Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network Blog

WMMSN and The Cove

2011-10-27T05:59:00.000-07:00

Have you seen or heard of the 2010 Academy Award winner The Cove? It's about little coastal town in Japan called Taiji, and their dirty little secret: mass dolphin slaughter.

Well, that's the simplified version. It's actually a really complex issue complete with government coverups, serious health issues, dolphinariums, and captive dolphin issues. It's an amazing movie and I urge each and every one of you to watch it. Do not shy away from it simply because of the slaughter aspect, you can easily cover your eyes for the short clips, but the movie will open your eyes to so much you never knew. It will also, hopefully, inspire you to become active in helping to end the dolphins slaughter.

That's what it did for me. And now I'm writing to you from my hotel in Japan, just minutes away from the infamous cove. I have traveled here as a volunteer for Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project, Save Japan Dolphins, to help document and share this slaughter with the world.

Please follow along with my blog, which I will be updating daily. And please, if you haven't already, watch The Cove! It will change your life. Besides, if I can be here to witness it in person, surely you all can watch the movie and hide your face behind a pillow every now and then. :)

Blog: http://myporpoisedrivenlife.blogspot.com/

For the Dolphins!

Heather Hill
Education Director
WMMSN

'The Honeysuckle Story' to Play at Film Festival!

2011-10-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce that the WMMSN's own documentary 'The Honeysuckle Story' has been accepted into the Film Festival at the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference held later this month in Vancouver, Canada!

"The festival will showcase the best and most recent films, videos and multi-media presentations about regional habitats and inhabitants of the Salish Sea." ~www.salishseaconference.org

What an honor! If you haven't seen 'The Honeysuckle Story' yet, check it out!

The Whale comes to Bellingham!

2011-10-07T22:17:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the story of Luna (L98)?

Luna was a member of our Southern Resident Killer Whale Community, born to Splash (L67) in 1999. As a resident killer whale, Luna would have, and should have, spent his entire life in the company of his family. Resident killer whales have the tightest social bonds on Earth, never leaving their mother, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandmothers, great grandmothers, etc. But this was not the case for Luna. Somehow, one day, Luna became separated from his family. He was less than 2 years old. This is the true story of his life, all the friendship he made, and all lives he changed during his short time on our planet.

'The Whale' is a remake of the amazing film 'Saving Luna', done by Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit, this time with a little help from the new narrator, Ryan Renolds. It is currently playing in Bellingham at the Pickford Limelight on Cornwall Ave, through October 13th. Gather your friends and family to see this wonderful film about an amazing little whale. This is a must-see!

For showtimes and locations visit www.thewhalemovie.com/

Squalicum Beach Seal Rescue

2011-10-06T23:43:00.000-07:00

Today we received a call about a harbor seal at Squalicum Beach with injuries to its head. WMMSN responders arrived on scene to find that this seal not only had head injuries, but also appeared to be pinned in the water between rocks.

Given the small size of the seal (about 2.5 feet in length) we determined it was under a year in age, probably weaned only a month or so ago. When I first spotted the seal, it was hard to tell whether or not it was even alive. Given the predicament it was in, it wouldn't have been hard to imagine it had died. The waves washed in and out, but the seal did not move. It was an utterly heartbreaking sight. Then, it let out a few wheezing coughs, and the rest of the WMMSN responders arrived. It was time to get to work saving this seal!

We moved as many rocks as we could, but the seal still appeared pinned in place. We were all tempted to just grab it under its flipper pits and try to gently lift it out of there, but despite its injuries, this seal was quite alert and growling up a storm. We were definitely looking at the business end of those chompers! With a little bit of creative thinking, we were able to manipulate a net into a harness around its midsection. One responder lifted another rock, the seal started to scamper out of its hole, and with the net we were able to coax it into a pet carrier. Finally, it was ready for transport!

Next came the ordeal of HOW to transport it. San Juan Airlines is very generous, and allows us to put seal pups on their plane bound for San Juan Island, home of Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, free of charge. Unfortunately for us though, the last flight of the day had already gone out. Two of our responders volunteered to drive the seal down to Anacortes, and escort it on the ferry, as Wolf Hollow volunteers were waited on the other side to receive it.

Our mission was a success. We were able to rescue and safely transport the seal to the rehab center, but it's not out of the woods yet. Now it is up to Wolf Hollow volunteers to nurse this little one back to health. Let's hope this little harbor seal has the strength and will to live, and will pull through and be released back into the wild!

Stay tuned for more updates about this little seal, as well as our soon-to-be-released rescued pups from this summer!

Ski to Sea Fun!

2011-05-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

Have some free time this Memorial Day Weekend?

Come out and say hi to us at our Ski to Sea booth! We will be located on the Fairhaven Green behind the Colophon Cafe, from 9am to 8pm on Sunday, May 29th. Our booth will be stocked full of whale bones, informative handouts, and of course, your friendly WMMSN volunteers! Learn more about the marine mammals of Whatcom County, sign up to volunteer, or donate to our cause. See you then!

Wings Over Water

2011-03-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

We all had a great time at Wings Over Water educating others about our wings under water! The biggest hit was by far our 'hands on' exhibit made up of a stuffed northern fur seal and harbor seal, a killer whale tooth, whale lice, skulls from a Steller sea lion, harbor seal, and northern fur seal, and various bones from an adult gray whale. Thanks to all those who came out to see us, and for those that couldn't make it, take a look at our pictures!

'Bag it Bellingham'

2011-03-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

A spinner dolphin with an abandoned plastic bag wrapped around
it's torso, dangerously close to covering it's blowhole.
Photo courtesy of the Wild Dolphin Foundation

Local citizens concerned with the environment have started an effort to ban one time use plastic bags from Bellingham stores, and implement a 5 cent fee on paper bags. This will greatly reduce our plastic waste and encourage members of the community to use reusable bags. Approximately 100,000 marine animals are killed every year by plastic debris that has either been blown or carelessly tossed into our waterways. This spans all ocean creatures including whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, birds, turtles, sharks, etc., etc. Please join us on Monday, March 28th at 7pm at the Bellingham City Council Meeting and take a stand against plastic!

Council Chambers, City Hall

210 Lottie Street

Bellingham, WA 98225

For more information visit: http://www.bagitbellingham.blogspot.com/

WMMSN @ Wings Over Water

2011-03-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the annual Wings Over Water Festival in Blaine, and the WMMSN will be there to teach everyone all about the wings UNDER water! Stop by our booth and get the rare change to hold a killer whale tooth, pet a soft seal pelt, see the gigantic skull of a Steller sea lion and marvel at the enormous vertebrae of a gray whale! We'll have a face painting table and coloring station for kids (and those young at heart) and some faux blubber and arctic water to see just how our marine mammals stay insulated in their freezing environment.
We also have brand new whale and dolphin & porpoise t-shirts that will be for sale, a 'guess how many shells are in the jar to win a seal print' game, and we'll be debuting an awesome mini documentary of the rescue, rehab and release of one lucky seal pup name Honeysuckle!
So come say hi, and learn all about the marine mammals of the Salish Sea; our wings under water!

