This webinar is part of our Restoring Our Kelp Forests virtual series brought to you by Seven Capes Bird Alliance in partnership with Friends of Otter Rock, Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, Oregon Kelp Alliance, and the Elakha Alliance.

Kelp by Dr. Sara Hamilton

Sara will tell the story of the Oregon Kelp Alliance (ORKA), starting with its origin in 2020. She will discuss the 2024 Kelp Forest Status Report, which for the first time documented the changes taking place in Oregon's kelp forests over the past 15 years. Learn about the ongoing Oregon Kelp Forest Stewardship Initiative and how ORKA is working to restore and preserve these vibrant ecosystems. Sara will close with a few thoughts about the future of kelp forest stewardship here in Oregon, followed by audience Q & A.

Dr. Sara Hamilton

Dr. Sara Hamilton is Science Coordinator for the Oregon Kelp Alliance (ORKA), where she has worked since 2022. She came to ORKA after receiving her Ph.D. studying kelp forest ecology and conservation at Oregon State University. She was also a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California-Davis, researching patterns of hypoxia and acidification across the California Current and the implications of these patterns for shellfish. At ORKA, she led the writing of the 2024 Kelp Forest Status Report and is helping to implement the NOAA-funded Oregon Kelp Forest Stewardship Initiative. She lives in Eugene, Oregon, on the occupied lands of the Kalapuya peoples, whose descendants are often enrolled in the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon. After her day job, Sara goes to her night job, where she works full time adoring her rescue dog, D. B. Cooper.