A U-C-S-C RESEARCHER RECEIVED AN AWARD TODAY. SARAH ESPINOSA WAS GIVEN THE 2017 CONSERVATION RESEARCH AWARD BY THE ELKHORN SLOUGH FOUNDATION FOR HER 3 YEAR STUDY ON CALIFORNIA‘S SEA OTTER POPULATION, IN WHICH SHE DETERMINED THAT SEA OTTERS ARE A KEYSTONE SPECIES IN ESTUARINE ENVIRONMENTS AS WELL AS IN KELP FORESTS. ALTHOUGH THE OTTER POPULATION IS HEALTHIER THAN IT’S BEEN IN YEARS, THEY ARE STILL AN ENDANGERED SPECIES.
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