Inspiring curiosity through science, storytelling, and stewardship.

This is a place to explore the natural world through science, storytelling, and stewardship. Here you’ll find wildlife research, community science, and stories from my work as a behavioral ecologist, professor, and author. This is also a place to celebrate discovery: my own and that of the undergraduate researchers I have the privilege of mentoring. Together, we pursue meaningful questions, challenge assumptions, and contribute new knowledge about the natural world.

Whether you’ve come to read a Field Note, learn about a Community Science project, discover Romp!, or simply spend a few moments immersed in the natural world, I’m delighted you’re here. Thank you for visiting. I hope your time here sparks curiosity, deepens your connection to the natural world, and reminds you that wonder rarely asks us to travel far, only to pay attention.

Observe. Record. Contribute.

Help us better understand the California sea lions that call Newport’s Bayfront home.

Each summer, Newport’s sea lion docks grow quieter as most of the adult and subadult males migrate south to the breeding rookeries of California, like San Miguel, San Nicolas, and Santa Barbara Islands, where dominant bulls establish territories and females give birth and mate. The sea lions that return to Newport don’t breed here; they come to rest, forage, and recover, making the Bayfront one of the best places on the Oregon coast to observe these remarkable marine mammals. Their absence typically lasts from late spring through mid-summer, with numbers building again from July into autumn.

Although California sea lions are not endangered and their population is considered healthy, they face increasing challenges, including entanglement in fishing line and marine debris, harmful algal blooms that produce domoic acid, pollution, disturbance from people and vessels, and changing ocean conditions that affect their prey.

Now they’re returning, and you can help document their arrival. Thanks to Clearwater Restaurant and the Sea Lion Docks Foundation, you don’t even have to be in Newport to participate. Use the live webcam to observe the sea lions and contribute your observations to our long-term community science project. Every observation helps us better understand behavior, health, and the changing dynamics of this remarkable colony.