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Author: Karen Helms

Share the Shore: Watch Marine Mammals Responsibly

Posted on by Karen Helms
In the age of selfies and social media, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of being close to wildlife and sharing photos. For seals and sea lions that rest on our beaches, close encounters with people can be harmful. Continued disturbances may interfere with important survival behaviors, or cause mothers to abandon their pups. You’re too close to an animal if it starts to stare, fidg...
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Run For The Seals!

Posted on by Karen Helms
Wags and Menace Make A Difference Foundation Run For The SealsTo benefit the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center in Crescent City, CA Participants receive a FREE Race T-Shirt! The course follows the ocean along Beachfront Park, then turns around in the Crescent City Harbor. There, the runners will race the waves to the shore along Anchor Way. Nearing the end, they will run the B Street pier...
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PHS Harper — USCG Dorado Mooring

Posted on by Karen Helms
Our thanks to the Jessie and the crewmen of the USCG Dorado, moored in Crescent City, California for calling the center this morning to report a small, abandoned, barely moving little grey seal.  Under observation by the crewmembers during the morning hours, the pup had not moved and no mother Pacific Harbor Seal was seen nearby nor attempting to reach or care for it. After assessing the little...
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CSL Jason — Powerline Beach

Posted on by Karen Helms
Jason, a young adult California Sea Lion, was rescued from Powerline Beach, a mile and a half South of the Samoa Cookhouse, last Friday. Jason was reported to be beached and suffering from a severe bite consistent with a shark predation event. Transfer to the center was made last Friday evening. Jason is currently eating herring three times a day. Dr. Dennis Wood, DVM stated he has a good chance a...
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Two New Carrier Litters Donated by Ron Young

Posted on by Karen Helms
Ron Young's carpentry skills will soon be used on the beaches of Del Norte and Humboldt counties during rescues when volunteers need to hand-carry pinnipeds from the beach. Carriers are very tough to carry with an active pinniped inside. Ron's litters, made of sturdy 2 x 4 pine and oiled as defense against the salt water environment, will make those transfers from beach to rescue vehicle secure. O...
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Crescent City Harbor District & NMMC Staff Coordinate and Observe Marine Mammals

Posted on by Karen Helms
As part of our on-going work observing and photo-documenting the recently injured CSL in the Crescent City Harbor, as coordinated by Dr. Dennis Wood, DVM and SA Tim Broadman, NOAA, NMMC staff today met and jointly observed pinnipeds with Crescent City Harbor District (CCHD) personnel. In the photo below CCHD Executive Secretary Nancy Suski points out an item of interest for volunteer Hospital Mana...
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Crescent City CSLs Take Shark Bites

Posted on by Karen Helms
Dr. Dennis Wood and NOAA Western Regional Stranding Network Coordinator Justin Viezbicke, along with NOAA Law Enforcement officers out of Eureka, have been fielding a lot of calls from distressed members of the public lately. Several California Sea Lions have been observed in the Crescent City Harbor sporting small to very large bite marks consistent with shark bites. One of the three CSLs initial...
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NMMC in the News: Mad River Union, Eureka Standard Tribune, and KMUD 88.1 FM Interview!

Posted on by Karen Helms
It's been a busy week for the public affairs department at the NMMC! This past week we were able to get two newspaper articles into the local Humboldt county press highlighting the plight of California Sea Lion pups (who are stranding in record numbers up and down the California coast this year). While on a lunch break while driving to Arcata to pick up Miranda's Rescue' donation of kennels, Vo...
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