In 2004, Diane Gifford-Gonzalez presided over an interdisciplinary meeting she organized at UC Santa Cruz on northern fur seals and how the archaeological record of the North Pacific could inform our understanding of this species. This meeting was filled with dynamic conversations and information-sharing, the likes of which I have experienced only a few times. In this photo, you can see Diane holding forth at the dinner table to a group of us. Diane is a path-breaking scholar who has inspired so many others. I remain in awe of the depth and breadth of her intellect. At that meeting, I made connections with others who I have continued to collaborate with and highly value as colleagues: Dongya Yang, Iain McKechnie, Mike Etnier, and Seth Newsome, to name a few. I am forever grateful to you, Diane.
We also visited Año Nuevo, the CA state park best known for its elephant seals, less well-known for its archaeology. The photos below show the damage the seals have done to some of the archaeology (as of April 18, 2004).
elephant seals lounging on the south side of the park
portion of archaeological site (shell midden) eroding in trail
northern elephant seals are much larger than other phocids, with males 4m long weighing 2000 kg
elephant seals in the brush (!); their hauling out is literally damaging arch deposits