Details and Directions:
http://www.blainechamber.com/wow/

J1 Ruffles Officially Missing

2011-02-22T17:05:00.000-08:00

J1 Ruffles swimming alongside J2 Granny

Photo by Sandy Buckley

After several recent encounters with J pod the Center for Whale Research, charged with keeping the Southern Resident Killer Whale population census, has officially listed J1 aka Ruffles as missing. The last time he was photographed was on November 21st, causing concern that he may not have survived the winter.

Ruffles was the first Southern Resident to receive a photo-identification letter (J, meaning he is a member of J pod) and number (1, the first J pod whale to be documented). His name is an attribute to his immediately recognizable dorsal fin; tall and wavy like a Ruffles potato chip.

Born in 1951 (est.) Ruffles is the oldest and most recognizable male of this endangered orca community. His closest companion is J2 Granny, a 100 year old female who is believed to be his mother. The two were often seen traveling together. Granny, along with almost all other J pod whales have been photographed back in the Salish Sea in 2011, but the absence of the massive dorsal fin normally alongside of Granny has been hard to ignore.

Ruffles has many offspring from K, L, and even his own J pod. Preliminary paternity testing suggests that he is the most active male breeder, and has fathered more calves than any other male in the community. Perhaps the females of his community chose to mate with him time and time again because of his mature age and massive size, an indicator of 'good genes'. Or maybe it had to do with another reason entirely, a reason we humans may never understand. What is known however, is how much he will be missed if he is truly gone.

Within the next few months the entire community will likely return to the Salish Sea, and the whales unaccounted for will be declared 'missing and presumed dead' by the Center for Whale Research. Until then all we can do is hope that Ruffles is out there somewhere, alive and well, and finding plentiful schools of salmon.

Sighting of Our Local L Pod in Monterey Bay

2011-02-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

Southern Resident Killer Whales in Monterey Bay, Jan. 27th 2008

Photo by Nancy Black

About 10,000 years ago the Vashon Glacier that covered our area was melting and retreating, exposing the deep channels it had carved. The water from the Pacific Ocean flooded in and created the inland sea now known as the Salish Sea. These waters became thick with salmon, and a group of killer whales living on the outer coast followed the salmon runs in and made a new home in the Salish Sea. Three pods made up this killer whale community; J, K, and L pod. Together they lived, played, and feasted almost year round in the channels and straits.

Then, the salmon they so heavily depended upon began to steeply decline as a result of continuous commercial fishing and heavy damming of rivers. With no food, the killer whales had to expand their winter range. Their search for food also split the group; smaller groups needed fewer salmon. Up until 2000, the furthest south the 3 pods were seen was near the Columbia River along the outer Washington Coast. Then in January 2000 there was an unexpected sighting of K and L pod in Monterey Bay California! This amazed researhers, as they were not typically seen in the winter months and no one knew where they were traveling. Members of L were sighted in Monterey Bay again in March 2003, January 2008, and were just sighted again on February 10, 2011. This time, Center for Whale Research founder Ken Balcomb was there, and was able to record the encounter himself. Meanwhile, parts of J pod are being seen near Whidbey Island, Washington, about a thousand miles away from the rest of their community.

Researchers are still looking for answers behind the long distance travels, but there's one thing we can likely be sure of: until and unless the salmon populations drastically increase in the Salish Sea, we can expect to see our local resident killer whales few and far between in the winter, making long treks in search of something to eat.

Read about the Monterey Bay sightings here.

Furthering Our Education and Making Connections!

2011-01-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

Several WMMSN will be attending this year's "Ways of Whales" workshop put on by Orca Network. There are many presentations we're looking forward to, one of which will provide particularly useful information to us as a stranding network. John Calambokidis of Cascadia Research Collective will be discussing unusual cetacean sightings in the Salish Sea, such as the 34'5" Bryde's whale seen in December (necropsy complete and awaiting results, though cause of death appeared to be massive injuries obtained from a collision with a ship) and the lone bottlenose dolphin currently swimming around Puget Sound which may or may not be a member of the U.S. Navy's security program. The Navy announced it's plans to use both sea lions and bottlenose dolphins in the Puget Sound by the end of 2010, however they will not say whether this dolphin is from such program.

If you're interested in learning more about this workshop, visit the link below. Feel free to join us, it looks like it will be a fun and informative day!

Orca Network's 'Ways of Whales' workshop

Join WMMSN this Saturday at O'Donnell's Bellingham Flea Market!

2010-12-16T19:53:00.000-08:00

Join us this Saturday the 18th 10am -5pm at the flea market on Cornwall Ave! We will have a booth set up right in front and will be selling our WMMSN t-shirts and beautiful seal prints drawn by our own Volunteer Coordinator Bob Ryerson - both of which make excellent holiday gifts! We will also be awarding one seal print to whoever can guess how many seashells are in a jar. Only $1 per guess, maybe you'll be that lucky winner!

As at all our booths, you'll also be able to learn more about our local marine mammals, sign up to volunteer with us, or make a donation to help keep us going.

Hope to see you there!

Happy Holidays!

Public Market Building, corner of Cornwall/York

(the old "Tube Time")

1522 Cornwall Ave.

Bellingham, WA 98225

A local sighting of wild weaned pups:

2010-12-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while (usually due to some level of human interference) a seal pup needs a helping hand. For whatever reason some pups are abandoned and we're able to rescue them from certain starvation and send them to Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. During their stay at Wolf Hollow they'll be checked for any injuries or illnesses, fed a nutritious formula, gain lots of weight, and finally learn to swim and catch fish. After they meet the specific health requirements they're released back into the world to live out their lives as the wild harbor seal they were born to be. These rehabbed pups get a second chance at that "happily ever after" story.

Then there are the pups who don't need our rehab centers, and these are the stories we love to hear! A baby seal's best shot at life is to have a caring and attentive mother who will nurse it and teach it everything it will need to know to be a harbor seal. Only a mother can teach her pup invaluable life lessons such as effective hunting techniques, and how to watch out for those big black and white seal-eaters. These are the truly lucky ones, the ones with the greatest chance of survival. WMMSN volunteer Katharine Sell recently came across such a group near a popular seal haulout at Semiahmoo. While the larger adults haul out on the docks, these four weaned pups seemed content to rest together on a smaller floating log. Perhaps getting up on the docks is a bit too tricky for these pups right now. This will be just one of the many skills that both the wild weaned and rehabilitated seals will be practicing in the next few months, and we wish the best of luck to both!

Here's a brief account and a few pictures of the Dogwood/Snowberry adventures!

2010-09-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

Their crates were open, and Snowberry was first to peek his head out. He slowly made his way out of the crate and into the water. He turned back towards the beach and climbed up, then turned back towards water. He finally started to swim a bit and then there was some big splashing and gulls circling him. Could he have found a fishy already?! We hope! We watched him swim around for a good ten minutes, occasionally glancing over at Dogwoods crate, which he was still in. Actually, he turned around so his head was facing away from the water! Apparently what Snowberry was doing looked like no fun.

