"WAYS OF WHALES WORKSHOP" — Make Plans to Attend This Event on Jan. 23, 2016

photo courtesy of Jill Hein/Orca Network

All around us in the Salish Sea—the combined inland waters of Washington and British Columbia—live whales called "orcas." Soon, you will have a great opportunity to learn more about them. A thrill to see, their problems are less visible and they themselves generally misunderstood. They are known as "Killer Whales" to many, but rather than being a threat to humans, these graceful creatures face devastating threats to their well-being and survival because of humans. Environmental pollution and a decrease in the salmon upon which these Pacific Northwest whales feed are manmade problems that can only have manmade solutions. 

photo courtesy of Jill Hein/Orca Network

Orca Network wants to give you plenty of reasons to care about the region's whales during the organization's annual "Ways of Whales Workshop." The 2016 event takes place on Saturday, January 23, at the Coupeville Middle School Performing Arts Center, 501. S Main St. Coupeville, WA, on Whidbey Island. Between 9:30am and 4:30pm that day, attendees can hear fascinating talks about the endangered Southern Resident Community of orcas, the Transient/Gigg's Keller Whales, Humpback whales, and more. 

Whenever I receive press releases from Orca Network, I am once again awed by the dedication of Co-Founders Susan Berta and Howard Garrett. With the help of many volunteers, they dedicate countless hours of their lives to educating the public and getting people engaged in the effort to protect these marine mammals and their habitat. By reading the Orca Network website, I recently learned how human-like these aquatic neighbors are. They have complex societies, strong lifelong family bonds, distinctive dialects and hunting practices, and other aspects of whale culture that are passed down through each subsequent generation of their families. 

photo courtesy of Jill Hein/Orca Network

Orca Network has a slogan: Connecting Whales and People in the Pacific Northwest. Wouldn't you like to make this connection? Here is a sampling of the expert speakers you can hear and topics covered in the Ways of Whales Workshop:

Howard Garrett, Orca Network - Lolita/Tokitae Update                                                      
Deborah Giles, Center for Whale Research - Southern Resident Orcas                                
Juliana Houghton, ELISS - Transient orcas in the Salish Sea                                             
Fred Sharpe, Alaska Whale Foundation - Humpback Whales                                                 
Treaty Talks: Paddling up the Columbia River for People and Salmon - short documentary 
Dana Lyons, the Great Salish Sea songEnvironmental 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 (including our NEW Fragile Waters DVD!), CDs, field guides and more.

And special this year is an additional talk on Humpback whales by Fred Sharpe on Sunday, January 24, 4 pm at the Langley Whale Center, 115 Anthes, Langley, WA.

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, or on an as-available basis).

Pre-registration is highly recommended, as seating is limited and likely to sell out.
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.

photo courtesy of Jill Hein/Orca Network

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FOUR FRESH IDEAS FOR NORTHWEST FUN THIS WEEKEND

Sheep shearing demonstration at Kelsey Creek Farm in Bellevue — photo courtesy of Kelsey Creek Farm

       Here in the Pacific Northwest, you have plenty of choices for fun ways to spend your weekend. Take your pick of these Good Life Northwest suggestions that will bring you closer to whales, sheep, quilts, and Norwegian culture.

QUILT SHOW, QUILT BARNS, AND A SCENIC DRIVE IN EASTERN WASHINGTON

Beginning on Friday, head to the beautiful country east of the Cascades, if you don't already live there. Stop in the historic town of Ellensburg, Washington, for the Central Washington Quilt Show, “Quilts Along the Trail,” featuring over 200 quilts and over 20 vendors, at the Kittitas County Fairgrounds.  You’ll find more quilts on display at the Kittitas County Museum in an exhibit called “Historical Quilts.” Click here for all the details and directions. 
While in the area, consider taking the Barn Quilts of Kittitas County tour. If you don’t know about the Barn Quilt movement across the nation, you can read about it here. This is Washington State’s first Barn Quilt Trail. The quilt show event takes place on Friday and Saturday, April 25-26 and  incorporates a mini Barn Quilt tour, but you can choose a longer route on this self-guided tour any time you wish. See a variety of old barns that each feature a large painted version of a quilt design with the name and meaning of the pattern having significance to the farm family that chose it. Download printable maps here.

