Don Kohrs at Hopkins Marine Station. While Charles Gardner was taking a walk with his wife, he stumbled across one of the pop-up satellite tags -- #06A0555 -- that Sal Jorgensen attached to a white shark last year near the Farallon Islands. Here's how Charles tells the story:

Frequent visitors to the Point Reyes National Seashore, my wife and I often enjoy one of our favorite walks, which starts at Kehoe Beach heading south towards Abbotts Lagoon. On Thursday, September 20, 2007, we headed out on one such walk. The day was warm, the sky clear and the ocean pristine. Basking in the surrounding beauty and solitude, about mid-point between Kehoe and Abbotts, I noticed an unnatural, mostly buried object in the sand. Kicking it out with my big toe, I checked it out for a moment and tossed it in my backpack.

Cleaning out my pack a few days later and armed with reading glasses, I found the tag and took a closer look. The first thing I noticed were $$$$, four dollar signs (motivation) an ID number (curiosity) and a phone number (possible answers to my curious motivation?)

Calling the number, I was told that the owner of the tag would contact me. Arriving home from our trip, I had an email from Don Kohrs, TOPP program of Stanford University (owner of the tag). I was surprised to find out about the $500.00 reward and delighted to find out that this tag had been deployed on a white shark. Becoming aware of the TOPP program has added to the magic experience I feel with nature.