Thank you to Qiana Wylie of the Marine Mammal Center for taking the time to speak with us at Cali paddler and educating us on this amazing organization and the great work they do. We are excited to partner with them as the newest recipient of Cali Paddler's 5% Paddle Pledge. As paddlers, we encounter marine life daily. I see plenty of sea lions and harbor seals while I'm out on the water. I have also seen my fair share of these animals tangled in plastic trash or fishing line. With the work of the Marine Mammal Center we can get these animals rescued, rehabilitated and back out in the wild. - Josh CP Director Non-Profit Relations
Who are they?
Since 1975, The Marine Mammal Center has evolved from a local rescue center into the world’s largest marine mammal research hospital and education center. The Center is headquartered in the Marin Headlands in San Francisco and their rescue range extends along 600 miles of central and northern California coastline from San Luis Obispo through Mendocino counties. In 2014, the Center opened Ke Kai Ola, a hospital for the rehabilitation of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, in Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i.
What do they do?
The Marine Mammal Center is guided and inspired by a shared vision of a healthy ocean for marine mammals and humans alike. Their mission is to advance global ocean conservation through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, scientific research, and education. The Center has rescued and treated more than 20,000 marine mammals in California, can care for more than 200 animals at once, and treats 600 or more each year. Marine mammals face an unprecedented number of health threats, such as the increasing frequency of toxins like domoic acid, ocean trash, and diseases like cancer. The Center’s critical work contributes to scientific research and education to better understand ocean and human health.
Why is it important?
During rehabilitation of the animals, the Center’s research team studies the causes of their illnesses and by doing so, learns about conditions affecting the health of marine mammal populations and the ocean – conditions that can affect humans as well. Their core research includes studying domoic acid poisoning in sea lions, bacterial infections such as leptospirosis, and even cancer, which is found in approximately 17% of adult sea lions that undergo post mortem at the Center’s hospital. Their education programs teach nearly 100,000 students and adults each year about marine mammals and the urgent need for environmental stewardship of the earth's marine environments, with the goal of inspiring ocean conservation
How can Cali Paddlers support?
Remember to "Leave Seals Be" and keep a safe distance of about 50 feet. If an animal is reacting to you, you’re too close! If you spot a marine mammal in distress, call The Marine Mammal Center's 24-hour rescue hotline at 415-289-SEAL
Follow The Marine Mammal Center’s life-saving work at their website, MarineMammalCenter.org, or on social media!
- YouTube: The Marine Mammal Center (California)
- Twitter: @TMMC
- Facebook: @themarinemammalcenter
- Instagram: @themarinemammalcenter
- Pinterest: marinemammalctr
- LinkedIn: The Marine Mammal Center
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Learn more about the Cali Paddler 5% Paddle Pledge and the other amazing groups we have supported!
Director of Non-Profit Relations Josh Olson -Josh has been a supporter of our conservation and stewardship vision from the very start. Even when he and his wife had a newborn baby, they were with us at our beach clean-ups. It is part of his nature to seek out opportunities to make our waterways and beaches cleaner and healthier. So when the opportunity to add Josh to our team as our non-profit liaison became open, we were thrilled.
With a background in the outdoor recreation industry, and diverse paddling resume from kayak training and certification to outrigger canoe racing, Josh knows what it is like to be a paddler. And how a company like Cali Paddler can make a difference given the right energy and passion. Josh embraces the role of seeking out amazing environmental groups in our state, and creating relationships with them. So we can promote their efforts, and share with all the paddlers in our state these great groups. In addition, we will be adding to our 5% Paddler Pledge recipient list, and Josh will be thoroughly researching these great groups, to ensure that your purchases are worthy of your donations with each product you buy.
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