"Blues, Grays, Humpbacks and Pacific White Sided Dolphins"
PHOTO COURTESY of NOAA Fisheries and Vancouver Aquarium
Orca Network's annual Ways of Whales Workshop will be held Saturday, January 24, 2015, 9:30 am until 4:30 pm at the Coupeville Middle School Performing Arts Center, 501 S. Main St, Coupeville, Whidbey Island, WA, followed by a special screening of the new documentary Fragile Waters at the Nordic Lodge south of Coupeville.
The 2015 Ways of Whales workshop features presentations on a wide variety of cetaceans, from the local North Puget Sound Gray whales who feed in Possession Sound and Saratoga Passage each spring, to the endangered Southern Resident Community of orcas, to thriving populations of Humpback whales in the Salish Sea and beyond and Blue whales off our coastal waters, to the acrobatic Pacific White Sided dolphins.
The day will feature presentations by the region's top cetacean experts and advocates, including:
Howard Garrett, Orca Network:
Southern Resident Orcas Update: J32/Rhapsody and J50; Lolita/Tokitae, and "Blackfish Effect" Updates
John Durban, NOAA Fisheries:
Size matters: using photogrammetry to monitor length, growth and body condition for conservation of Resident killer whales
John Calambokidis, Cascadia Research:
New insights into the abundance and movements of the larger baleen whales (blue, humpback and our local gray whales) off the US West Coast and potential human threats.
Erin Ashe, Oceans Initiative:
Pacific White Sided Dolphins of the Salish Sea
and a special song from Environmental Songster Dana Lyons
Environmental education displays and materials will be available throughout the day, including a table from Orca Network's Langley Whale Center gift shop, with whale books, DVDs, CDs, field guides and more.
Cost of the workshop is $35 ($25 for Students/Seniors), and a hot lunch is available for purchase for an additional $10 (for those who pre-register by Jan. 16, or on an as-available basis after this date).
NEW! Post Workshop Event from 5 - 8 pm
FRAGILE WATERS Documentary
Following the Ways of Whales workshop is an Orca Network fundraising event, with food and drink and discussion of the day's workshop, and a special screening of the new documentary Fragile Waters, produced for Orca Network by filmmakers Rick Wood and Shari Macy, about Southern Resident Orcas and their need for salmon. Rick and Shari will attend the screening and hold a Q&A session after the movie.
This event will be held at the Nordic Lodge, 63 Jacobs Rd, south of Coupeville. Cost is $25/person.
Pre-registration is highly recommended, as seating is limited. Further information and online registration are available at www.orcanetwork.org. Questions? Contact Orca Network at info@orcanetwork.org or 360-331-3543 or 1-866-ORCANET.
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Susan Berta & Howard Garrett
Orca Network
