Icelandic Seal Center
There have been many whales in Miðfjörður-bay in recent weeks and it is fun to watch all the life in the sea outside the Seal Center. Last night there were a few humpback whales swimming very close to land which was amazing to watch.
Last week, an LTT2 (Learning, Teaching, Training) event took place in Turkey in connection with the Erasmus+ project Climate Challenge Adventure, which is managed by the Seal Center. The host school was Bilnet School in Balikesir, a city of over 300,000 people in western Turkey.
All project partners met there, and students and teachers from Iceland, Denmark, and Turkey came together to test innovative ways to address climate change and promote sustainability through game-based education, digital storytelling, and environmentally friendly practices.
The event was a great success and it was great to experience Turkish culture and hospitality. Part of the trip was a stop in Istanbul, which is an amazing city, both in terms of size and history.
Next on the project agenda are small local events for all project partners to be held in late May and early June. The next LTT event will be in Hvammstangi in mid-September.
Notice from the Icelandic Seal Center. The ISC has hired Örvar Birkir Eiríksson as managing director as of the beginning of the year.
Örvar is born in 1976 and grew up in Syðri-Vellir in Kirkjuhvammshreppur in Vestur-Húnavatns county. He has been a frequent visitor to the homestead through the years, where his parents still live. Örvar, therefore, has a great and strong connection with the community in Húnaþing vestra.
Örvar has a Bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Iceland and also studied for an MA in the same subject and a diploma in marketing and export studies. Most recently, he completed his M.Ed. degree in teaching social studies from the University of Iceland. Örvar is married to Erla Björgvinsdóttir, a developmental therapist, and they have a total of five children.
Örvar worked i.a. for about 7 years in Viðey in cultural tourism and for 9 years as a store manager in an international retail chain. In recent years he has worked as a teacher.
The board of ICS welcomes Örvar to work and looks forward to working with him. At the same time, the board thanks Páll L Sigurðsson very much for his cooperation and work well done and wishes him all the best in the future.
Gunnlaugur Ragnarsson
Chairman of the Board ISC
The Icelandic Seal Center (ISC) and the Icelandic Marine & Freshwater Research Institute renewed their cooperation agreement at the end of October 2022. The agreement stipulates the strengthening of research on seals in Iceland at the Hvammstanga facility. In particular, monitoring the population size of wild and land seals. In addition to carrying out data collection and research that contributes to the improvement of advice in accordance with the management objectives of the government.
The parties agree to look for ways to increase the number of employees so that the research activities of the Seal Center and the Institute of Marine Research in Hvammstangi can be strengthened. The agreement is open-ended and Seal Center s is optimistic about the future.
