July 10, 2023

Help the Kelp: How Innovative Science and an Unprecedented New Investment Will Inform the Future of Kelp Restoration in California

California’s iconic underwater forests are under threat from climate change. From 2014-2019, more than 95% of the bull kelp off our state’s northern coastline disappeared following a record-breaking marine heat wave and an explosion in kelp-eating purple sea urchin populations. […]

Categories: Funding Opportunities and Updates, Habitats, Kelp, Marine Habitats, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems

May 19, 2023

Call for Nominations: Kelp Restoration and Management Plan Working Group – Apply by June 9

YOU can help protect California’s kelp forests! We’ve partnered with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) in the early planning stages of developing a statewide, ecosystem-based, adaptive Kelp Restoration and Management Plan (KRMP) for giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) […]

Categories: Habitats, Kelp, Marine Habitats, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems

October 7, 2022

Updates from the October 6, 2022 Council Meeting

The October 6 Ocean Protection Council (OPC) meeting was an exciting and moving gathering. State and federal agencies, tribes, non-profit and business partners, and members of the public joined together with joyful tears and cheers in support of landmark decision-making […]

Categories: Funding Opportunities and Updates, Habitats, Kelp, Marine Habitats, OPC Meetings, Strategic Goal 2: Equity, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity

September 1, 2022

Fishing for Research: OPC Staff and the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program Team Up in Point Lobos

By Stacy Hayden, Communications Manager It was a calm Friday at 6:30 a.m. when we left the dock on the vessel New Horizon from Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey. At the helm was charter boat Captain John Klusmire leading a […]

Categories: Habitats, Marine Habitats, Marine Protected Areas, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems

July 22, 2022

An Underwater Snapshot of Kelp Health in Monterey

By Michael Esgro, Senior Biodiversity Program Manager & Tribal Liaison It was 2013 in Monterey when I learned to scuba dive – one year before a record-breaking marine heatwave arrived off the California coast, bringing with it a “perfect storm” […]

Categories: Habitats, Kelp, Marine Habitats, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity

June 28, 2022

Urchin Removal on the North Coast Shows Promising Results for Kelp Forest Restoration

June 28, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Esgro, (818) 917-6468, Michael.Esgro@resources.ca.gov Urchin Removal on the North Coast Shows Promising Results for Kelp Forest Restoration Fort Bragg, Calif. – An unprecedented partnership on California’s north coast has concluded with the […]

Categories: Habitats, Kelp, Marine Habitats, Press Releases, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems

June 16, 2022

MPA Monitoring Series: Ask the Researcher, Part 1: Kelp and Rocky Intertidal Ecosystems

OPC’s “Ask the Researcher” MPA monitoring webinar series officially launched in May! This summer series highlights key monitoring results from the marine protected area (MPA) monitoring program, connecting audience members directly to California’s leading MPA scientists who describe their research […]

Categories: Habitats, Kelp, Marine Habitats, Marine Protected Areas, Outreach and Education, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity

May 26, 2022

Ocean Protection Council Meeting — June 14, 2022 — Teleconference and Public Forum

The Ocean Protection Council will hold a hybrid public meeting via teleconference and in a public forum at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, 2022.  

Categories: Climate Change, Funding Opportunities and Updates, Habitats, Kelp, Marine Habitats, OPC Meetings, Sea Level Rise, Strategic Goal 1: Climate Change, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems

May 2, 2022

OPC is Hiring a Coastal Habitats Program Manager – Apply by May 23, 2022

OPC is hiring an Environmental Scientist to help lead its efforts to conserve coastal watersheds and habitats, including wetlands, eelgrass, beaches, dunes, and rocky intertidal.  The Environmental Scientist will advance these strategic priorities in coordination with OPC staff, state and […]

Categories: Career Opportunities, Coastal Habitats, Habitats

April 14, 2022

California’s efforts to protect and restore kelp featured in new restoration guidebook and global review

A unique kelp restoration pilot project on California’s north coast has been featured in The Nature Conservancy’s new Kelp Restoration Guidebook. This guidebook was authored by an expert panel with support from managers, scientists, and restoration practitioners. It highlights kelp […]

Categories: Habitats, Kelp, Marine Habitats, Strategic Goal 3: Biodiversity, Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems