www.noyocenter.org
Sheila Semans
Executive Director
NOYO CENTER FOR
MARINE SCIENCE
Mission:
To advance ocean
conservation through
education, exploration
and experience
Noyo Center’s
Three Locations
Field Station in Noyo Harbor Crow’s Nest Interpretive Center • All volunteer run
• Open 7 days a week
• Hosted over 5,000 people in 2023
Discovery Center Science Museum
• Open 5 days a week.
• Over 30,000 visitors in 2023
Education Highlights
Class Field Trips Summer Camps Paid Summer
Internships
Talking Trash in Schools
Fun For All After
School Program
Highlights: Marine Mammal Stranding
Scientific Paper National News
Highlights:
Marine Mammal
Stranding
We have now
contributed over
250 specimen to
the research
collection
Highlights: Volunteer Program
Beach Cleanups: 136
Beach Response: 524
Beach Surveys: 1,105
Crow’s Nest Docent: 1,268
Discovery Center Docent: 152
Events: 500
Pinniped Press: 323
Slack Tide Café: 941
Whale Festival: 105
2023 Summary
Total Hours: 5,627
Active Volunteers: 111
Value to Organization
($15/hr): $84,405
Marine Field Station
Noyo Harbor
The OTHER Forest
BULL KELP
Annual Species
(April-Oct)
Grows up to 16
inches per day
Supports over
800 species
Buffers shoreline
from wave action
Sequesters
carbon
Upwelling and Marine Heat Waves
Sunflower sea stars usually have 16 to
24 limbs and up to 3ft across. They are
a voracious predator of urchin, but
their population was decimated by the
sea star wasting disease.
Sea Star Wasting Disease
Purple Sea
Urchin
ReefCheck California
URCHIN: Overgraze on holdfast until it breaks
free and scour rocks.
KELP FORESTS
Mendocino and Sonoma(source: CDFW aerial surveys)
>93% kelp
loss in 2014
Additional
33% loss in
2015
Very limited
growth in
2016-2023
Abalone are weak and
starving
Fishery closed until 2026
Red urchin
Strongylocentrotus franciscanus
Virtually no fishery. Now in
federal disaster relief status
Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana)
Life Cycle
Bull kelp is very easy to recognize.
They have long stipes that can grow
over 30m long, one gas filled bulb at
the top to keep it afloat, and long
blades the spread out and eventually
float on the surface.
Bull kelp is an annual species, and the
stipes can grow up to 5 in per day.
After summer growth, the blades or
fronds begin to release spores, which
grow into tiny gametophytes. The
gametophytes shed sperm and eggs
in winter and early spring. When
fertilized, the eggs develop into
sporophytes.
SPORES
GAMETOPHYTES
SMALL
SPOROPHYTE
STIPE
FRONDS
HOLDFAST
Conservation Aquaculture to Support Recovery
Urchin Ranching
Turning empty urchin into high quality, restorative seafood to the benefit of our environment and economy.
• Develop a simple aquaculture system with recirculating seawater that can be easily replicated by others in the harbor and elsewhere in our region.
• Showcase restorative seafood through our FS’s commercial kitchen; build local markets • Determine the economic potential of this effort and whether we can scale to commercial production on the headlands property
• Build education program around this: classroom, research, community science GOALS
Abalone Broodstock
Program
Partnership with Kashia
Band of Pomo and UC Davis
PHASE 1
Create kelp oasis zones
for reintroduction
Feed starving adults
Abalone Broodstock Program
PHASE 2
• Grow out juvenile
abalone
• Outplant into
restoration zones
NOYO OCEAN
COLLECTIVE
RIVER ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING
Collaboration with the City of FB and Noyo Harbor District will support Noyo’s conservation aquaculture programs
Noyo Center
for Marine
Science
Ocean Science
Center
A net-zero building
supporting marine
education and research
La-BONE-atory
La-BONE-atory
• Site work and plans with SHN
• Working with the City on CEQA and CDP
• Funding from CA Resources Agency and
CA Coastal Conservancy
Hope to break ground in 2024!
OCEAN SCIENCE CENTER
EDA Funded Project
• 30% Design – EHDD Architects
• Blue Economy Feasibility Study and Operational Business Plan • NEPA/CEQA Environmental Review
Blue Economy Vision for OSC
• Blue-Green Jobs; Regenerative Development
• Research and Restoration; Climate Science
• BE Business Incubation
• Conservation Aquaculture
• STEM Education
• Coastal Tourism
• Ocean Exploration
• Clean Energy
Objective: locate Ocean Science
Center near end of the runway
• Cleared administrative issues
with State Coastal
Conservancy
• Record conservation
easements over wetlands
restoration area and establish
connectivity with Noyo
Headlands Park
• Next steps: survey new
boundaries; prepare and
record new grant deeds for
Ocean Science Center and
Noyo Headlands Park parcels
Property Boundary
Adjustment
Thank You!
www.noyocenter.org
Sheila Semans
Executive Director
[email protected]