IN THIS ISSUE

New LiMPETS Curriculum Available

Whale Watch Fundraiser

Restoration at Bolinas Lagoon

New Book

Donate to FMSA today!

 

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Sept 17 - Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day
Cleanups will be held throughout California along bays, creeks, rivers, highways, and the coast. Select the area that you would like to help clean and then recruit your friends, family and co-workers.

 

Sept 20 - Lecture at the California Academy of Sciences
Shifting Baselines: The Past and Future of Ocean Fisheries
Speaker Dr. Jeremy Jackson examines how we know what we think we know about the changing oceans with some of the top names in marine science and history in his new edited volume, Shifting Baselines. He will discuss how skewed visions of the past have led to disastrous marine practices and why historical perspective is critical to re-vitalize fisheries and ecosystems. Click here to purchase tickets.

 

Oct 2 -Whale Watch
Join FMSA on our annual whale watch fundraising trip to the Sanctuary and the waters around the Farallon Islands. For more information see our events page or email Ingrid Overgard

 

Oct 15 - Sharktoberfest with the Sanctuary, a GFNMS Shark Family Event. We will be doing the "build a white shark" activity at 10 am and 100pm. Email Peter Winch for more information.

 

Nov 10 - GFNMS Advisory Council Meeting. For more information see the Sanctuary's website. The public is invited.

 

Visitor Center Programs
All programs: 10-12, 1-3
Registration required! Contact Peter Winch to register. Or register from our website.

 

Sept 17 &18
Plankton & Pastry
Join sanctuary staff & net your own plankton for study in the Pier House Plankton Lab. Budding marine biologists will love this family-orientated adventure. Program is appropriate for curious kids age 4 and up.

 

Oct 22
Salmonopolis is an exciting exploration of salmon through film, dissection, and printmaking. Participants get to view film, observe a guided chinook salmon dissection, as well as make their own fish print! Designed for 6 – 106 year old ocean enthusiasts.

 

Nov 12
Creature Feature
Creature Feature is a hands-on marine science program for 4 – 8 year olds and their families at the Gulf of the Farallones Visitor Center.

 

Marine Science Private Event for Children
Host an event in one of the most stunning locations in the Presidio— overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island.

Our Visitor Center Naturalist will lead your group of children in a catch and release fishing exploration of crabs from our pier classroom as well as a guided tour of the Gulf of the Farallones Visitor Center (including a special feeding of the animals!) This unique program includes the use of our pier classroom for your private group. We offer a limited number of these extraordinary events.

Registration required by contacting: Peter Winch (415) 561-6625 x310

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New LiMPETS Curriculum Available

Curriculum deepens learning and helps students realize the broader meaning of their monitoring efforts

After a two year effort, the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association has completed a five-unit pilot curriculum for the LiMPETS (Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students) Sandy Beach and Rocky Intertidal Programs. Evolved from a simple teacher handbook, this new curriculum is packed with scientific background materials and an array of classroom activities for grades 6 to 12.

In-depth units on data analysis, communicating science, and ocean stewardship help students think critically about the importance of their monitoring efforts. Students who completed the curriculum showed improved scientific knowledge and increased awareness of ocean issues. All resources are free and available on the LiMPETS website. For more information, contact Amy Dean, Education Manager, Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association.

Download the LiMPETS Curriculum NOW!

Bolstering student achievement in math and science is a national priority set forth by the President of the United States. And improved understanding of the ocean is both a need and a priority within the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. The LiMPETS network, with its new comprehensive curriculum, engages students in a sustained and meaningful scientific endeavor that has proven to improve students' scientific and ocean literacy and creates a deeper connection with their ocean wilderness.

Acknowledgements: NOAA B-WET provided full support for the development and design of this curriculum. 

 

Whale Watch Fundraiser – October 2, 2011

Join FMSA and San Francisco Whale Tours on a trip to the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary on Sunday, October 2, 2011. The Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association is again hosting an exploration of the seas close around the islands, accompanied by some of our most experienced and knowledgeable naturalists.  We will only be able to take a few dozen people, so RSVP quickly if you would like to join us.

The best way to RSVP is to download the trip registration form and return it either by mail, fax or email to Ingrid Overgard. The mailing address and fax number are on the form.

Like our land parks, our ocean parks need help and support from people like you. One way that you can help is by making a $175 donation (minimum) and joining us on this trip. Captain Joe, the owner of San Francisco Whale Tours, has generously donated the entire trip as a fundraiser –absolutely all the money we raise will go towards FMSA’s programs in education, oil spill response preparedness, Visitor Center programs, and resource protection.This also means that your donation is 100% tax deductible.

