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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Thank you!

 

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:

American Banjo Camp Bonus— Nature Photos of Marrowstone Island -

This past weekend, my total immersion in bluegrass and old time music at the American Banjo Camp made Marrowstone Island seem like enough of a paradise already. But those four days of ecstasy also included the joys of nature.




View from the road that leads to the beach        Photo by Candace Brown

 

On Saturday afternoon, I took a break from the workshops to enjoy a walk in the September sunshine. From the bluff on which the old buildings of historic Fort Flager still stand like sentinels in open fields of summer-browned grass, I followed a narrow road that hugs the brushy hillside as it descends to the beach below. 





This is the island's northernmost point, home to the U. S. Geological Survey's Western Fisheries Research Center — Marrowstone Marine Field Station, a 5.2 acre site that originally served as a residence for the keeper of a lighthouse once located there. As a native of the Puget Sound region, a fifth generation islander, I inhaled marine air with my life's first breath. And I inhaled it again here, as deeply as I could.

photo by Candace Brown







Grass and gravel gave way to sand. Always the collector, I spotted two wet rocks of vivid green which I posed on a driftwood log to capture in this photo before they dried. Rocks, like people, can appear drab and ordinary until you see them in their best light, brilliant, colorful, exquisite. Let us remember that we can all shine this way, that our real beauty exists even if others don't always notice.

 

photo by Candace Brown

The quietness of this place, the rustle of beach grass, the cry of gulls, and the slosh of waves against the shore both eased away what remained of my cares from the previous week and replaced my sleep deprivation with a new energy that refreshed. I found abandoned driftwood structures made by children in their play, seashells, flowers, a feather caught among leaves, and most of all, peace.

 



Now I share it with you. No more words, just images. Come along for a walk on the beach.

 









 

 

 

And that wasn't all. It couldn't talk about enjoying nature at Fort Flagler without mentioning the abundant deer. When I returned to the camp, I found this family—including two of last spring's fawns—of feeding on fallen apples. A short while later, someone came along with a dog on a leash and they fled in long, graceful leaps, back into the forest, ending my nature walk but beginning another full and memorable evening of music at the American Banjo Camp.

 

I can hardly wait until next year.

 







Copyright 2012 Candace J. Brown applies to all photos and video in this blog.

Breath of Life: Marine Air in the Morning

Waking early from a dream on this summer morning, I sensed the difference at once. Ah, yes! The “marine air” had arrived in Tacoma overnight, as promised, and feeling like a traitor to the idea that summer should be all sunshine and heat, I welcomed it. The atmosphere carried to me, in its body of oxygen and moisture on the verge of mist, the fresh smell of the sea that I had grown up with. I stumbled across the room, raised the shade, and slung the window open wide, to breathe deeply and contemplate the day. My list of chores would have to wait. The water called to me.

7:30 AM





















This kind of gray morning on Puget Sound holds a kind of intimacy for the few of us at the Point Defiance boathouse. A kind of private serenity rests over all, because of marine air.  It floats on the cold surface of the water. It spreads an invisible blanket of peace from shore to wooded shore, obscuring the most distant points of land. Birds circle through it.

The metal parts connecting sections of the float, creak as it gently bobs. An outboard motor starts up, then begins to fade in the distance.The ferry Rhododendron glides toward the dock. North of Gig Harbor, an area of fog slowly drifts across to the east, dispersing like smoke. I feel a hint of mist on my skin and know the wild, free curls in my hair are getting wilder.

Between the Point and Vashon Island, fishermen traverse the brine in their boats. I imagine their eyes gazing out from the weathered faces. In their silence is reverence. The seagull’s cry and the sound of water slapping against the hull feel like hymns to them. We all breathe and feed on marine air, nourishment for a new day, every cell filled and fueled with fresh energy. Each of us seeks something. They troll for hidden fish and I will go home to sit at my keyboard and troll for hidden words, in the deep waters of my mind.





















11:15 AM

The forgotten coffee sits cold in my mug. The sky is brighter, the air less moist, promising another warm summer day, the kind we all claim to covet. From minute to minute, as I type and look out the window, I can see the colors in my yard intensify, the sun starting to burn through. A slight breeze means the last touch of mist will soon be gone. Cars drive by, busy people on their way to somewhere.

I have a million things I should be doing and it’s nearly noon. I don’t care. I took the time to honor who I am, and where I come from, by going down to the water’s edge where I am most at home. Now I’ll spend the day in gratitude for all the good things in my life, including it’s contrasts. The secret to life is to fully experience and appreciate it all, and then to have some solitude in which to ponder it. How glad I am that I indulged in the pleasures of a morning of marine air.