Brittle Star Webinar

Western spiny brittle star.\Photo courtesy of iNaturalist.

CoastWatch presents the next in our series of online presentations on rocky habitats, particularly those on the south coast, when MacKenna Hainey speaks on “Fantastic Brittle Stars, and Where to Find Them” on Monday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m.  The event, supported by the city of Coos Bay and the Pacific Power Foundation, is free and open to all.

MacKenna Hainey has been a marine science educator and aquarist at the Charleston Marine Life Center in Charleston for the past two years.  She has a Master’s degree from the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology of the University of Oregon, also based in Charleston, and will soon begin PhD studies at Oregon State University.  Her research focuses on the morphology and behavior of the basket star and Western spiny brittle star.  She investigates how specific groups of organisms interact with their environment under changing conditions (such as oxygen concentration, temperature, and acidity), and is interested in developing health standards for different groups of invertebrates. She will be starting her Ph.D. research this summer, investigating how changing environmental conditions play a role in marine invertebrate disease, particularly sea star wasting syndrome.

To register for this event, go to https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wT9m667AQHiJP3wMxmqmRg.

For more information or to register, contact Jesse Jones, CoastWatch’s volunteer coordinator, at (503) 989-7244, jesse@oregonshores.org.