The Wolf Hollow volunteers pushed the crate closer to the water, until he was about 2 inches deep. They tipped his crate, we could hear him trying to scamper to the very back. Eventually the volunteers had to turn the crate completely upside down so he had no choice but to fall out of it into the water. He just stared at us. After a few minutes went by, one of the volunteers threw some pebbles his way to make a splash. He didn't move. After a few more minutes another volunteer walked right up to him and started kicking her boot right near his face to splash him with water. He looked up at her and jumped (as much as a seal can jump) right up at her. If he were a dog he'd have jumped right in her arms! It was so sad, you could almost hear him "But mama, I want to stay with you!" Eventually he started to swim away, but swam by all of us first, looking right up at us. Oh, poor baby, didn't want to go out in the big world! He also didn't really seem to get the concept of swimming like a normal harbor seal. He kept the "banana" pose the whole time, trying to keep his back flippers out of the water instead of using them to propel himself. Maybe his flipper tags were making him a bit uncomfortable?

SeaDoc Society says we should be able to track them on a daily basis, I think starting in a week, on their website.

~Heather Hill

WMMSN teams up with WhatcomCounts.org

2010-09-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

What is WhatcomCounts.org?

"WhatcomCounts.org is a one-stop source for community health information in Whatcom County. Find data, learn about the issues, and determine effective methods for lasting improvement." - from their website

Click here to see the WMMSN page at WhatcomCounts.org:

WMMSN in the news: Komo 4 video

2010-09-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

WMMSN in the news at bellinghamherald.com

2010-09-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

POSTED: Friday, Jul. 16, 2010

"A newborn harbor seal pup was rescued from the beach Thursday, July 15, after its mother died and left it stranded. Volunteers from the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network picked up the seal at about 4:30 p.m. in the busy beach area across from the restaurant core along Birch Bay Drive."

Click here for full article

POSTED: Thursday, Sep. 09, 2010

"A newborn seal pup rescued from a Birch Bay beach after its mother died is expected to be released back into the wild by the end of September.
Meanwhile, rescue groups have seen a recent rash of seal killings in the area and are concerned fishermen may be killing the seals instead of deterring them other ways."

Click here for full article

Meeting Minutes 9/1/10

2010-09-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

Date:

September 1, 2010

Location:

Metcalf Hodges Accounting Firm conference room

Meeting called to order at:

6:30 pm

People present at Meeting:

Mariann Carrasco

Heather Harris

Michael Bowland

Anastasia Edgar

Kelly Armijo

Lori Crawford

Victoria Souze

Edradine Hovde

Claudia Olejniczak

Unanimous approval to accept minutes from past meeting
Treasurer’s report from Lori shows that we have about $1400 in our account after paying some bills and getting all our refunds and donations covered.
Mariann brought in all the items that go in the necropsy kits except the formaldehyde. Necropsy kits were passed out to Stasi, and Victoria said she could take Christi hers. Michael bought a kit on the spot. Mariann will hang onto Kellie’s until she gets back.

Old Minutes:

Discussion on Adopt-a-seal program, donating seal prints. Danielle passed on costs she received from her boyfriend at 79 cents per copy not including matte. Since Bob wasn’t here we decided to table the discussion for a board meeting or the next Oct when everyone needed could make it. We need Bob, Victoria, Trisha, and others all at the same meeting at the same time. Bob was not able to get costs for the prints yet.
Mariann gave a brief summary of the grants process. Mariann and Lori are finalizing the grant and it is with the grant reviewer now. Hopefully it will get finished and out this week or next. Claudia also asked to review it.
Most folks are doing their beach surveys, although it has not revealed very many extra strandings, but the season is still young!
This summer’s fundraiser, the boat trip, was cancelled as Trisha was very sick this summer and couldn’t plan the fundraiser properly. Get well Trisha! She should be on the mend now.
Mariann reminded everyone to send their hours/expenses to Bob at the end of each month.

New Business

Mariann and Kelly put in a plug for everyone to see the movie “The Cove”, an excellent documentary about the dolphin slaughter in Japan. Well worth viewing if you get a chance.
Mariann updated everyone on a volunteer appreciation party to be held in January. Awards will be given out (some of them humorous!) and certificates for hours volunteered (so get your hours to Bob) as well as food, drink and other great stuff! More info to come out later.
Mariann provided a statistical summary of strandings so far this year, in preparation for an article to come out in the Bellingham Herald either Sept 9 or 10. Watch for this article.
We discussed have another seal triage training at Wolf Hollow to coincide with release of our pups later this month or next. Julie or Mariann to check into this possibility. (see what happens when you miss a meeting; an assignment!)
We reviewed the highlights of the summer strandings and discussed the unusual ones and what things might work to make responses go more smoothly.
We discussed ordering 2.5% Dextrose so that we have the proper fluids available should another pup go to NWRC. Mariann and/or Julie to look into this.
We may include pictures of what we are doing into our grant to show how our education efforts are working. Mariann to look into this.
Starr Johnson, one of our volunteers who was gone this summer while she served on the Sea Shephard, will be our presenter at the October meeting. She will talk about her experiences on the boat and what it was like working in the Mediterranean this summer.
Next board meeting we should review our goals for 2011 and see what we can or can’t do with the money we have since we would not get grant money until summer of 2011, as well as finalize our adopt-a-seal program.
Stasi, Lori and Heather gave updates on how the 2 summer education events went at Birch bay and Blaine.
Mariann mentioned that elections will be held in November. The Co-Investigator position is open and all other positions, except the Education director which was just filled, will be available for new folks. We are looking for a NON-BOARD member to head up the elections committee (could be just 2-3 people) to canvas for board members in the November elections. If you are interested, please contact Mariann.

Mariann showed a draft clip (about 10 minutes) of the gray whale necropsy that happened last spring. This clip will eventually be part of a small documentary about the WMMSN and what we do that we can use at educational events that Ken Carrasco is working on, and will finish sometime in 2011.

Meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm.

NOAA releases State of the Climate Report

2010-08-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

This week NOAA released The State of the Climate report. More than 300 scientists from 160 research groups in 48 countries contributed to the report. This report shows the past decade was warmer than any other on record and our planet has been growing warmer for the last 50 years.

Details and more information about climate changes can be found here:

Read the full report and supplemental information at BAMS Annual State of the Climate Report.
See video release explanation of findings at NOAA Climate Services web page.
View the press release from NOAA

For updated information from NOAA check them out on Facebook.

Recent stranding news

2010-07-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

On July 15th, the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network received a call about a seal pup at Birch Bay. The pup was located on a populated portion of beach below the Blue Fish Restaurant. An adult female Harbor Seal who appeared to have been the pup's mother was found dead near by. The cause of death appeared to be complications with the birth. The pup was very healthy and active but without a mother to nurse him and was in need of help as beach goers, kids and dogs were harassing the pup.

Volunteers arrived to crate the pup for a quick transfer to the Wolf Hollow Rehab Center in Friday Harbor and put him on the next flight. The pup is now doing well at the rehab facility and is a boy. His name is Dogwood and we hope he can be released into the wild again soon, probably in late September or early October.

