Explore Your Coast Speaker Series

“It is of great importance that the general public be given an opportunity to experience — consciously and intelligently — the efforts and results of scientific research. It is not sufficient that each result be taken up, elaborated, and applied by a few specialists in the field. Restricting a body of knowledge to a small group deadens the philosophical spirit of a people and leads to spiritual poverty.”

— From Einstein’s foreword to The Universe and Dr. Einstein, by Lincoln Barnet

Have you ever wanted to take a deeper dive into the ecosystems, plants, and animals that live on the Central Coast? Join NOAA's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and BLM's Piedras Blancas Light Station for a new speaker series featuring local subject matter experts.

Have you visited a national monument without even realizing it? Stretching along 1,100 miles of California coastline, the California Coastal National Monument includes more than 20,000 protected offshore rocks and islands—and several spectacular places you can explore on land. Join Monument Manager Leisyka Parrott for "California’s Wild Edge: The Monument Hiding in Plain Sight Along the Central Coast" on Saturday November 7th. Discover remarkable wildlife, historic lighthouses, scenic trails, and the coastal communities connected to this extraordinary monument.

Leisyka Parrott is the manager of the California Coastal National Monument, coordinating conservation, stewardship, science, and partnerships along 1,100 miles of California coastline. A lifelong ocean lover and naturalist, she enjoys connecting people with the coast through wildlife watching, education, and hands-on stewardship.