Speakers

Monday, March 8th

11am, Green Point Campground Theatre, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Sea Otters: From 0 to 3,000 in 35 years!
Josie Osborne, marine biologist

The last sea otter in BC was killed in the 1920s, after 150 years of lucrative commercial hunting. Thirty five years ago, 89 sea otters were reintroduced to the west coast of Vancouver Island, and today there are over 3,000 in BC. Join Tofino marine biologist Josie Osborne for an informative 45 minute slideshow about the sea otter. Learn why this animal was such a valuable part of the fur trade, and how sea otter hunting became a key turning point in the history of coastal BC. You'll also learn about how this important "keystone species" is making a comeback on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, and what kind of impact its recovery is having - from changes in the nearshore coastal environment to changes in our local economies. This talk will appeal to history buffs and naturalists alike, and it's great for kids and adults!

Josie Osborne is a marine biologist and environmental educator with a passion for public speaking about the humorous side of marine life. Josie grew up on east coast Vancouver Island beaches and came to Tofino in 1998 to work as a fisheries biologist for the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. With a B.Sc. in Marine Biology and a Masters of Resource Management, she has also worked as a technician and researcher for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the BC Ministry of Forests, and ventured away from the ocean for one field season to chase weasels around the boreal forest of northern Alberta. Josie became the Executive Director of the Raincoast Education Society in Fall 2007 after serving as a director of the society for four years. She still keeps her toes wet in some private marine biology consulting and she volunteers as a director for the Ucluelet Aquarium Society and the Tofino Botanical Gardens Foundation.

1pm, Green Point Campground Theatre, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Uu-a-thluk: Taking care of species at risk in Nuu-chah-nulth territories
Katie Beach, Uu-a-thluk (Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council Fisheries) Central Region Biologist

The Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations rely on sea resources for food, economic and spiritual needs. However, over the past two centuries, development and harvesting pressures have resulted in drastic reductions in the populations of many West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) aquatic species. These species reductions have impacted Nuu-chah-nulth culture and livelihood, as does protective measures implemented under the Species at risk Act (SARA).

Uu-a-thluk (meaning "to take care of") is an innovative Nuu-chah-nulth resource management organization with a focus on the managemement of local sea resources that can sustain healthy local populations, livelihoods, and environmental integrity. Uu-a-thluk staff, assisted by SARA funding from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), has been engaging Nuu-chah-nulth communities in Species at Risk issues through collaborative research and monitoring, and through educational sessions that raise awareness and provide a forum the expression of Nuu-chah-nulth concerns.

This presentation will outline some of the local species that are now listed under the Species at Risk Act, their cultural significance, and some of the activities that Nuu-chah-nulth and Uu-a-thluk have developed to take care of those species. Examples include abalone, sea otters, rockfish, and basking shark. Come ready to participate!

With a Masters in Resource and Environmental Management, Katie Beach joined the Uu-a-thluk team as a biologist in 2006. Since that time she has been coordinating local species at risk related activities and has been exploring Barkley and Clayoquot Sounds, counting sea otters and salmon whenever she can.

Tuesday, March 9th

11am, Green Point Campground Theatre, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Jewels of the Emerald Sea
Jenn Yakimishyn, Parks Canada marine biologist

Dive into the Emerald Sea to learn more about the diversity of fish and invertebrates that live in the coastal Pacific Rim and how Parks Canada monitors this subtidal realm.

Jenn Yakimishyn is a biologist at Pacific Rim and part of the team of Ecologists in Pacific Rim who study both terrestrial and marine ecosystems within the national park. Jenn came from the Alberta prairies over ten year ago and has called the west coast home since 2003. Jenn's interests lie in coastal ecosystems with a specific passion for the fishes that call this place home.

1pm, Wickaninnish Beach Parking Lot C, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Sand Dune Safari
Sibylla Helms and Carl Sieber, Parks Canada Staff

Come walk into a world you may have never seen on the west coast of Vancouver Island. You thought the drive here to the coast was wild, now try the moonscape of the Pacific Rim National park Reserve sand dunes. Learn about the history of the dunes, their formation and the hardy inhabitants that call the dunes home. There are tracks from animals that live there, from rodents to bears to wolves. You’ll see plants that have adapted to fight for survival in some of the harshest conditions around, and see what Parks Canada and volunteers are doing for an ecosystem that is threatened by the invasion of aliens! You may even spot whale spouts from shore too!

