Lighthouse Lecture Series - Sara Bogard
Past Events
Sara Bogard presents "Seals In the Ebb and Flow - Harbor Seals and other Species of the Point Arena Lighthouse/Stornetta Public Lands."
Lighthouse Lecture Series Presentation on September 16th, 2023 at 4 p.m.
This Lecture Presentation gives an ongoing glimpse in 2023 of the rich diversity of life and habitat seen at the Point Arena Lighthouse and adjacent Stornetta Public Lands. The presentation will share the lives and critical habitat of the animals who reside and migrate through this shoreline and bluff. From her weekly surveys and monitoring, Sara will present data she has gathered on the resident Harbor Seals, birds and other species over the past year. During the pupping season from March through June, her highest pup count was 29 pups on June 8th and the high count of adults and immature was 226 on July 6th. Observations of Harbor Seal mother and pup interaction reveal a unique bond across many species. From this data and information, patterns and cycles of birth, nesting and migration emerge to make these bluff tops a spectacular place to view and connect with the natural world.
Biography
Sara is an Ocean Conservationist. She is a citizen scientist and volunteer for:
- The Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, Beach Watch Program
- The California Central Regional Harbor seal Monitoring and Inventory Program
- The Marine Mammal Center
- The Sea Ranch Harbor Seal Docent Program
- Naked Whale Research
As a citizen scientist volunteer for the GFNMS Beach Watch Program, she surveys several area beaches and bluffs, counting live species on both, and additionally counts and takes measurement of dead species on beach surveys. These surveys are done with teams of volunteers to collect and report data throughout the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. She gathers weekly data on the Harbor Seal population at the Point Arena Lighthouse/Stornetta Bluff and, for the California Central Regional Harbor Seal Monitor and Inventory Program, during the pupping/molting season.
Her volunteer work for The Marine Mammal Center includes assessment, monitoring and rescue of marine mammals. In addition, she takes on the role of a Harbor Seal Docent for The Sea Ranch, during the pupping season and conducts other ongoing pinniped surveys in Mendocino County, California. She also volunteers for Naked Whale Research, which focuses on tracking Killer Whales and other cetaceans along the Mendonoma Coast. Her goal is to collect this data and share her observations to promote the health and sustainability of pinniped populations in Northern California and bring public awareness to the effects of human and current environmental factors which affect these species.
