammals, seabirds and krill within the sanctuaries. The abundance of krill has attracted many whales to the region and over the course of the survey, there were over 200 observations of humpback whales, over 20 observations of blue whales, in addition to minke whales and a fin whale. Seabird observations indicate that Cassin’s Auklets have abundant food resources, as we documented and sampled large aggregations of krill. Common murres are also doing well, as evident by the numerous observations of adults with chicks. The next cruise will take place in September. For more information contact: kaitlin.graiff@noaa.gov, jan.roletto@noaa.gov or Jaime Jahncke (jjahncke@prbo.org).
GFNMS Condition Report Released
Condition Reports provide a summary of the site history, current conditions and pressures on the resources, and management responses to the pressures that threaten the integrity of the marine environment. The GFNMS report found that for the coastal and offshore environments the sanctuary’s water quality and marine life are in generally good to fair condition, but pressures from urbanization and other human-induced wildlife disturbances are of some concern. The estuarine and lagoon habitats of the sanctuary aren't faring as well. The sanctuary’s lagoons and estuaries are threatened by poor water quality originating from watersheds draining into the sanctuary, invasive species, and loss of eelgrass beds. For more information on the report contact Jan.Roletto@noaa.gov or Michelle.A.Johnston@noaa.gov or http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/condition New Books
 The Death and Life of Monterey Bay
A Story of Revival by
Stephen R. Palumbi and Carolyn SotkaAnyone who has ever stood on the shores of Monterey Bay, watching the rolling ocean waves and frolicking otters, knows it is a unique place. But even residents on this idyllic California coast may not realize its full history. Monterey began as a natural paradise, but became the poster child for industrial devastation in John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, and is now one of the most celebrated shorelines in the world. It is a remarkable story of life, death, and revival—told here for the first time in all its stunning color and bleak grays. For more information, please visit: http://islandpress.org/bookstore/detailsyy01.html
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© 2005-2006 Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association. All Rights Reserved. |
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For most of these teenagers it was their first time out on the ocean on a boat and the first time seeing whales.
This is the fourth week in a series from a summer program Seven Tepees Youth Group have been undertaking with GFNMS and The Bay Institute, encouraging ocean literacy, learning about our sanctuary and developing connections to our marine environment. The program has included field trips to the biology department of the Exploratorium, the California Academy of Sciences, as well as the Aquarium of the Bay. 
The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Condition Report was released this past month highlighting status and trends of sanctuary natural and cultural resources in the sanctuary coastal, offshore, estuarine and lagoon habitats.
Saved by the Sea - A Love Story with Fish is a unique memoir written by Bay Area author, ocean activist and Farallones supporter David Helvarg.
From bodysurfing in Central American war zones, diving barrier reefs with his tragically fated love, Nancy, or being bumped by a whale off Antarctica, Helvarg has lived a life often as endangered as the ocean he now works to protect. Saved by the Sea is the story of this longtime journalist's personal love, loss, and redemption in the free-flowing heart of our blue-marble planet.
This eloquent and honestly told tale of the changes in one man's journey and the world's ocean over the last half-century is also a profound, startling, and sometimes surprisingly funny reflection on the state of our seas and the intimate ways in which our lives are all linked to the natural world around us.
For more information, please visit: