Echoes of the Ocean - Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Echoes of the Ocean: A Marine Life Speaker Series

The series will reflect national research as well as research specific to CMA on marine life, while including its ongoing mission of rescue, rehabilitation and release.

Talks will be held four times a year on Thursday evenings from 5-8 p.m. with talks beginning at 6pm in CMA’s Dolphin Tale Theater on the fourth floor.

Upcoming Talks:

Giants to Ghosts: The Plight of the North Atlantic Right Whale

This event is postponed until 2025. Please check back for more updates.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium | Dolphin Tale Theater

North Atlantic right whales are one of the world’s most endangered large whale species. Join us for a comprehensive discussion about these whales including their life history, current populations status, and the threats they face. Gain insights from experts about ongoing efforts designed to protect these whales. Learn about the critical work of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, including aerial surveys and other essential research, and learn how these initiatives are crucial to the conservation of right whales.

Don’t miss this chance to deepen your understanding of right whales and how you can contribute to their protection. This event is a valuable opportunity for marine enthusiasts, conservation advocates, and anyone interested in this critically endangered species.

5:00 pm: Social Hour
4th Level ArtSea Conservation Exhibit
6:00 pm: Speaker Sessions
4th Level Dolphin Tale Theater
7:30 pm: Q&A Panel Discussion
4th Level Dolphin Tale Theater

Tickets

General Admission: $25
Students (Ages 8+): $15
Government Employees: $15

Members: 10% OFF

Limited ticket availability. Advanced reservations are highly encouraged.

Ticket pricing is subject to change.

Topics & Speakers

Giants to Ghosts: The Plight of the North Atlantic Right Whale

Melanie White

Research Scientist – Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute

Melanie White is the CMARI project manager for the North Atlantic right whale conservation program. She manages three field teams that conduct aerial surveys on the only known calving grounds for this critically endangered species. Each winter, Melanie is based in Saint Simons Island, Georgia where she participates in survey flights off the coast of Georgia and northeast Florida.

Melanie has been flying North Atlantic right whale surveys since December 2005 and has been based in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia. She works as an observer, survey coordinator and field supervisor monitoring the location, individual identification and real-time vessel mitigation for right whales.

Melanie grew up in upstate New York surrounded by lakes and forests, so her love for the ocean only surfaced thanks to a family trip to Acadia National Park, Maine. The variety of marine creatures found in countless tide pools captivated her and triggered the start of her fascination to learn about the world below the vast ocean’s surface. She is a graduate from Ursinus College, Pennsylvania and holds a B.S. in Biology.

Melanie has spent time studying large whales on both coasts. She has monitored the gray whale population in British Columbia, Canada and now spends her time in both the northern and southern sectors of the U.S. eastern seaboard. During the summer Melanie can be found on the whale watching vessel, M/V Granite State, in Rye, New Hampshire where she works as a naturalist and research associate with the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation. Melanie then heads south in the winter coordinating right whale aerial surveys for the CMA Research Institute each calving season.

When she is not in the field searching for whales, Melanie tends to gravitate to the environment surrounding her. She enjoys hiking, aquatic birding, searching for treasures on the beach and nature photography.

Kara Shervanick

Southeast Right Whale Coordinator – NOAA Fisheries

Kara Shervanick is a dedicated marine mammal biologist and passionate advocate for environmental conservation. Currently serving as the Southeast Right Whale Coordinator for NOAA Fisheries, she focuses on protecting endangered species and their critical role in ocean ecosystems. With over ten years of experience, Kara has worked on a variety of conservation issues, including reducing sea turtle bycatch, banning the trade of shark fins in the U.S., and defending key environmental laws such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Kara’s work has consistently emphasized the importance of using science and data to inform management decisions, building partnerships, and including stakeholders in the process. Her commitment to communication, connection-building, and conservation drives her work to ensure a healthier future for marine species and their habitats. Kara holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Environmental Studies from Trinity University and Masters Environmental Management from Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment.

