SF Natural History Series

Return of the Harbor Porpoises
Guest Speaker:  Bill Keener
7:30pm, Thursday, March 15th, 2012
FREE at the Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, San Francisco, CA 

Bill Keener, cofounder of Golden Gate Cetacean Research, created to study the porpoise, will tell us of their disappearance by the 1940′s, the mystery of their unexpected return in recent years, and how you can help by reporting your porpoise sightings.

Bill’s experience includes work as a field observer for the harbor porpoise population study in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary from 1987-1989.  He is an environmental lawyer and the former Executive Director of the Marine Mammal Center.

Read more about Bill and porpoises in Bay Nature magazine, Jul-Sep 2011, Safe Harbor, Welcoming Porpoises Back to San Francisco Bay.

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The Sturgeon in San Francisco Bay:
How critical can a 10,000 year old Bay be for a 100 million year old fish?
Guest Speaker:  Michael McGowan
7:30pm, Thursday, February 16th, 2012
FREE at the Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, San Francisco, CA 

Michael McGowan, fisheries oceanographer and aquatic ecologist, will discuss his research on how the ecology of the green and white sturgeon differ in their life history and in how they use the Bay.

White sturgeon are the largest fresh water fish in North America that can live over a hundred years and can grow to 20 feet long, and weigh 1500lbs. (more info)

Green sturgeon, up  to 7 feet long and 350lbs, seem to be a little more mysterious on the web, they are probably migratory salt water fish that probably spawn in fresh water. (more info)

Michael will fill in the details for us.

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