Rebuilding California Estuaries
through Restoration of Native Olympia Oysters

Wednesday, May 13, 2026
6:00 PM on Zoom

Guest Presenter:
Dr. Edwin Grosholz, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at UC Davis

Estuaries throughout California have suffered extensive habitat loss and ongoing climate change. Many of the species that historically supported the food web in the habitats are now in sharp decline or gone completely.  Historically, native Olympia oysters provided food and habitat for a diversity of species in much the same way rainforest trees do in tropical forests. The structure and food provided by Olympia oyster beds have helped to support many species of birds, fish, and other key species in these habitats. Unfortunately, Olympia oysters are at very low abundances in most estuaries in California and are in desperate need of population and habitat restoration. Working with a broad coalition of researchers, restoration practitioners, shellfish growers, resource agency staff, Tribal members and others, we have a developed a coastwide network focused on restoring Olympia oysters at locations from British Columbia to Baja California including many locations in California.

Dr. Edwin (Ted) Grosholz is a Distinguished Professor (Emeritus since 2024) and the Alexander and Elizabeth Swantz Specialist in Cooperative Extension at the University of California, Davis. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and has lived in California and worked in many locations along the coast over the past 40 years. He is a benthic marine ecologist whose work addresses the consequences of climate change and biological invasions on the ecological function of coastal habitats. His recent work has included projects addressing the restoration of native oysters, seagrass beds, and coastal marshes.

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Photo: Grosholz Lab