Gray Whales Count

08/10/2026

Can Tech Keep Whales Safe From Deadly Vessel Strikes?
In San Francisco Bay, new AI-powered technology aims to help ships dodge whales whose long-haul migration is being disrupted by climate change.

In San Francisco Bay, new AI-powered technology aims to help ships dodge whales whose long-haul migration is being disrupted by climate change.

08/10/2026

Behind the Lens of the Get Into Your Sanctuary
Photo Contest
August 19, 2026
12 pm Hawaii | 3 pm Pacific | 5 pm Central | 6 pm Eastern

In celebration of World Photography Day, join award-winning photographers from the 2025 photo contest as they share the stories, techniques, and inspiration behind their images and reveal how patience, planning, and awareness of light, tides, wildlife behavior, and place help them capture powerful images responsibly. From marine life and intertidal landscapes to stunning macro photography, get inspired for the 2026 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest.

Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/19866432055135322?utm_medium=email&utm_source=GovDelivery

08/08/2026

Is the ocean carbon sink at risk of faltering?
Scientists explain how the ocean helps regulate our climate—and how climate change threatens its ability to do so.

WHOI scientists explain how the ocean mitigates climate change—and could be compromised by it

08/08/2026

Calling All Beach Lovers!
Sunday, August 9
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Beaches have been packed lately due to the hot and sunny weather.

More beachgoers = more trash.

Let's pick up litter and put it where it belongs this Sunday!

Meet outside the Watershed Resource Center (the blue building) to sign in and pick up cleanup supplies if needed. Then head to the beach, the parking lot, or nearby trails to search for trash and protect Arroyo Burro Beach.

While you're there, visit the Watershed Resource Center during open hours from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM to learn how your actions on land affect the health of our waterways.

Learn more: https://exploreecology.org/event/beach-cleanup-16/?mc_cid=c0d93f825c&mc_eid=af0bd09c07

08/06/2026

Tuesdays, September 15 through October 27, 2026
6:30 – 8:30 p.m. PDT via Zoom
(Plus weekends for in-person field trips)

We can’t sit back and wait for change to happen. Building a healthier, more resilient Central Coast starts with each of us finding ways to contribute. The Community Environmental Council (CEC) Climate Stewards certification course bridges the gap between understanding climate challenges and knowing how to take meaningful climate action.

Through seven weeks of science-based learning, conversations with local climate champions, and hands-on field trips, participants gain the knowledge, confidence, and connections needed to advance climate solutions in their neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities.

Since launching the course, CEC has certified 256 CEC Climate Stewards — a growing, interconnected network of alumni who are putting what they’ve learned into practice. This diverse mix of educators, non-profit leaders, students, retirees, business owners, and climate allies are tackling challenges ranging from local policy change to plastic pollution to wildfire resilience.

CEC is the first and only non-profit on the California Central Coast to offer this statewide University of California course. If you’ve been looking for a chance to make a difference for our planet, the Climate Stewards course offers the perfect launch pad, and a community ready to welcome you into the movement.

Join the next Climate Stewards course that begins on Tuesday, September 15, 2026: https://cecsb.org/climate-stewards?utm_source=cecsb&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2026-climate-stewards&utm_term=fall-registration&utm_content=eblast-1

08/04/2026

San Jose Creek Cleanup
Saturday, August 15
9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper is collaborating with the Environmental Defense Center and the Old Town Creek Justice Project to clean up San Jose Creek!
With the rainy season approaching, we plan to remove as much trash from creeks as possible before it can be washed out into the ocean.
The terrain may be rocky and wet, so we encourage volunteers to wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Don’t forget your hat, sunscreen, and a reusable water bottle.

Let’s work together to keep our creeks clean and our ocean healthy.

Register: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/ywraxkx/lp/858462d7-b86a-400b-a5cf-c0e0b6e7c154?source_id=00f262eb-3367-4e1e-82b3-029f044441e7&source_type=em&c=iI3vw8tSCn_DyhmC6sVmTc2Dx2JhCaiEUJDpy7qbZdt6sBCk4aASeg==

08/01/2026

West Coast Gray Whale Estimate Shows Increase, New Count Determines

A new abundance estimate of the gray whale population that migrates along the West Coast suggests their numbers have increased since last year.

The apparent increase is welcome news and similar to fluctuations seen in some previous years. Yet, it raises questions about the assumptions we have tested and used in the past to inform our analytical approaches to the population estimate.

Learn more:

The reasons for the apparent increase remain an open question.

07/20/2026

We need to keep pressure on our elected officials to upgrade the gray whale’s status to “endangered,” prevent any oil drilling off the Pacific coast, and absolutely resist any weakening of the Endangered Species Act. Help gray whales by signing this petition.
https://www.change.org/p/protect-california-s-grey-whales-from-harassment-and-harm?source_location=search

Image Credit: NOAA Fisheries

07/20/2026

We continue to monitor the gray whale “catastrophic mortality event” happening in the Pacific Ocean with the estimated population falling from 20,000 in 2019 to 13,000 today. So far this year, observed mortality events are “enormous compared to their annual average”. Warming oceans from climate change is depleting their typical food ranges adding to the threats of ship strikes, oil spills, pollution. We refer our community to this recent article for additional information:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/10/pacific-gray-whales-population-climate-change

Check out this innovative mapping of whale strandings by digital storyteller, Izgi Uygur: https://www.baywhales.org/

Trump administration urged to relist a species in ‘very, very serious trouble’ under Endangered Species Act

07/20/2026

Drones: Taking Cetacean Research to New Heights

Webinar
Tuesday, August 25 | 7:00 PM PT
Registration link coming soon!

Please plan to join us as we hear from marine biologist, Dr. Gina Lonati of The Marine Mammal Center’s Cetacean Conservation Biology department. Gina will discuss the myriad ways drones are being used to study cetacean behavior, ecology, health, and physiology. Including results from her PhD research on North Atlantic right whales, she will review new insights – such as how researchers can measure the body volume or internal temperatures of free-swimming whales with drones. Additionally, Gina will describe her current role leading drone operations with The Marine Mammal Center in San Francisco Bay, and how this technology is contributing to the local conservation of gray whales - notably of heightened concern to all of us.

Learn more: https://www.acs-sfbay.org/events

Photo Credit: Dr. Gina Lonati