In 2024, I had the honor of producing the film, "Restoring Abalone: The Road to Recovery" -- which tells the story of pinto abalone conservation efforts in Washington, an effort that is more than two decades in the making.
Pinto Abalone are Washington's only native abalone species, and they've been an essential part of the ecology, culture, and economy of the pacific northwest for many generations. While abalone harvest in Washington dates back at least one hundred years, abalone began to be overharvested and illegally poached over many decades, leading to the collapse of their populations in Washington. Since 2002, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, and a host of many other partner organizations have been working to help bring this iconic and essential marine species back from the brink of extinction in Washington. Thanks to critical investment by the legislature, the abalone restoration project is reaching new milestones and continuing to see growing success, with more than 36 different recovery sites across the Salish Sea, and expanding teams conducting outplanting of genetically diverse, hatchery-raised juvenile abalone to these recovery sites.
This film was awarded first place for "Best Video Feature: Natural Resource Conservation" at the Association for Conservation Information's 2025 Awards. These awards select the very best communications and public engagement work of Fish and Wildlife Agencies across the United States, with 49 state or tribal agencies participating, in addition to 9 federal/national organizations participating.
I was truly honored to have this critical conservation work highlighted by ACI this year. In a time where conservation work, public lands, and natural resource management is in the crosshairs and being defunded left and right, having this national recognition is a win for Washington, abalone recovery efforts, and endangered species conservation efforts across the country.
This film was awarded first place for "Best Video Feature: Natural Resource Conservation" at the Association for Conservation Information's 2025 Awards. These awards select the very best communications and public engagement work of Fish and Wildlife Agencies across the United States, with 49 state or tribal agencies participating, in addition to 9 federal/national organizations participating.
I was truly honored to have this critical conservation work highlighted by ACI this year. In a time where conservation work, public lands, and natural resource management is in the crosshairs and being defunded left and right, having this national recognition is a win for Washington, abalone recovery efforts, and endangered species conservation efforts across the country.
Film originally published on WDFW's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l3uIJkCOsM
More information on the awards is available here: https://www.aci-net.org/application/files/1917/5380/7808/2025_ACI_Awards_Results.pdf
More information on the awards is available here: https://www.aci-net.org/application/files/1917/5380/7808/2025_ACI_Awards_Results.pdf