Please join Point Reyes National Seashore staff for Science Lectures, 45 minute presentations on scientific research being performed at Point Reyes and elsewhere in the California. Science Lectures are sponsored by the Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center at Point Reyes National Seashore. They usually occur at noon on many Thursdays throughout the year and are normally held at the Red Barn Classroom at Point Reyes National Seashore's Headquarters. All are welcome and admission is free.

To get to the Red Barn Classroom, follow the Directions to get to the Bear Valley Visitor Center. After turning off of Bear Valley Road, proceed up the two-lane, paved driveway toward the Bear Valley Visitor Center. You will see the Red Barn on the left and after about 0.1 miles, there is a brown road sign pointing left to the Red Barn Classroom. Turn left on to the gravel driveway and proceed across the bridge to the parking lot. The Red Barn Classroom is on the end closest to this parking lot.

Ocean Film and Lecture Series
Ocean Lecture Series April 2008 flyer (143 KB PDF)
Ocean Film and Lecture Series Fall 2008 flyer coming soon!

Thursday, August 28, 2008
Title: Double Feature and Kevin White Filmmaker Q&A
Films: Restoring Balance: Removing the Black Rat from Anacapa Island
Returning Home: Bringing the Common Murre Back to Devil's Slide Rock
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Red Barn Classroom
Join us for a double feature of an award-winning producer, writer, and director's films!

Restoring Balance
Narrated by John Cleese, this film chronicles the efforts of state and federal resource managers to remove non-native rats from Anacapa Island, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California. Faced with evidence of widespread predation on endangered seabird eggs and chicks, including the rare Xantus’ Murrelet, the land managers and scientists must decide how to balance the needs of endemic species in their efforts to remove the rats and restore balance to an important island ecosystem.

Returning Home
In 1986, a breeding colony of Common Murres on Devil's Slide Rock off the coast of San Francisco was devastated by an oil spill. Using innovative restoration techniques in a challenging location over the span of ten years, dedicated scientists worked with local schools and government agencies to restore these diving seabirds to their ancestral home.

Thursday, November 20, 2008
Title: A Conversation on Sharks: Films and Conversation with Ron Elliot and Scot Anderson
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Location: Dance Palace Community Center, Point Reyes Station
Come spend a fascinating evening with local residents Ron Elliot and Scot Anderson. Ron Elliot is an independent urchin diver and Scot Anderson is a published white shark researcher. They will share stories of their experiences with white sharks at Point Reyes and the Farallon Islands. Elliot’s short film, Man in a Grey Suit, and others, will be shown.

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Dominican University Ocean Lecture
Monday, October 20, 2008
Title: Marine Mammals as Sentinels of Ocean Change
Presenter: Dr. Frances Gulland, Director of Veterinary Sciences at The Marine Mammal Center
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 pm
Location: Guzman Lecture Hall at Dominican University of California, 50 Acacia St., San Rafael, CA.
Join us for a fascinating evening with Dr. Frances Gulland, head veterinarian at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA. Dr. Gulland has provided care for thousands of seals and sea lions, works on the recovery of the Hawaiian monk seal and southern sea otter, and studies unusual marine mammal mortality events. Dr. Frances Gulland's love for wild marine mammals and her enthusiasm for her work is contagious. Come for an evening you won't forget!

Upcoming Brown Bag Lectures:

Thursday, September 18, 2008
Title: "Habitat for Advocates: Growing Your Own"
Presenter: Professor Emilyn Sheffield, Chico State University
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Red Barn Classroom
Dr. Sheffield will discuss her research into public support for public lands.

Thursday, November 20, 2008
Title: " Marine Protected Area Fish Assessments at the Channel Islands - Precursor to a State-wide Monitoring Plan"
Presenter: Konstantin Karpov, California Department of Fish and Game.
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Red Barn Classroom
Kon will describe undersea work that may be used at new marine reserves established in the Point Reyes Area.

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