The volunteers who participated in this days event were:

Marcia Steadman
Katharine Sell
Shirley Sell
Stasi Edgar
Lynn & Michael Bowland

The Bellingham Herald / Local News / Stranded newborn seal pup rescued in Birch Bay after mother dies

2010-07-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

From today's news:

The Bellingham Herald / Local News / Stranded newborn seal pup rescued in Birch Bay after mother dies

General Meeting Minutes - June 2010

2010-06-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

Date: June 5, 2010

Location: Metcalf Hodges Accounting Firm conference room

Meeting called to order at: 10:05 am

People present at Meeting:

Mariann Carrasco
Heather Harris
Bob Ryerson
Carley Lowe
Christi Spangler
Kellie Dalrymple
Starr Johnson
Michael Bowland
Anastasia Edgar
Rick Defehr
Lynn Defehr
Deanna Defehr

Unanimous approval to accept minutes from past meeting

Approximated treasurer’s report from Mariann in Lori’s absence shows that we have about $1200 in our account after paying some bills. IRS refund of overpayment of 501 (c) (3) approval is being sent to us ($450).

Mariann brought in all the remaining items that go in the basic kits except the rope and dry erase markers. White boards, flagging tape, large and small ziploc sample bags were all passed out to those that bought basic kits.

Old Minutes:

Discussion on Adopt-a-seal program, donating seal prints. Bob was not able to get costs for the prints yet. Danielle, Trisha and Edradine were not in attendance to pass on what they found out either, so discussion centered on explaining the program to those not familiar with it. Decision was made to wait until the next meeting for cost comparison to come in and then make a decision. Also, Starr said she knows the manager at Kinkos and she might be able to get us a good deal. Bob to look into it. Bob still needs to put together a table of specifications for the prints so that others can approach vendors for accurate comparisons. Bob’s vendor is charging $110 for 50 prints.

Mariann gave a brief summary of the grants process. Mariann and Lori are finalizing the budget and will get it to Carley soon.

Vancouver Aquarium is tentatively scheduled for June 12th. Carley says 12 people are signed up right now so it is booked.

Mariann brought everyone up to speed about our only fundraiser for the year, the July 31st boat trip on Ken and Mariann’s 32’ power boat. We are still waiting to hear back from Trisha on the Mt. Baker Vineyards and Chuckanut Brewery donations before we can put together the invitations. Rick mentioned their 40’ boat and that their family might be willing to do something similar if ours is successful and there are more people that want to come. Mariann and Ken to meet with Rick and look over their boat to see how many people it can hold.

Mariann reminded everyone to send their hours/expenses to Bob at the end of each month.

Seal pup triage was approved by NOAA with a small caviat, so we are good to go.

Northern Lights article was submitted by Heather and is being run. Great job Heather! Heather still has not heard back from the Bellingham Herald and will try contacting them again.

Mariann gave everyone updates on the July Discovery Days booth (July 17-18) and the August Drayton Harbor Days booth (August 7), on what they are about and what our role is when we have a booth. She also told folks to contact Bob if they want to sign up to staff a booth for a couple of hours either of those days.

Mariann checked in with everyone regarding beach surveys. Most everyone in attendance has done their beach surveys without incident or finding a marine mammal.

New Business:

Mariann updated everyone on the Steller’s sea lion that stranded on Lummi Island on Memorial Day (young male) and showed a slide later on diastema in the lower jaw that was the main distinguishing factor identifiying it as a Steller’s instead of a California’s.

Mariann updated everyone on her scheduled vacation of June 28 through July 7th, and that Carley will be taking over for her during that time.

Also, Carley is leaving us to go to grad school (in Hawaii!) August 1st, so the board decided that her position of Co-Investigator should remain open until the November elections. Those interested in consideration for this slot should contact Carley or Mariann to talk about what is involved.

The board approved dropping the July and August general meetings because everyone is sooo busy with seal pups and vacations. Next meeting is September 1st, Wed evening at 6:30 pm. And all our meetings will be held 6:30 pm the first Wednesday of every month.

Updates on the $500 emergency fund voted and approved by the board and the approval by the board to pay for 2 people (Lori and Victoria) to attend the grant writing class put on by WCC.

Bob showed everyone the decals he purchased for the club; a large size for the back of the vest and a small size to be used on the front lapel of the vest or else on a ball cap. We decided to sell them at $10 for the large and $3 for the small decals based on the cost we were charged for them. Nine of the 10 large decals and 4 of the 12 small decals were later sold.

Necropsy training on June 13th at 1:00 pm at 2508 G st. in Bham (Mike’s garage) was discussed. So far 8 people are signed up and 4 of the 6 necropsy kits that were ordered have been paid for.

It was brought up that if you can’t do a necropsy of an animal than at least get a 1 inch cubed sized blubber sample.

Carley will put on another tagging training in July for those interested. Mariann needs to talk to Mike about the tags.

Discussion on preparation for the summer season commenced.

Meeting adjourned at 11:30 am.

Ken Carrasco, from the Coast Guard Auxiliary that specializes in chemical spills and their affect on the marine environment, proceeded to talk about oil spills in our area, after Mariann presented the Federal picture on oil spills. Ken presented how oil spill emergency response is organized and who responds in detail. Discussion ensued. Ken offered up the National Oil Spill responses number that anyone can call in case of an oil spill. 1-800-424-8802.

Mariann presented a harbor seal pup case study that everyone worked through, so that hopefully we are all prepared for the summer. Mariann will attach the document to the minutes in case others that couldn’t attend want to see what is needed and run through the case study.

HARBOR SEAL CASE STUDY

6/5/10

Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network

Background: You have been given a location of Birch Bay, right in front of the only restaurant on the water. The restaurant manager is the caller. You are to meet a fellow stranding network volunteer at the site at 11:00 am. It is a Saturday in June and you were told that a live seal pup has been abandoned on the beach and many people were coming by to pet it and have pictures taken with their kids next to it. It is hot and sunny out (wishful thinking….).

Work in pairs and answer these questions:

What do you take with you given what you know?
What do you do when you get there?

Considerations:

Will the weather play a factor?
Will the public play a factor?
Do you have the right equipment to respond to this situation?

Scroll down to see the answers

1)What do you take with you given what you know?

Digital camera
cell phone
basic kit or equivalent supplies especially flagging caution tape
sticks to tie tape to
signs
gloves
your ID
your WMMSN T-shirt (if you have one)
your binder
sun block
water
food
GPS (if you have one)
the call sheet
mud boots
pants that can get muddy
handouts and brochures

2)What do you do when you get there?

Check to make sure you park in an appropriate place. Phone your partner and meet up with them. Find the seal pup based on restaurant owners instructions. Look for crowds of people. Make sure you have all your gear in case the pup is far out on the beach. Approach the group. Part your way through. Raise your voice and tell the group who you are and who your represent. Tell them that everyone needs to be at least 300 feet away (Birch Bay being such a large beach, you might be able to get people that far away, depending on precisely where the pup is located). Tell them that all people and dogs must stay away because MM can carry diseases and because their presence is stressing the pup. Make sure everyone knows to call 966-8845 if they see a marine mammal on the beach. Verify that it is a seal pup. Explain that the pup is not calling for its mom because it has been abandoned; it is calling because it is scared as they are too many people around with their kids and dogs. Set up your perimeter and post signs. Tell them that you are trained as a responder and are certified to handle seal pups and you understand the risks; that is why you can get within 300 feet of the pup and no one else can, if asked. Handout brochures if needed and answer questions about our organization if asked. Refer them to our website, www.wmmsn.org for more answers. Get photos of the pup from several angles, using the white board. Determine the condition of the pup, i.e., dehydrated (skinny with wrinkled skin) or fat (nice and rounded), how many days old it is by the freshness of its umbilical cord, verify the details with the reporting party, call the principle investigator or equivalent with your findings. The PI will start making calls to set up more pup sitters to rotate with you over the next 24 hours based on everyone’s schedules.

