Presentation on Sea Otters

Sea otters at play.\Photo by Eric Palmer.

The Elakha Alliance is hosting a talk about efforts to reintroduce sea otters to the Oregon coastal environment. The event takes place on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m. in the Boathouse Auditorium at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (63466 Boat Basin Rd.) in Charleston.  The talk is free and open to the public.

Speaker Bob Bailey, board president of the Elakha Alliance, will take as his topic “Once Upon a Time…and, Perhaps, Again:  Sea Otters in Oregon.”  Bailey, a former Oregon Shores board member, is the retired head of the state’s Coastal Management Program.

Once common on the Oregon coast, sea otters were hunted nearly to extinction for their rich fur in the late 1700s and early 1800s.  Although they have returned elsewhere, they remain missing on the Oregon coast. What will it take to help them return to Oregon? 

This talk will explore the history of sea otters in Oregon, their ecological and cultural importance, and the prospects for their return and recovery. It will touch on the mission of the Elakha Alliance, an Oregon non-profit organization (which Oregon Shores helped to found) devoted to sea otter conservation. 

 To reach the OIMB Boathouse Auditorium, park near the campus and walk down the road past the Coast Guard housing.

For more information, call (541) 888-2581 or e-mail oimb@uoregon.edu.