PBC: How did you first come to know about the Pacific Beach Coalition?

Caren: Lynn Adams attended an albatross talk I gave in Sausalito and then brought my educational traveling exhibit, “Albatross; Life on the Wind and Sea,” to several local schools and libraries. The PBC Earth Hero that year was the albatross, and [Covid-19] had shut everything down, so we did a bunch of albatross school presentations virtually. It was fantastic working with PBC, and [we] began a long and happy partnership.

PBC: Why have you chosen to support PBC?

Caren: I am blown away by PBC’s focus on educating the public about wildlife and their outreach to schools. Having a different Earth Hero each year brings the focus on species that need attention, their interconnected lives with other species, the ocean, the beach and other habitats and beyond, and ultimately with us. The teacher toolkits that PBC creates are absolutely top notch and available for free. This is such an incredible help to teachers in classrooms and for home learning and families. I’m also thrilled by the school auditorium presentations about these species, bringing the learning to loads of kids. It’s incredible! 

“I want to empower people of all ages and offer some knowledge, ideas, and tools to take action. We can all make a positive difference for wildlife!”

PBC: You live in both Hawai’i and Half Moon Bay and are from Hawai’i. Describe your relationship with the coast and the ocean.

Caren: I am so fortunate to be able to spend time in two incredible places. Living on Hawai’i’s Big Island, I am never too far from the ocean. I live among many native species and endemic species that nest nowhere else on the planet. We live on top of Kilauea, the active volcano. Getting to experience live-action, the creation of new land, and regularly changing landscapes is awe-inspiring.

I’ve learned through my research for various projects about seabirds that the ocean species have helped and continue to contribute to making this volcanic island green and fertile. The seabirds that nest in Hawai’i live over the ocean, but must come to land to nest, and through nesting they have brought marine nutrients to the land. When humans first arrived in Hawaii, the lush islands they settled on were green largely because of millions of years of seabirds nesting there! Even high up the forested mountain slopes, marine nutrients are found in abundance.

Through my work creating books and art, I get into the field and learn from many biologists, bringing their work to the public. I also spend two months every other year on Midway Atoll where we conduct a nesting albatross census. Midway is part of the remote atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (Papahanaumokuakea) where most of the world’s Laysan Albatross nest. We regularly count more than half a million nests. It’s incredible being in the middle of the ocean on a tiny spit of land, among millions of creatures that make their living from the ocean, spending most of their time gliding over the waves all around the Pacific Ocean. We humans are diminished among so many seabirds. It’s an incredible feeling.

PBC: You learned the ancient art of block printing from your mother. Why is this style so important and special to you?

Caren: Block printing appeals to me partly because my mom taught me and also because I love the look of this medium. 

PBC: What makes block printing so unique when compared to other styles and mediums?

Caren: There is something classic, simple, and strong in the look of block prints that really appeals to me and lends itself to depicting my favorite subjects. It has its own style and “feel” compared to painting or drawing. I also add watercolor pencil to the block prints, which adds a painterly quality to the art.

My most recent book, “Finding Home, a Hawaiian Petrel’s Journey,” is filled with my block prints, in addition to loads of drawings, like a field journal. I’m enjoying drawing lately, which is part of the block-printing process, but in this case I’m creating drawings as the finished pieces.

PBC: You created your first art poster of the albatross for PBC in 2020. This is fitting since you love birds. Fast-forward to 2025 when you created artwork of the brown pelican, one of your favorite birds. Why are you so drawn to the pelican?

Caren: I do love pelicans…among the rest of the seabirds — and all birds actually! I think birds are the best animal for getting people interested in conservation. I’m especially drawn to those birds who make their living over the ocean. There is something so fascinating about flight and different ways of getting food from the ocean.

I love how they have adapted to live so differently from us humans. Soaring effortlessly over the water, sleeping on the wing, using less energy in flight than on land, and so many other wild qualities. I’ve been watching pelicans my whole life, and their distinctive v-formation, easy gliding, flying so close to the surface of the sea, their diving, and giant scooping up of fish are sights that most people have witnessed and marveled at.

This is such a great species for opening up the wonders of the natural world to people and to youngsters. When people are curious about creatures other than humans we often start to care about them. The brown pelicans are also a fantastic species to show how we humans sometimes unintentionally harm wildlife.

Back in the 1940s, when brown pelicans ate fish contaminated by DDT and other pesticide runoff, their eggs became thin and were crushed in the nest. There were so many nest failures that the pelicans almost went extinct. But, the Environmental Protection Agency banned DDT, and 30 plus years later, the brown pelican population had made a spectacular rebound. They were removed from the Endangered Species list and are now thriving! Their story shows how we can help a species, too. These are the kind of stories I love to tell through my art. 

PBC: Before creating art, you do a deep dive on the species. What else is part of your process?

Caren: That deep dive is a huge part of my work. I describe my art as “visual storytelling,” and my main interest in creating art is to bring wildlife that needs our help to the forefront. I research and spend time in the field studying and volunteering in support of the species. I get into their colonies when I can with the people who are studying them. In my art, I include little facts such as a bird’s lifestyle, diet, different feather colorations, how they fly and hunt, and their threats. Through my art, I try to open up people’s curiosity and interest in a species, hoping they might even fall in love with this critter! 

PBC: What do you hope people will take away from viewing your artwork?

Caren: My main objective in making art and books is to create beautiful and compelling images and stories that open up people to another being’s world. I hope to awaken the viewer’s curiosity and interest. I want to create a feeling of connection with animals that often live so differently from us. And when a species is in trouble and needs our help, I hope to inspire the desire to help. I want to empower people of all ages and offer some knowledge, ideas, and tools to take action. We can all make a positive difference for wildlife!  

PBC: What project(s) are you looking forward to creating in the future?

Caren: My nine art-filled books have been inspired by the Hawaiian natural word and culture. I am living in Half Moon Bay more now and would like to do more projects celebrating and educating about the incredible diversity of habitats and birdlife in our Coastside realm. 

PBC: What words of wisdom do you have for people who want to get closer to the natural world around them?

Caren: Get out into nature, learn about the animals and plants that you see, and volunteer with an organization like Pacific Beach Coalition. When you invest your time into making the natural world better, you are improving it for the wildlife — and for the humans. And you will feel good about yourself. We are, after all, part of the natural world. We forget this sometimes!

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Get involved!

We organize 10 monthly beach cleanups and three habitat restorations from Daly City to Half Moon Bay along the coast and in Foster City on the peninsula. All ages are welcome to participate.