Edmonds Lecture Series
We are pleased to announce that our lecture series is expanding to Edmonds in 2026!
We hope you can join us for these two great events where we can learn about
Sunflower Sea Stars and the Great Pacific Octopus – two Keystone creatures here in the Salish Sea.
Restoring Sunflower Sea Stars: Reviving a Keystone of the Kelp Forest with Dr. Jason Hodin
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Edmonds College – Black Box Theater
Once a common sight along the Pacific Coast, sunflower sea stars have been pushed to the brink by sea star wasting disease—triggering cascading impacts on kelp forests as unchecked purple urchins move in. Dr. Jason Hodin of Friday Harbor Laboratories is leading groundbreaking research to understand what went wrong and how recovery might be possible. In this talk, he’ll share the detective work behind identifying the disease, the challenges and successes of raising sunflower sea stars in captivity, and how restoring this keystone predator could help heal entire coastal ecosystems.
Free and Open to All Ages!
Please use the link below to register for tickets at Eventbrite.
Free and Open All Ages!
Please use the link below to register for tickets at Eventbrite.
Dive Into the World of the Giant Pacific Octopus with Tim Carpenter
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Edmonds College – Black Box Theater
Join us for an engaging lecture with Tim Carpenter from the Seattle Aquarium as he unravels the mysteries of one of the ocean’s most remarkable creatures — the Giant Pacific Octopus!
The giant Pacific octopus is an iconic resident of the Salish Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. As the largest octopus species on Earth, it plays a critical role in coastal ecosystems – both as a top predator and as an important prey species for animals such as sea otters and orcas. In this talk, Tim will explore the biology and ecology of the Giant Pacific Octopus in the Salish Sea, weaving together scientific insight with firsthand stories from his work as a veteran animal care professional and conservation biologist to bring these remarkable animals and their ecological role vividly to life.