FMSA is the only organization directly supporting the work of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary as their nonprofit partner. Please download the trip registration form and return it by September 22nd. We expect this trip to fill quickly and space is limited! We hope you will be able to join us, and at the same time, have your 100% tax deductible donation go directly towards supporting the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association programs! 

 

Restoration at Bolinas Lagoon

A three-part Caltrans road repair project has begun along a two mile stretch of Highway 1 at Bolinas Lagoon. The project provides several benefits to the health and function of the Lagoon in accordance with the Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Project: Recommendations for Restoration and Management, and its accompanying Locally Preferred Plan (The Plan).

The Plan is a document developed by local stakeholders, scientists, environmental organizations and state and federal agencies outlining 20 restoration projects and/or initiatives for ameliorating human induced impacts to Bolinas Lagoon and promoting the Lagoon’s natural dynamic processes. Benefits from the Caltrans project in line with objectives from The Plan include: 1) removal of invasive species; 2) protected water quality resulting from reduced toxins and sediment reaching the Lagoon, and; 3) strengthened Lagoon resilience to flooding and extreme storm events. The project marks the first on-the-ground restoration effort at Bolinas Lagoon. A milestone celebration event will be held September 21st to recognize the importance of this achievement and bring light to the projects that await implementation.

Restoration projects like Caltrans’ roadwork project would not be possible without community support. The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary would like to recognize community members, Ralph Camiccia and Bruce Bowser, who have continued to work with the Sanctuary on restoration efforts. Ralph and Bruce are both long-time residents of the area and, in addition to their passion for restoring the Lagoon, they are very educated on Lagoon history and important faces in both community circles and agency partner collaborations.

Bruce and Ralph were both part of the original Working Group that developed and refined The Plan and the accompanying projects and initiatives that drive restoration at Bolinas Lagoon. They are regular attendees at Town Hall meetings and are invaluable liaisons between agencies and the public, communicating restoration processes back to the community and prioritizing community interests and concerns. Both Ralph and Bruce have also continued to work with the Sanctuary to educate potential partners about the importance of Bolinas Lagoon Restoration.

Ralph, as a longtime member of the Bolinas Lagoon Technical Advisory Committee (BLTAC), represents the community’s interests regarding restoration processes, and advises BLTAC committee members on best steps for addressing and improving issues related to the Bolinas and Stinson communities. Bruce is a member of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council and relays input from the community to the Sanctuary superintendent and program staff implementing restoration projects.  

Thank you Bruce and Ralph for your hard work and support! To contact Bruce, email him at bcbna@sonic.net and to read about the Sanctuary Advisory Council click HERE. To contact Ralph, email him at rjc.bolinas@sbcglobal.net or visit this link to read more about the Bolinas Lagoon Technical Advisory Committee.

To read more about restoration efforts at Bolinas Lagoon and download a copy of The Plan visit the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary or contact Kate Bimrose, the Bolinas Lagoon Project Coordinator, at kbimrose@farallones.org.  

New Book

Shifting Baselines: The Past and the Future of Ocean Fisheries explores the real-world implications of a groundbreaking idea: we must understand the oceans of the past to protect the oceans of the future. FMSA is proud to be hosting discussions with Dr. Jeremy Jackson. Please see the calendar section of this issue of Upwelling for details on his California Academy lecture on September 20th.

In 1995, acclaimed marine biologist Daniel Pauly coined the term "shifting baselines" to describe a phenomenon of lowered expectations, in which each generation regards a progressively poorer natural world as normal. This seminal volume expands on Pauly's work, showing how skewed visions of the past have led to disastrous marine policies and why historical perspective is critical to revitalize fisheries and ecosystems.

Edited by marine ecologists Jeremy Jackson and Enric Sala, and historian Karen Alexander, the book brings together knowledge from disparate disciplines to paint a more realistic picture of past fisheries. The authors use case studies on the cod fishery and the connection between sardine and anchovy populations, among others, to explain various methods for studying historic trends and the intricate relationships between species. Subsequent chapters offer recommendations about both specific research methods and effective management.

This practical information is framed by inspiring essays by Carl Safina and Randy Olson on a personal experience of shifting baselines and the importance of human stories in describing this phenomenon to a broad public. While each contributor brings a different expertise to bear, all agree on the importance of historical perspective for effective fisheries management. Readers, from students to professionals, will benefit enormously from this informed hindsight.

Jeremy Jackson is Director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Karen Alexander is a historian who is currently Project Coordinator of the Gulf of Maine Cod Project. Enric Sala is National Geographic Society Fellow. Publisher: Island Press