Original Post Date: 6-4-2008
Skagit Valley College held the 2-day Sustainability Fair in May. It ended with the crowd, by then mostly young people getting ready to take down and clean up, singing this early 1960’s folk/protest song made famous by Peter, Paul, and Mary! Some things just don’t change easy!
It brings a different thought to mind as well. For the laws, resolutions, and edicts about clean air, clean water, and other environmental niceties, there are just not enough hammers. We all are aware of far more violations of laws than we are of convictions/fines/punishments. It’s a lot easier to pass another law than it is to put in place the people, procedures, and money needed to enforce it.
All our rivers, lakes, streams and Puget Sound would be far less polluted if even existing laws and rules were fully observed and enforced. Let’s DIG IN and learn about, practice with, and enforce the tools we have before adding too many more.
Here are a couple of news briefs! Check out the Heron Cam … the birds are on the nests and much action can be seen! A research Ranger for the North Cascades National Park does a weekly blog on Fridays. http://www.rangermikefriday.blogspot.com He has some interesting adventures to share.
June is ORCA MONTH in Washington.
The Local-Organization-You-Might-Want-To-Be-Involved-With this week is The Orca Network, http://www.orcanetwork.org To raise awareness about whales; this non-profit group was formed in 2001. You can contribute or become a member, and there are many reasons to help them.
First is the Whale Sighting network. People from all over the Sound; - Olympia to Victoria - call or e-mail or radio sightings of whales. Orcanet maintains records of who has been seen, where and when, for research and yearly comparisons. You can get on an e-mail list to get daily reports of sightings … fascinating reading, especially now in an active time. Every Orca around here is recognizable by the experts and many regular watchers. The oldest local Orca, Granny, is over 80 years old. Even many of the transient gray whales that migrate through this time of year are recognized by regular watchers.
Orcanet also has numerous education programs, often in conjunction with other organizations, to increase our understanding and commitment to protect the whales.
You can even get live or archived recordings, on-line, of the whales “conversing” as they pass near numerous hydrophones deployed around the Sound.
The pods of Orcas that live permanently in our waters are Endangered. Learning about them, and what you can do to help them survive and prosper, is a great way to help keep our NaturalSkagit!
You can celebrate Orca Awareness Month in June with Puget Sound Voices, one of the newest partnership projects between People For Puget Sound and KSVR 91.7FM, Mount Vernon. Tune in on Tuesdays from 5-5:30PM and Sundays from 3-3:30PM, listen live at http://www.ksvr.org or download archived programs at http://www.pugetsound.org
Tuesday, June 3rd
Your Orca Story
How much do you know about the most charismatic mammal in Puget Sound? Tune in for “Orcas 101” with Howard Garrett, co-founder of Orca Network, a Whidbey-Island based organization focused on enhancing awareness of the Southern Resident Orca community to foster a stewardship ethic to protect and restore orca habitat.
Tuesday, June 10th
Best Whale-Watching Places
While the San Juan Islands are known for offering up glimpses of resident Orca populations, there are plenty of other places in Puget Sound utilized by whales and dolphins of all shapes and sizes. June is an extra-special month for the finned community, as we ‘ll learn from Donna Sandstrom, who will be talking about the unveiling of “The Whale Trail” project in Puget Sound.
Tuesday, June 17th
Orca Safe Boating
Kari Koski of the SoundWatch Program talks about balancing boating traffic and protecting the habitat of our resident Orcas. What’s it like to spend your days out on the water during the summer months in the San Juan Islands?
Tuesday, June 24th
Watching Orcas by Boat
Whale watching is big business. Learn how tour operators like Shane Aggergaard, Founder/General Manager of Island Adventure Cruises, are educating the public about orca populations and the health of Puget Sound. Island Adventure Cruises is celebrating 16 years as a locally based ecotourism company in Anacortes.
Here are some near-term activities to consider:
Thur. June 5 Streamside Living: Tools for Realtors 8:00am – Noon Skagit Station, Mt. Vernon $20, lunch included! 360 336-0172 or by June 4 for reservation.
Thur. June 5 Healthy Farms, Healthy Puget Sound speaker series 7:00pm – 8:30pm Carol Havens from Slow Food Convivium and discussion group Food Co-op, Mt. Vernon. Free, soup included! Please RSVP 360 336-1936 or
Sat. June 7 10th annual Spartina Dig Day 10:00am – 2:00pm Swadabs Park, Swinomish Tribal Community 360 336-1931 or for details and to sign up.
Sat. June 7 Shellfish Seed Sales 8:00am – 11:00pm Taylor Shellfish Farms on Chuckanut Dr. Everything you need, to learn and buy, for planting your own shellfish beds!
Sat. June 21 Skagit Land Trust van tour 9:30am – 3:00pm http://www.Skagitlandtrust.org for details. See some beautiful preserved areas with lunch and treats!
Many similar events and activities and opportunities are posted on the GoSkagit Event Calendar. Check it often!
(Your comments about this blog will be helpful. New ideas to consider, and changes we should make are especially welcome. Corrections and further enlightenment will help as well. You can email to . Thank you.)
