Join us in welcoming back Caroline Rice to the ORKA team as an Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholar. Stay tuned for updates on Caroline's sea urchin return rate experiment. Welcome back Caroline! #helpthekelp #ORKA

The Oregon Kelp Forest Protection & Restoration Initiative is slated to receive $2.5M in funding that will put Oregon’s coastal communities to work promoting healthy kelp forests and building local capacity for kelp forest stewardship. Thank you to Senator Jeff Merkley & Ron Wyden!

Thank you Senator Jeff Merkley for your continued commitment to protecting and restoring Oregon's kelp forests! $2.5M in funding for the Oregon Kelp Forest Protection & Restoration Initiative is a major win for Oregon's kelp forests and the people who rely on them. #HelpTheKelp 🌊🌱🐟

Tate Scarpaci ORKA: My first couple of weeks have been great. I had the opportunity to meet with a partner organization in Northern California and got a lot of great insight about urchin trapping. I’m looking forward to starting urchin trapping at our restoration sites.

Caroline Rice ORKA: I've been meeting many people passionate about ORKA’s mission, from fishermen to local artists to general community members. We’re excited to keep expanding our network of kelp forest defenders and begin restoration work in the coming weeks!

Caroline Rice ORKA: I had an amazing summer working with ORKA! I’m grateful to have gained experience with both the research and policy aspect of marine conservation and I hope to continue exploring this realm of science after I graduate this fall 😊

Thrilled to share the news today that iNaturalist is the recipient of a $10 million grant from Moore Foundation! 🎉🎉🎉 inaturalist.org/posts/84393-in…

The kelp forests that provide habitat for the fish species that drive Oregon’s coastal economies are rapidly dwindling. I introduced the Help Our Kelp Act to improve habitats for the marine life that fuels our fishing industry and coastal economies. merkley.senate.gov/merkley-king-h…

ORKA Summer Scholar Ryan built a foundation of knowledge after reading 'Abalone' by Ann Vileisis. For his research project, Ryan explored whether there is a depth gradient to abalone densities & if the presence of kelp has an effect, deepening our understanding of Oregon abalone.

As an Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholar with ORKA, Caroline Rice researched how fast purple sea urchins return to areas after culling events & whether kelp influences urchins to return faster. This work will help inform ORKA’s restoration work over the coming years.

Check out this video on the importance of kelp forest ecosystems from the Oregon Zoo, narrated by ORKA's Scientific Coordinator Dr. Sara Hamilton. Major thanks to Senator Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden for working to protect & restore these vital ecosystems through the Help Our Kelp Act!

Interested in learning about kelp forests & the animals that live in them? Check out this new website: bullkelp.info. The illustrations, text & photos take you on a journey from Alaska to California. The section on Oregon was funded by Oregon Sea Grant.

How can the restoration of #bluecarbon ecosystems help mitigate #climatechange and restore #oceanhealth? Our new road map captures the state of approaches, knowledge gaps, and priorities to better understand the potential. Dive In: oceanvisions.org/bluecarbon_roa…

Kelp Forest Challenge roadmap for protecting and restoring 4 million hectares of kelp forests by 2040. ORKA's Tom Calvanese is a co-author - in 2024 we will publish a plan to do our part to protect and restore kelp forests here in Oregon. #helpthekelp kelpforestalliance.com/Kelp-Forest-Ch…

ORKA is excited to launch the Oregon Restorative Kelp Mariculture Project with Builder’s Initiative support. This 3-year pilot, developed with local commercial fishermen, will initiate a restorative bull kelp mariculture project in the waters around Port Orford. #helpthekelp

⁠Dive into the world of marine science with Dr. Aaron Galloway!.⁠ ⁠ Dr. Galloway's research isn't just about marine ecosystems; it's about preserving them. His work with kelp forests and algae-invertebrate interactions isn't just groundbreaking; it's vital for our ocean health

The Oregon Kelp Forest Protection and Restoration Initiative marks our state’s commitment to the Global Kelp Forest Challenge. We are doing our part in a global movement to protect and restore 4 million hectares of kelp forest around the world by 2040! oceanfdn.org/projects/the-o…

We’re excited to work with Governor Kotek and our other elected officials, members, and partners to commit to the Oregon pledge to the Global Kelp Forest Challenge! #helpthekelp

Thank you, Governor Kotek, for your support of our efforts to launch the Oregon pledge for the global Kelp Forest Challenge! #ORKA #helpthekelp #KelpForestChallenge

Bluesky’s science takeover: 70% of Nature poll respondents use platform nature.com/articles/d4158…