Minutes from May 5 General Meeting

2010-05-16T04:40:00.000-07:00

Date: May 5, 2010

Location: Metcalf Hodges Accounting Firm conference room

Meeting called to order at: 6:35 pm

People present at Meeting:

Mariann Carrasco, Heather Harris, Julie Straight, Bob Ryerson, Lori Crawford, Danielle Love, Edradine Hovde, Trisha O’Connor

Unanimous approval to accept minutes from past meeting

Old Business:

Discussion on Adopt-a-seal program, donating seal prints. Decision was made for charge $20 per print/certificate for the harbor seal, $30 for harbor porpoise, $40 for gray whale, $50 for Steller’s sea lion, $75 for the killer whale. We will do a certificate with a stuffed whale or seal for kids and families. Bob will make a table of items that need to be discussed with vendors and send it around to Danielle, Trisha, and Edradine who think they can approach some printing companies so we can figure out costs to print. Bob’s vendor is charging $110 for 50 prints.

Mariann, in Carley’s absence, gave a brief summary of the grants process. Carley is working on a draft now.

Vancouver Aquarium is tentatively scheduled for May 16th. Space is limited to 10 people, first come first serve. Carley to get back with us this week for final arrangements.

Bob to send me details on Blaine coming up this weekend to set folks to sign up. Trisha, Julie, Sonia and Bob are scheduled now.

Ski to Sea, Memorial Day weekend is the next event. Please contact Bob if you are available for this event. Mariann can do the afternoon.

Mariann reminded everyone to send their hours/expenses to Bob at the end of each month.

Seal pup triage needs to be approved by NOAA before we proceed.

New Business:

Oil Spill: no updates right now. Go to website to find out how to volunteer.

Prior to the regular meeting a quorum of the board met and accepted the resignations of Rose Lavoie as Volunteer Director and Robert Ryerson as Director of Education. Verbal elections were held and Heather Harris was approved unanimously as Education Director and Robert Ryerson as Volunteer Director, to serve the remaining terms of office. Trisha O’Connor was voted to take over as Development Director when Sonia Hurt vacated that office in the next month or so. Sonia will get together with Trisha in the next month to transfer all her information she has collected.

Meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm.

Mariann then proceeded to present information that was presented with various papers at the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network Conference. She recommends that we put in our budget for 3 people to go to the conference next time, as it was an excellent conference and so much information was gathered.

Whale entangled in fishing gear

2010-05-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

A humpback whale entangled in fishing gear reported by a fisherman. Here's some video of the rescue attempt from King 5. Read the full article here

May 17, 2010 - New Volunteer Responder & refresher training:

2010-05-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is the last scheduled training before pup season 2010.

Do you have a love and concern for our local marine mammals? Would you like to volunteer to make a difference in our community? Register now to become a member of the WMMSN Stranding Response Team.

At this training you will learn what is required for responding to a stranding including:

Species identification of marine mammals common to this area
How to recognize and document various types of injuries and illnesses
Determining and establishing a safe perimeter around marine mammals
Laws, regulations, and procedures to be followed when working with stranded or deceased marine mammals
What paperwork is required and how to fill it out

Volunteer Responder Training
Registration required:	To register, please call Bob Ryerson, Director of Volunteers at 360-306-1568 or email to: volunteers@wmmsn.org
Class length:	1 session (approximately 3 hours)
Date:	May 17th
Time:	6:00 - 9:00 pm
Location:	Metcalf Hodges Building Conference Room at 770 East Holly St
Instructor:	Mariann Carrasco of WMMSN
Cost:	$25 for new volunteers. Current volunteers may refresh training for free
	**WMMSN Tshirts ($20) and responder kits containing necessary response items ($15) will be available for purchase at the training.

Blaine Big Boating Day

2010-05-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

The city of Blaine will be celebrating their Big Boating Day at Marine Park on May 8th from 8 am to 2 pm.

WMMSN will be there with a booth at the Nautical Flea Market. Stop by for refreshments, T-shirts and more information about our organization. If you would like to volunteer to be a member of the Stranding Response Team you can sign up here for the next training which will be held on May 17th.

Blogmania Winner

2010-05-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Blogmania has been a huge success. We had 159 entries into our contest for a free WMMSN T-shirt!

Thank you to everyone who entered and left wonderful comments on our blog and welcome to all our new followers too. We went from 1 google follower to 124 overnight! I hope you all will enjoy reading about what's going on with the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network. To learn more about our organization and what we do to help marine mammals please stop by the website at www.WMMSN.org



The WMMSN T-shirt goes to comment number 9:



Susan Margaret. She said...: "I love the shirt and I love your cause! I've bookmarked your site - I'll be back!!"
April 30, 2010 3:28 AM



Check your inbox Susan for the details on how to claim your prize.

Bellingham Boating Season Opener

2010-05-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

2010 boating season opens today and WMMSN is at Squalicum Harbor to celebrate! Stop by our booth and learn more about us and how we are helping marine mammals & purchase one of our T-shirts to help support our effort with marine mammals. Want to become a volunteer? Sign up at this event.

WMMSN celebrates Blogmania with a free Tshirt giveaway!

2010-04-30T00:03:00.000-07:00


Chitenango when found on the beach.

Welcome to the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network (WMMSN) Blog and Blogmania!

Who is WMMSN?

The Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network is a non-profit organization made up of volunteers that are dedicated to the care of distressed or deceased marine mammals.

After several months of rehab he's ready to return to the wild

What does WMMSN do?

Our trained volunteers do many things including: Responding to reports of stranded, distressed or deceased marine mammals. When we arrive on scene, we then assess the condition of the animal and determine how best to help them. When a stranding occurs on a crowded public beach we often set up a safety perimeter around the stranded marine mammal to prevent human contact. We also educate the public about the stranded marine mammal and the laws that protect them. If we respond to a deceased animal, a necropsy may be performed to help to determine what caused the death.

To learn more about WMMSN and our work with marine mammals, please visit our website www.WMMSN.org or fan us on Facebook for news updates. Click here to read the story of Chitenango. Chitenango was a stranding call we responded to last year. He was rescued, rehabbed and released back into the wild to live out his life.

This Blog is 115 of 123

You’ve arrived at exactly the right time to explore lots of new blogs, all of which, ARE HOSTING A VERY SPECIAL BLOGMANIA GIVEAWAY! (For One Day Only – April 30^th)

All the work has been done for you. No hunting or surfing. Each blog will have a number and each new blog link will have a number. These numbers will allow you to keep track of which blogs you’ve visited and how many are left to visit. Why not take a moment to make a list of blog numbers 1-123 and check off the blogs as you go.