Cheryl Munday

Marine Conservation Communications Consultant – Clearwater Marine Aquarium/The Conservation Marketing Group

Cheryl Munday is a seasoned marine science and environmental education professional with over 25 years of experience. She spent more than a decade as a Marine Mammal Outreach Specialist with NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, contributing significantly to marine mammal education and outreach initiatives; she was honored as the 2009 NOAA Fisheries Team Member of the Year. Cheryl played a key role in programs such as Dolphin SMART, the Don’t Feed Wild Dolphins/Protect Dolphins Campaign, and SEE & ID Dolphins & Whales / Dolphin & Whale 911 smartphone apps. Cheryl is the co-founder and organizer of the Right Whale Festival, an annual event dedicated to raising awareness about the endangered North Atlantic right whale and the efforts to protect this species. Her leadership in the festival has helped foster greater public involvement in right whale conservation. In 2019, Cheryl founded The Conservation Marketing Group, building on her extensive expertise. Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Long Island University-Southampton College and a Master of Science in Environmental Education from the Florida Institute of Technology. Currently, she serves as a consultant for Clearwater Marine Aquarium and leads the Echoes of the Ocean speaker series.

Superheroes of Manatee Conservation

Thursday, June 6, 2024 · 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm

We are excited to welcome Superheroes of Manatee Conservation, Dr. James “Buddy” Powell and Jamal Galves, as we explore the ongoing efforts and challenges of protecting these gentle giants. Dr. Powell, one of the world’s leading experts on manatees, will share stories from a lifetime of manatee research, including introducing Jacques Cousteau to the manatees in Crystal River when he was just a teenager.

Jamal Galves was just a young boy in Belize when he met Dr. Powell; he will reminisce about that fateful day, how it led to his passion to protect manatees, and his extraordinary career as the “Manatee Man.”

These two superheroes have worked to protect manatees in the U.S. Caribbean, Central America, and throughout their range; we are excited to bring these efforts to Clearwater Marine Aquarium in our new Manatee Rehabilitation Center . We will hear about this new facility, rehabilitation efforts, and the manatee in our care from CMA’s Manatee Manager, Tanya Ward.

Superheroes of Manatee Conservation

Dr. James “Buddy” Powell

Chief Zoological Officer & Executive Director – Clearwater Marine Aquarium, CMA Research Institute

For more than 40 years, Dr. James “Buddy” Powell has worked to conserve manatees and other endangered species around the world through science and education. With an integrated approach to unlock solutions for conservation issues, his efforts have resulted in coastal protected areas in Florida, West Africa, Central America and Cuba.

As native Floridian in the 1970s, Dr. Powell’s work began with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a biologist and manatee specialist. In 1986, he moved to West Africa where he studied manatees and forest elephants for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). After a cultural adjustment and gaining experience in managing people and changing human behavior, he was pivotal in establishing several coastal protected areas. He moved to Belize in the 1990s to manage WCS’s Glover’s Reef Marine Research Station. Upon his return to Florida, Dr. Powell administered the state’s research program on marine mammals and sea turtles for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In 2001, he became a Vice President at Wildlife Trust where he oversaw the Aquatic and National Divisions.

In 2008, Dr. Powell co-founded Sea to Shore Alliance. The organization was created to improve the health and productivity of coastal environments for the endangered species and human livelihoods that depend on them through research, education and conservation. Dr. Powell joined CMA as VP of Research & Conservation when Sea to Shore Alliance merged with Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

Dr. Powell received his BSc. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Florida, his Masters in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington, and his PhD in Zoology from the University of Cambridge in England. He was the recipient of the prestigious Pew Award in Marine Conservation in 2000, has been featured on “Champions of the Wild” and National Geographic’s “Wild Chronicles” documentaries, and has been honored with multiple awards and certificates. Dr. Powell has authored two books, numerous scientific publications and popular articles.

