Life Sustainer or Sinister? Talk will Explore the World of Phytoplankton

The fascinating world of phytoplankton, producers of half the entire world’s oxygen, will be featured in a talk by Bureau of Land Management Interpreter Rachel Sowards-Thompson, Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., at the BLM King Range Project Office on Shelter Cove Road in Whitethorn.

Those planning to attend should call Sowards-Thompson at (707) 986-5411 to reserve space.  Admission is free.
 
Sowards-Thompson has been participating in a Phytoplankton Monitoring Network organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and will explain the work underway to track potentially harmful algae blooms along California’s Lost Coast.
 
“Phytoplankton are critically important organisms,” Sowards-Thompson said.  “They produce huge amounts of oxygen, sequester carbon dioxide, and are the base of the marine food chain.  Without them, ocean ecosystems would collapse.
 
“Certain species, under the right conditions, can be deadly to marine life and humans,” she continued.  “I will talk about those species, how we are monitoring them, and how people can get involved with the partnership.  Everyone will have a chance to use microscopes to see phytoplankton.”
 
The talk is part of a winter series of lectures and hikes focusing on natural resources of the Lost Coast. The last event of 2009 will be a December 27 hike to Ancestor Grove that will focus on the life cycle of salmon.
 
A complete schedule of lectures and hikes that continue into February can be found at www.blm.gov/ca/arcata.  Follow the links to King Range National Conservation Area.

Northern California District   355 Hemsted Drive, Redding, CA 96002