Connecting You to America's Ocean and Great Lakes Treasures

National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Series

Shooting for the Stars: Sunflower Star Laboratory’s community-based approach to Pycnopodia conservation and kelp forest recovery

August 21, 2025

12 pm Hawaii / 3 pm Pacific / 5 pm Central / 6 pm Eastern

Sunflower Star Laboratory (SSL) is a conservation aquaculture nonprofit dedicated to restoring the critically-endangered Sunflower Star and saving California's kelp forests. In part because of the loss of this keystone urchin predator, over 96% of Northern California's kelp forests have disappeared in the last decade. In this talk, learn about how SSL is currently raising part of the first cohort of human-reared juvenile Sunflower Stars in California, conducting scientific research, and coordinating Sunflower Star recovery with partner institutions across North America.

The National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Series provides formal and informal educators, students, and the interested public with educational and scientific expertise, resources, and training to support ocean literacy in the classroom. You can also visit the archives of the webinar series to catch up on presentations you may have missed here.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. The Webinar ID is 572-796-011.