Bill Doyle, founding director of UCSC's Institute of Marine Sciences, surveys the lab's seawater intake in 1978. Past, Present, and Future Why is Long Marine Laboratory here? It's the best place to study marine science on the west coast! Due to a unique combination of natural geological features and currents, the Monterey Bay is one of the richest marine environments in the world. During the long days of spring and summer, the California current moves water south towards the equator and strong northwesterly winds blow along the coastline. This combination creates seasonal upwelling of nutrient-rich, low-temperature water from the deep ocean up to the surface nearshore. Here the enriched water spurs microscopic plankton. The tiny organisms support the center of the marine food web from shrimp to whales. The protected and clean waters of the bay provide a safe harbor for resident and visiting marine life. Harbor seals, southern sea otters, bottlenose dolphins, and two porpoise species are here year-round. California sea lions, northern elephant seals, northern fur seals, four dolphin species, 13 whale species, and the threatened Steller sea lion come here at different times of the year. Thousands of different kinds of invertebrates, animals without backbones, are supported by the rich water and wide assortment of intertidal and subtidal substrates. Over 450 different kinds of large marine algae live in the Monterey Bay, as well as thousands of migratory and resident sea and shore birds and many different kinds of fish. It's because of these incredible numbers and types of sea life that the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary was created in 1992. Extending from Cambria in San Luis Obispo County to just above the mouth of the San Francisco Bay, it is the nation's largest national marine sanctuary. Hidden under the sea surface is the huge Monterey Bay Submarine Canyon, larger than the Grand Canyon. Deep sea environments are a short boat ride away for researchers and whale watchers instead of hundreds of miles off the continental shelf. Over the years this rich natural environment has attracted over 20 marine education and research facilities to locate on the borders of the bay. When UCSC first opened in 1965, the marine sciences were an important part of the campus planning. Now, with the dynamic combination of university scientists, analytical equipment, facilities, collaborative research, and public outreach, UCSC is on the forefront of marine science research and education in the Monterey Bay. Long Marine Laboratory is the oceanside research center for UCSC's Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS), an organized research unit focusing on marine science. In 1974, Donald and Marion Younger donated 40 acres of coastal bluff and freshwater lagoon north of Santa Cruz to UCSC for the establishment of a marine laboratory and for wetland preservation. The Joseph M. Long Marine Laboratory was dedicated in 1978 to honor the substantial contributions to the university made by Joseph M. Long, founder of Longs Drugs. Initial construction of the marine lab was made possible through generous private support, and ongoing operating costs of the lab are supported by the university as well as contracts, grants, and gift funds. As soon as the lab's first buildings were constructed, curious visitors began to arrive. Bill Doyle, first director of IMS and the lab, recognized the value of an interested public and supported the establishment of the Friends of Long Marine Lab, a non-profit group that supports the lab's public education program.   Ken Norris, former director of Long Marine Lab, was a renowned dolphin and whale biologist.   This popular program grew to serve over 35,000 visitors a year, while housed in a portable classroom. As a permanent home for the public education program, construction of the Seymour Center and its exhibits was made possible by a 6.4 million dollar fundraising effort of the Friends and the UC Foundation. The university also contributed $500,000 for a university teaching lab inside the Seymour Center. Long Marine Lab is the only working research laboratory in California open daily to the public. More than 200 volunteers donate their time and expertise. The Seymour Center provides the opportunity for visitors to the lab to get a closer look at the research underway within the Institute of Marine Sciences. Seymour Center Named for Generous Benefactor   Arthur McArthur Seymour H.Boyd Seymour   Harry Boyd Seymour, Sr. After nearly a decade of planning, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center opened on March 11, 2000 giving school children and the public a unique view into the workings of a marine research lab. Private donations funded nearly all of the project's $6.4 million cost, including an outstanding $2 million cornerstone gift from H. Boyd Seymour Jr. of San Francisco. Seymour's gift honored his father, Harry Boyd Seymour (1896-1977), and his grandfather, Arthur McArthur Seymour (1864-1919). Both men graduated cum laude from UC Berkeley and were prominent attorneys in Sacramento. Arthur McArthur Seymour, born in 1864 in Sutter County, California, was Sacramento District Attorney from 1902 to 1907 and was known statewide as a prosecutor without peer. Harry Boyd Seymour was a World War I veteran and served as president