August 28, 2019

MPRPD Board of Directors,

My name is Kevin Raskoff and I am applying for the open Ward 3 Board of Directors position with the MPRPD. I believe parks offer solitude in an increasingly overwhelming world. They are a place we can meet our friends, exercise our body and mind, and reconnect with the natural world. My goals are to help the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District increase access and opportunities for our residents and visitors to enjoy, conserve, and support our regional parks.

I am a seventeen-year resident of Del Rey Oaks and have lived on the peninsula for 22 years. I am the chair of the biology department at Monterey Peninsula College, having taught at MPC for 13 years full-time. I teach environmental science, marine biology, and ecology and evolution courses. Previous to MPC, I taught full time at CSUMB for three years, and before that was focused on scientific research. I have a Ph.D. from UCLA in Biology and I focused my studies on the ecology of the Monterey deep sea environment. I came to the peninsula in 1997 to work at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and did my research fulltime until making the switch to focus on higher education in 2003. Currently, I am also involved with many other groups in the area, including Sustainable Del Rey Oaks, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and the Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Science at Monterey High School.

My time in education and research has given me opportunities to understand the natural world and to connect with the professionals who study nature, as well as work with those who are just learning about our local habitats and biodiversity. This experience will allow me to bring an important perspective to the board. I also hope to leverage my experiences in higher education and with the research community to help find new partnerships and opportunities for the MPRPD. Additionally, I want to provide important outreach to my ward and beyond to increase their knowledge of the recreational opportunities. I am eager to learn about what barriers might exist that keep some in the population from greater use of our fantastic park resources.

I view the role of the board as both protecting the parks from negative human influences while at the same time doing everything we can to bring more of our residents in to experience what they have to offer. The board serves all the residents of the district and I am anxious to make sure we are reaching out to all individuals so that they can experience the wonders of our regional parks.

I hope you will consider my application and I look forward to speaking before the board on September 11th. Please find more information about my background in my CV.

Thank you for your time,

Kevin Raskoff Kevin Raskoff, Ph.D. Del Rey Oaks, CA 93940

Experience and Employment Biology Department Chair. 2011- present. Monterey Peninsula College. Monterey, CA.

Biology Instructor. 2006-2011. Monterey Peninsula College. Monterey, CA.

Lecturer II. 2003-2006. California State University, Monterey Bay. Seaside, CA.

Adjunct Faculty. 2001-2006. Monterey Peninsula College. Monterey, CA.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow. 2001-2003. Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Research into hydrozoan and scyphozoan lifecycles. Chief scientist on 11 dives with the ROVs Ventana and Tiburon. Scientist on over 130 day and multi-week cruises.

Research Assistant. 1997-2001. Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Midwater Ecology Group.

Academic Background

Postdoctoral Fellowship. Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Moss Landing, CA.

Ph. D. University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Biology. Thesis: The ecology of the mesopelagic cnidarians in Monterey Bay, California.

B. Sc. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Department of Biology. Ecology and Systematic Biology: Fisheries and Marine Biology.

Community Service Sustainable Del Rey Oaks. 2019. Founding member- Recording Secretary and Communications.

Professional Advisory Panel. 2008–present. Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Science, Monterey High School.

Faculty Advisor. 2011- present. Environmental Club of MPC.

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. 2005- present. Team OCEAN and Bay Net Training.

Selected Publications Bentlage, B., Osborn, K., Lindsay, D., Hopcroft, R., Raskoff, K., Collins, A. (2018) Loss of metagenesis and evolution of a parasitic lifestyle in a group of open ocean jellyfish. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 124, July 2018, Pages 50-59.

Raskoff, K. A., Matsumoto G. I. (2015) Caveat Lector: The Perils of Critical Thinking for Today’s Students. California Classroom Science 27, No. 6.

Raskoff, K. A. (2013) The design and construction of a low cost recirculating seawater system for student or research use. Western Society of Naturalists Conference.

Raskoff, K. A. (2010) Bathykorus bouilloni: a new genus and species of deep–sea jellyfish from the Arctic Ocean (Hydrozoa, Narcomedusae, Aeginidae). Zootaxa.

