Speaker Series - Restoring a Foothold: People, Abalone & A Changing Coast

For generations, people along California’s coast have shared a deep connection with abalone, gathering them, studying them, photographing them and working to protect them. But after centuries of pressure from overharvesting, disease and habitat loss, these iconic marine snails face an uncertain future.

Join photojournalists Reuven Bank and Marco Mazza for a fascinating look at how that relationship is changing and how people are coming together to help abalone find a foothold once again.

Drawing from their Restoring a Foothold exhibit, Reuven and Marco will share stories and photography from across California, from marine reserves and wild abalone in the Channel Islands to the scientists, aquaculturists, citizen scientists and conservationists working to restore the endangered White Abalone.

Blending stunning wildlife photography with stories of science, community and conservation, this talk offers a closer look at the challenges facing California’s abalone and the hopeful efforts underway to bring these remarkable creatures back.