The Coastal Interpretive Center has hosted the Glimpses Lecture Series every winter since 2014. Topics range from birdwatching to beachcombing and everything in between, according to a press release.
The 2022-2023 Glimpses Lecture Series is held in person, every third Thursday of the month from October through March at the Ocean Shores Lions Club from 7 to 9 p.m. Cost of admission is $10/person to be paid at the door.
2022-2023 Series
Oct. 20
Kevin Grant, Superintendent, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
“Conversations with the Sanctuary Superintendent on Current Issues”
Enjoy a conversation with the newly appointed superintendent of Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, with offices in Port Angeles, is managed by NOAA and was designated in 1994.
It encompasses nearly 3,200 square miles off the Washington coast, extending from Cape Flattery to the mouth of the Copalis River.
Significant natural and cultural resources include 29 species of marine mammals, as well as large populations of nesting seabirds, shipwrecks, and some of the last remaining wilderness coastline in the lower 48 states.
Grant has been with NOAA for nearly 14 years as a deputy superintendent, with more than nine years at Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and four years at National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Kevin has a Master’s Degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Wisconsin. He was a Knauss Sea Grant Fellow at the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and served two years in the Peace Corps in the Solomon Islands.
Nearly all of his experience since leaving graduate school has involved collaboration in resource management with indigenous communities.
Nov. 17
Pike Spector, Marine Scientist – Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
“Kelp forests and the nearshore ecosystems of Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary”
Kelp forests are home to a wide diversity of ecologically and economically important marine plants and animals. Dominated by canopy-forming kelps, such as bull kelp and giant kelp, the nearshore communities of the Olympic Coast play a major role in maintaining the biodiversity of this rugged coastline.
From supporting the abundance of seabirds, marine mammals, and fishes of the Olympic Coast, to the human economies that rely on them, kelp forests also sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide and buffer the coastline from large waves and storms. This talk will explore some of these communities, and the amazing organisms found within.
Spector is an avid SCUBA diver, ecologist, and self-described algal enthusiast. Pike has explored the underwater world from the Bering Sea to Baja California. In graduate school at San Diego State University, he was part of a multi-year study investigating patterns of productivity in kelp forests and urchin barrens across the Aleutian Archipelago, and worked with artisanal fishers in Mexico.
Dec. 15
Anthony Odell, Research Analyst, University of Washington, Olympic Natural Resources Center
“Harmful Algal Blooms of the Pacific Northwest”
This talk highlights the multiagency efforts to mitigate the impacts of harmful algal blooms along our coast.
Odell is a Research Analyst Lead from the University of Washington, working for the Olympic Natural Resources Center but stationed at Grays Harbor College. He coordinates a toxic plankton monitoring program for the outer coast called ORHAB – the Olympic Region Harmful Algal Bloom monitoring program.
Jan. 19
Alex Stote, Coastal Specialist, Washington Sea Grant Crab Team.
“European Green Crab – Invasion and Impacts”
The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) is notoriously known as one of the world’s most damaging invasive species. Here in coastal Washington, we’ve been seeing an increase in green crab populations in our large estuaries. Join the lecture series to hear more about the extent of this species in our state, understand why it’s such a threat in Washington, and learn more about what we are trying to do about it.
As a Coastal Specialist on Washington Sea Grant’s award-winning Crab Team, Stote works closely with industry, Tribal representatives, and government to find science-based solutions for invasive European green crab removal in Washington’s southwest estuaries.
Feb. 16
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary NOAA education team.
“Humpback Whale Tales – Meet Big Mama!”
Join the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary education team as they celebrate Humpback Whale Awareness Month. This family-friendly presentation includes a visit from “Big Mama” the life-sized model of an actual humpback whale with the same name. Learn about the characteristics, behaviors, migration patterns, and vocalizations of humpback whales, and their presence in the Pacific Northwest.
This program is presented by the NOAA educators with special guest “Big Mama.”
March 16
Mary Beth Beuke, founder and proprietor of West Coast Sea Glass
“The Sea Glass Adventure: History, Archaeology, and Wild Rarities”
An informational presentation showing the world’s most rare and beautiful sea glass specimens. Beuke will describe color rarity, how sea glass is formed, historical tidbits identifying unique pieces, if and where sea glass can still be found today, and much more. Her lecture is filled with hundreds of wild sea glass rarities and collection adventures from around the globe.
