It's Debbie and Savanna this week, and heads up, it's a dark one. When Vitus Bering died while on an expedition to the far-off islands off the coast of Russia, his surviving crew brought back an item that would define an industry and have devastating effects that would take hundreds of years to begin to restore.

Let's Connect:

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

creaturemeetsculture@gmail.com

Sea Otter Support Links:

Elakha Alliance: https://www.elakhaalliance.org/

Sea Otter Foundation and Trust: seaotterfoundationtrust.org

Wildlife Conservation Network's Sea Otter Fund: https://wildnet.org/wildlife-fund/sea-otter-fund/

California Sea Otter Fund: https://scc.ca.gov/grants/sea-otter-recovery-fund/

Defenders of Wildlife: https://defenders.org/friends-of-sea-otter

Sources:

https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/species-of-concern/northern-sea-otters/

https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/species-of-concern/southern-sea-otter/

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/northern-fur-seal/resources

https://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/events/fursealtreaty/welcome.html

https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-09/us-fish-and-wildlife-service-announces-southern-sea-otters-will-retain

https://www.seaottersavvy.org/we-were-here-seaotters

Jim Estes: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/werc/news/emeritus-and-distinguished-alumni-profile-jim-estes-explains-how-sea-otters-run

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2526847122

https://news.ucsc.edu/2016/04/estes-book/

Bering:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vitus-Bering

https://www.britannica.com/topic/North-Pacific-Sealing-Convention

https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/explorers-travelers-and-conquerors-biographies/vitus-jonassen-bering

Sitka:

https://www.nps.gov/sitk/learn/historyculture/the-russians.htm

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/sea-otters-and-kelp-a-tale-of-cute-charisma-and-otterly-amazing-climate-heroism

https://perc.org/2025/12/17/the-great-sea-otter-comeback/

https://defenders.org/blog/2025/03/what-otter-conundrum

Aleut:

https://www.apicda.com/communities/aleutculture/

https://ancsaregional.com/ancsaat50/the-aleut-corporation-reclaiming-our-heritage-cultural-and-language-revitalization-among-the-unangax%CC%82-people/

https://ancsaregional.com/ancsaat50/the-aleut-corporation-reclaiming-our-heritage-cultural-and-language-revitalization-among-the-unangax%CC%82-people/

https://www.aleutcorp.com/our-corporation/our-history/

https://commonplace.online/article/first-meetings-in-the-north-pacific/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/timeline/636.html

https://akhistory.lpsd.com/southwest-alaska/1743-1867-era-of-russian-violence/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/timeline/227.html

https://www.opb.org/article/2025/01/27/siletz-tribe-gets-156-million-to-reintroduce-sea-otters-to-coastal-waters/

https://natlpark.com/2025/02/ongoing-sea-otter-conservation-efforts-will-bring-populations-to-northern-california-oregon/

https://www.fws.gov/project/exploring-potential-sea-otter-reintroduction