Sea Otter Webinar

Sea otter "raft."\Photo by David Sidle.

The Elakha Alliance is sponsoring a webinar on “The Legal and Economic Considerations of Sea Otter Reintroduction” on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at 6 p.m.  Speakers will be Bob Bailey, the Alliance’s president, and Michele Zwartjes, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Elakha Alliance, of which Oregon Shores is a founding member, was founded to pursue the possibility of reintroducing sea otters to Oregon’s coastal habitats.  The otter was hunted to extinction in Oregon’s waters more than a century ago, leaving a major gap in coastal ecosystems.

Reintroducing a native species is a complex soup of biological, legal, and social consideration for agencies, scientists, stakeholders, and communities. However, such input is all-the-more critical for a species associated with large effects on economically valuable resources.

With lessons learned from past case studies in species reintroductions, the Elakha Alliance is committed to a new paradigm of including broad perspectives, open discussion, and thoughtful analysis of the pros and cons of sea otter reintroduction. With the feasibility study and economic impact assessment only just beginning, we are in the early stages of this important evaluation and community discussion. 

Bob Bailey, a former Oregon Shores board member, will discuss where the effort stands now, and describe the next steps.  Michele Zwartjes will give a presentation about the legal framework, processes, and opportunities for public input related to sea otter restoration. and Bob will discuss where things stand now, and what are the next steps? 

To register for the webinar, go here.