Making a Difference: Otter Project

Take a stroll across the central coast and you may see a California Sea Otter. But sadly these beautiful creatures that once flourished, now top the endangered species list.

Steve Shimek is the Executive Director for the Otter Project. He says “The otters aren’t doing great and that tells us maybe the ocean is having some problems.”

With roughly 28-hundred in existence, the Otter Project and its volunteers are on a recovery mission. Each week volunteers walk the coast’s many marine protected areas and play a critical role in saving the otter population.

Jamie Feuerstein has been volunteering with the Otter Project since January. The data she collects is shared with several oceanic organizations who use the information to improve marine life.

“We go out with clipboards and we’re basically recording. What I’m looking for is people on the beach, tide pooling, fishing. What matters to the otters is the health of the ecosystem” says Feuerstein.

Since 2011, about a hundred volunteers, like Jamie, have collected over 6,000 surveys crucial to recovery efforts.

“That info is incredibly useful. Sea Otters are an indicator species which means they are an indicator of what’s going to happen to the human population and the health of the ecosystem. The species has an intrinsic right to exists” says Shimek.

If you would like to volunteer, donate or learn more about the Otter Project visit http://www.otterproject.org/