The Leikarring dancers from Tacoma's Embla Lodge No. 2 Daughters of Norway

CELEBRATE NORWEGIAN HERITAGE (even if you aren’t Norwegian)

Another choice for Saturday, April 26, is to venture out to Pacific Lutheran University for the annual Norwegian Heritage Festival at the University Center, 122 South Park Ave., Tacoma, WA, on the main floor. Always held on the last Saturday in April, this delightful event lasts from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and features traditional Norwegian food, folk dancing, music, crafts, and vendor booths. FREE ADMISSION.

Families watch sheep shearing demonstration at Kelsey Creek Farm 

SEE SHEEP SHEARING, VINTAGE TRACTORS, FIBER CRAFTS AND MORE

Maybe you would prefer to spend Saturday visiting Bellevue’s Kelsey Creek Farm at 410 130th Pl SE in Bellevue. Watch sheep shearing, sheep herding, and fiber craft demonstrations, such as spinning. Enjoy tractor pulled hay rides, courtesy of the Northwest Vintage Iron antique tractor club. Ride a pony! See farm animals, try some local honey or traditional crafts, plus much, much more between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. FREE ADMISSION with nominal fees for certain attractions. Details here.

Gray whale spy hopping near Langley, taken by Jill Hein, Orca Network board member 

WATCH WHALES and SUPPORT ORCA NETWORK

On Sunday, April 27, take a whale watching cruise on the Mystic Sea to help raise funds for Orca Network. Board this beautiful vessel at the Langley marina to explore the Salish Sea in search of Orcas and Gray Whales,Join Orca Network Sunday April 27th for a Fundraising whale watch on board the Mystic Sea from 3 - 5 pm. The cost is $75 and includes wine and appetizers and, hopefully, plenty of whale sightings.

Register online at: http://shop.orcanetwork.org/product_p/contrispecial.htm  or www.orcanetwork.org - for more info, contact Orca Network at: 360-331-3543 or info@orcanetwork.org

Orca Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the whales of the Pacific Northwest, and the importance of providing them healthy and safe habitats. Projects include the Whale Sighting Network and Educational programs, the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network, the Free Lolita project, and the Langley Whale Center. Proceeds from this whale watch will support the important work they do for the whales of the Salish Sea.

       Do you have ideas for fun Northwest weekends? Please share them in a comment below! 

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2014 "WAYS OF WHALES" WORKSHOP THIS SATURDAY, JAN. 25.

photo by Jim Maya

URGENT LAST-MINUTE MESSAGE! Personal circumstances beyond my control prevented me from publishing this post earlier, but I hope some of my readers can still attend the 2014 Ways of Whales Workshop on Saturday, January 25. This exciting annual event takes place at the Coupeville Middle School Performing Arts Center on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. It promises to be a day of wonder for anyone interested in the endangered Southern Resident orcas, as well as their fragile food source: endangered salmon.

These beautiful and amazing creatures are, unlike most of us, truly native to the Northwest, and some of the region's most respected experts will advocate for them by educating the public about current threats to the survival of both species. This year's workshop focuses on the theme of Saving Iconic Northwest Species—Southern Resident Orcas and Salmon. The goal of the event is to bring people together and inspire them to partner effectively in their actions to preserve and protect.

Here is the impressive list of presenters, panelists, and topics of discussion:

• Ken Balcomb, Center for Whale Research - No Fish, No Blackfish
• Lynne Barre, NOAA Fisheries - Southern Resident Orca Recovery Plan
• Joseph Bogaard, Save our Wild Salmon - Salmon Recovery
• Howard Garrett, Orca Network - Lolita and Blackfish updates 
• Florian Graner, SeaLife Productions  - Salish Sea orca/salmon video
• Brad Hanson, NOAA Fisheries NWFSC - Southern Resident orcas and their prey
• Jim Lichatowich, author of Salmon, People and Place 
• Panel Discussion: What is needed to Restore Orcas and Salmon in the Pacific Northwest?