Sibylla Helms is relatively new to the Pacific Rim Area, arriving in the last couple of years. She works for Parks Canada in resource management and public safety in PRNPR. Her background in biology and geography has prepared her to take on her current challenge of continuing a restoration project for the sand dune ecosystem in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. When Sibylla isn’t monitoring plants and animals in the park or working on other projects, she may be found frolicking in the waves on her surf board along one of our many beautiful beaches.

Carl Sieber has been an Interpreter at the park since 2000. He’s enjoyed many hours with visitors on walks through the rainforest and along the seashore. The sand dunes are his latest fascination. Not only did he lead guided walks there last summer, but he will also be performing an evening program this summer at Green Point Theatre discussing the sand dunes. He thinks he’ll call the program “Backhoes, Aliens, and Pretty Pink Flowers.”

3pm, Green Point Campground Theatre, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Fantastic Flippers! Sea Lions of the Pacific Northwest
Wendy Szaniszlo, marine mammal biologist

Local marine mammal biologist Wendy Szaniszlo will be giving a talk on sea lions of Barkley and Clayoquot Sounds including an overview of sea lion research she=s been involved in during recent years. Curious about what those critters eat and how much? Come learn why local waters are so important for Steller sea lions.

Wendy Szaniszlo is a marine mammal biologist who started her career volunteering for local marine mammal projects in 1995. She went on to study grey whales and sea lions and completed a graduate degree researching sea lions in Barkley Sound. Wendy has been involved in various grey whale, humbpack whale and sea lion research projects with various government organizations, universities and research groups. Currently her work focusses on the seasonal abundance and distribution of sea lions in BC's coastal national parks, and the abundance and movements of the summer grey whale feeding aggregation in Barkley and Clayoquot Sounds.

Wednesday, March 10th

11am, Green Point Campground Theatre, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

National Marine Conservation Areas on the Pacific Coast
Megumi Johns, Parks Canada

Join Parks Canada staff member Megumi Johns to learn about National Marine Conservation Areas of Canada - what they are and what they hope to achieve - and about two exciting Pacific coast initiatives already underway in Gwaii Haanas (Queen Charlotte Islands) and the southern Strait of Georgia (southern Gulf Islands). This presentation will also include a sneak peak of the beauty of Gwaii Haanas in a short video.

Megumi Johns is a Consultation and Outreach Officer for Parks Canada, based out of the Western and Northern Service Centre in Vancouver. She works on the two West Coast national marine conservation area proposals in the southern Strait of Georgia (Southern Gulf Islands) and Gwaii Haanas (Haida Gwaii).

1pm, Green Point Campground Theatre, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

The Comeback of the Humpback
Caitlin Birdsall, Research and Outreach Assistant, Vancouver Aquarium, BC Cetacean Sightings Network

Come discover the exciting comeback of the humpback with Caitlin Birdsall, research assistant with the BC Cetacean Sightings Network at the Vancouver Aquarium. Humpback whale populations were significantly reduced by commercial whaling throughout the 20th century, but their numbers have been steadily increasing since. This multi-media presentation will allow audiences to listen to their songs, be awed by their acrobatics and discover how British Columbia’s residents and visitors can help research and protect humpback whales. The BC Cetacean Sightings Network collects sightings of all cetaceans, including humpbacks, from coastal citizen and mariners throughout the province- learn how to get involved at this presentation or by visiting www.wildwhales.org

Caitlin Birdsall is a research and outreach assistant with the BC Cetacean Sightings Network program at the Vancouver Aquarium. Her passion for marine mammals started at an early age, searching for killer whales and sea lions off Saturna Island. Since then she has followed her love for the ocean to Australia, the Johnstone Strait, and the Vancouver Aquarium, working as a field assistant, naturalist and educator.

3pm, Green Point Campground Theatre, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Killer whales: recent research on a coastal icon
Meghan McKillop, Vancouver Aquarium

Come discover the fascinating killer whale with Meghan McKillop of the Vancouver Aquarium. Once misunderstood and unpopular along the coast of British Columbia, the killer whale is now one of the best studied and most revered marine mammals in Canada. The Vancouver Aquarium continues to build on its 40 years of killer whale research by studying wild population in British Columbia and Alaska. This presentation will focus on the recent projects undertaken by Aquarium scientists and students, as well as the Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program, which helps fund these studies.

Bio: Meghan McKillop works as a research assistant and administrator with the Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program at the Vancouver Aquarium. After graduating from the University of Saskatchewan with a BSc in Biology, she continued her schooling with the Fish and Wildlife Program at BCIT. A true lover of the ocean, Meghan has worked for many years as a whale watch naturalist and as a field technician in Haida Gwaii.

