January 18

The Great Penguin Rescue: 40,000 Penguins, a Devastating Oil Spill, and the Inspiring Story of the World’s Largest Animal Rescue

Dyan deNapoli, Author

When an iron-ore carrier sank off the coast of South Africa in June 2000, nearly half the entire world population of African penguins was threatened by the oil that spilled from the ship. It was the height of the best breeding season on record for this now-endangered species, and soon, nearly 20,000 penguins were covered with oil, and another 20,000 were in the path of the approaching oil slick. Would rescuers arrive in time? In this compelling presentation, penguin expert and award-winning author, Dyan deNapoli, shares her first-hand experiences working as a rehabilitation supervisor during the largest animal rescue ever undertaken.

January 25

Sighting! Surveying Seabirds on Stellwagen Bank

Anne-Marie Runfola, Volunteer Coordinator, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary turns twenty in 2012. Since its inception, it has always been tied to the South Shore. First opened in Plymouth in 1992, the sanctuary headquarters has since migrated northwards to occupy the Coast Guard station on First Cliff in Scituate. During those 20 years, the sanctuary staff has conducted research that has changed the way we look at the 842 square mile sanctuary. In 2011, staff and volunteers jumpstarted what has become a nationally replicated system for surveying seabirds – in Stellwagen’s case, gannets, storm-petrels, jaegers, and numerous species of shearwaters, among other species – offering otherwise landlubbing Massachusetts residents an opportunity to flex their citizen science muscles at sea.