Defenders' Experts
Sea Otter Awareness Week

Sea Otter Awareness Week 2009 will be celebrated September 27 - October 3. Every year, Defenders of Wildlife organizes and promotes Sea Otter Awareness Week to teach people about the integral role that sea otters play in the nearshore marine ecosystem and to promote research and conservation programs.
Please check back often as new events and proclamations are added weekly.
See highlights from past Sea Otter Awareness Weeks: 2008 | 2007 | 2006
Events
Visit our events page to find sea otter events near you!
Alaska
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at the Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor’s Center/Kachemak Bay Research Reserve/Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Homer, AK
California
- Two Free Sea Otter Lectures at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, CA
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at the Estuary Nature Center, Morro Bay National Estuary Program, Morro Bay, CA
- Morro Bay State Park Natural History Museum Celebrates Sea Otter Awareness Week, Morro Bay, CA
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at the Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, CA
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at SeaWorld, San Diego, CA
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education, San Mateo, CA
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, San Pedro, CA
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Ty Warner Sea Center, Santa Barbara, CA
- Sea Otter Lecture: "Sea Otter Tales: Fact and Fiction," Santa Barbara, CA
- Free Sea Otter Awareness Week Lectures on Otter Health and Ocean Health at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, Santa Cruz, CA
- Sea Otter Awareness Week Lecture at California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA
- Sea Otter Lecture: "Sea Otter Tales: Fact and Fiction," Ventura, CA
Illinois
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL
Louisiana
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, New Orleans, LA
Minnesota
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at the Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley, MN
New York
- Sea Otter Awareness Week the New York Aquarium, Brooklyn, New York
Oregon
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at Oregon Coast Aquarium, Newport, OR
Pennsylvania
- Sea Otter Awareness Celebration at Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Washington
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at the Seattle Aquarium, Seattle, WA
International
- Sea Otter Week at the Melbourne Aquarium, Melbourne, Australia
- Sea Otter Week at the Rotterdam Zoo, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Sea Otter Awareness Week at Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Entire Events Calendar >>
Questions about events? Please contact Jim Curland at jim.curland@defenders.org or (831) 726-9010.
Proclamations and Resolutions
Defenders works with government officials across North America to get their support for Sea Otter Awareness Week.
Alaska
- Proclamation from Mayor Dan Sullivan
Anchorage, AK - Proclamation from Mayor Carolyn L. Floyd
Kodiak, AK - Proclamation from Mayor Clark Corbridge
Seward, AK
California
- Proclamation from Mayor Tony Ferrara
Arroyo Grande, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Ellen Béraud
Atascadero, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Nancy Krasne
Beverly Hills, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Robert A. Begun
Capitola, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Sal Torres
Daly City, CA - Proclamation from Mayor John P. Shoals
Grover Beach, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Patrick "Kit" Bobko
Hermosa Beach, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Jeff Pereira
King City, CA - Proclamation from Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Los Angeles, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Andy Stern
Malibu, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Portia Cohen
Manhattan Beach, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Chuck Della Sala
Monterey, CA - Proclamation from from the Monterey County Board of Supervisors
Monterey, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Janice Peters
Morro Bay, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Vicki Stilwell
Pacific Grove, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Julie Lancelle
Pacifica, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Mary Ann Reiss
Pismo Beach, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Dennis Donohue
Salinas, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Christy Weir
San Buenaventura, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Gavin Newsom
San Francisco, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Chuck Reed
San Jose, CA - Proclamation from San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
San Mateo, CA - Proclamation from Mayor David K. Pendergrass
Sand City, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Marty Blum
Santa Barbara, CA - Proclamation from Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors
Santa Barbara, CA - Proclamation from Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
Santa Clara, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Cynthia Mathews
Santa Cruz, CA - Proclamation from Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors
Santa Cruz, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Ralph Rubio
Seaside, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Richard Ortiz
Soledad, CA - Proclamation from Mayor Antonio Rivas
Watsonville, CA
Canada
- Letter from Port Alberni Proclaiming Sea Otter Awareness Week
Port Alberni, British Columbia - Proclamation from City of Port Moody City Council
Port Moody, British Columbia - Proclamation from Mayor Christopher Quinlan
Whistler, British Columbia - Proclamation from Mayor Dean Fortin
Victoria, British Columbia
Oregon
- Proclamation from Governor Theodore R. Kulongoski
Oregon - Proclamation from Mayor Sam Adams
Portland, OR
Washington
- Proclamation from Mayor Greg Nickels
Seattle, WA - Proclamation from Mayor Royce E. Pollard
Vancouver, WA
Sea Otter Awareness Week in the News
Sea Otter Awareness Week always receives a good amount of media coverage. Below are some headlines from publications that have covered this great event!
See all Sea Otter Awareness Week stories >>
Fact Sheets and Handouts
Learn more about the amazing lives of sea otters (in spanish and English).
- Sea Otter Awareness Week Fact Sheet
- Semana de la Nutria Marina Hechos (En español, spanish language version)
- Sea Otter Fact Sheet ( web | print )
- Sea Otter Frequently Asked Questions ( web | print )
- Southern Sea Otter Fact Sheet
- Kids' Sea Otter Coloring Page
Support Sea Otters
Just in time to celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week, check out the new sea otter T-shirt and mug. Your purchase of these items will benefit Defenders, with 30% of the sale going to Defenders of Wildlife. Visit Defenders Zazzle Store for more sea otter items.
Defenders of Wildlife would especially like to thank the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund and the Lawrence Foundation. Various components of Sea Otter Awareness Week are being partially funded through these generous donors.
We would also like to thank the following businesses for partially funding advertising for Sea Otter Awareness Week 2009:
Hulas Island Grill & Tiki Room
Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo
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