River Otter Ecology Project

Congratulations to our Utah partner, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium and Britnee Cheney for discovering an otter in a surprising place. This first video detection is a small but significant milestone for our #OttersforWaters partner in their effort to understand the current status of river otters in Utah.

Less than two years ago, the Supreme Court stripped the federal Clean Water Act of the many strong protections it offered to waters within California. CA Senator Ben Allen introduces a bill to fill this void left by Sackett v EPA and protect access to clean water in California. Everyone needs clean waters! Thank you, Senator Allen! #cleanwater Ben Allen Colleen Haraden Christine Banzon

Our partners in Arizona, Friends of the Verde River, seek a Deputy Executive Director. https://lnkd.in/e-FQNeVV @friendsoftheverderiver

Wishing everyone clean, healthy waterways from your Otters for Waters crew.

Here’s something we didn’t know…watch out for your EVs during this series of storms, and be cautious if they are immersed, especially in salt water. https://lnkd.in/gMvc2aeq Colleen Haraden Christine Banzon Aviva Rossi, PhD

River Otter Ecology Project Goes National! We are thrilled to announce a bold plan to increase our reach and impact. Otters for Waters?is our new?nationwide conservation initiative, aiming to protect and support waterways across the country,?with river otters as?charismatic ambassadors. Building on more than decade of community science, research, education, and advocacy, we are expanding our?Otter Spotter?program, which mobilizes people to document otter sightings, enabling them to take an active role in local conservation efforts. The initiative's expansion is rooted in collaboration. Partnering with local organizations,?Otters for Waters?provides training, technical support, and tools to empower partners in their?conservation goals. Partners provide the on-the-ground knowledge of?the needs of local waterways.?Our three pilot projects in Virginia, Arizona, and Utah are early successes, collecting sightings and raising awareness in their communities. Our expansion vision is?to create a national network of conservation advocates, leveraging the appeal of river otters to spark public interest and support waterway restorations and policies. Like all changes, it starts with a few drops that grow to ripples then waves of change. This is a big change for a small organization, a big lift, and one we are confident of bringing to fruition. Expect updates as our partners use our shared data to build community and support their work for?cleaner, healthier waterways. Sign up for our newsletter to receive continuing news about our expansion project! https://lnkd.in/eZQtVmi Christine Banzon Colleen Haraden Aviva Rossi, PhD

Many congratulations to Aviva Rossi, PhD starting a new position as Lead Scientist, Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program at San Francisco Estuary Institute! Aviva has been a mentor, fundraiser, cheerleader and our first volunteer since 2012. We’re delighted that you are taking a lead role in Wetlands Monitoring throughout the Bay Area and beyond. This can only lead to good things for our beloved wetlands!

Our hope is that we can use the heartbreaking death of an entire otter family on a West Marin road to advocate for safer roads for all wildlife. https://lnkd.in/gREcvAFE

Check out our new publication, a blending of research, community science, outreach, and education to broaden our understanding of our fascinating coastal food web.

Reminders are everywhere that we have the ability to remediate problems we've caused. We need the will. 99% of deceased otter sightings we receive through Otter Spotter are road kill. We use our Otter Spotter data to support conservation projects that provide safe wildlife corridors. Congratulations Beth Pratt and everyone who has worked long and hard on this project. Christine Banzon Colleen Haraden https://lnkd.in/gqj_U3A6