of the City Board of Education in Sacramento. He was the senior partner at Downey, Brand, Seymour & Rohwer, the law firm founded by his father. He became a prominent Sacramento attorney, serving on numerous corporate and civic boards. H. Boyd Seymour, Jr., was born in 1926 in Sacramento. He received his AB in Biological Sciences from Stanford University in 1947. A retired Principal of Franklin Resources, Inc., Boyd and his wife, Deborah made their home in San Francisco. H. Boyd Seymour, Jr. passed away in September 2009. Numerous other donors each contributed gifts of $100,000 or more to bring the center to fruition. They are Leanore Theriot Hooper and the late Emmet T. Hooper, Paul and Anne Irwin, David and Rebecca Kashtan, the Kresge Foundation, Anne and Paul Levin, the Joseph M. Long Foundation, Zoe Ann Orr Marcus, Frances B. McAllister, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Phyllis Simpkins and the late Alan Simpkins, Richard and Mary Solari, and the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation. In Grateful Recognition of those who made the Seymour Marine Discovery Center a reality. Cornerstone Gift H. Boyd Seymour, Jr.   $100,000 and above Leanore Theriot Hooper Anne and Paul Irwin David and Rebecca Kashtan The Kresge Foundation Anne N. and Paul D. Levin The J.M. Long Foundation Zoe Ann Orr Marcus Frances B. McAllister The David and Lucile Packard Foundation Alan and Phyllis Simpkins Richard and Mary Solari Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation   $25,000 to $99,999 Glenn L. Allen Jack and Peggy Baskin Bogard Construction, Inc. Coast Commercial Bank Dean Witter Foundation Robert Dilworth Family The Dow Chemical Company Foundation Stanley and Elvera Kipman   Montgomery Street Foundation Moore Family Foundation The Mooser Family The Nicholson Family Foundation Garland Reiter J. Miles Reiter Robert and Carol L. Simpkins Robert Stephens and Julie Packard $5,000 to $24,000 The Bank of America Foundation Cargill Salt Lee and Nell Cliff & the Porter Sesnon Foundation Richard R. Crowell and Alison Bryan Crowell David M. and Mary Ellen Doden Gerald and Mildred FitzGerald The Herbst Foundation Graniterock Harold and Persis Hyde Wilbur and Nancy Lenz Allison Levy Jeremy and Patricia Lezin & Salz Leathers Gerena E. Macgowan Foundation   George and Linda Malloch Tim and Heather Matthews Bruce and Mary McPherson MLB Foundation, Inc. Joseph A. and Gladys G. Moore Harvey and Judy Nickelson Bob and Edie Rittenhouse Louis Emmet Rittenhouse Lillian McPherson Rouse Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Bill and Brigid Simpkins SRG Partnership & Jon and Barbara Schleuning Donald Starr Sandra and Murray Wyman $1,000 to $4,000 Al Adato and Karen A. Cogswell American Express Foundation Richard, Susan, Allicia, Laura and Ryan Beach Nancy Dran D'Angelo Stephen and Julia Davenport John A. and Harriet Deck Thomas and Sonia Deetz Devcon Construction William and Glendawyn Doyle Philip A. DuBeau and Lora Lee Martin Chris J. and Yolanda Dybdahl Anne G. Earhart Ruth, Lauren and Chelsea Elder Kenneth and Moira Feingold Dan and Lee Gilbert Allen and Shirley Ginzburg Lynda J. Goff M.R.C. Greenwood Gary Griggs and Venetia Bradfield Julie Barrett Heffington and Tim Heffington Elise Hoffman Robert and Donna Holmes IBM Corporation Patricia Robbins Johnson Naomi Kirschenbaum Ronni Levin Nancy V. Loshkajian Peter Macht and Marc Luettchau Marc and Susan Mangel Dean and Jane McHenry Monterey Bay Bank Moore Dry Dock Foundation Jim and Linda Moore Patrick O'Hara and Lynne Stoops John and Vicki Pearse Ralph Gomez Porras and Lillian Willter Porras Lisa M. Rose Ed and Norma Sacks John B. and Diane C. Simpson Setzer Foundation Jack and Mary Stagnaro Edward and Marcia Thayer Robert H. Triebig Todd Werby Virginia and Terrence Wilson Long Marine Lab Partners As the only Ph.D.-granting research university in the Monterey Bay region, UCSC has attracted state, federal, and private partners to the region. In 1998, the California Department of Fish and Game built a research facility on university land adjacent to Long Marine Lab. In October 2000, the National Marine Fisheries Service dedicated a 19.4 million dollar research lab focusing primarily on salmon and rockfish on land next door. This state-of-the-art laboratory houses the first National Science Center for Marine Protected Areas. In June 2001, UCSC completed the Center for Ocean Health next to the Seymour Center. Construction was largely funded by a $5 million grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The Center for Ocean Health provides flexible, oceanfront research space. The approximately 20,000-square-foot facility replaced the aging trailers occupied by Long Marine Lab staff for many years. The facility includes offices and laboratories for faculty, researchers, and graduate students, as well as a 50-seat conference room. In the summer of 1999, the university purchased the 60 acres surrounding the lab. A planning group composed of university and local government representatives are discussing possible uses for the land. Any future development will support the existing mission of the marine lab: education and research. For more information about Long Marine Lab, its partners and programs, click here. About the Center: History | Exhibits | Aquarium | Blue Whale Skeleton | Outdoor Areas | Facilities