The Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries have been named a Mission Blue Hope Spot — one of the most prestigious recognitions in global ocean conservation! This expanded designation now covers over 4,500 square miles of ocean within the California Current, one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth. As a Hope Spot Champion, GFA is proud to help bring global recognition — and renewed commitment — to protecting these extraordinary waters for future generations.

Please view a short video narrated by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle…

After five years of exemplary leadership at Greater Farallones Association, Deb Self has decided to step down as Executive Director to devote more time to family and home life. The Board of Directors is thrilled to announce that Monika Krach will be stepping into the role of Executive Director of the Greater Farallones Association, effective April 1st.

Learn what king tides are, what we can learn from them, and how can you help document their impacts.

Learn about how large swells form and how they impact communities and habitats along the coast.

As part of a project for a college course, our Marine Science Educator, Julia Currier, suspended a Lego platform from our pier on the San Francisco Bay to see what life might find it an ideal habitat. What she found surprised her.

Just offshore of Marin and Sonoma counties lies one of our nation’s most unique marine environments – Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has released an immersive virtual reality film that allows viewers to experience the sanctuary like never before. 

With heavy hearts, we remember and celebrate Robert (Bob) Wilson, a lifelong ocean champion whose impact will forever remain connected to the Farallon Islands and surrounding waters that Bob so passionately helped protect. 

GFA Executive Director, Deb Self, was honored to contribute to National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s blog for the Sanctuaries’ “Pride in the Ocean” celebration of Pride Month. To continue to find and address gaps in service, and opportunities to deepen non-transactional relationships, we all need to be more specific about special efforts to understand the needs of underserved and excluded communities.

Did you know that Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries are now one management unit? The sanctuaries retain their unique boundaries and features, but operate under one superintendent and team.

We continue to keep close watch as the “bird flu” persists on the US West Coast and around the globe. The avian flu (HPAI) is still impacting birds worldwide, causing seizures and neurological symptoms that are shortly followed by death. 

Disturbances from boats and planes threaten coastal birds that nest on offshore rocks and cliffs, travel by air and hunt at sea. But what happens when the human world comes to a screeching halt? 

Students at Orchard School in Aptos, CA, caught the attention of executives at the largest shipping company in the world–Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). Their message? Thank you for slowing your ships.

The Association is thrilled to now be partnering closely with both sanctuaries to conserve the incredible ecosystems protected within their boundaries — covering nearly 4,600 square miles of ocean and coast off the north-central California coast.

This season, 109 community volunteers and 45 staff volunteers spent hundreds of hours removing thousands of invasive plants! Removing harmful non-native species helps the natural ecosystem thrive and promotes the return of native plants and animals.

The Greater Farallones Kelp Recovery Program continues to take critical steps toward recovering kelp forest habitat within Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. In September, staff headed to the coastline with partners to document conditions at key restoration sites. 

Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafeal) introduced a new bill to support kelp forest restoration in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and along the California coast, and advocated for $500,000 to go to the Greater Farallones Kelp Recovery Program.

Results from the 2020 “Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies” program are now available. The incentive-based program, of which Greater Farallones Association is a partner, is focused on protecting endangered whales and cutting air pollution through outreach to shipping companies. Shipping companies that voluntarily reduced speeds to 10 knots or less are recognized.

Last fall, our Kelp Recovery Program co-led the largest marine mapping project using aerial drones to ever take place in California. The results will help us take critical next steps in recovering kelp forest on the north coast of California.

The LiMPETS Program continues successfully online. Most recently, high school students in the LiMPETS Program joined virtual field trips focused on coastal habitats, learning how ocean acidification, sea level rise, and changing temperatures are affecting coastal marine ecosystems.

This year, at the Western Society of Naturalists’ 101st annual meeting, our very own Rosemary Romero was honored with this prestigious award for her leadership of our youth-centered LiMPETS Program. Congratulations to Rosemary on this amazing achievement!

A digital version of our printed Upwelling newsletter is now available! Read about kelp recovery, marine debris, blue carbon, Beach Watch, and more.

During her internship with Greater Farallones Association, Natalie had the opportunity to interview one of our long-time Beach Watch volunteers. Learn what motivates one community scientist, and read about the most interesting things she’s seen while surveying the Sanctuary’s coastline.

Since 2009, Greater Farallones Association and project partners have removed tens of thousands of harmful invasive European green crabs from Seadrift Lagoon through a seasonal volunteer-based project. After careful planning to ensure Covid-safe conditions, we are once again returning to Seadrift to carry out this important restoration work.

In a typical year, over 150 highly-trained Beach Watch volunteers would hit the beach biweekly to survey the Sanctuary coastline, collecting crucial data used to inform management decisions. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Beach Watch’s long-term dataset was interrupted for the first time in 27 years. 

Beach Watch staff and partners show link between common murre die-off and climate-related ocean warming event.

High school students participating in our LiMPETS Program make discovery about Turban snail abundance. 

The Association has taken the first critical steps towards recovering bull kelp forests in Northern California.

Each year since 2012 from April through October, Greater Farallones Association works with partners to restore natural habitat on Kent Island. Interested in volunteering?

Greater Farallones Association (the Association) is pleased to announce Deb Self as its new Executive Director. The Association selected Deb after an extensive, nation-wide search. She started her role as Executive Director on September 3, 2019. “We are very excited to have Deb taking on the role of the executive director for the Association,” says Erica Mattson, Board President. “We’re confident her strong background in marine conservation and successful non-profit leadership will strengthen our impact for the California coast and communities that rely on it.”