"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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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: