Kelp forests are home to a wide diversity of ecologically and economically important marine plants and animals. Dominated by canopy-forming kelps, such as bull kelp and giant kelp, the nearshore communities of the Olympic Coast play a major role in maintaining the biodiversity of this rugged coastline. From supporting the abundance of seabirds, marine mammals, and fishes of the Olympic Coast, to the human economies that rely on them, kelp forests also sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide and buffer the coastline from large waves and storms. This talk will explore some of these communities, and the amazing organisms found within.

Biography: Pike Spector is an avid SCUBA diver, ecologist, and self-described algal enthusiast. Pike has explored the underwater world from the Bering Sea to Baja California. In graduate school at San Diego State University, he was part of a multi-year study investigating patterns of productivity in kelp forests and urchin barrens across the Aleutian Archipelago, and worked with artisanal fishers in Mexico. As a Sea Grant fellow with Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Pike helped the sanctuary manage its marine resources, and started a campaign to bring awareness to white abalone (a federally endangered species). As a recent hire with Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Pike is directly supporting the sanctuary’s research initiatives, and is working on data management and delivery to stakeholders and other marine managers. In his free time, Pike likes to surf, rock climb, play banjo, and take his dog on adventures.  More info here.