Santa Barbara Maritime Museum Welcomes the Nature Conservancy’s Moses Katkowski and Elizabeth Hiroyasu for August Maritime Distinguished Speaker Series
“Vision for a Wild Coast at Point Conception: Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve” explores conservation, restoration, science, and stewardship at one of California’s most significant coastal landscapes
SBMM is pleased to present “Vision for a Wild Coast at Point Conception: Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve” as part of its Maritime Distinguished Speaker Series on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the museum. SBMM members are invited to a pre-lecture reception from 6:15–6:45 p.m.
Tickets: Free for Navigators Circle members, $10 for SBMM members, $20 for the general public, and $5 for students and educators with valid school ID or email. For reservations, visit sbmm.org, email reservations@sbmm.org, or call (805) 456-8750.
The program will feature Moses Katkowski, Director of the Dangermond Preserve, and Elizabeth Hiroyasu, Preserve Scientist, who will share how The Nature Conservancy is working to protect, restore, and study this extraordinary coastal landscape at Point Conception. Locally known as the Cojo-Jalama Ranch, the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve was acquired by The Nature Conservancy in 2018. Over the past decade, The Nature Conservancy has advanced a long-range vision for a wild coast at Point Conception—one that protects a rare and dynamic coastal environment, supports scientific conservation research, deploys technology to accelerate learning and improve management, and inspires future generations of conservation leaders.
Katkowski and Hiroyasu will discuss the management, restoration, and science now underway at the Preserve, including the launch of the Point Conception Institute, a global conservation science center based at the Preserve. The Institute describes its mission as building a collaborative research community, advancing open science, stewarding data and technology, and generating insights that can support biodiversity protection, ecosystem restoration, and climate response in California and beyond.
The talk will also explore research and restoration focused on land-sea connectivity at Point Conception and efforts to bring Southern California steelhead back to Jalama Creek. Attendees will learn more about the history of the land, why it was protected, and the many partnerships that help make this broad conservation vision possible both on the Preserve and across the wider Gaviota Coast region.
“Moses Katkowski and Elizabeth Hiroyasu bring a compelling perspective on what it means to care for a place where land, sea, science, and stewardship all meet,” said Dean Noble, executive director of SBMM. “Their work at the Dangermond Preserve reflects the kind of long-term conservation thinking and collaboration that is deeply relevant to the Santa Barbara Channel and to the future of our coast.”
Moses Katkowski has served with The Nature Conservancy since 2006 and has led preserve management and coastal restoration work in both New Jersey and California. Since 2018, he has lived and worked at the Dangermond Preserve, where he oversees land management activities including rangelands, fire management, invasive species control, cattle grazing as a conservation tool, and preserve operations. He holds a B.A. in Environmental Science from Stockton University and a Master of Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth Hiroyasu is the Preserve Scientist for the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve, where she works with interdisciplinary teams to guide research, conservation, and restoration. Before joining The Nature Conservancy, she supported the organization’s California climate program and earned her Ph.D. and Master of Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara. She also holds a B.S. in Biology from UCLA.
Through public programs like this one, SBMM continues to connect the community to the Santa Barbara Channel through science, history, and storytelling—highlighting the people and places shaping the future of our coast.
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