Jen Miller: Sea Otters, Eco-Grief, and the Conservationist's Path Back to Hope
Jen Miller is Senior Manager of the Sea Otter Fund at the Wildlife Conservation Network, and her path has been anything but linear. A PhD from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies studying tigers and livestock depredation in India. Wolves and jaguar reintroduction policy at Defenders of Wildlife. International wildlife trafficking grants at the US Fish and Wildlife Service. And now, one of conservation's most genuinely hopeful comeback stories: bringing sea otters back to 800 miles of coastline where they've been absent for over a century.
Sea otters were once called "soft gold," hunted so relentlessly in the 18th and 19th century maritime fur trade that 99% of their population was wiped out. Today, with 3,000 in central California and real momentum building around reintroduction, they're at the center of one of the ocean's most important ecological recovery stories. As a keystone species, when sea otters return, kelp forests follow, and when kelp forests return, everything else follows too.
But the biology might be the easy part. Getting to yes with fishermen, tribes, state and federal agencies, and coastal communities is where the real work happens.
Jen also speaks honestly about the emotional interior of conservation: eco-grief, climate anxiety, burnout, and the working group she co-founded called Revive, a global community of practice helping conservationists build the resilience to keep going for the long haul.
Bonus 5-Minute Guided Resilience Practice with Jen
Feeling eco-grief, climate anxiety, or the everyday weight of change? Jen leads a short guided body sensing practice you can use anywhere, anytime.
About the Sea Otter Fund
The Sea Otter Fund at the Wildlife Conservation Network supports research, community engagement, and the logistical groundwork needed to reintroduce sea otters across their historic range. With 3,000 southern sea otters in central California and an 800-mile gap to close, the fund is focused on the science, the stakeholder relationships, and the socioeconomic research needed to get to yes, with tribes, fishermen, and coastal communities leading the way.
In this conversation:
* 0:00 - Introduction
* 16:10 - Sea otters: from 300,000 to near-extinction and back
* 24:10 - Why great white sharks are accidentally blocking sea otter recovery
* 37:00 - The Sea Otter Fund: closing the 800-mile gap
* 43:20 - Revive: building emotional resilience in conservation
* 58:50 - Guided 5-minute emotional resilience practice with Jen
Learn more:
* Sea Otter Fund: https://wildnet.org/wildlife-fund/sea-otter-fund/ [https://wildnet.org/wildlife-fund/sea-otter-fund/]
* Revive: https://www.reviveconservation.org/ [https://www.reviveconservation.org/]
CONNECT WITH SAVING WILDLIFE WITH SAM:
* Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@savingwildlifewithsam [https://www.youtube.com/@savingwildlifewithsam]
* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savingwildlife [https://www.facebook.com/savingwildlife]
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savingwildlifewithsam/ [https://www.instagram.com/savingwildlifewithsam/]
* Join the newsletter: https://forms.gle/3v5UCmN6CgLGGM3s5 [https://forms.gle/3v5UCmN6CgLGGM3s5]
* Follow Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-williams-0989483/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-williams-0989483/]
Please like, comment, and share to help more people discover these conservation stories. 🌊 🦦
