The NOAA/NMFS Protected Resources Programs and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (Department of Vertebrate Zoology in conjunction with the Office of Education and National Outreach Program) are pleased to announce that Dr. Alexandros Karamanlidis from MOm/Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal will be giving a lecture next week in Washington, DC that will highlight joint efforts by scientists in Greece and the U.S. to conserve and protect the remaining critically endangered Mediterranean monk seals (/Monachus monachus/) and Hawaiian monk seals (/Monachus //schauinslandi/). The lecture will take place at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and will be available to the public in real-time via live video stream on the Web (and will also be archived for future viewing). Following are the details about Dr. Karamanlidis' presentation and how to access it online. We hope you can join us and Dr. Karamanlidis in person or via the Web! Trevor Spradlin and Charles Littnan Charles Potter Protected Resources Programs Collection Manager, Marine Mammals National Marine Fisheries Service National Museum of Natural History National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Smithsonian Institution ********************************** *Race Against Time: Greek and U.S. Efforts to Protect the Critically Endangered Mediterranean and Hawaiian Monk Seals* * /Alexandros Karamanlidis, Ph.D. MOm/Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal / Date: *Tuesday, June 21, 2011* Time: *2 pm ET* Location: *Executive Conference Room, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution* */Live video stream from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History at: *www.ocean.si.edu* / *Abstract* Monk seals are the only completely tropical species of seal in the world and are in trouble. Centuries of human exploitation and habitat destruction have caused the remaining populations of Mediterranean monk seals (/Monachus monachus/) and Hawaiian monk seals (/Monachus schauinslandi/) to drop to perilously low numbers, while the Caribbean monk seal (/Monachus tropicalis/) has become extinct. Scientists from Greece and the U.S. are in a race against time and are working together from opposite sides of the World to save the remaining monk seals. The MOm/Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal is a non-profit, non-governmental organization with over 20 years of experience in the research and conservation of Mediterranean monk seals in Greece and abroad. Researchers at MOm have gained rare insights in the biology and behavior of Mediterranean monk seal by utilizing innovative technology that has enabled the seals to be monitored remotely inside their breeding caves. Current and future collaborations with U.S. scientists who study Hawaiian monk seals will provide important insights into new ways to help the two remaining species of monk seals survive into the future. /For additional information on monk seal conservation programs, please visit:/ *MOm website: * http://www.mom.gr/homepage.asp?ITMID=101&LANG=EN&LANG=EN *NOAA websites: * http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/psd/mmrp/monkseals.php /and /http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/PRD/prd_hawaiian_monk_seal.html