Here's the lineup:

Social Hour: 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Kick things off with a relaxed social hour with light refreshments and refreshing non-alcoholic drinks while mingling with fellow nature enthusiasts. Jeff Miller, a celebrated guide and advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity will share his delightful new guidebook, Bay Area Wildlife: An Irreverent Guide—a treasure trove of over 100 native species, featuring stunning watercolor illustrations by the acclaimed Obi Kaufmann (The California Field Atlas). This guide is your gateway to discovering, understanding, and defending the incredible biodiversity of our region!

Two 45-Minute Presentations Begin After Social Hour (Read more below)

Speaker Bio

Dr. Quinton Martins is the founder and managing partner of True Wild, a conservation and safari company based in Sonoma County, striving to effectively connect people to nature and have a significant positive environmental impact on our rapidly deteriorating natural world. Quinton is a passionate conservationist from South Africa who has dedicated 30 years to wildlife and conservation, both as a professional African safari guide and a scientist specializing in big cat research. He founded and was CEO of the Cape Leopard Trust, a successful predator conservation NGO based in South Africa where he completed his PhD on leopards. He is also the founder and principal investigator of the North Bay “Living with Lions” project (in partnership with Audubon Canyon Ranch), a grassroots mountain lion conservation and research project working with communities to coexist with wildlife.

Dive into the World of White Sharks
with Dr. Paul Kanive & Scot Anderson

Time: 5:45 - 6:30 PM | Indoors

Sharks are often hailed as the keepers of balance in our oceans! These incredible top predators, like the mighty white shark, play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy, functional ecosystem. When white sharks thrive, it's a powerful signal that the marine environment is flourishing. By keeping mesopredator populations in check, they help stabilize the delicate web of ocean life.

Join Dr. Paul Kanive and Scot Anderson from The California White Shark Project for an unforgettable journey into the fascinating lives of white sharks that gather along California’s coast during the fall and winter. With over 35 peer-reviewed scientific papers under their belts, this dynamic duo will share their groundbreaking research on white shark behaviors, migrations, and population dynamics.

Learn how their long-term research dataset—a vital resource for scientific discovery, conservation policies, and community education—came to life, even after losing funding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their story is a testament to their resilience and passion for ocean conservation. This engaging presentation will not only dive deep into the world of white sharks but will also show you how you can get involved in supporting this local nonprofit. Whether you’re a marine enthusiast or simply curious about these ocean giants, you won’t want to miss it!

Speaker Bios

Dr. Paul Kanive has been studying the white shark since 2008 when he volunteered to assist with field operations on the white shark project. In 2009, he began his graduate studies that focused on modeling and estimation of population parameters of white sharks at Montana State University in Bozeman. After earning a Master’s degree in Fish and Wildlife Management in 2015, he continued his work on white shark population dynamics earning a Doctorate in Fish and Wildlife Biology in 2020. Paul lives in Montana when not looking for sharks with his lovely wife where they are raising a fantastic daughter. 

Scot Anderson has been studying sharks since 1987. After graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies, Scot began volunteering to help document predation events at the Farallon Islands island by developing the use of decoys (seal shape) with a video camera mounted underneath to film the sharks. He recognized that white shark individuals could be identified by their markings including the dorsal fins notches. In 1993, Scot’s video was used in the production of a BBC documentary “Great White Shark” for which he received an Emmy award for “Individual Achievement in a Craft: Cinematographers”. He later teamed up with Stanford University to deploy the first PSAT satellite tags, which led to the discovery of shark migration to the White Shark “Café”.