PBS Terra explains 'How Otters Are Saving Earth’s Underwater Forests' for World Wildlife Day

Happy World Wildlife Day! For today's celebration, I'm sharing a story I tell my students, PBS Terra explaining How Otters Are Saving Earth’s Underwater Forests.

Hidden beneath the surface of our coastal seas are towering forests - of kelp. These underwater ecosystems are as crucial to our environment as their land-based counterparts. We’ll explore them alongside conservationists who are working to restore these threatened habitats. We'll also meet some adorable sea otters and learn about the role they play in maintaining the balance in this sensitive environment.

While PBS Terra uploaded this video on August 15, 2024, a little over six months ago, I first heard this story in 1985, when I was working on my M.S. thesis at Rancho La Brea, then heard it again when I was working at Channel Islands National Park. I held on to this story for another decade until I was hired to teach environmental science at the community college in 1996. That's when I started telling it myself. I have told it to every environmental science class since then and also my organismal biology classes. It was time I told it to my readers. I hope you all enjoyed it and learned something new.

I'm not done with holidays, because tomorrow will be a double celebration of Fat Tuesday on Marching Music Day. Marching bands of Mardi Gras, anyone?