The return of seals to the ecosystem of the Northwest Atlantic is a dramatic story.
About “Seals and Society”
To try and tell the story of seals in New England, Dr. Andrea Bogomolni, Ren Bettencourt, Elizabeth Bradfield, and Elizabeth James-Perry came together.
The work started with Andrea and Ren, who began conversations with the New Bedford Whaling Museum in 2016. In 2018, Bradfield joined the team, and we began to build toward an exhibit that might share science, history, and local engagements with seals. However, in 2019, we soon (though it should have been sooner) realized that our concept had a foundational flaw: while we had embraced TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge), we were missing the input and knowledge of a local, Indigenous partner who might speak personally about their knowledge and perspective and help shape the stories. Elizabeth James-Perry joined our team, and she has been foundational in creating what Seals and Society has become.
The contributions of contributing editors Robert Rocha, of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and Monica DeAngelis, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, RI, were essential to the development of the exhibit and website. Kerri Spero was the graphic designer for the log and the physical exhibit.
Here, we focus here on gray and harbor seals because they are the most numerous seals in our area. Every species has its own story: its own life cycle, its own intersection with human history. This website and the full physical exhibit offers a place to begin.
Meet the Seals and Society Team
Meet the Seals and Society collaborators, listen to them chat about their work, and see some of the images, videos, and animations they’ve created and curated to help YOU learn more about Seals and Society.
Dr. Andrea Bogomolni
Dre is a community scientist as well as other “-ists”: a naturalist, artist, and conservationist with a passion for the ocean. She is drawn to understanding our human relationship with the natural world and ways we can protect and sustainably make use of the limited resources nature provides. www.andreabogomolni.com
Ren Bettencourt
Ren is a filmmaker and educator, a dabbler in science and policy, and a full-time wonderer, wanderer, nature lover, and advocate for animals and the Earth. She founded All Creatures Productions, a film company that creates content about animals (even some of the human variety) and our natural world. www.allcreaturesproductions.com
Elizabeth Bradfield
Liz is a writer and naturalist living on Cape Cod. Her work has been published in The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Kenyon Review, National Parks Conservation magazine and elsewhere. For the past twenty-some years she has helped with marine mammal rescue and research. She teaches creative writing at Brandeis University. www.ebradfield.com
Elizabeth James-Perry
Elizabeth James-Perry is enrolled with the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal nation, She holds a degree in Marine Science and is an artist, historian, and exhibit consultant. www.elizabethjamesperry.com
News and Exhibit Calendar
2024
January 9 – March 1: Audubon Society of Rhode Island Nature Center and Aquarium, Warren, RI
August 1 - August 24: Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellfleet, MA
September 15 - October 29: Maine Discovery Museum, Bangor, ME
2023
June 15 - July 30: New Bedford Whaling Museum. New Bedford, MA. June 27, 6-8 pm Exhibit Launch, Reception, and Talk.
August 1 - September 15: Race Point Visitor Center, Cape Cod National Seashore, Provincetown, MA. August 18, 5:30 pm, Exhibit Reception and Talk.
September 18 – 21: Greater Atlantic Regional Stranding Conference (GARSCON), Rehoboth Beach, DE
October 30 - December 2: Seacoast Science Center, Rye, NH
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Stay tuned for more dates and locations…
For more information or to ask about hosting the exhibit, email us at:
sealsandsociety@gmail.com
Four of the panels installed at the Province Lands Visitor Center on Cape Cod.
Support and Funding for Seals and Society was provided by David P. Wheatland Charitable Trust, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport RI.
Many researchers, people, and organizations were generous with ideas, information, and images used in this exhibit. We’d like to thank, in particular:
Visual Media Contributors
Darius Coombs, Mashpee Wampanoag Nation
Steve De Neef
Uko Gorter
International Fund for Animal Welfare, Marine Mammal Rescue and Research
Tomas Koeck
Milton Levin, MS, PhD., University of Connecticut
Sarah Medill, Parks Canada
Michael J. Moore, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Christin Murphy, US Naval Undersea Warfare Center
Brian Skerry
Contributing Culture and Science Advisors
Atlantic White Shark Conservancy
Kristy Biolsi, St. Francis University, Center for the Study of Pinniped Ecology and Cognition (C-SPEC)
Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown
Christina Connett-Brophy, Mystic Seaport Museum
Monica DeAngelis, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, RI
Robert Di Giovanni, Atlantic Marine Conservation Society
Michael Dyer, New Bedford Whaling Museum
Peter Forbes, Facilitator, New Learning Journey
Jennifer Jackman, Salem State University
Elizabeth Josephson, NOAA Northeast FIsheries Science Center Affiliate
Jason Mancini, Executive Director, CT Humanities & Co-founder,
Akomawt Educational Initiative
Kimberly Murray, Research Fisheries Biologist, NOAA Fisheries Northwest Atlantic Seal Research Consortium
Robert Rocha, New Beford Whaling Museum
Joe Roman, Author of Eat, Poop, Die: How Animals Make Our World
Frederick Wenzel, Fisheries Research Biologist, NOAA Fisheries
Images, unless otherwise noted, were taken under NOAA permits No. 16260, LOC 20412, 775-187, 17670, and LOC 14903.