Orca Network

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 hydrophone system (including our own bush point hydrophone site) and collecting and sharing whale reports via an online app, social media, emails, phone/text, and website. Our sightings outreach increased to include 16,200 on our sightings network email list, over 275,900 on our two orca network wsn facebook social media pages,and 1372 on our whale sighting text alert list - 3,543 alerts sent out to share whalesightings to researchers, volunteers and community scientists in washington state in 2024. Data from whale sightings collected by those watching from shore, assisted by the alerts they receive from orca network, provides trends in habitat use, population status, and the health of endangered orcas in the pacific nw. Orca network collected and shared over 17,663 whale reports in 2024, collected by staff and 2811 citizen scientists and volunteers. We have continued with a four-person sighting network staff, with one staff change, and now have one staff member with her masters degree and another just completing her doctorate. We continue participating in quiet sound's efforts to slow shipping traffic in puget sound to protect southern resident orcas, as well as with noaa fisheries, us navy nw region, and other agencies to assist with, track, and protect orcas and other whales in the salish sea.

Langley whale center: the langley whale center invited in 35,184 visitors free of charge in 2024, held eight monthly youth activities for 448 kids, with one being a weekend readiness to learn summer camp, and one being an orca recovery day special activity day event; and nine other public events (4,750) including our weekend long celebration of our 10th anniversary of the whale center ten special tours and field trips served another 238 students through guided tours of the whale center often along with activities down on the beach or nearshore. Three dozen volunteers give of their time and knowledge to enable the whale center to be open and free to the public, along with our three whale center staff. Our whale center followers also learn more on our facebook (10,000) and instagram (13,200) pages. Marine mammal specimens collected by our central puget sound marine mammal stranding network are displayed along with education and displays 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. Langley whale center and education staff have created and updated several displays for the whale center, including one on humpback whales and one on climate change, and are working on re-organizing the center and re-displaying some of our larger skeletal specimens, as well as a new "toki's legacy" multimedia exhibit in the works that will highlight the life of lolita/tokitae, and her family, the endangered southern resident orcas, and include a mural of her on the wa state ferry bearing her name.