Orca Awareness Month Declared in Oregon

For 13 years, June has been proclaimed Orca Awareness Month by the Governor of Washington — and for the first time in 2016, Orca Awareness Month was celebrated in Oregon and in British Columbia as well! 

The American Cetacean Society’s Oregon Chapter kicked things off early with an Orca Awareness Day at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.

Any community group, science center, non-profit organization, or state agency hosting an event around orcas during June is urged to e-mail rein@wecprotects.org to add orca-related events to the calendar.  Events scheduled in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon to date can be found here:  https://orcamonth.wordpress.com/events/

Here are some of the Oregon highlights:

Tap Talks: Orcas of the Oregon Coast:  June 4, 7 - 9 p.m.

Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s Colleen Weiler will speak about what types of orcas share our coastal waters in Oregon, and how Oregonians can help save one of the most endangered whale populations in the world.

Location: Block 15 Tap Room, Corvallis
 

Artifishal Screening:  June 5, 6 - 8 p.m.

The Southern Resident orcas need salmon to survive. The new documentary “Artifishal” from Patagonia is about people, rivers, and the fight for the future of wild fish and the environment that supports them. It explores threats to wild salmon posed by fish hatcheries and fish farms, and our continued loss of faith in nature.

Location:  Rogue Brewer’s on the Bay, Newport
 

Whales in Your Neighborhood:  June 9, 10 a.m.

Beach clean-ups led by local experts at various Washington and Oregon beaches help whales by keeping marine debris out of the ocean. One such event takes place at the Otter Rock Marine Reserve, led by Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

Location:  Otter Rock
 

Beaver Creek Nursery Plant Work Party:  June 14, 9a.m. - 12 p.m.

Healthy orcas start with healthy food, and salmon need healthy habitat.  Join Whale and Dolphin Conservation, MidCoast Watersheds Council, and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department at their Beaver Creek Native Plant Nursery in caring for native plants prior to their use in restoration projects across the Oregon Central Coast.

Location:  Brian Booth State Park, Seal Rock
 

Pub Talk: Mysteries of Salmon in Marine Environments:  June 19, 6 - 8:30 p.m.

There’s a lot we still don’t know about salmon when they’re living in the open ocean. A recent international research expedition tried to fill in some of the gaps, and came back to port with just as many new questions as answers. As a critical food source for endangered Southern Resident orcas, we need to save the salmon to save the orcas. And to save the salmon, we need to understand them. Join Whale and Dolphin Conservation and Defenders of Wildlife to learn about Pacific salmon from NOAA researcher Dr. Laurie Weitkamp.

Location:  Lucky Labrador Brewing Company, Portland
 

Yaquina Bay Naturalist Seminar:  June 20, 7 - 9 p.m.

Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s Colleen Weiler will speak about what types of orcas share our coastal waters here in Oregon, and how Oregonians can help save one of the most endangered whale populations in the world.  Watch our Ocean calendar for details when available.

Location:  OSU Extension, Newport
 

Oregon Coast Aquarium World Oceans Day:  June 29, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Join WDC and Defenders of Wildlife for Orca Action Month and World Oceans Day 2019 at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  

Location:  Oregon Coast Aquarium, Newport