Science Social:
‘The Forest of the Sea’
A talk on kelp, climate and the future of the Ocean

Guest Presenter: David Helvarg

Saturday, August 8, 2026
5:00 - 7:30 PM
5:00 Happy Hour (Food, wine, beer, and soft drinks)
6:00 Presentation Begins

Author and Ocean activist David Helvarg will recount his memorable 2-year journey beneath the waves and through kelp’s natural and human history that spans the globe.  Also, the 500 billion dollars of products and services it contributes to our economy and the human activities that threaten its survival.

While they cover more space than the Amazon Rainforest, kelp forests are largely out of sight and out of mind below the cold waters of up to one third of the world’s coastlines, including some of which he got to dive in and sail across.  He’ll highlight the people working for the understanding, protection, restoration and edible harvesting of this amazing macroalgae (including those discussed in Chapter 6 - 'Fort Bragg')  and the more than 1,000 species from sea otters to salmon to sea dragons that depend on it.  He’ll also talk about what each of us can do in our day to day lives to make a difference for our blue marble planet’s flora and fauna, both wet and dry, that we are all entangled with.   

David will also be signing copies of his book earlier in the day, on Saturday, August, at the Discovery Center, from 1-3 PM.

David Helvarg is an author and Executive Director of Blue Frontier, an ocean policy group and co-host of the Rising Tide Ocean Podcast.  He has written seven books, the latest ‘Forest of the Sea’ (2026). He's co-founder of the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards and a Senior Fellow with the Center for the Blue Economy.  An award-wining journalist, Helvarg has been a war correspondent in Northern Ireland and Central America and covered issues ranging from the military and health to climate and politics reporting from every continent including Antarctica. He’s produced documentaries for PBS, Discovery and others. His print work has appeared widely including in The New York Times and National Geographic.  He's done radio commentaries and reporting for Marketplace, AP and Pacifica and workshops for fellow journalists around the world.  He is also a licensed Private Investigator, body-surfer and scuba diver.