Our Mission

The Marine Mammal Coexistence Initiative aims to create awareness of the importance of setting aside critical habitat for marine mammals in Southern California. Our key initiatives are to promote awareness of marine mammal-friendly actions. To advocate for lawmakers to strengthen regulations that reduce conflict and enhance coexistence between marine mammals and people, especially during the pupping seasons and to encourage community involvement.

Our Story

The Issue

La Jolla is home to one of the only inland rookeries for both California Sea Lions and Harbor Seals. Both marine mammals can be seen giving birth and raising their pups right along the busy shoreline. As you can imagine this has become a very controversial location over the years with so many people coming to La Jolla to enjoy the calm waters, that is so perfect for swimming. This is also why the marine mammals chose this location as a rookery, as the calm waters makes for a perfect location for those small pups. With so many visitors coming to the beach, regulations needed to be put in place to protect the marine mammals from being approached by the cell phone wielding tourist trying to get their next Instagram worthy selfie.

Harbor Seal protections have strengthened over the years with the aid of a few non-profit organizations and the California Coastal Commission issuing a five-month-per-year beach closure during pupping season. After the death of a California Sea Lion in 2021 the city of San Diego decided similar protections needed to be put in place for the California Sea Lions that live within a half a mile down the coast of the Harbor Seals. In May of 2022 the first ever California Sea Lion area closure for Point La Jolla, was put into place, providing closures to the California Sea Lion rookery between May 1st and October 31st. In 2023 the San Diego City Council unanimously voted to close the area year-round.

Efforts to continue to enforce the beach closure and educate the public of the importance of deducing marine mammal disturbance is continuing.

The Marine Mammal Coexistence Initiative

The Marine Mammal Coexistence Initiative was born out of a photography story that Conservation Photographer Jennifer Leigh Warner was working on during the time she lived in Southern California. The story focused on the unequal protections that marine mammals in La Jolla, California were getting in regards to beach closures during pupping season. Throughout the nine years that she documented the story, law makers and conservationists came together to provide those equal protections for both the Harbor Seals and the California Sea Lions that live and breed along the stores of La Jolla. Although stronger protections have been put into place, sea lions and harbor seals still continue to face challenges as both wildlife numbers and tourism continues to grow in Southern California.

We at the Marine Mammal Coexistence Initiative believe that coexistence can only be achieved through stronger education, public engagement and understanding the value of these mainland rookeries and the importance of maintaining a respectable distance to all wildlife.

Meet the Team

Jennifer Leigh Warner
Founder / Director / Photographer

Jennifer Leigh Warner is a fine art conservation wildlife photographer, writer, public speaker and workshop leader living in Central Texas and specializes in creating meaningful images that conveys a message of hope for the natural world. Jennifer feels strongly that by sharing these images of beautiful animals in their natural environment, she can inspire those around her to preserve the world that we share with all living creatures.

Jennifer was elected to the North America Nature Photography Association Board of Directors in 2023 and has been serving as the Chair of the Ethics Committee since 2018. She is also a certified Texas Master Naturalist, an Ambassador for Nature First and a mentor for the non-profit Girls Who Click, which encourages young girls to consider a career in conservation photography.

Jennifer works closely with conservation organizations to help support their missions to protect wildlife and the world around us. She believes that photography is a powerful tool to share these stores, educate photo viewers on important topics and inspire change.

Jennifer’s work has been published in Outdoor California, Gizmodo, the NANPA Expressions Magazine, Outdoor Photographer Magazine, WIRED, The New Yorker, National Geographic Online and Wild Planet Photo Magazine among others and is a contributing blog writer for the Responsible Photography Collective.

You can learn more about Jennifer and the conservation work that she does by visiting her website at www.experiencewildlife.com

Partner Organizations

Funding

  • 2024 Winner of the Philip Hyde Conservation Grant

    This conservation grant is awarded annually by the NANPA Foundation to an individual NANPA member who is actively pursuing completion of a peer-reviewed environmental project that is consistent with the missions of NANPA and the NANPA Foundation.