I know you’ll want to visit as many blogs today as you can. So, if you see something that interests you on any of our participating blogs, why not bookmark that site. Later, when you have more time, you can discover all its fabulous treasures.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

Our GIVEAWAY and RULES: For Blogmania we are giving away one of our organic cotton T-shirts.

To enter to win just leave us a comment on this blog. 1 winner will be chosen and announced on this blog on May 3rd.

Front	Back

The WMMSN T-shirts are made from 100% organic cotton in light blue, are pre - shrunk but sizes do run a little small. They feature a Walking Whales design on the front with the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network logo on the back.

After you've commented and entered to win, be sure to visit these other Blogs participating in Blogmania. Each one is hosting a giveaway!

1 Host Between The Pages

2 Co-host The Black Sheep Dances
20 Polka Spot Farm
40 She-Rain

43 Co-host Books, Books Everywhere
71 Alison’s Book Marks
77 Mommy’s Free Time
84 Shawn’s Sharings

94 Romance Book Scene

107 Ellz Readz
117 Bibliobabe

Another Training Coming Up

2010-04-29T01:06:00.000-07:00

Missed the last training session? You're in luck! We'll be having one more training session before the spring seal pupping season begins. This training is for new volunteers and for existing volunteers who missed the previous refresher training. Here's the scoop:

Volunteer Responder Training

Registration is required for new volunteers. To register, please call Bob Ryerson, Director of Volunteers at 360-306-1568 or email to: volunteers@wmmsn.org

Class length: 1 session (approximately 3 hours)

Date: May 17th

Time: 6:00 - 9:00 pm

Location: Metcalf Hodges Building Conference Room at 770 East Holly St

Instructor: Mariann Carrasco of WMMSN

Cost: $25 for new volunteers. Current volunteers may refresh training for free

**WMMSN Tshirts ($20) and responder kits containing necessary response items ($15) will be available for purchase at the training.

Mariann will be instructing the training for new volunteers and has requested that all current volunteers attend in preparation for the upcoming season. It will be a good opportunity to get new information, learn the new protocols and advances in communication. There's no charge for current members of the WMMSN just bring in your binders.

General Meeting Minutes 4/17/10

2010-04-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

Date:

April 17, 2010

Location:

Metcalf Hodges Accounting Firm conference room

Meeting called to order at:

2:00 pm (1400hrs)

People present at Meeting:

Mariann Carrasco

Heather Harris

Christi Spangler

Trisha O’Connor

Edradine Hovde

Danielle Love

Victoria Souze

Mike Etnier

Lynn Bowland

Mike Bowland

Unanimous approval to accept minutes from past meeting

Old Minutes:

Discussion on Adopt-a-seal program, donating seal prints. Victoria presented her ideas. Everyone would get a certificate (she handed out an example) and we would do it for 6-8 species, maybe varying the amount of the donation by species for those that want to donate more or less. Price still to be determined after asking Bob. We could do a certificate with a stuffed whale or seal for kids and families. Oriental Trading catalog has special prices for these critters for non-profits. We all agreed this seemed like a good idea but wanted to wait to finalize after Bob tells us what we should charge for one of his prints.
Mariann is going to pursue getting a space with Port of Bellingham for use in necropsies and maybe storing supplies.
Discussion on grants was tabled since Carley was not here.
Basic Kits are now assembled (mostly) and available for purchase ($15).
Seal Pup Triage protocol was discussed and handed out. Stacy will have an on-site training for the qualified individuals soon.
Mariann reminded everyone to send their hours/expenses to Bob at the end of each month.

New Business

The gray whale that stranded last week that we worked on was discussed and slides were shown during the potluck for those interested.
Beach surveys are being started. It was felt that monthly surveys may do a better job of revealing how many strandings we really get, and it gets everyone out enjoying a worthwhile job with family members or friends. They can be done at any time of the month with anyone you want. Everyone present signed up to survey a beach of their choice once a month. You only report anything if you found anything. There are still a few beaches left to sign up for, for those that couldn’t attend the meeting. The beach areas still left are Chuckanut Bay South, Gooseberry Point West and East Side (we may not be allowed access to these beaches), beaches around the city of Fairhaven, South Side Semiahmoo Spit, West Side Semiahmoo, West Side Drayton Harbor, Head of and East Side Drayton Harbor, Nooksack River Delta/Marietta (kayakers anyone?) Beaches around the City of Blaine, BP to Conoco Phillips refinery (accessed by the Gulf Rd that was used for last year’s gray whale stranding), Sandy Point, and Red River Delta (kayakers anyone?). Call or email Mariann to go over the maps with her and sign up for a beach if you are interested.
Events that are coming up that Victoria is looking into signing us up for that we have not already discussed previously are May 1^st Opening Day of Boating Season, Old Fashioned 4^th of July at Blaine, Old Towne days end of August, Memorial day Ski to Sea Race. We will be looking for volunteers to staff the booth during these events.
Mariann will get more whale watching guideline flyers from Kristin.
Next meeting will be held on May 5^th at 6:30 pm at the M/H building. An emergency election will be held for the Education and Development (fundraising) director positions at this meeting so if you are interested in these positions, please let Mariann know. Mariann will also be presenting all the info she learned at the National Conference.

Meeting adjourned at 3:30 pm.

Mike Etnier presented us with a talk on whale teeth and how he and another follow researcher have sliced up teeth to determine age and diet of these animals. It provides us with a good historical record of what the animals used to eat compared to what they are eating now. Awesome talk!

Post Submitted by:
Marianne Carrasco

Principal Investigator

Mark your calendars!

2010-04-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

We've got a big day coming up next Saturday, April 17th!

We'll be meeting at the Metcalf Hodges building on Holly St. in Bellingham for training starting at 10 am.

Mariann will be instructing the training for new volunteers and has requested that all current volunteers attend in preparation for the upcoming season. It will be a good opportunity to get new information, learn the new protocols and advances in communication. There's no charge for current members of the WMMSN just bring in your binders. New volunteers, please visit WMMSN.org for details on registration and charges. Basic responder kits are ready and will be available for purchase at this training. This session is scheduled to run until 1 pm.

Immediately following, we will have a potluck luncheon, so bring your favorite dish to share.

Then after lunch we are going to continue and have our April general meeting. This month Mike Etnier, our Director of Necropsy, will be giving a presentation on aging whale teeth.

Share a love for marine mammals? Thinking of getting involved? Now is a great time to volunteer and get in on this upcoming training. Contact Bob Ryerson, our Volunteer Coordinator at flowol8@aol.com to register or check our volunteer page at WMMSN.org for more information.

Principal Investigator, Mariann Carrasco, is currently attending the National Marine Mammal Conference. Join us on the WMMSN Facebook page and get the current updates from her trip.

The Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network Blog has a new home

2010-04-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

The WMMSN-blog has a new home on blogger! Please update your bookmarks to our new URL: http://wmmsn-blog.blogspot.com/

Due to some technical difficulties, we have started a new blog for WMMSN. Please follow us here for all the latest news from the members of the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

Click here to return to our website!