Orca Network provided these details:

Cost of the workshop is $30 ($25 for Students/Seniors), and a hot lunch is available for purchase for an additional $10 on an as-available basis. 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. 

Sponsored by:

• Orca Network
• Homeplace of Oak Harbor - Special Care Center
• The historic Captain Whidbey Inn on Penn Cove in Coupeville 

All photos courtesy of Orca Network.

"WELCOME THE WHALES" FESTIVAL IN LANGLEY THIS WEEKEND (video included)

Gray whale spyhops in front of a group of admirers on Sandy Pt, Langley, Whidbey Island WA on April 13th. Photo by Jill Hein, Orca Network.

Every spring, a thrilling event occurs in the waters surrounding Whidbey and Camano Islands, in Washington State. People eagerly wait and watch for sightings of resident Gray whales as they return for their annual feeding visit to Saratoga Passage, between the two islands, and to Possession Sound. I've been in touch with Howard Garrett and Susan Berta, co-founders of Orca Network, and I'm excited to share some photos of whales they provided, along with news of an event coming up this next weekend.

 

Gray whale off Ft. Casey State Park, with two young admirerers - Howard Garrett, Orca Network



Orca Network, uses the motto “Connecting whales and people in the Pacific Northwest.” That is exactly what they hope to do on Saturday, April 20, at the tenth annual Welcome the Whales Festival and Parade in Langley, WA. Sponsored by Orca Network, Homeplace Special Care, and the Langley Chamber of Commerce, this event features a packed schedule of fun and family-friendly activities as well as outstanding educational opportunities for everyone. A Whale Watch cruise aboard the Mystic Sea, planned for Sunday, April 21, is already SOLD OUT.

Gray whale "Patch"'s Fluke - by Jill Hein, Orca Network

Beginning at 11 a.m., children can participate through hands-on displays, making costumes, and more, at the Methodist Church Fellowship Hall (3^rd and Anthes St.) followed by a “Critter Parade” at 1:30. The parade ends at the Langley Waterfront Park, where Windwalker Taibi will offer a blessing for the whales and all can enjoy music and celebration.

 

Gary the Gray whale in the Whale Parade, Orca Network

The afternoon also brings two hours of educational presentations at the same church, between 3 p.m and 5 p.m. Orca Network will offer a program that includes, in addition to an update on North Puget Sound Gray whales, a slide show of whales in San Ignacio Lagoon, Baja, CA, the Gray whales’ southernmost migratory destination and the place where they mate and give birth. Here is some video of whale watchers in the lagoon.



Then Dr. Sue Moore, a biological oceanographer with NOAA/Fisheries Office of Science & Technology, will give a fascinating presentation called “Gray Whales as Sentinels of Climate Change.” For 35 years, she has researched the ecology, bioacoustics and natural history of whales and dolphins.

Aerial shot of Gray whale in Saratoga Passage - Veronica von Allworden, Sky and Sea Photography



These resident whales celebrated at the Welcome the Whales event number only about a dozen. But they are part of the larger number of whales migrating up and down the West Coast each year. Dr. Moore will be speaking about that larger population and how they have been impacted by climate change in the North Pacific and Arctic Seas.

Don’t miss the opportunity to Welcome the Whales as they come home to the Pacific Northwest. If we humans quit caring, that opportunity could one day be gone.  

For more information, contact Orca Network at 1-866-672-2638 or info@orcanetwork.org. Learn how you can travel to Baja with Orca Network in 2014 here.

