The Future of Oceans lecture series
Our lecture series, The Future of Oceans, draws on the commitment of professional researchers and educators across all academic spectrums to help define and inspire the health of our oceans.
Thank you to the Darrow Family for their ongoing support.
General information
- Sign up for our monthly email newsletter, the Octopress, or the lecture series mailing list to stay informed.
- To keep this series accessible to all, regardless of the ability to pay, there is no set charge for the event; however, donations are always welcomed and appreciated.
- All day-use visitors to Fort Worden Historical State Park must display a Discover Pass in their vehicle when parking anywhere within the park.
Past lecture recordings
You can watch – or watch again – any of the speakers from the previous series on our YouTube channel.
2025- 2026 Lecture Series
“Dungeness Crab in the Salish Sea”
Lecture presented on March 29, 2026 by Emily Buckner
Program Manager at Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group
“Deepwater Sponges of the Pacific”
Lecture presented on February 15, 2026 by Dr. Christopher Kelley
“Puffins: Beloved Sentinels of Ocean Health”
Lecture presented on January 18, 2026 by John Piatt, Ph.D.
Director, World Puffin Congress
“Humpback Whales Generate ‘Thrums'”
Lecture presented on November 16, 2025 by Dr. Fred Sharpe
Salish Sea-based whale biologist
“The Secret Lives of Harbor Porpoises”
Lecture presented on October 19, 2025 by Dr. Cindy R. Elliser
Local marine mammal researcher, author, and Associate Director at the Salish Sea Institute at Western Washington University
*Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to record this lecture. Learn more about Dr. Elliser’s research below.
2024-2025 lecture series
“Ocean Nomads: The Albatrosses”
Lecture presented on March 30, 2025 by Peter Harrison
Seabird expert, author, artist and conservationist
Listen to Peter Harrison’s interview with the Nature Now podcast on KPTZ.
“Animals of Extreme Habitats in the Deep Sea”
Lecture presented on February 16, 2025, by Dr. Paul H. Yancey
Senior Research Scientist and Professor of Biology Emeritus, Whitman College
“Sharks of Washington”
Lecture presented on December 8, 2024, by Lisa Hillier
Senior Biologist in the Marine Fish Science Unit with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Unfortunately due to technical issues with the recording equipment, we were not able to retrieve a recording of this lecture. Harbor WildWatch has generously allowed us to share their recording of Lisa Hillier speaking on March 15, 2023, and Hillier has shared links to recent publications and information.
More Sharks of Puget Sound, Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Advancing the ecological narrative: documentation of broadnose sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus) in South Puget Sound, Washington, USA, Frontiers in Marine Science
Observation of the critically endangered soupfin shark (Galeorhinus galeus) in the Changing Salish Sea, Frontiers in Marine Science
“Did You Hear That? The Physics of Sound”
Lecture presented on November 17, 2024, by Eric McRae
Principal Electrical Engineer, University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory
“Crabs and Shrimps: Their Unsung Roles in Salish Sea Ecosystems”
Lecture presented on October 27, 2024, by Greg Jensen
Instructor, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington
2023-2024 lecture series
“The Mysterious World of Plankton: Cascading Migrations in a Fertile Fjord”
Lecture presented on April 14, 2024, by
Dr. Stephen Bollens and Dr. Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens
Washington State University
YouTube link
Listen to Dr. Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens’s interview with the Nature Now podcast on KPTZ.
“Water, Wonder & Wellness: How Living by Water Makes Life Better”
Lecture presented on February 25, 2024, by
Paola Espitia
Marine ecologist, media producer and speaker
YouTube link
Listen to the Paola Espitia interview with the Nature Now podcast on KPTZ.
“Thalassophilic Impressions: Nautical Pursuits, Ocean Conservation, and the Confluence of Art and Science”
Lecture presented on January 14, 2024, by
Nam Siu
Local naturalist and artist
YouTube link
Listen to the Nam Siu interview with the Nature Now podcast on KPTZ.
