People are Talking

There are as many reasons as otters, why people support our work to promote a thriving future for Bay Area river otters. We’re delighted that our donors and volunteers share our enthusiasm and love for these playful watershed ambassadors! Following are a few of their thoughts about otters, conservation, and the River Otter Ecology Project.

Brenden Collet-Grether, Senior Volunteer and Educator
A couple of years ago, when I saw my first wild river otter swimming in a small tidal inlet of Drake’s Estero in Point Reyes, I had yet to hear about the River Otter Ecology Project. Read more.

Peter Barto, Voice Actor and Client Development (Field Crew, Outreach, Education)
The road not taken for me was directed towards becoming a wildlife biologist. Read more.

Maggie Rufo — Long-time Supporter
I decided awhile back to stop most of my support to large non-profits and to funnel my donations locally to grassroots organizations. Read more.

The Edgetts! on Otter Safari (Cathy in white)
Cathy: What is it about the face of an otter? Is it the way otters bond and know how to have fun? Read more.
Karla James, Program Director, Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, Grantor
Before starting at the Rose Foundation, I spent my days floating down wild rivers in Montana, Idaho and Utah as a whitewater raft guide. Read more.
Robyn Aston, Retired Paramedic (Field Crew, Speaker, Education)
As a young lad, at school in England, I became enamored with Eurasian otter, and realized otters have much to teach us about co-existence with each other, as well as nature in general. Read more.

The River Otter Ecology Project is a registered 501 (c)(3) EIN #45-4997526 non-profit organization dedicated to the welfare of river otters and our watershed. Our organization is not affiliated with any other otter-related research group or community outreach organization.

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Forest Knolls, CA  94933
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A couple of years ago, when I saw my first wild river otter swimming in a small tidal inlet of Drake’s Estero in Point Reyes, I had yet to hear about the River Otter Ecology Project. As the otter played and caught crabs in the murky water of the estuary, I realized that I knew almost nothing about this curious creature. I wondered how many there were, where they lived, why I had never seen one in my previous 15 years of life, how much science actually knew about them, and whether there were people out there researching and trying to learn about otters in the wild.
 
One of the aspects of volunteering with the River Otter Ecology Project is that I am finally around many like-minded people. Each volunteer is there not because of any job or obligation, but because it is what they want to be doing. The other volunteers are just as passionate and motivated as I am about wildlife.

—Brenden Collet-Grether

The road not taken for me was directed towards becoming a wildlife biologist. I was always drawn to the sciences and the study of wild animals, but life took me in a different direction. Becoming a field volunteer for the River Otter Ecology Project gave me a chance to work with and learn from others who have the same passion about wildlife, as well as an excuse to get out on the trails and learn more about the wilder parts of the county I grew up in. The River Otter Ecology Project has trained me to gather data in the field, and given me the opportunity to advocate for wildlife conservation here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

— Peter Barto

I decided awhile back to stop most of my support to large non-profits and to funnel my donations locally to grassroots organizations. I don’t have a lot to give and so I want it to go where it will be used mainly for the actual work, not for overhead. My personal choice is to fund conservation, and animal welfare and rehabilitation groups. Animals don’t have a voice in our society, so some of us have the calling to be a voice for them.

I love the local nature of the River Otter Ecology Project and I love knowing someone is looking after our river otters and collecting data on their activities and whereabouts. It’s really important to know these things so we can speak for them when their habitats might be threatened by development or other detrimental human activities. And, I must admit, I love the fun of seeing River Otter Ecology's wonderful otter cam videos!

— Maggie Rufo

Cathy: What is it about the face of an otter? Is it the way otters bond and know how to have fun? My family has resonated to otters since our little ones seemed to feel we, too, knew how to bond and have fun. In August, we went with Megan to Point Reyes to see otters. We were thrilled to see and help gather scat for their research, then there was the actual sighting. A resonance deep in the earth and waters of each of us was touched. Otters symbolize a rippling that connects. My first otter sighting was on film, but now through the work of organizations like the River Otter Ecology Project, I can leave my home and find a place to sit, watch and wait as otters come to me. What a gift to be so received!

— The Edgetts

Before starting at the Rose Foundation, I spent my days floating down wild rivers in Montana, Idaho and Utah as a whitewater raft guide. The river otter became my totem — as they are a rare sight to see, and so curious and playful.

As program director for the Rose Foundation's Northern California Environmental Grassroots Fund, I was excited to receive a grant proposal from the River Otter Ecology Project several years ago. But I was concerned that our board doesn’t really like to fund “wildlife” organizations in favor of more urgent projects. Turns out the board loves river otters as much as I do, and the River Otter Ecology Center promotes the restoration and conservation of watersheds by illustrating the link between the recovery of river otters and healthy rivers. Thanks to the amazing volunteers of the River Otter Ecology Center, a new generation will be able to enjoy these curious and playful animals.

— Karla James

As a young lad, at school in England, I became enamored with Eurasian otter, and realized otters have much to teach us about co-existence with each other, as well as nature in general. Unfortunately, they were just about gone in Britain. In Devon, in the watershed of the famous “Tarka the Otter,” I watched helplessly as they disappeared, stream by stream, river by river.

Upon learning there was a need for volunteers with River Otter Ecology I saw a chance to learn about the North American River Otter; not only to help chart the return of another otter species, but also, hopefully, help to prevent a re-occurrence of what I had observed all those years ago.

— Robyn Aston