Meeting the Pacific
Dr. McGinnis was Director of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Center and taught at the Environmental Studies Program at UCSB from 1995-2010. He is author of Bioregionalism (Routledge, 1999) and has published over 60 articles in peer reviewed journals of biodiversity conservation. From 1993-2000, his research funded by three awards from the National Science Foundation focused on the role of values and science in the development of ecosystem-based planning. From 1999-2008, he was an advisor to federal agencies in the development of coastal marine ecosystem-based planning in California. In 2008, he was a Fulbright Scholar in Europe and conducted a study on coastal marine governance supported by the European Union. He is currently conducting a study of New Zealand’s coastal marine governance framework with support from the ministries of that country and Victoria University of Wellington (NZ). He is also completing two books on the subject of the importance of community in an age of climate change.
Nature Deficit Disorder
A Sense of Place
The social and cultural aspects of the "denaturing effect" are dramatic. Read story.
Silence of the Sea
The Downside of Commercial Vessels
How can we green – or ‘blue’ – our dependence on commercial vessel traffic? Read story.
Gimme Shelter
Climate Refugia
Conservation strategies can protect species threatened by climate change. Read story.
Regional Rules
The Social Dimension to Biodiversity Loss
In response to my last column, there were a number of interesting comments that focused on the fear of losing maritime culture, the politics of protecting ecosystems, and the importance of local farmers and fishers. Read story.
Saltwater in My Hair
Sea Stories
My grandfather had the deepest blue eyes, the colors of the sea, and he taught me the blessings of a life with the sea. His seascape paintings were hung in his apartment in downtown Long Beach. Read story.
Ghost Salmon
For millenia, maritime stories have emphasized the need to return to the ocean as a source of wildness and nourishment for the human soul. Read story.
Species Loneliness
Losing Our Sense of Place in the Machine Age
We are losing our sense of place in the Machine Age. Read story.
Dreaming of Turtles
In 1780, an English vessel was sailing along the coast of Jamaica and ran aground in a sea of green turtles, millions of turtles. Read story.
Solstice Across the Blue Ocean
How the Pacific Binds All Beings
The Pacific brings together creatures continents apart. Read story.
The Politics of Marine Conservation
There are many here who will not soon forget the process of designating reserves within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Read story.
Marine Life Protection
Silent Spill
The level of coastal marine biodiversity loss is metaphorically akin to a silent spill insofar as society has not responded to the factors contributing to the large-scale degradation of marine ecosystems. Read story.
Squid Fishing in California
About 11 Los Angeles Coliseums-Full Caught Annually
In great numbers, California market squid (Loligo opalescens) gather to reproduce or spawn in the sandy bottoms off our coast. Read story.
A View from Santa Cruz Island
A Great Seat in Our Amphitheater on the Sea
The bobcat died, and I took it into the hills of its origin to bury it under an old oak tree, near coyote brush, monkey flower, and coastal sage. The bobcat is now part of the soil and oak tree. Read story.
In Troubled Waters
Visiting New Zealand's Oil Spill
Many of the bird colonies on the 400 islands of New Zealand, seabird capital of the world, are currently threatened by a spill that is far from being controlled. Read story.
A Conversation with Ocean and Stone
From One Edge of the Pacific to Another
Our columnist reflects on his return home from New Zealand. Read story.
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