Fall 2023

150 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 3 ed ecosystem. It fastens itself on the seabed with a mechanism known as a “hold fast” and maintains positive buoyancy with air-filled pots that lift the organism toward the sun. All the nutrients needed for survival and growth are obtained from the surrounding water—sort of like an aquatic air fern. Even though not a plant, kelp uses the sun’s energy through photosyn- thesis and thereby is one of the Earth atmos- phere’s most efficient scrubbers of carbon diox- ide.They support many, many species of sea life, including rockfish, jellies, crabs, snails and shrimp. Mammals like them too. Otters are often seen lying on a bed of kelp in the surging waters and seals and sea lions hunt among the fronds. Even birds get in on the action. Keith Rootsaert is founder and executive director of the Giant Giant Kelp Restoration Project. “Giant kelp is the foundation for so much life in the ocean,” he says. “Hundreds of species depend on it.” Grad students at UC Santa Cruz studied historical satellite photos of the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts and deter- mined that full 95% of the kelp forest had vanished over three to four years. Rootsaert says the situation in Monterey Bay is compara- ble. “We’ve had an 88% kelp loss. What was 487 acres of kelp forest prior to the marine heat wave is now down to 58.3.” Of that num- ber, 11 acres are due to the Project’s efforts. Gregarious and energetic, Rootsaert is extremely passionate about the project. He learned to dive in Monterey Peninsula waters in the 1980s and returned to recreational scuba in 2009 after a hiatus.“I was amazed in the '80s by how beautiful the kelp forests were and how life filled every available spot on the seabed,” he says. “That was my baseline for what a healthy kelp ecosystem looked like. When I resumed diving, I realized that I wasn’t seeing as many fish The project is concentrating its efforts on a two-and-a-half-acre grid off Monterey’s Del Monte Beach. Executive Director Keith Rootsaert and the divers he calls “Urchinators” have set a goal of clearing 2,000 acres of seabed by 2030. Keith Rootsaert founded the Giant Giant Kelp Restoration Project to help revitalize kelp forests. He coordinates his efforts with government and environmental organizations. Photos: Dan Schwartz