Webinar Series
The National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Series provides educators, students, and the interested public with educational and scientific expertise, resources and training to support ocean and climate literacy. This series generally targets formal and informal educators that are engaging students (elementary through college) in formal classroom settings, as well as members of the community in informal educational venues (e.g. after school programs, science centers, aquariums, etc.). However, the series is open to anyone interested in the topics listed below.
For distance learning programs about marine mammals and other protected species in the wild, please visit our Wildlife Viewing Guidelines and the NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources' Marine Life Viewing Guidelines to ensure you are aware of the regulations.
Upcoming Webinars
Conservation of USS Monitor. Past, Present, and Future
May 18, 2021 at 7am Hawaii / 10am Pacific / 2pm Central / 1pm Eastern
Will Hoffman, Director of Conservation and Chief Conservator at The Mariners' Museum and Park
In 1987, The Mariners' Museum and Park partnered with NOAA to be the official repository of artifacts raised from the nation's first national marine sanctuary. Starting in the late 1990s, archaeologists from NOAA, partnering with the U.S. Navy, began a major effort to recover the most significant components and artifacts from the wreck site of USS Monitor. As the first ironclad commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1862, Monitor fought in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, and just nine months later, sank off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Objects retrieved from the vessel encompassed nearly the entire engineering section and its iconic revolving gun turret. With the arrival of the Monitor's turret in 2002, the museum held over 210 tons of archaeological material.
Will Hoffman, Director of conservation and Chief Conservator at The Mariners' Museum, will present an overview of the Monitor conservation effort to date, including the establishment of the USS Monitor Center and Batten Conservation Complex. During the lecture, he will also discuss the treatment of several high-profile objects, as well as outlining future conservation steps.
Monitoring and Managing Seabirds in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific: Past, Present & Future
May 20, 2021 at 12 pm Hawaiʻi / 3 pm Pacific / 6 pm Eastern
Jared Underwood, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Superintendent for Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
Millions of seabirds use the remote atolls and islands that are found around Hawaiʻi and the Central Pacific Ocean. Marine National Monuments and National Wildlife Refuges in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific have long been recognized as important breeding and roosting grounds for a number of seabird species. Often these places are the only potential nesting habitat for hundreds or thousands of miles. Join Jared Underwood as he describes past, current, and future monitoring efforts for seabirds across these important locations. He will also discuss some key management actions to benefit seabirds, and particularly those that were discussed in the recent State of the Monument Report available here.
This presentation is part of the Third Thursday By the Bay Presentation Series at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center that is the visitor center for Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. This State of the Monument lecture series is also supported by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Revealing the Mysterious Coral and Sponge Gardens of Sur Ridge in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
June 23, 2021 at 10 am Hawai`i / 1:00 pm Pacific / 4:00 pm Eastern
George Matsumoto, Senior Education and Research Specialist at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Hannah MacDonald, graduate student at the University of Rhode Island
Countless mysteries exist in the depths of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), including Sur Ridge – a deep-sea rocky outcrop off the coast of Big Sur that is roughly the size of Manhattan. Thanks to state-of-the-art marine technology developed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), the stunning deep-sea ecosystems of Sur Ridge are being revealed. Over the last decade, MBARI and MBNMS have partnered to explore and study this remarkable part of the sanctuary and better understand the growing impacts of climate change on the lush coral and sponge gardens discovered there. Join Hannah MacDonald, graduate student at the University of Rhode Island, and George Matsumoto, Senior Education and Research Specialist at MBARI, as they share how an upcoming expedition to Sur Ridge will further our understanding of these precious deep-sea habitats. There will be an opportunity for you to join the research expedition virtually so tune in to find out more!