“Sea Otter Stories –
History, Ecology & Conservation”
Lecture presented on December 10, 2023, by
James Bodkin
U.S. Geological Survey
YouTube link
You can find a series of interviews with James Bodkin on KPTZ’s Nature Now podcast: Sea Otter Conservation, Sea Otters of the Washington Coast (parts 1 and 2), and The Biology of Sea Otters (parts 1 and 2)
“Fossils of Western Washington: a Marine Perspective”
Lecture presented on November 12, 2023, by
Dr. Liz Nesbitt
Univ. of Washington and Burke Museum
and David B. Williams
Curatorial Associate, Burke Museum
YouTube link
Listen to the Nesbitt and Williams interview with the Nature Now podcast on KPTZ.
2022-2023 lecture Series
“Gray Whales in Washington State: Three Groups, Three Stories, From Death to Promise”
Lecture presented on March 12, 2023, by
John Calambokidis
Senior Research Biologist, Cascadia Research Collective
YouTube link
“Hybrid in a Haystack: Hybrid Beachgrass Discovery, Description, and Ecological Consequences in the Pacific Northwest”
Lecture presented on February 5, 2023, by
Rebecca Mostow
Education Program Manager, Western Flyer Foundation
YouTube link
“Stage 8 Restoration:
The How’s and Why’s of NOSC’s Upcoming River Restoration Work”
Lecture presented on January 29, 2023, by
Kevin Long
Project Manager, North Olympic Salmon Coalition
YouTube link
“Recovering Pinto Abalone: Use of Conservation Aquaculture to Give the Salish Sea’s Largest Rocky-Reef Cleaning Marine Snail a Population Boost”
Lecture presented on January 22, 2023, by
Josh Bouma
Abalone Program Director, Puget Sound Restoration Fund
YouTube link
“2022 Update on the Status of the Invasive European Green Crab in Washington State”
Lecture presented on December 4, 2022, by
Neil Harrington
Environmental biologist, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe
YouTube link
“Of Puffins and Petrels: Conserving Seabirds of the Salish Sea and Outer Coast of Washington”
Lecture presented on November 20, 2022, by
Dr. Peter Hodum
Professor of Biology, University of Puget Sound
YouTube link
“Deep Sea Mining is Coming: What You Need to Know About This Potentially Huge New Industry”
Lecture presented on November 13, 2022, by
Dr. Christopher Kelley
Ocean biologist, retired
YouTube link
2021-2022 lecture series
“Preventing Extinction –
The Story of Southern Resident Orcas”
Lecture presented on June 12, 2022, by
Cindy Hansen
Education & Advocacy Coordinator at Orca Network
YouTube link
“We Are Puget Sound:
Discovering and Recovering the Salish Sea”
Lecture presented on January 23, 2022, by
Mindy Roberts, Puget Sound Program Director at Washington Environmental Council
Joe Gaydos, Science Director, SeaDoc Society
Brian Footen, founder and principal of Earthviews
YouTube link
“Southern Resident Killer Whales: Status, Trends, Solutions”
Lecture presented on October 17, 2021,
by Lynda Mapes
Journalist, the Seattle Times
Author of Orcas: Shared Waters, Shared Home
YouTube link
2020-2021 lecture series
“In Deeper Waters: Exploring Earth’s Largest, Yet Least Understood, Biome”
Lecture presented on November 8, 2020,
by Dr. Christopher Kelley
Hawai’i Undersea Research Laboratory
University of Hawai’i
YouTube link
“Immersions in the World of Kelp”
Lecture presented on December 13, 2020,
by Betsy Peabody
Executive Director of Puget Sound Restoration Fund
YouTube link
“What Eelgrass and Other Marine Vegetation Can Tell Us About the Future of the Ocean”
Lecture presented on January 10, 2021
by Dr. Ronald Thom
Staff Scientist Emeritus Marine Sciences Lab,
Pacific Northwest National Lab
YouTube link
“What Can Puffins Tell Us About the Impact of Climate Change on Marine Ecosystems?”
Lecture presented on March 14, 2021
by John F. Piatt, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, Seabird and Forage Fish Ecology Program Leader,
USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage AK
YouTube link