Jamal Galves

“The Real Manatee Man”

Belize Program Coordinator – CMA Research Institute

A native of Belize, Jamal Galves has been passionate about protecting wildlife since childhood. From the age of 12, he knew he wanted to work with animals – specifically manatees.

In 1998, Jamal met Executive Director Dr. James “Buddy” Powell and USGS scientist Robert Bonde while participating in his first manatee health assessment. Working with these two renowned scientists influenced Jamal enormously; he was immediately hooked and soon found himself taking every opportunity to work with manatees. While most of his high school classmates were spending their weekends and holidays relaxing, Jamal was working with scientists, monitoring and feeding two manatees in their final stages of rehabilitation. He eventually helped with the tracking of those two manatees after their release.

After finishing high school, Jamal volunteered to work with Nicole Auil Gomez, an associate with Sea to Shore Alliance, now CMA Research Institute, and was eventually given a full-time position as coordinator of the manatee project., continuing his dream of protecting wildlife. Jamal’s responsibilities include addressing and responding to any manatee related incidents in the entire country of Belize; capturing, tagging, and tracking manatees; collecting data; rescue, release and monitoring of rehabilitated manatees in the wild; and educational outreach and awareness.

Jamal recently was awarded the prestigious Ocean Hero Award by Oceana Belize for his dedicated, passionate and heroic work with the endangered manatee. He has also been presented with the Belize National Hero Award (Meritorious Award” from the Belize Government for his conservation contribution to the country. He have been named a National Geographic Explorer and Natgeo PhotoArk Edge Fellow. “These animals are in trouble and need our help – I have dedicated my life to helping this species,” he said upon accepting the award.

The New Manatee Rehabilitation Center at CMA

Tanya Ward

Manatee Care Manager – Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Tanya Ward is the Manatee Care Manager at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Tanya is originally from Virginia and moved to Clearwater Florida in 1999 to pursue her dream of working in the rescue and rehabilitation field with marine mammals. She started her career volunteering at CMA in various departments including the rescue team, the sea turtle department, and the Full Circle Program. This led to a full-time job with the Full Circle Program. A grant-based program working with at-risk youth in an animal- assisted therapy setting. Through volunteer and full-time work at CMA, it led her to Lowry Park Zoo, now known as Zoo Tampa, where she worked in the David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Hospital for ten years. During that time, she trained under Virginia Edmonds, the current president of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP). After ZooTampa, Tanya moved to Colorado in 2013 working at Colorado State University in their Veterinary equine teaching hospital. She returned to Clearwater, Florida in 2014 and began working at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on the Veldt team, then moved to Edge of Africa where she was the Supervisor over the lions, hyenas, Nile crocodile, ring-tail lemurs and hippos. She continued volunteer work at CMA as a rescue team member upon her return to Florida working with CMARI and CMA on manatee calls as well as other marine life. I am excited to be a part of the new hospital at CMA, working closely with the MRP and continuing to contribute to Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s mission.

Q&A Panelists

Dr. James “Buddy” Powell – Chief Zoological Officer & Executive Director – CMA/CMARI
Jamal Galves – Belize Program Coordinator – CMARI
Monica Ross – Director of Manatee Research & Conservation/ Senior Research Scientist – CMARI
Dr. Anmari Alvarez Aleman – Caribbean Research Director – CMARI
Tanya Ward – Manatee Care Manager – CMA
Martine de Wit, DVM, MS, – Research Scientist at Florida Fish & Wildlife Research Institute

The Journey of the Rice’s Whale

Thursday, March 7, 2024 · 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm

This first event will feature the fascinating story of a newly discovered species of whale found in the Gulf of Mexico, formally named the Rice’s whale in 2021. After years of research, scientists used genetic and morphological evidence to determine that the Rice’s whale is a distinct species. The Rice’s whale is one of the most critically endangered species in the world with fewer than 100 individuals remaining.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium | Dolphin Tale Theater

