New Approaches to Understanding Kelp Forest Ecosystem Health

Date: March 4, 2009
Contact: Yvonne Menard, 805-658-5725

Research biologist, Dr. Anne Salomon will be the featured speaker at the “From Shore to Sea” March lecture. Salomon will present her research on animal interactions in California kelp forest communities and how these dynamics change inside and outside Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across the Northern Channel Islands.

Studying the interactions among predators including California Sheephead, spiny lobster and sunflower sea stars, and grazers such as purple urchins, Solomon has developed indicators that will support assessment of the effects of MPAs. She will discuss how these interactions between marine species can be a sign of the overall health of the kelp forest community.

Salomon recently accepted a faculty position as a research biologist at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC. She completed her undergraduate degree at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, received her Masters degree at the University of British Columbia, and a PhD in Marine Biology from the University of Washington. She was awarded a David Smith Foundation Post-Doctoral fellowship to work in collaboration with UC Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. 

The “From Shore to Sea” lecture series is jointly sponsored by Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary with generous support from Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. The purpose of the series is to further the understanding of current research on the Channel Islands and surrounding waters. The lectures occur at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, 2009, at Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, 113 Harbor Way in the Santa Barbara Harbor and Wednesday, March 11, 2009, at the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center, 1901 Spinnaker Drive in the Ventura Harbor. The programs are free and open to the public.