Summer Whale Watch

Gray whales at Depoe Bay.\Photo by Era Horton.

The Oregon Chapter of the American Cetacean Society is hosting a Summer Whale Watch Weekend at the end of the month.  The first of the two days devoted to spotting whales is Saturday, July 27, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Boiler Bay just north of the town of Depoe Bay.  (The following day, Sunday, July 28, completes the weekend.)

Expert guides for whale viewing will be on hand each day at the Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint.  This is a free, family friendly event.  In addition to watching for whales, there will be other activities and educational materials available.

While this isn’t prime whale migration season, Oregon now has many “resident” gray whales that live and feed off our shores during the summer.  They aren’t truly resident, in that they still migrate down to Baja California for the winter, but they spend their summers in the Northwest rather than travel all the way to the Arctic.  This is also a chance to learn more about the unusually high level of whale mortality that has been taking place this spring and summer.

For more information contact Joy Primrose, president of the Oregon Chapter, marine_lover4ever@yahoo.com