Raskoff, K.A., Hopcroft, R.R., Kosobokova, K.N., Purcell, J.E., Youngbluth, M. (2010) Jellies under ice: ROV observations from the Arctic 2005 Hidden Ocean Expedition. Deep-sea Research I.

Raskoff, K.A., Robison, B.H. (2005) A novel mutualistic relationship between a doliolid and a cnidarian, Bythotiara dolioeques sp. nov. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 85: 583–593.

Robison, B.H., Raskoff, K.A., Sherlock, R.E. (2005) Adaptations for living deep: a new bathypelagic doliolid from the eastern North Pacific. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 85: 595-602.

Robison, B.H., Raskoff, K.A., Sherlock, R.E. (2005) Ecological substrate in midwater: Doliolula equus, a new, mesopelagic tunicate. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 85: 655-663.

Raskoff, K.A., Purcell, J.E., Hopcroft, R.R. (2005) Gelatinous zooplankton of the Arctic Ocean: in situ observations under the ice. Polar Biology 28: 207-217.

Hopcroft, R.R., Clarke, C., Nelson, R.J., Raskoff, K.A. (2005) Zooplankton Communities of the Arctic's Canada Basin: the contribution by smaller taxa. Polar Biology 28: 198-206.

Raskoff, K.A. and Matsumoto, G.I. (2004) Stellamedusa ventana, a new mesopelagic scyphomedusae from the eastern Pacific representing a new subfamily, the Stellamedusinae. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 84, 1- 6.

Matsumoto, G. I., K. A. Raskoff, D. Lindsay. (2003) Tiburonia granrojo n. sp., a mesopelagic scyphomedusa from the Pacific Ocean representing the type of a new subfamily (class Scyphozoa: order Semaeostomeae: family Ulmaridae: subfamily Tiburoniinae subfam. Nov.) Marine Biology 143 : 73-77

Raskoff, K. A., F. A. Sommer, W. M. Hamner, K. Cross. (2003) Collection and Culture Techniques for Gelatinous Zooplankton. Biological Bulletin 204 : 68-80.

Raskoff, K. A. (2002). Foraging, prey capture, and gut contents of the mesopelagic narcomedusa, Solmissus spp. (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa). Mar. Biol., 141, 1088-1107.

Raskoff, K. A. (2001). The impact of El Nino events on populations of mesopelagic hydromedusae. Hydrobiologia, 451, 121-129.

Purcell, J. E., Breitburg, D. L., Decker, M. B., Graham, W. M., Youngbluth, M. J., & Raskoff, K. A. (2001). Pelagic cnidarians and ctenophores in low dissolved oxygen environments. In N. N. Rabalais & R. E. Turner (Eds.), Coastal hypoxia: consequences for living resources and ecosystems (Vol. 58, pp. 77-100). Washington, D. C.: American Geophysical Union.

ROV and Submersible Experience Johnson-Sea-Link, Ventana, Tiburon, Global Explorer, Kaiko and smaller ROV systems. Chief Scientist on 11 cruises and scientist on over 150 dives. Monterey, Hawaii, Arctic Ocean, Mariana Trench.

Scientific cruises and research experiences Arctic Sea- 2002 and 2005 NOAA funded “Hidden Ocean” survey of deep-sea. Monterey Bay- 1997- 2004 MBARI ROVs, deep-sea zooplankton, blue water SCUBA. Hawaii- 2001 MBARI ROVs, deep-sea zooplankton, blue-water SCUBA. Atlantic- 2001 HBOI Johnson-Sea-Link submersible, blue-water SCUBA. University of Salento, Italy- 2000 Hydrozoan lifecycles. Mariana Trench, Pacific- 1999 JAMSTEC ROV, Keiko. USC Wrigley Marine Science Center- 1997, Catalina Island. Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology- 1997 Moku o Loʻe, Kāne'ohe Bay, Oahu. Coral Reef Research Foundation- 1996 Koror, Palau.

References Steven Haddock, Ph.D.- Senior Scientist, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Bruce Robison, Ph.D.- Senior Scientist, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Andres Durstenfeld, Ph.D.- Professor, Monterey Peninsula College. Manny Ezcurra, M.S.- Curator of Fish and Invertebrates, Monterey Bay Aquarium. Alison Kerr, Mayor of Del Rey Oaks, CA.