Parades

2010-03-18T04:19:00.000-07:00

Bellingham kicked off its Saint Patrick's Day celebrations a little early this year with its first annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 13th. Starting at noon, the streets were lined with cheering crowds as the parade worked its way up Cornwall Avenue and on through downtown Bellingham. Helping to spread awareness of the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network within our community, stranding response team members Trisha, Rose and Julie carried the banner for the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network along the parade route.

Followed by the Bellingham Roller Betties, we certainly heard lots of applause and cheers. Everyone loves a parade!

Free Coffee Fundraiser

2010-02-07T04:23:00.000-08:00

Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network (WMMSN) members Danielle and Carley are shown here staffing the free coffee kiosk for the WSDOT free coffee program at the northbound Interstate 5 Bow Hill rest area.

There all weekend from Friday at noon until 2:00 a.m. Monday morning, WMMSN members and friends took turns staffing the booth and serving up free coffee and cookies. A big thank you to all the volunteers, and friends of volunteers, that helped us plan this fundraiser and staff the booth, and a special thank you to all those drivers that stopped by to meet us and helped fill our donations jar. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Rose Lavoie

WMMSN, Director of Volunteers

wmmsn.org website news

2010-01-20T04:29:00.000-08:00

If you've visited us at http://www.wmmsn.org/ lately, you may have noticed some changes in the works. It's true. We've been working to improve your experience on our website!

Today I'm happy to announce that you can now donate to receive your very own Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network T-shirt through the "donate" page on our website!

Wear your heart on your sleeve! Show your support for WMMSN! With your donation of $25 you will receive 1 T-shirt or donate $35 and receive 2 T-shirts!

These T-shirts are pre-shrunk, 100% organic cotton in light blue and feature a Walking Whales design on the front with the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network logo on the back.

Front View

Back view

If you have any suggestions of things you'd like to see on the website, find any problems or errors, or if you have pictures you'd like to contribute, please let me know.

~Christi
webmaster@wmmsn.org

Help Us Help Marine Mammals

2010-01-19T04:36:00.000-08:00

The Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network (WMMSN) is an organization of volunteers that are dedicated to the care of distressed or deceased marine mammals. Under an authority granted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the WMMSN does the following:

Respond to reports of stranded, distressed or deceased Marine Mammals.
Assess the condition of stranded Marine Mammals and determine how best to help them.
Prevent human contact and interference with stranded Marine Mammals.
In some cases, careful and safe removal of deceased Marine Mammals.
Determine why Marine Mammals died, performing Necropsies when necessary.
Determine if stranded or deceased Marine Mammals pose a biological threat to humans or other marine life.
Educate the public about local Marine Mammals and how best to cohabitate with them.

Your support will help with supplies for our volunteer responders. Please consider making a donation of any size to help with this important work. Every bit helps.

General Meeting Minutes

2010-01-08T04:37:00.000-08:00

Date: January 6, 2010

Location: Metcalf Hodges Accounting Firm conference room

Meeting called to order at: 6:30pm (1830hrs)

People present at Meeting: Mariann Carrasco, Bob Ryerson, Lori Crawford, Heather Harris, Victoria Souze, Sonia Hurt, Edradine Hovde, Christi Spangler, Claudia Olejniczak, Steve (new volunteer helping Bob with Education)

Unanimous approval to accept minutes from past meeting

Treasury report (Lori Crawford): Currently have around $500.

Old Minutes:

In the absence of Trisha, Sonia will look into the Rest stop with WDOT and the Boundary Bay Brewery date for confirmation. Apparently the Rest Stop location and date has not been reserved as Trisha had informed us. Claudia will go to the DOT office in B’ham on Tues, the 12th at 8:00 am and pick a lottery ticket, at which time she can select a rest stop and date, as this is the only way the rest stops can be reserved. Discussion on types of fundraisers ensued. Julie brought up the type recommended by Susan Howlett, who teaches fundraising classes, which involves finding a host to have a “wine & cheese” type party where they invite their friends willing to donate around $100 each and listen to someone from our group talk for a few minutes about the WMMSN. Susan says these types of fundraisers are the most effective. We explored that a bit given that auction-type fundraisers are a lot of work, and maybe we don’t need that much money right away. We may pursue that type in the future.

Sonia will be notifying everyone of a fundraising committee meeting to come up soon.

Lori mentioned that if we were able to come up with a few large contributions from corporate donors, we may be good for 2010.

New Minutes:

· Bob brought up an e-course put on by the SeaDoc society about Healthy ecosystems.

· Mariann talked about the MMSN conference in April and wanted to see if anyone would be going. Mariann may try to go.

· Julie mentioned that she is organizing a training with the San Juan MMSN. They would provide training on taking care of seal pups for the first 24 hours before transferring to SJMMSN. We figured one day she could come to Bham and teach us this spring, and then one day we would go to SJMMSN to help with actual pups, so we get some hands on training. Julie will get back to us on arrangements for those interested.

· It was suggested that occasional descriptions of an incident could be put on the website to educate those that haven’t been out much. Mariann volunteered to do the first one.

· Website: Christi to add a donations page, and get it set up for accepting donations and getting a t-shirt. Mariann to send Christi pics of T-shirts. We commissioned Bob to do color prints of about 4-5 species of MM found in our area, so that we can sell them on the website and at auctions. All of us to send him pics of our favorite MMs. These prints can also be part of an “Adopt-a-MM” program that Victoria will start up, and go with any “kits” that are sold along with that animal.

· Header of minutes will include website address. All meeting minutes will be posted on our website for those interested.

· Christi says we are averaging about 35 hits per week on our website.

· We will hold out next MMSN training on April 17, 2010 at 10:00 am, location TBA.

· Mike to get back to us on when we can hold our next necropsy training. Since we received permits from scientists requesting get organ parts of all species that are stranded, it is becoming clear that we all need more necropsy training, especially in regards to protocols for labeling, shipping, etc. Training would be ideal if it were held in the spring.

· Board meeting to be held next Tues, Jan. 12, 2010 at 6:30 at Pastazza Rest. (same location as previously). All board members should try to make it as we will be discussing budgets.

· Sonia informed us that she is leaving in May, to go on a forever boat trip to Mexico and will be relinquishing her duties at that time. We will need to find a replacement for the Fundraising Chairperson position, so if you are interested, please let Mariann know.

· Next meeting on Feb. 3rd, same time and place.

Meeting adjourned: 8:05pm (2005hrs)

Kudos to Mike!

2009-12-11T04:56:00.000-08:00

In case you missed it, Mike, was featured in today's Bellingham Herald "Photo of the Day". In this photo by Philip Dwyer of the Bellingham Herald (http://www.bellinghamherald.com/), Mike shows students the skull of a stellar sea lion.

Mike serves as the Director of Necropsy for the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network. Good job, Mike!

Alternative Holiday Market

2009-11-23T04:42:00.000-08:00

A big "THANK YOU" goes out to the many friends of the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network (WMMSN) that helped support us by stopping by our booth at the 2nd Annual Multi-Faith Alternative Holiday Market! The table filled with fun, educational opportunities for children in our booth was an absolute success.

