Author Archives: scottveirs

You can collaborate within the Orcasphere in the following ways:

• Read, contribute to, and comment on the Orcasphere blog
• Join an email list related to killer whales:
  • subscribe to OrcaEd — A list for educators who teach about orcas (educational resources, events, etc.)
  • subscribe to OrcaSci — A list for scientists who study orcas (research plans, coordination, publications, etc.)
• Contribute to the Orcapedia (wiki)

As of 12/2011, there are a variety of email-based tools available for sharing information about SRKWs and their recovery. Those available through the orcasphere.net domain are are listed here — http://lists.orcasphere.net/listinfo.cgi

The locate@orcasphere.net email distribution list is used (primarily by hydrophone network members) to share real-time locations of killer whales, mainly when SRKWs are at or approaching a hydrophone node, but also generally. One can request subscription to this list here — http://lists.orcasphere.net/listinfo.cgi/locate-orcasphere.net It is a private, moderated list which — as stated on the sign-up page — “is currently restricted to researchers and stewards who are dedicated to reducing their impacts on the southern resident killer whales and abiding by the Be Whale Wise law if observing orcas on the water. Evidence of increasing impacts or infractions will result in removal from this list.” As of 12/2011, no commercial whale watch operators are members of this list.

The detection@orcasound.net email address is a catch-all, one-way address for the general public to report “hearings” on the orcasound.net streams; it gets a lot of junk mail and unreliable reports and thus is forwarded to folks who want to follow up and interact with those amateur reporters: Chrissy Mclean (Port Townsend Marine Science Center), Jason Wood (Whale Museum Board Member), Scott Veirs (Beam Reach President), Susan Berta (Orca Network), and Val Veirs (Orcasound hydrophone engineer), and Beam Reach student volunteers.

The private email distribution list used to coordinate maintenance of the Salish Sea Hydrophone Network is ateam@lists.orcasphere.net As of 12/2011, its members are: David Howitt, Howard Garrett, Jason Wood, Jenny Atkinson, Jeanne Hyde, Robin Kodner, Lon Brockelhurst, Scott Veirs, Stefan Brager, Susan Berta, and Val Veirs. You can sign up here — http://lists.orcasphere.net/listinfo.cgi/ateam-orcasphere.net

Humans value interacting with killer whales. There are many ways to observe them, learn and wonder about them, and ultimately help protect them:

• observe them from land by traversing The Whale Trail;
• watch them on webcams at the Center for Whale Research or Race Rocks;
• listen to them with live hydrophones in their summer home range;
• read and report about them by joining the Orca Network;
• watch them from a “whale-wise” boat (one that follows the Be Whale Wise guidelines and laws);
• support SoundWatch and other stewardship activities of The Whale Museum by adopting an orca or becoming a museum member.

You can even help study the southern resident killer whales by:

• monitoring their acoustic environment through the Salish Sea hydrophone network;
• contributing location data for the southern resident killer whales (coming soon);
• applying to conduct your own research through the Beam Reach Marine Science and Sustainability School.

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