How a Small Conservation NGO Landed One of the Largest Grants in California History
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McGowan MG102McGowan Building
411 Pacific St
Monterey, CA 93940 View in Campus Map
Free
Open to the Public
The California Marine Sanctuary Foundation was recently awarded $71 million—one of the biggest federal grant to a nongovernmental organization in California history.
How a Small Conservation NGO Landed One of the Largest Grants in California History
Speaker: Robert Mazurek, Executive Director, California Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Monday, September 23, 2024
6:00pm to 7:30pm
In-person event (Zoom TBD)
McGowan Building, Room 102
411 Pacific Street, Montery, CA 93940
About the Topic
Now in their 30th year, the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF) has worked to protect the state’s coastal ecosystems in the face of population growth, urban and industrial uses, climate change, and resource extraction. Working in collaboration with local communities, government agencies, Tribes, industry, universities, research institutions, and other NGOs, CMSF designs and leads projects that increase ecosystem and community resilience, while promoting stewardship of coastal resources. This focus on collaboration has led to a much more comprehensive and integrated approach to solving some of California’s most urgent challenges. Robert Mazurek, Executive Director at CMSF, will talk about his journey to leading the organization, their approach to conservation, and how they won $71 million for the Monterey Bay area.
About the Speaker
Robert Mazurek has spent over two decades leading national and international efforts to strengthen ocean governance, enhance marine policy, and create resilient coasts. He has turned his life-long passion for ocean conservation into a career that has spanned the globe. Internationally, Robert’s work with the Pew Charitable Trusts helped lead to the creation of some of the largest marine reserves in the world including Australia’s Coral Sea Marine National Park, Chile’s Easter Island Marine Reserve, and the U.K.’s Pitcairn Island Marine Reserve. Robert also started the Secure Fisheries program, where he worked with the governments of Somalia, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Mauritius, Seychelles, the Maldives, and Madagascar, to strengthen maritime governance and fight illegal fishing. He also worked as a maritime expert for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s Global Maritime Crime Program.
In California, Robert helped create the California Ocean Alliance, developed the management plan for the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, and helped launch the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s world-renowned Seafood Watch program.
Robert took over as Executive Director of the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation in April 2021 after sitting on the foundation’s Board of Directors for 13 years.
Recommended Reading
- California Marine Sanctuary Foundation scores a transformative grant for the Monterey Bay area
- How the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation Scored $71 Million
Event Location: McGowan Building, Room 102
The McGowan Building is located at 411 Pacific Street, Monterey, CA, 93940, on the campus of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Attendees should enter through the glass doors from Pacific Street, and the MG102 is located inside to the right. View the campus map.
Zoom Link (TBD)
This is a free event, open to the public. No registration is needed. This is an in-person event, but live-stream via Zoom may be available, and the event may be recorded. Details will be added here as we know more.
Parking
Parking is available in any Middlebury Institute campus lot after 5 p.m., no parking permit required, no fee. View the campus map. (be sure to not confuse city lots with campus lots—city lots do charge a fee). Free parking is also available on the street (time limits on surrounding streets end at 6 p.m.).
Questions
Contact Rachel Christopherson at the Center for the Blue Economy at cbe@miis.edu or (831) 647-4183.
Gratitude to Our Sponsors
We thank the Loker Hicks Foundation and the Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation our sponsors.
About the Host
The Center for the Blue Economy is a research center at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, that provides economic and policy analysis to support the development of a robust and equitable blue economy for the 21st century. The Center uses the World Bank’s definition of the Blue Economy: the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health. We must maintain ocean health to maintain human health, economic health, and the health of the planet. Climate change is linked, inextricably, to a healthy ocean. We are co-leading a movement for Ocean Climate Action Now. Consider joining our Center for the Blue Economy Newsletter List (3-4x per year by email).