Join us on Pender Island to discuss culture, genes, conservation, and the future of Southern Resident killer whales
Three Raincoast scientists will be speaking on June 23rd, as part of orca action month.
Join Raincoast scientists, Dr. Valeria Vergara, Misty MacDuffee and Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, for Below the surface: Culture, genes, conservation, and the future of Southern Resident killer whales. This evening will feature three presentations and a panel discussion about SRKWs and the exciting research and recovery work Raincoast is doing.
This event is a part of Orca Action Month, where throughout the month of June, we come together to learn, connect and work towards the protection and recovery of Southern Resident killer whales.
Time & Location
Jun 23, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Pender Island Community Hall , 4418 Bedwell Harbour Rd.
Speakers
Dr. Valeria Vergara, Senior Scientist and Cetacean Conservation Research Program Director
Dr. Valeria Vergara holds a BSc in Biology and a Masters in Behavioral Ecology, both from Trent University in Ontario, and a PhD in Zoology from the University of British Columbia. She co-directs Raincoast’s Cetacean Conservation Research Program.
She is particularly interested in the communicative and perceptual capacities of marine mammals and the conservation implications of such capacities. In the last two decades, she has participated in a diverse array of cetacean field studies, including humpback whales, killer whales, Guiana dolphins, narwhals and beluga whales in various areas of Canada.
Misty MacDuffee, Biologist and Wild Salmon Program Director
Misty MacDuffee is a conservation biologist with a focus on fisheries ecology in salmon ecosystems. For the past 15 years, she has undertaken various types of field, laboratory, technical and conservation assessments in the salmon-bearing watersheds of the BC coast. She has a particular interest in the role of salmon as critical food sources for wildlife and incorporating their needs into salmon management decisions. The application of her work is to implement ecosystem considerations in fisheries management. This often requires engagement with management, dialogue and stakeholder forums that affect fisheries and wildlife policy.
Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, Senior Scientist and Cetacean Conservation Research Program Director
Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard did his PhD in Zoology at the University of British Columbia. After graduating, he worked as a research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada before serving a 20-year term as head of the marine mammal research program at the Ocean Wise Conservation Association, housed at the Vancouver Aquarium. He is a co-director of Raincoast’s Cetacean Conservation Research Program. His research focuses on the behaviour, ecology, health and population genetics of killer whales. He is a member of a number of expert panels and advisory committees focused on cetacean conservation in British Columbia.
You can help
Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.
We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.
