Whale Museum

THE WHALE MUSEUM'S MISSION IS TO PROMOTE STEWARDSHIP OF WHALES AND THE SALISH SEA ECOSYSTEM THROUGH EDUCATION AND RESEARCH.

THE WHALE MUSEUM CONTINUED TO SUPPORT ITS MISSION DESPITE THE LATEST TUMULTUOUS EVENTS. THE MUSEUMS GALLERY OF WHALES REMAINED TO BE AN IMPORTANT FOCAL POINT IN DISSEMINATING OUR MESSAGE OF CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP OF THE SALISH SEA AND ITS WILDLIFE TO OUR GUESTS. THE NUMBER OF VISITORS WHO TOURED THE MUSEUM INCREASED TO 25,000. FACILITIES PROJECTS INCREASED AND MAINTAINED ACCESSIBILITY,USABILITY, AND COMFORT FOR VISITORS, RESEARCHERS, AND STAFF. THE MUSEUM MADE IT UPGRADES TO HELP SAFEGUARD THE SECURITY OF OUR COMPUTER SYSTEMS, INFORMATION, AND RESEARCH.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL, SERVED MORE THAN 1,957 TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND LAY NATURALISTS THROUGH 130 PROGRAMS, TOURS AND WORKSHOPS FOCUSED ON MARINE SCIENCE, LOCAL ECOLOGY, AND HISTORY. AT LEAST 910 PARTICIPANTS WERE CHILDREN. VIRTUAL PROGRAM REQUESTS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY WHEREBY WE REACHED A MUCH BROADER AUDIENCE WITH OUR MISSION. THIS EQUATED TO OVER 107 PROGRAM HOURS AND AMONG THE MANY GROUPS SERVED, INCLUDED 26 AMERICAN CRUISE LINE GROUPS, 18 ROAD SCHOLAR GROUPS, AND 10 BACKROAD GROUPS. THE MUSEUM ALSO HELD EVENTS INCLUDING GEAR UP AND GEAR DOWN WORKSHOPS FOR NATURALISTS, LECTURES, A WORKSHOP ON NOAAS SPECIES IN THE SPOTLIGHT, AND THREE MARINE NATURALIST TRAINING PROGRAMS. THE ORCA ADOPTION PROGRAM REMAINED ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR TWM PROGRAMS REFLECTING GENEROUS ENGAGEMENT BY THE PUBLIC. PROVIDED EDUCATION PACKETS ABOUT INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE ENDANGERED SOUTHERN RESIDENT ORCA COMMUNITY TO APPROXIMATELY NEW 2,000 ORCA ADOPTERS. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF MEMBERSHIPS AND ORCA ADOPTIONS CONSTITUTED 2994, INCLUDING 46 CLASSROOMS AND 145 FAMILY ADOPTIONS. THE MUSEUMS MONTHLY E-NEWS WAS SENT ON AVERAGE TO OVER 29,000 SUBSCRIBERS. THE PRINTED CETUS NEWSLETTERS WERE PUBLISHED IN THE SPRING AND FALL AND SENT TO APPROXIMATELY 6,500 MUSEUM MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES.

THE WHALE MUSEUMS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROGRAMS INCLUDED SOUNDWATCH (EDUCATION AND RESEARCH) WHICH OPERATED ON THE WATER FROM MAY-SEPTEMBER FOR 99 DAYS. SOUNDWATCH SPENT 480.0 HOURS MONITORING MARINE MAMMALS, 587 HOURS ON THE WATER TRAVELING 4,453 NAUTICAL MILES, AND CONTACTED 1,463 PEOPLE IN EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH. SAN JUAN COUNTY MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING NETWORK (SJCMMSN) RESPONDED TO 143 STRANDING CALLS, COMPLETED 124 FIELD INVESTIGATIONS, AND CONDUCTED 16 NECROPSIES ON DECEASED MARINE MAMMALS. SJCMMSN GAVE SEVERAL PRESENTATIONS IN LOCAL CLASSROOMS ON SALISH SEA MARINE MAMMOLOGY. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SJCMMSN, SOUNDWATCH CONDUCTED 250 HOURS OF AND HOSTED NEARLY 30 PUBLIC DOCK TALKS, AN OFF-WATER PUBLIC EDUCATION PLATFORM WITH VISUAL AIDS AND OUTREACH MATERIALS FOR DISTRIBUTION. TOGETHER WITH THE SOUNDWATCH PROGRAM, SJCMMSN PROVIDED LARGE WHALE DISENTANGLEMENT TRAINING FOR THEIR TEAM AND PUBLISHED 5 PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS. THE WHALE MUSEUMS SIGHTINGS NETWORK ADDED OVER 5,000 REPORTS TO THE SIGHTINGS ARCHIVE. THESE REPORTS ARE THE RESULT OF THE ONGOING COLLABORATION BETWEEN DATA-SHARING PARTNERS, STATE/FEDERAL RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS, THE WHALE HOTLINE, THE WHALE MUSEUM STAFF, AND THE EFFORTS OF THE PUBLIC AND OTHER VOLUNTEERS.