Nature X Live Webinar: The Sea Otter Story
May 7, 2020 15:00 - 16:00
(GMT -8:00) Pacific Time
Event URL: https://batemanfoundation.org/event/nature-x-live-webinar-book-launch-sea-otter-survival-story/
Cost: $5
Hosted by: The Bateman Foundation
As we continue to adapt our programming to meet the needs of our current society, we are thrilled to announce a new home for our Nature X lecture series! While the Gallery of Nature remains closed, these popular presentations will take place on Zoom as webinars. First up is a live webinar and book launch with writer, conservation photographer and filmmaker Isabelle Groc, who will present her latest book Sea Otters: A Survival Story on Thursday May 7th, 3pm PST. Join this virtual experience to hear an extraordinary tale of survival and transformation.
Hunted to near extinction for their valuable fur in the 18th and 19th centuries, sea otters have started to recover from California to Alaska following active conservation efforts. In British Columbia, they have made a remarkable comeback since they were reintroduced between 1969 and 1972. Sea otters symbolize the large impact – both positive and negative – that humans can have on wildlife.
As the smallest marine mammal in North America, they are one of the few non-primate species known to use tools. They have also become one of the best and most studied examples of a keystone species. Today, scientists are still discovering the impacts of this charismatic animal on every part of their ecosystem.
Drawing from Isabelle’s journey in sea otter country along the Pacific Coast over a period of ten years, the presentation explores the otters’ unique lifestyle, their remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction, and how they leave their mark (or pawprint) on the environment, in obvious and subtle ways.
Tickets for the Nature X live webinar and book launch start at $5, and all proceeds support the continued work of the Bateman Foundation to connect people to nature using art. If you are able to consider a larger donation, $10 and $20 tickets are also available. All tickets offer the same level of access to the same webinar, and you will receive the Zoom link in your confirmation email after purchase.
Thank you for supporting the Bateman Foundation! We’re excited to walk this new path with you.
Isabelle Groc is a writer, conservation photographer, and documentary filmmaker who specializes in endangered species and the relationships between people and the natural world. Isabelle grew up in France and now lives in Vancouver. She is a fellow of the Explorers Club and the Royal Geographical Societies of Canada and the UK.
Her work has appeared in international media including National Geographic News, BBC Wildlife, and Canadian Wildlife. She is the author of two non fiction children’s books on wildlife conservation: Gone is Gone: Wildlife under Threat and Sea Otters: A Survival Story. With the return of sea otters on the Pacific Coast, Isabelle has had the opportunity to witness an extraordinary ecological story unfold in her backyard of British Columbia for over ten years. She spent extended periods of time documenting sea otters and the coastal communities they influence.
Isabelle has also written and directed over a dozen films on North America’s endangered wildlife. Her most recent feature documentary, co-directed with Mike McKinlay, Toad People, has received international recognition including a 2018 Wildscreen Impact Panda Award in Bristol. For more information see isabellegroc.com or @isabellegroc on Instagram.
About Nature X: Since 2018, Nature X has explored environmental topics via a series of lectures curated by the Bateman Foundation, and supported by the Victoria Foundation, Intact Insurance, the Cowan Foundation, and Spinnakers. Subjects range from conservation tactics, to animal behaviours, to technology and sustainability.
