BLUE FORESTS

Growing Hope for Kelp Along Our Coasts

w/ special guests

Natasha Benjamin & David Helvarg

Blue Frontier

Most people have heard of the Amazon rainforest.

Far fewer know there’s another global forest—one hidden beneath the ocean’s surface.

Kelp forests stretch across coastlines around the world, supporting thousands of species, protecting shorelines from storms, storing carbon, sustaining fisheries, and feeding coastal communities. Together, they cover an area larger than the Amazon.

And in many places, they’re disappearing.

Yet unlike so many environmental stories, this one isn’t just about decline.

It’s about people.

This month at Ocean Hoptimism, we’re exploring one of the ocean’s most important—and least understood—ecosystems through the eyes of two people helping tell its story.

We’re delighted to welcome award-winning filmmaker Natasha Benjamin and journalist, prolific author, and Blue Frontier Executive Director David Helvarg for an evening devoted to the world’s underwater forests.

Natasha’s documentary Sequoias of the Sea follows the collapse of Northern California’s kelp forests and the communities working to restore them. David’s newest book, Forest of the Sea, expands that story globally, revealing why kelp matters not only to marine life, but to food security, climate resilience, coastal economies, and the future of our relationship with the ocean.

Together they’ll take us from the shores of Fort Bragg to kelp forests around the world, sharing stories of science, restoration, sustainable kelp farming, Indigenous stewardship, and unlikely collaborations between Tribes, commercial fishers, researchers, and conservationists.

They’ll also share short film clips and discuss why one of Earth’s largest forests has remained largely invisible—and what each of us can do to help change that.

And for anyone wanting to dive even deeper into the story, David will have copies of his brand-new book, Forest of the Sea, available for purchase and signing after the program. Part natural history, part adventure, and part call to action, the book explores the remarkable world of kelp forests and the people working to protect them—making it the perfect companion to the evening’s conversation.

"There are days when it's hard to feel optimistic about the future of the ocean. But I've learned that hope isn't about believing everything will be okay—it's about knowing we already have many of the solutions. Now we need the political will to make them happen."

           —Natasha Benjamin