ARCHIVED EVENT
In partnership with The Academy of Science – St. Louis, we present—Saving Southern California’s Urban Sea Turtles, a virtual event about sea turtles in Southern California.
In partnership with The Academy of Science – St. Louis, we present—Saving Southern California’s Urban Sea Turtles, a virtual event about sea turtles in Southern California.
In and around Southern California’s San Gabriel River near Long Beach is a local population of Pacific green sea turtles at the tip of its northernmost range. Considered threatened, this local population has been recovering thanks to efforts from government and nonprofit organizations, such as the Aquarium of the Pacific. Working to help this resident population thrive, the Aquarium conducts a sea turtle monitoring program and provides any necessary treatment and rehabilitation of injured turtles, with veterinary care at the Aquarium.
Aquarium community scientists conduct monthly sea turtle counts at the San Gabriel River, collecting data that provides a baseline index of sighting locations—data that scientists and researchers use to help make conservation decisions about this resident population of threatened sea turtles. When a sea turtle is found injured or stranded, the Aquarium provides a veterinary assessment and rehabilitation for eventual release. Most commonly treated is the green sea turtle, though the team has also treated loggerhead and olive Ridley sea turtles, receiving as many as ten sea turtles per year needing medical care.
Join Cassandra Davis, Dr. Lance Adams, and Nate Jaros, of the Aquarium of the Pacific, for a fascinating multimedia look at Southern California’s urban population of threatened sea turtles and efforts to conserve them. The Aquarium of the Pacific, the nation’s fourth most attended aquarium, is currently home to two olive Ridley sea turtles, Theo and Lou, residents since 1998, and Copper, the Aquarium’s green sea turtle.
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Manager of volunteer programs at the Aquarium of the Pacific, Cassandra Davis oversees community science programs like the Southern California Sea Turtle Monitoring Project. She works directly with scientists, volunteers, and communities to discover more about local populations of urban ocean wildlife, including the green sea turtles found in the San Gabriel River and surrounding wetlands. Cassandra received her masters of science in education from Oregon State University, with a focus on marine science in museums, aquariums, and zoos.
Dr. Lance Adams and his team manage health care and treatment for the Aquarium’s animal collection of 1,000 marine and aquatic species. With special medical training and experience in wildlife rehabilitation, and more than two decades of experience working in the aquarium industry, he joined the Aquarium of the Pacific in 2001. Dr. Adams earned his Bachelor of Science in animal science from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and his doctorate of veterinary medicine (DVM) from Kansas State University. He is a member of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine, the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, and the Association of Avian Veterinarians. His areas of expertise include rehabilitation of various animals, including rescued endangered sea turtles, which are sometimes brought to the Aquarium by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for nursing before release back into the wild.
Nate Jaros leads a team of twenty-one aquarists who care for all of the fish, invertebrates and sea turtles at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Jaros and his team wear many hats as animal care professionals, scientific divers, exhibit designers, plumbers, and aquaculturists. Jaros has been with the Aquarium since 2005. Previously he worked at the Omaha Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska. He received his Bachelor of Science in environmental science and biology from Creighton University in Omaha.
Adopt an axolotl at the $100+ level to receive a special Valentine’s themed box that includes a snuggly axolotl plush, customizable Valentine’s Day card, an animal fact card and candy. Plus, the first 60 to adopt an axolotl will get an additional gift – an axolotl themed slime! Adopt by February 4 to ensure holiday delivery. While supplies last!