Thursday, March 11th

11am, Clayoquot Sound Theatre, Tofino

Life on the Beach
Jim Cosgrove, author and marine biologist

What do you think is the harshest environment in the world? The arctic, the Sahara desert, the top of Mount Everest? The truth is that the intertidal zone is an incredibly harsh environment for a great number of reasons.

Jim Cosgrove, a Research Associate at the Royal British Columbia Museum, will be presenting a slide show and talk about the intertidal environment of British Columbia and explain how the plants and animals deal with the many changes in their daily lives.

BIOGRAPHY FOR JAMES (JIM) A. COSGROVE
A scuba diver for more than 49 years and a certified diving instructor since 1971, Jim has long been interested in the plants and animals of the ocean.

An accomplished underwater photographer and videographer, Jim and his wife owned and operated J & J DIVERS, (1971 – 2003) a company devoted to assisting underwater image makers. They have been involved in numerous projects producing documentary television programs as well as scientific and popular articles about the Giant Pacific Octopus and other British Columbia marine life.

For 30 years Jim served as the Diving Safety Officer at the University of Victoria and is a founding member of the Canadian Association for Underwater Science. Jim remains an external member of the U. Vic. Diving Control Board.

After obtaining a Bachelor and Master of Science degree (Marine Biology) Jim worked for 10 years in the Biology Department of a community college before moving, in 1987, to a new position at the Royal British Columbia Museum.

Jim retired as the Manager of the Natural History Section at the Royal British Columbia Museum in May, 2007. He continues his association with the Royal BC Museum as a Research Associate.

As a scientist, Jim continues his research into the life histories of the octopuses and squids of British Columbia.

Jim resides in Victoria with his wife.

1pm, Clayoquot Sound Theatre, Tofino

No Mother Could Give More
Jim Cosgrove, author and marine biologist

The giant Pacific octopus is the largest species of octopus in the world and it reaches its greatest size in British Columbia and Washington State.

Jim Cosgrove, a Research Associate at the Royal British Columbia Museum and an acknowledged world expert on the giant Pacific octopus, will be presenting a slide show and talk about his 35 years of research into the life history of this fascinating animal.

4pm, UAC Hall, Ucluelet

Seagrass Meadows: Magnets for Fish Diversity
Dr. Cliff Robinson, Parks Canada marine scientist

Did you know that 2010 marks the International Year of Biodiversity? The diversity of life in the sea is enormous compared to the land, but often remains unexplored as it is hidden under a blanket of water. However, twice daily tides can reveal this incredible, rich biodiversity within many different coastal habitats of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada. One particular habitat, eelgrass, can harbour an astonishing variety of fish species. This type of seagrass is actually a rooted plant and can be found in calmer, shallower waters of the national park. Unfortunately, eelgrass is also highly vulnerable and sensitive to many land-use and marine-use activities that reduce light in the water column that the plants require. Thankfully, a Parks Canada doctor regularly checks on the health of these important places. Join Dr. Cliff Robinson as he leads you on a visual journey describing the wide diversity of fishes found in southern Clayoquot Sound and Barkley Sound eelgrass meadows, and discusses some of threats facing these vital ecosystems.

Dr. Cliff Robinson is a senior marine scientist with Parks Canada, based in Vancouver, and he has been researching the use of eelgrass by fish in Pacific Rim, Gulf Islands, and Gwaii Hanaas National Park Reserves for about 8 years.

Friday, March 12th

11am, Green Point Campground Theatre, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Skeletons in Our Closets
Jim Cosgrove, author and marine biologist

You have a skeleton and it serves many functions but what about other animals? Does a Grey Whale, earthworm, jellyfish or butterfly have a skeleton?

Jim Cosgrove, a Research Associate at the Royal British Columbia Museum, will be presenting a slide show and talk about skeletons in general and then focus on the development of skeletons in cephalopods: the nautilus, cuttlefish, squid and octopus as well as some extinct forms.

3 pm, Green Point Campground Theatre, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Wet and Wild: Marine Mammal Research in Barkley and Clayoquot Sounds
Wendy Szaniszlo, marine mammal biologist

Grey whales, humpback whales and sea lions B oh my! Why are these and other marine mammals in BC listed as at-risk? Join marine mammal biologist Wendy Szaniszlo in a presentation on the marine mammal monitoring and research programs she=s locally involved in. How does this work contribute to recovery of species-at-risk? Learn the ins and outs, highlights, and some research results through images and tales, right from the mouth of an experienced researcher.

SEA CHANGE Series

To contribute to an evidently necessary learning curve on the changing state of the sea and the creatures who live within it’s depth, the Whale Festival will be including a series entitled Sea Change. It’s a presentation series of (really awesome) dynamic speakers and documentary films relating to how human factors are changing the Earth's oceans, and how these conditions will affect human communities as well as the entire ocean system. Audiences will be treated to talks on some of the latest research and developments in climate & ocean sciences with information regarding trends in conservation and environmental education, aiming to inspire and enable solutions.

The SEA CHANGE Series is proud to host the following specials guests:

Dr. Elin Kelsey

This book is geared toward kids aged 9-12, but is suitable for all ages! It’s written from a hopeful perspective. Kids (and adults) are bombarded with doom and gloom messages about the state of the planet and their futures. This book celebrates the amazing connections between the ordinary things in kids’ lives, like video games and bikes and chocolate chip cookies, and the extraordinary ways they are linked to mountain gorillas, blue whales, urban farming, climate change – you name it! It’s filled with creative, real world examples of how people all over the earth are living more sustainable lives. Join Elin Kelsey for the exciting launch of her book, reading and signing - and then join in the fun as everyone creates their own eco-comic-strip! Special thanks to The Clayoquot Field Station!

This presentation with special guest and author Elin Kelsey will allow you to better appreciate whales, and social relationships & whale ‘culture’. Her presentation stems from her book, which consists of short essays focused on amazing aspects of whale behavior or biology. Her personal anecdotes help make larger points about the contrast between whale behavior and humans, or the fragility of the ecosystem. Some will also appreciated her focus on whales as mothers and families, which is often missing from wildlife stories. Books available for signing at the event! Special thanks to Black Rock Oceanfront Resort.

Serge Dedina

7pm / Admission at the door: $5
SEA CHANGE Series hosts Serge Dedina, author of Saving The Gray Whale: People, Politics and Conservation in Baja California
followed by SurfRider Movie Night screening ‘Morning of the Earth’
Clayoquot Community Theatre, Tofino

Join special guest Serge Dedina for an engaging presentation, and then we’ll screen the classic 70’s surf film! Serge Dedina is the Executive Director of WiLDCOAST, an international conservation organization based on the U.S.-Mexico border that works in the United States and Mexico to preserve coastal and marine ecoystems and wildlife. He discovered the plans by the Mitsubishi Corporation to transform Laguna San Ignacio, a gray whale calving lagoon and UNESCO world heritage site in Mexico into an industrial salt harvesting facility and helped to defeat the project. To date, Serge has helped to protect more than one million acres of globally significant coastal and marine habitat and has successfully stopped some of the world’s largest corporations from destroying the coast of the Californias. In recognition of his conservation achievements Serge received San Diego Zoological Society’s Conservation Medal, the California Coastal Commission’s “Environmental Hero” Award and the Surf Industry Manufacturer’s Association “Environmentalist of the Year” award. Thanks to Pacific Sands Beach Resort and SurfRider-Pacific Rim Chapter!

Alanna Mitchell

SATURDAY MARCH 13
11am-12:30pm / $FREE
Casual Coffee & Book Signing with award winning journalist & author Alanna Mitchell
Wild Heather Books, Ucluelet

Alanna Mitchell is an award-winning Canadian journalist and author of Sea Sick: The Global Ocean In Crisis. Her literary non-fiction wins praise for its ability to describe complex ideas in plain language. Mitchell's subjects are science, education and human behaviour and she is known for her strong narrative style. Join Alanna for coffee, and an informal opportunity to chat about her book, what happened at Copenhagen, and the world at large! A great lead-up to her presentation at 4pm in Tofino.

Alanna Mitchell is a journalist who worked for daily newspapers, including The Globe and Mail, for 14 years and then quit to devote herself to writing books about popular science. Her latest is Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis, which came out last year and has become an international bestseller. Alanna was named the best environmental reporter in the world by the World Conservation Union and the Reuters Foundation in 2000. Her book Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis, gives us a window of understanding into the vast chemical changes in the world's oceans currently taking place caused by the hand of man. Alanna effectively translates the science for her audience, and her literary non-fiction wins praise for its ability to describe complex ideas in plain language. Mitchell's subjects are science, education and human behaviour and she is known for her strong narrative style. Thank you to Tofino Sea Kayaking and The Paddler’s Inn.