As gray whales soon begin their migration north along the eastern pacific, join us as we pay tribute to these beautiful goliaths with a timely update on their precarious status. We are so pleased to kick off 2026 with esteemed scientist, Dr. Steven Swartz who has been “on the ground” studying gray whales in their breeding lagoons in Baja California since 1977. For everything you might want to know about gray whales, please join us!

This free event is open to the public. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. A suggested donation of $10 per participant is encouraged and greatly appreciated. Donations help cover webinar costs and support our education and cetacean research grant programs. To donate, please visit our website https://www.acs-sfbay.org/donate. We are grateful for your support!

About Steven Swartz:

Steven is a 1986 graduate of the University of California Santa Cruz where he was awarded his Ph.D. under Dr. Kenneth Norris. Steven has researched and published widely on gray whales and their breeding lagoons in Baja California. From 1977 to 1982 Steven and Mary Lou Jones conducted the first systematic research of gray whales in Laguna San Ignacio. In 2006, along with Jorge Urban R., they founded the Laguna San Ignacio Ecosystem Science Program (LSIESP) to support and encourage science-based research and monitoring of gray whales and their breeding lagoon areas. Steven served as a consultant to the Mexican government's Ministry of the Environment, Natural Resources, and Fisheries and worked for the Ocean Conservancy, the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries and the International Whaling Commission. Since retiring from federal service in 2011, Steven continues to work as a consultant and senior scientist for non-profit marine conservation organizations including the "Gray Whale Research in Mexico" program which is a project of The Ocean Foundation in Baja California Sur, Mexico.