Orca Network

PUBLIC EDUCATION AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF ORCAS AND OTHER MARINE MAMMALS AND THEIR HABITATS.

EDUCATION, EVENTS AND OUTREACH: EDUCATION COORDINATOR, STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS COORDINATED ORCA NETWORK EVENTS AND PRESENTATIONS, CONTINUING WITH ONLINE EDUCATION PLATFORMS DURING THE COVID-19 MONTHS IN 2021. STAFF EDUCATED HUNDREDS OF SCHOOL STUDENTS OF ALL AGES, CONDUCTED FIELD TRIPS, AND TRAINED PODS OF VOLUNTEERS TO DO OUTREACH THROUGH REGIONAL FAIRS, FESTIVALS AND EVENTS: 67 EDUCATIONAL EVENTS,SERVING NEARLY 17,000 PEOPLE IN PERSON,ONLINE, AND THROUGH YOU-TUBE RECORDINGS WERE CONDUCTED IN 2021. WE REACHED OVER 460,000 PEOPLE VIA OUR WEBSITE. A SALMON STORIES FELLOWSHIP WAS AWAREDED TO EDUCATION COORDINATOR, CINDY HANSEN, TO CREATE 10 VIDEO INTERVIEWS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SALMON TO ORCAS. STAFF CREATED EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE ENDANGERED SOUTHERN RESIDENT ORCAS AND OTHER WHALES AND MARINE MAMMALS OF THE SALISH SEA,AND ENGAGED PARTICIPANTS IN ACTIONS TO HELP THE WHALES AND TO SHARE WHAT THEY LEARNED WITHIN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON.

WHALE SIGHTING NETWORK AND ORCASOUND LISTENING PROJECT: THE WHALE SIGHTING NETWORK PROVIDED RESEARCHERS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, AND THE PUBLIC WITH DETAILED WHALE SIGHTING REPORTS GATHERED BY STAFF, VOLUNTEERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THROUGH OUR CONTINUED INVOLVEMENT WITH THE ORCASOUND LISTENING PROJECT WE PROVIDE RESEARCHERS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, AND THE PUBLIC WITH THE ABILITY TO MONITOR WHALES AND SHIP TRAFFIC NOISE THROUGH HYDROPHONES USING THE ORCASOUND APP. OUR SIGHTINGS OUTREACH INCREASED TO INCLUDE 16,500 ON OUR SIGHTINGS NETWORK EMAIL LIST, 218,000 ON OUR ORCA NETWORK FACEBOOK PAGE, AND 52,000 ON PROJECT FACEBOOK PAGES, AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA, TO EDUCATE AND SHARE WHALE SIGHTINGS AND INFORMATION TO PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON STATE AND AROUND THE WORLD. DATA FROM THESE WHALE SIGHTINGS PROVIDES TRENDS IN HABITAT USE, POPULATION STATUS, AND THE HEALTH OF ENDANGERED ORCAS IN THE PACIFIC NW. ORCA NETWORK COMPILED AND SHARED OVER 9,000 WHALE REPORTS IN 2021, FROM DATA COLLECTED BY STAFF AND 2,200 CITIZEN SCIENTISTS AND VOLUNTEERS.

LANGLEY WHALE CENTER: THE LANGLEY WHALE CENTER SERVED 14,535 VISITORS IN 2021, AS WE WERE CLOSED DUE TO COVID-19 FOR THREE MONTHS, AND AT LIMITED CAPACITY THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR. BUT WE CONTINUED WITH OUR MONTHLY YOUTH ACTIVITIES ONLINE, WHICH INCREASED PARTICIPATION TWO OR THREEFOLD SEVENTEEN YOUTH ZOOM ACTIVITIES WERE HELD, REACHING OVER 400 CHILDREN. WE ALSO HELD THREE VIRTUAL VOLUNTEER TRAININGS FOR 250 VOLUNTEERS, AND VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS REACHING YOUTH AND ADULTS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. ROTATING WHALE CENTER EXHIBITS WERE PUT IN OUR WINDOW DISPLAY FOR PASSERSBY TO LEARN EVEN WHILE WE WERE CLOSED, AND A VIDEO TOUR OF THE CENTER'S EXHIBITS WAS POSTED ONLINE. MARINE MAMMAL SPECIMENS COLLECTED BY OUR MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING NETWORK WERE DISPLAYED IN THE WINDOWS ALONG WITH EDUCATION ABOUT THE WORK DONE BY STRANDING STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS, WHO RESPOND TO HUNDREDS OF CALLS ABOUT STRANDED MARINE MAMMALS ON THE BEACH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.