Rice’s Whales – Navigating Towards Recovery

Laura Engleby

Chief, Marine Mammal Branch – NOAA Fisheries Southeast Region

Laura has over 35 years of experience working with marine mammals at the intersection of policy and science. She is the Chief of the Marine Mammal Branch for the Protected Resources Division at NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office (SERO), based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Her responsibilities include recovering endangered species such as North Atlantic right whales and Rice’s whales, working collaboratively with stakeholders to reduce human impacts to marine mammals, administering the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program and fostering conservation for marine mammals throughout the southeastern US.

From “Save the Whales” to “Save the Rice’s Whale”: A History of Modern Smithsonian Whale Conservation

John Ososky

Museum Specialist, Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History

John Ososky was a baker the first half of his adult life. He received a BS in Wildlife Biology from Humboldt State University in California in 1994 and an MS in Biological Sciences from Northern Illinois University. John worked for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History from 1998 through 2023 with a focus on managing marine mammal collections; he has processed some 1,500 specimens of marine mammals, mostly cetaceans and seals. He is currently an associate of the Bonehenge Whale Center in Beaufort NC.

The Journey to the Future Holotype: A Story of Partnership

Gretchen Lovewell

Program Manager Stranding Investigations, Mote Marine Laboratory

Ms. Gretchen Lovewell is the Program Manager for Mote Marine Laboratory’s Stranding Investigations Program. She has been active in the stranding network since 1999 where she was a student at University of North Carolina Wilmington. Gretchen has been in a leadership role since 2003, first as North Carolina state stranding coordinator for NOAA Fisheries from 2003-2009, and Mote’s Program Manager since 2009. Gretchen has responded to over 40 different species of marine mammals and sea turtles through hundreds of stranding responses, necropsies (animal autopsies), and rescues. In addition to her stranding work, Gretchen manages the Ruth DeLynn Cetacean Osteological Collection. Gretchen has participated in aerial and vessel surveys for marine mammals, is a Level 3 first responder for large whale disentanglement and has participated in multiple dolphin health assessments. This work has led to several collaborations on peer-reviewed scientific papers, presentations, and reports.

Denise Boyd

Associate Research Scientist, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

Denise Boyd, is an assistant research scientist with the FL Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s marine mammal in Southwest FL. She has 29 years of experience responding to marine mammals and is a team lead for response and examination of large whale strandings throughout the Southeast region and other areas as needed.

Q&A Panelists

John Ososky – Museum Specialist, Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History
Laura Engleby – Marine Mammal Branch Chief, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office
Gretchen Lovewell – Program Manager Stranding Investigations, Mote Marine Laboratory
Denise Boyd – Associate Research Scientist, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Dr. James “Buddy” Powell – Chief Zoological Officer & Executive Director- CMA/CMARI
Dr. Joy S. Reidenberg – Comparative Anatomist

Explore our ArtSEA Conservation exhibit!

Access our newly reimagined 4th level, featuring our ArtSea Conservation exhibit during the evening.

Net proceeds from this event benefit Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s ongoing mission to rescue, rehab, and release more marine life.

Please Note:

In order to purchase or consume an alcoholic beverage, guests must be 21 or older. Additionally, you will be required to present valid identification to verify your age.
All prices and event details subject to change. Refunds are not available for special events. Late arrivals, cancellations, and no shows will not be refunded or rescheduled.

Dress attire is casual.

Please note that while we encourage a relaxed and comfortable dress code for this event, we kindly request that guests refrain from wearing bathing suits or any overly revealing clothing. We ask that appropriate clothing be worn to cover the torso and be suitable for public spaces. This may include items such as t-shirts, blouses, shorts, jeans, skirts, and dresses. Shoes or sandals are also required.

We reserve the right to refuse entry or ask guests to leave if their attire does not comply with our dress code policy. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to a fun and enjoyable event for all.