Fog horns, heavy surf, and sea lions barking are all part of the acoustic environment on our coast.  Composer and local jazz musician John Gilmore has combined this soundscape with original musical compositions to create a unique collection of “music” inspired by the Mendocino coast. Incorporating the field recordings where he lives, John offers his musical interpretation…

I’ve always thought of myself as an ocean guy.  I grew up on the Atlantic — to be more precise, smack on Long Island Sound, that expanse of salt water that marries the shorelines of Connecticut and Long Island — and spent my boyhood exploring the marshes, estuaries and mudflats of that usually calm body…

We are articulating our first skeletons!  We hope you will join us as we build two sea lion skeletons bone-by-bone.  With the help of Master Articulators Mike deRoos, Michi Main, and Lee “the Boneman” Post, the Noyo Center will assemble a California Sea Lion skeleton and a Steller Sea Lion skeleton in life-like poses for eventual…

The Fort Bragg Orca Orca beach strandings are rare. So rare, in fact, that there are fewer than 30 skeletons on display worldwide. In April 2015, an Orca was found on the beach at MacKerricher State Park, just north of Ft. Bragg. Spanning 26-feet, the Fort Bragg Orca will be the largest Orca skeleton on…

The Noyo Center for Marine Science is excited to announce we have achieved a significant milestone this week with the successful establishment of a legal, non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. This was done in record time, thanks to the exceptional team that is working behind the scenes to build…

Eben Schwartz’s Presentation: Tsunami Debris-Fort Bragg – 3-6-15 Overview: We were fortunate enough to host Eben Swartz, the Marine Debris Coordinator for the CA Coastal Commission, on March 6th at Town Hall.  Eben gave a very thorough presentation on the debris field migrating across the Pacific Ocean following the tsunami that hit Japan in 2011.  The…

  As you know, in 2011 a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of Japan, causing tsunami waves up to 133 feet high to crash onshore. Almost 16,000 people were killed in this event, a human tragedy on a massive scale. The devastation also caused in an estimated 1.5 million tons of buoyant debris to wash…

I love fall.  I love the blustery days and the wild seas.  It was a spectacular day on Monday out at Spring Ranch, one of my favorite places to walk along the coast with my pooch. The seas were churning and I noticed a good amount of sea foam in the water, and it reminded me that I’ve…

Babe the blue ox had to step aside for the day and make way for our amazing Blue Whale skeleton during Paul Bunyan Days!  Over 1000 people came out on a beautiful sunny day to see the bones, enjoy the coast, and explore the future home of the Noyo Center for Marine Science.  Young and old…

Have you ever wondered how big a Blue Whale’s heart is?  Or how many krill a Blue Whale can eat in one day?  Have you ever wanted to know more about the migration patterns of the different whales that swim past our coast?  The answers to these and many of other fascinating questions could be…