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ORCA NETWORK PRESENTS "WAYS OF WHALES" WORKSHOP

Excited humans crowd the railings of a Washington State ferry to point and shout to each other about what they see in the water. Dark, smooth, wet, and glistening, the rounded shapes of orcas, sometimes called killer whales, curve up from the water’s surface, their blade-like dorsal fins erect as they forge ahead. 

photo by Howard Garrett

 These elegant creatures, if they chose to do so, could leap in graceful arcs and twist their white undersides toward the sun, let out their haunting high-pitched cries, or dive below. But at the moment, they travel, showing just enough of themselves to mark their passage through the Salish Sea, the combined waters of Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Strait of Georgia. In this delicate ecosystem— increasingly endangered by the effects of human activity—they forage for salmon and communicate with each other in distinct dialects we cannot understand.

If your curiosity about orcas goes beyond snapping a digital photo, you might want to connect with like-minded people at an exciting workshop happening this coming weekend. “Ways of Whales,” will be presented on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013 by Orca Network, a 502 (c) (3) non-profit that, according to their mission statement, is”… dedicated to raising awareness about the whales of the Pacific Northwest, and the importance of providing them healthy and safe habitat.” Fortunately, a growing number of people do care. This popular workshop, now in its tenth year, is the perfect place to begin or expand your knowledge of our region’s whales.

Photo by Howard Garrett

Howard Garrett and Susan Berta co-founded Orca Network and devote themselves to this cause. Garrett, the board chairman, is also the photographer who provided the beautiful images in this post. When I contacted them to learn more, he and Berta eagerly shared photos and information for the benefit of readers of Good Life Northwest and hope many of you will attend.

“The ‘Ways of WhalesWorkshop’ is intended to offer a chance for people interested in whales, from any vantage point, to hear directly from whale researchers and experts about their findings and experiences,” Garrett said. “It’s a chance to ask questions and hear personal insights from a variety of areas of expertise, and it’s a chance to meet lots of other people who share our interest and passion to learn more about whales, especially the orcas that live among us.”

And they do live right among us. I've even seen orcas while dining at Anthony's restaurant at Point Defiance in Tacoma.

Orcas swim in Elliot Bay, close to downtown Seattle    photo by Howard Garrett

Here are the details:

WAYS OF WHALES WORKSHOP

Coupeville Middle School Performing Arts Center
501 So. Main, Coupeville, Whidbey Island, WA 98239

Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013 9:30 am - 4:30 pm

$30/person ($25 for students and seniors) $10 Lunch (optional)

For more information and to register, following this link:

Ways of Whales Workshop

Workshop topics for 2013 include:

• Dr. Peter Ross - Toxins and other threats to Southern Resident orcas
• Film maker John Gussman - Elwha River dam removal& restoratio
• Steve Mashuda, Earthjustice Attorney - Petition to de-list So. Residents
• Presentation on Emma Foster‘s Paper - Menopause in Killer Whales
• Researcher Mark Malleson - Transient Orcas and Humpback Whales
• Environmental education displays

Garrett added, “Much of what we do as Orca Network depends on active reporting by people all over the Salish Sea, and this gathering is a way to connect and give back to them.

See my previous blog post, "Video of Orcas Swimming in Puget Sound"

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Video of Orcas Swimming in Puget Sound

On a day that finds me tense with concern for those in the path of Hurricane Sandy, I find some peace in the world of nature, thanks to Orca Network. This important 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization exists to make people aware of these beautiful creatures who are called "killer whales" by some. Rather than being "killers" they form strong, lifelong family bonds, just like humans, or even more so. Both genders of offspring remain with their mothers throughout their lives, unlike any other non-human mammals.

I have seen them from the waterfront at Point Defiance here in Tacoma and during trips on Washington State ferries. But the more I follow the news from Orca Network, the more fascinated I become.

Please take a few minutes to learn more about the orcas of the Salish Sea. They are our neighbors here in the splendor of the Northwest, trying to live their lives in waters we humans have and polluted and depleted of the salmon they require. So who are the "killers" after all?

Here is a video Orca Network's Facebook page shared today, courtesy of videographer Ed Brooks, who filmed these Southern Resident pods called "J" and "K" from a bluff on Magnolia: