John Calambokidis: Gray Whales and Other Large Whales of the Pacific Northwest

photo credit-People for Puget Sound

A great educational opportunity coming up June 17th. Learn about the "Whale Trail" in Puget Sound and why saving Puget Sound and our whales is so vital to our region. In Shoreline, we have whale habitat right off our coastline and yet they are mostly unseen.  With the horrendous Gulf oil spill showing daily on the news, we are reminded of what's at stake in our own backyard.

This event is held at the Duwamish Longhouse in West Seattle.

The Whale Trail Presents John Calambokidis: Gray whales and other large whales of the Pacific Northwest

--Introduction by Kathy Fletcher: Saving the Sound: What We Can Do


When:  Thursday, June 17, 2010
Time:  7:00 PM
Where:  Duwamish Longhouse
4705 W Marginal Way SW Seattle, WA
http://www.duwamishtribe.org/longhouse.html


$5 suggested donation
Advance tickets available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/115915

Join us for a presentation by John Calambokidis, renowned marine mammal biologist and founder of Cascadia Research (www.cascadiaresearch.org). John recently conducted the necropsy on the gray whale that stranded on Arroyo Beach in West Seattle.

John's talk will focus on the recovery and recent studies of the larger whales in the region, including the recent gray whale strandings in Puget Sound. He'll also talk about the resurgence of humpbacks along the coast, and recent sightings and studies of blue and fin whales.

Kathy Fletcher, Executive Director of People for Puget Sound (pugetsound.org), will update us on the health of Puget Sound and efforts towards its recovery.

Come learn more about the great whales that pass through our waters, and what we can do to help them.

The event is presented by The Whale Trail. Our mission is to inspire appreciation and stewardship of whales and our marine environment by establishing a network of viewing sites along the whales' trails through Puget Sound and the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest.
The Whale Trail (www.thewhaletrail.org) is a project of Coast Watch Society, a 501(c)3 organization.

Speaker Bios:
John Calambokidis is a Research Biologist and one of the founders of Cascadia Research, a non-profit research organization formed in 1979 based in Olympia, Washington. He periodically (1991-2010) serves as an Adjunct Faculty at the Evergreen State College teaching a course on marine mammals. His primary interests are the biology of marine mammals and the impacts of humans. As a Senior Research Biologist at Cascadia Research he has served as Project Director of over 100 projects. He has authored two books on marine mammals ( the award-winning Guide to Marine Mammals of Greater Puget Sound from Island Publishers, with R. Osborne and E.M. Dorsey and Blue Whales from Voyageur Press, with G.H. Steiger) as well as more than 150 publications in scientific journals and technical reports. He has conducted studies on a variety of marine mammals in the North Pacific from Central America to Alaska. He has directed long-term research on the status, movements, and underwater behavior of blue, humpback, and gray whales. His work has been covered on shows by Discovery Channel and others and is featured in a National Geographic TV special and magazine article released in March 2009.

Kathy Fletcher is founder and executive director of People For Puget Sound, a citizens' organization formed in 1991 to protect and restore Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits. She also sits on the Northwest Straits Commission and the Puget Sound Partnership's Ecosystem Coordination Board. To learn more about Kathy, see:
http://pugetsound.org/about/staff/ceo/kathy-fletcher

Hope to see you on the 17th!

Questions? info@thewhaletrail.org