Pesticide Impacts In and Around Monterey Bay

One of the research projects currently on display as part of Weather and the Whale documents for the first time the presence of pesticide-derived toxins within sea otters, California sea lions, and humpback whales in Monterey Bay. Join us for a conversation with Yanely Martinez, Katherine Gabriel-Cox, Adam Scow and Logan Pallin about the short and long-term health impacts of pesticide use for local communities on land as well as in the ocean.

Dr. Logan Pallin, a Post Doctoral researcher with the Institute of the Arts and Sciences (IAS) and Ocean Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, is an ecophysiologist with a primary interest in understanding how wild populations alter their physiology and demography as a response to changes in their environment. To address these questions, Logan collects minimally invasive tissue samples (e.g., blood/skin) and then uses molecular and endocrinological markers to answer specific questions about population health and growth. He works on multiple species of large marine predators worldwide and continuously advocates for ethical animal research and effective conservation and policy. Most of Logan’s work is focused along the Antarctic Peninsula and the coast of California.

Yanely Martinez is an organizer for the Monterey and Santa Cruz regions, empowering local Safe Ag Safe Schools members for climate change solutions and pesticide reform while developing the next generation of leaders. The daughter of farm workers from the Salinas Valley, Martinez served on the Greenfield City Council from 2016-2024 and is a proud mother of four.

Dr. Katie Gabriel-Cox is an OBGyn physician serving Santa Cruz county for 17 years. She is a volunteer and board member for the Center for Farmworker Families. She is also a wife and proud mom to 4 young men. She currently serves as the Director of Obstetrics, Midwifery and Gynecology at Salud Para La Gente. She is a board member of the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District and on the board of Hospice of Santa Cruz County. She is deeply committed to uplifiting and supporting the farmworker community with kindness and advocacy.

This event is presented as part of An Aesthetics of Resilience, a collaborative research initiative of the Institute of the Arts and Sciences and the Friedlaender Lab at UC Santa Cruz. The project brings scientists, artists, humanists, and activists together to examine multiple experiences of vulnerability in the face of climate change and is supported by a University of California Office of the President California Climate Action Seed Grant, with additional support from the Coha Nowark Art + Science Fund.

Free