Meet the People Who Inspire Save Coastal Wildlife
Below (in no particular order) are some remarkable individuals from science and global activism who have inspired us to create Save Coastal Wildlife and continue to influence the work we do.
Sir David Attenborough
Sir David Attenborough is a British broadcaster, naturalist, and writer who has inspired millions with his natural history documentaries for over seven decades. His career began in 1954 hosting Zoo Quest and includes landmark series like Life on Earth, The Blue Planet, and the Planet Earth franchise. Attenborough's documentaries have brought extraordinary wildlife and locations into the homes of audiences worldwide.
Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall was an English primatologist and anthropologist who revolutionized how science understands chimpanzees and the relationship between humans and animals. With little formal training, Goodall began her career in 1960 studying chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. Her research overturned many misconceptions, including the idea that chimpanzees were vegetarian and incapable of tool us. She traveled the world for most of her life to speak about protecting nature and animals.
Rachel Carson
Rachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist, author, and conservationist who played a key role in the 1960s environmental movement. She first worked for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries and wrote popular books about the ocean, including The Sea Around Us(1951). Her 1962 book Silent Spring is considered a landmark work that warned of the dangers of chemical pesticides, including DDT, and inspired a national controversy. Carson's work is credited with educating people about sea life and influencing the ban of DDT in the United States, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency.
E. O. Wilson
Edward Osborne Wilson was an American biologist, naturalist, ecologist, and entomologist who developed the field of sociobiology. He was a pioneer in the study of ants, and a champion for global biodiversity conservation. Wilson also Co-developed the Theory of Island Biogeography with Robert MacArthur, shaping modern ecology. He was widely considered one of the greatest natural scientists of our time, and was a pioneer in efforts to preserve and protect the biodiversity of our planet, receiving more than 150 international awards, including Pulitzer Prizes for his books On Human Nature and The Ants.
Dr. Sylvia Earle
Sylvia Alice Earle is an American marine biologist, oceanographer, explorer, writer, and lecturer. She has been a National Geographic Explorer at Large since 1998. She is most famous for her pioneering marine-life research, record-breaking deep-sea expeditions, and tireless global advocacy for ocean conservation. Known as "Her Deepness", she was the first female chief scientist at NOAA and founded the Mission Blue conservation initiative.
Eugenie Clark, popularly known as The Shark Lady, was an American ichthyologist known for both her research on shark behavior and her study of fish in the order Tetraodontiformes. Clark was a pioneer in the field of scuba diving for research purposes. She revolutionized public and scientific understanding of shark behavior, and proved that sharks are intelligent animals. She also founded the Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida.
Eugenie Clark
Pattie Gonia
Pattie Gonia is an American drag queen, environmentalist, and LGBTQ+ activist known as the "backpacking queen" for hiking and performing outdoors in full drag. Pattie Gonia is the persona of Wyn Wiley, a creative director, photographer, and community organizer born in 1992. Wiley launched the character in 2018 on Instagram and TikTok, merging a love for nature with queer advocacy.
Jasmin Graham is an American marine biologist known for her work in conservation and social justice, with a special focus on shark science. She is a co-founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences. Her research interests include human impacts and environmental disturbances on sharks and rays. She serves on the Board of Directors as well as the Equity and Diversity Committee for the American Elasmobranch Society. Jasmin was named the 2021 WWF Conservation Leader. She has a passion for science education and making science more accessible to everyone.
Jasmin Graham
Greta Thunberg
Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg is a Swedish climate activist who gained global attention in 2018 for her solo school strike outside the Swedish parliament. Her protest, which she called “Fridays for Future”, inspired students around the world to participate in similar strikes. Thunberg has spoken at the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, and other major platforms, urging world leaders to take immediate action on climate change. Thunberg frames the climate crisis as inseparable from broader struggles for human rights, democracy, and liberation, extending her protest advocacy to international social movements, such as rallies supporting student demonstrations and anti-war or pro-Palestinian causes.
Isaias Hernandez
Isaias Hernandez, also known as Queer Brown Vegan, is an environmental activist, educator, and writer based in Los Angeles. Their work focuses on making environmental education more accessible and intersectional, and advocating for social justice within the environmental movement. Hernandez's passion for environmentalism stems from their childhood experiences growing up in affordable housing and witnessing the effects of pollution on their community.
Dr. Cindy Lee Van Dover
Dr. Cindy Lee Van Dover is a deep-sea biologist with an interest in ocean exploration and the ecology of chemosynthetic ecosystems. She began her work in this field in 1982, joining the first biological expedition to hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise. In addition to research, Van Dover has authored a popular book for the lay audience about the deep sea and her experiences as an ALVIN pilot (Deep-Ocean Journeys; Addison-Wesley, 1997, a.k.a. The Octopus's Garden). Cindy has published more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals and is an active participant and Chief Scientist in NSF-and NOAA-sponsored field programs to deep-sea environments.
Richard O’Barry
Richard O'Barry is an American animal rights activist and former animal trainer who was first recognized in the 1960s for capturing and training the five dolphins that were used in the TV series Flipper. Over the past 54 years, Ric O’Barry has rescued and rehabilitated dolphins in many countries around the world, including Haiti, Colombia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Brazil, South Korea, the Bahamas Islands and the United States. He is a leading voice in the fight to end brutal dolphin hunts in Japan, Solomon Islands, Faroe Islands, Indonesia and wherever else they occur.