On June 25, NCCOS HAB Program partner Dr. Julia K. Parrish was honored as a Champion of Change by the White House. Dr. Parrish is the founder and executive director of the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), a group that organizes coastal residents to monitor beach-cast seabird carcasses in California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska.
Dr. Parrish and her organization were recognized for leading documention of the world’s single largest die-off of seabirds from a harmful algal bloom (HAB). Working with NOAA and NCCOS funded HAB scientists, Dr. Parrish led a team that responded to a 2009 widespread bloom of Akashiwo sanguinea , investigated its impacts on thousands of dead or stranded seabirds, and informed rehabilitation efforts. For additional information, contact Marc.Suddleson@noaa.gov.