The Lighthouse Lecture Series Features Scott and Tree Mercer How Do We Do It. Why Do We Do It: "Our Whale Monitoring Program From The Point Arena Lighthouse Peninsula."

     The latest lecture in the series, "How Do We Do It. Why Do We Do It" will be presented on Saturday, December 17 at 4:00pm in the Fog Signal Building Museum, 45500 Lighthouse Road just north of Point Arena.  Admission is $5.

Image by Astrid Schmid from Pixabay

     Scott and Tree Mercer are familiar landmarks on the Lighthouse peninsula outside the Light Station gates from around September through May each year.  In 2014 they founded the Mendonoma Whale and Seal Study to document the occurrence, diversity, and behavior of marine mammals along the coast from Northern Sonoma County to Southern Mendocino County.  They present their data and findings at many local and international conferences. In 2021, the Mercers were featured in an extensive article in the Los Angeles Times about the Unusual Mortality Event of gray whales.  In 2022 they were included in a documentary film about gray whale research created by the UC Berkeley Department of Graduate Journalism. In this presentation Scott and Tree will discuss their motivation and process for observing, documenting and reporting on the variety of marine mammals that inhabit, frequent or migrate past the Mendocino coast.

     Scott began studying marine mammals in 1974 in Monterey Bay with an extended study of the feeding ecology of sea otters.  After relocating to his native New England in 1978 Scott founded New England Whale Watch, Inc. as an opportunity to offer first hand ocean life education to the public, and for him to collect data on the whales being observed. He has led offshore and overnight excursions to the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf, in the Caribbean, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, Canada.

     Tree has a Masters Degree in Science Education, and taught Biology, Life Science, and Physics in Long Island, New York for 38 years, as well as coaching three varsity level sports for as many years. Tree coordinates and organizes the data she and Scott collect. She designs their power point lectures for in-person and ZOOM lectures, as well as their research presentations at conferences.

     For more information about the Lecture Series or other Lighthouse events visit PointArenaLighthouse.com.

Image by Astrid Schmid from Pixabay