Keynote—Monday, July 24, 2023 • 9:00 AM
Qwo’shi’lo’sia / Lisa Wilson (Lummi)
Lisa Wilson is an elected member of the Lummi Indian Business Council and serves as the vice chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. She also serves as the co-chair of the Natural Resources Committee of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, and is the former Endangered Species Act manager of Lummi Natural Resources. Lisa earned her bachelor’s degree in Native Environmental Science from Northwest Indian College and created the documentary Time Immemorial: A Fishing History of the Lummi People as her capstone project. Her expertise lies in treaty protection and fisheries policy management.
Keynote—Tuesday, July 25, 2023 • 9:00 AM
Ocean Exploration: Driven Forward through Partnerships
Everyone can agree, ocean exploration is a dynamic and exciting field! New discoveries and expeditions, advances in technology, and important, unusual, and unexpected findings in deep-ocean science happen almost every day.
Whether it be on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, Ocean Exploration Trust’s Exploration Vessel Nautilus, Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Research Vessel Falkor (too), or the growing number of private exploration vessels across the globe, the rigorous observations and documentation of biological, chemical, physical, geological, and archaeological aspects of the ocean gained from exploration help to set the stage for future research and decision-making. Through partnerships in ocean exploration, we collect the information needed to address both current and emerging science and management needs. Exploration helps to ensure ocean resources are managed in a sustainable way, so those resources are around for future generations to enjoy.
This plenary will share the latest work and key findings from Ocean Exploration Trust, NOAA Ocean Exploration, and Schmidt Ocean Institute. Join us to explore the deep sea AND connect LIVE with E/V Nautilus at sea exploring near Hawai’i!
Presenters:
Kelly Guarino, Education Program Coordinator, Ocean Exploration Trust
Susan Haynes, Education Program Manager, NOAA Ocean Exploration/Groundswell
Liz Hoadley, Ocean Exploration Program Manager, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Keynote—Wednesday, July 26, 2023 • 9:00 AM
Lessons learned from 50 years of Stewardship: Educating for the future of the Salish Sea.
To honor the 50th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, join us for a panel discussion highlighting the importance of science, management, and education to conserving the species of the Salish Sea.
Panelists:
Ginny Broadhurst, Director, Salish Sea Institute
Lynne Barre, Branch Chief, Protected Resources, West Coast Region NOAA Fisheries
Jeff Hogan, Executive Director/Founder, Killer Whale Tales
Melissa Miner, Data Manager and WA Regional Coordinator, Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe), UC Santa Cruz
Stegner Lecture—Wednesday, July 26, 2023 • 4:15 PM
Connecting With the Natural World Through Poetry
Poet Rena Priest connecting with the natural world at sea
Rena Priest will share a reading and reflections on her two-year term as Washington State Poet Laureate, as well as share from her most recent project, an anthology titled I Sing the Salmon Home: Poems from Washington State. Her talk will focus on how poetry, as a vital expression of our humanity, can be used as a tool for individuals to connect with the natural world. In an interview with poets.org she says,
“Everywhere I go, I see that people are eager to have a safe place in which to share who they are. Because poetry provides this space and allows people to connect in ways that go beyond the mundane, transcending time and space to reach into the deeply personal while honoring individuality and respecting alternate beliefs and perspectives, it is an ideal tool for bringing people together.
“I’ll use my salmon anthology project as an example. Across Washington State, there are many different ideas about the threat of extinction that looms over some of our iconic wild salmon runs. Talking about salmon in a political context will divide a community, whereas having people write poems celebrating salmon has brought us together and allowed us to see each other’s points of view. I hope it will give us the strength and wherewithal to act in a unified and unselfish way on behalf of our waterways and the many beings who rely on them, including us.”
Rena Priest is an enrolled member of the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation. She served as the 6th Washington State Poet Laureate (2021-2023) and is the recipient of an Allied Arts Foundation Professional Poets Award and fellowships from the Academy of American Poets and Indigenous Nations Poets. She is the author of two collections of poetry and a guide to Pacific Northwest beaches. She has edited two anthologies and published poetry and prose in Poetry Magazine, Yellow Medicine Review, Moss Magazine, High Country News, and elsewhere. She is a National Geographic Explorer and holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. Learn more at renapriest.com.
The Stegner Memorial Lecture is named in honor of Dr. Robert Stegner, a pioneer in marine education who died shortly after he retired from teaching at the University of Delaware. Bob hosted one of the first meetings of marine educators that would become the National Marine Educators’ Association, and was a central figure in charting the course for what marine education would become. His efforts also led to the creation of project COAST, one of the first marine education curriculum projects. Over the years, this Memorial Lecture has evolved into a variety of presentations, including lectures, musical presentations, and visual displays.
More information on other keynotes and plenary sessions will be available soon!
Ocean Networks Canada will be hosting the IPMEN 2023 conference at the University of Victoria on Vancouver Island BC, Canada, from Tuesday July 18 to Thursday July 20. More information can be found on the IPMEN website.