On one side of the kids table, a table full of general information about marine mammals and WMMSN was set up, and on the other side there was a table where visitors could view a filmstrip showing the recent rehabilitated harbor seal release by Wolf Hollow, purchase WMMSN T-shirts or make donations.

As an "alternative" holiday market, all the booths were reserved for not-for-profit agencies and the entire event appeared to be a total success as crowds of visitors filled the Community Center at Bloedel Donovan Park from the time the event opened right up until it closed - all showing support for our local agencies as the Bellingham Community Chorus performed in the background. Admission to the alternative holiday market, a jar of baby food for donation to the Bellingham Food Bank.

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if more people decided to give to not-for-profit agencies for the holidays?

~~~

Vancouver Aquarium Trip

2009-11-20T04:45:00.000-08:00

Members of the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network were recently invited for a behind the scenes visit to Canada's largest aquarium, The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre is the premier marine mammal facility on the west coast of Canada, with expertise in marine mammal care.

Here's some photos and captions shared by Carley Lowe, Co-investigator for WMMSN

Fur Seal Pup

Beluga with one yellow tooth!

Harbor seal pup in rehab.

Gnawing on the grating, so fun.

"I made friends with 19 seal pups." ~Carley

What a fantastic learning opportunity for the WMMSN members who were able to attend. A big thank you goes out to Lindsaye and Marty!

Here's some other fun things from the Vancouver Aquariums website:

*Beluga Cam: Watch Aurora and her calf

*Otter Cam: Watch seaotters Milo and Tanu

*Learn about the Cetacean Research Program

*Learn how the aquarium is helping to solve the the puzzle of the disappearing Steller Sea Lions

If you go be prepared for border crossing you must have a valid passport and/or an enhanced driver license (EDL) or enhanced ID card (EID) to confirm your identity and citizenship.

3 Seals Rehabilitated

2009-11-07T04:52:00.000-08:00

As reported by Jane K. Fox for the San Juan Journal, here is the video from the seal release during the visit by some of the members of the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network (WMMSN) to the Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center near Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

Interviews with members of WMMSN are included in this video as they discuss their excitement about the release of these three rehabilitated harbor seals and telling about when the seal, Chitenango, was found stranded along a beach on Lummi Island and first sent to Wolf Hollow for rehabilitation. Follow this link to read the entire story in the San Juan Journal:

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/sanjuans/jsj/lifestyle/68897887.html

Chitenango- rehabilitated and ready for release

2009-10-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

Members from our Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network (WMMSN) will be heading to Anacortes to take a Washington State Ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island where we will meet up with members of the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network for the release of three harbor seals that have been cared for by the Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and a tour of the Wolf Hollow facility.

Chitenango, one of the three seals ready for release, was found stranded on Village Point Beach on Lummi Island on July 26th. He was observed by WMMSN stranding response team members for two days. Approximately eight days old and weighing barely 14 pounds, he was dehydrated and thin but without any obvious injuries. It became apparent that he had been abandoned and would not be able to survive without intervention. On July 28th, still growing more thin and dehydrated, he was taken to Wolf Hollow for rehab.

Christi Spangler, of our WMMSN stranding response team, took this picture of Chitenango when he was found stranded on the beach prior to his being sent to rehab at Wolf Hollow. Rehabilitated and ready to be released back into his natural habitat, he was reported to be 49.8 pounds on October 9th. Let's see if you will be able to recognize him in the video and photos we'll be taking during his release! It is heart warming for us to work with wildlife rehab centers like Wolf Hollow, because we know that without their help, many of the stranded seal pups reported to marine mammal stranding networks would not have this second chance.

What can you do to help? You could make a donation to help support the work we do at the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network. Just contact Mariann Carrasco, Principal Investigator, at pi@wmmsn.org, or by phone at 360-303-3608, and she will help you with that. And, if you are interested in volunteering with the WMMSN, contact Robert Ryerson, Director of Volunteers at 360-306-1568, or by email at volunteers@wmmsn.org and he can get you scheduled for training.

~~~

The Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitaton Center sent us the following summary on the general process of caring for seal pups, including highlights from the stories of the three pups that we will see released:

~~~

Seal Release October 22nd, 2009
Lotis, Chitenango and Dragonfly~~~

We are releasing 3 seal pups today. They were brought to us as young pups that had become separated from their mothers. We estimate their age based on the condition of their umbilical cord and how far their teeth have erupted.
General Treatment and Stages
The treatment for all the pups is basically the same. We start by tube feeding them electrolytes to rehydrate them, (and Subcutaneous (SQ) fluids if they are severely dehydrated), then gradually introduce a special high fat formula. They are fed every 4 hours initially. Some need antibiotics to treat infections and have to have wounds cleaned several times a day. They live in individual tubs in our nursery /intensive care area, where their tub is filled up twice a day to allow them to swim and splash around.

~~~

Once they are strong enough and wounds or infections have cleared, they are gradually moved out into a small pool. The final stage is a larger, deeper pool where they can swim and dive.

~~~

When their condition is stable, their digestive system is working well, and they have teeth, we start to introduce them to fish. At first these are fed by hand, and we sometimes have to push the fish into their mouths. They gradually learn to chase fish and take them from our hand while they are swimming, then to eat fish on their own off the bottom of the pool. Some learn quickly and go through this process rapidly while others take longer to learn.

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Weights
One of the main ways we track a pup’s progress is to weigh it regularly. Normal birth weight for a Harbor Seal pup is ~20-25 pounds. Many of the pups we receive weigh much less because they have been separated from their mother for several days and are starving. In the wild, they would nurse on high-fat milk and gain about 1-2 pounds per day, reaching weaning weight of 50-60 pounds in 3-6 weeks. The pups we care for take longer to put on weight because they also have to recover from various problems, but once they are eating fish on their own, they can gain several pounds in a week.

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Release
When they reach the required weight, we draw a blood sample to make sure that they are healthy. If the results are all clear, the pup is ready for release. On release day we net them from their pools, weigh them one last time, put a numbered tag on their hind flipper and put them in large carriers for transport to the release site.

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Here are some notes on the pups we are releasing today. Note – our naming theme for this year is Endangered Species of invertebrates.

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LOTIS
History – Found alone on Jackson Beach , San Juan Island on 7/27. Busy beach with people and dogs around pup. Was picked up by San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network and brought to Wolf Hollow late afternoon 7/27.

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Condition – Age ~ 9 days, Sex-Female, Weight – 15.5 pounds. Thin, dehydrated. Infected umbilicus, and puncture wounds on flippers.

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Treatment – Rehydrated with oral and SQ fluids and gradually introduced to formula.
Antibiotics for infected wounds. Initial treatment for hypoglycemia and hyperthermia.

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Progress Notes – some highlights from her progress
7/27 Arrival at Wolf Hollow. Wt 15.5 pounds. Very thin and dehydrated. Initially non-responsive and having tremors. Treated with cool baths and SQ fluids with dextrose. Recovered within a few hours.
7/29 Active and alert. Enjoyed bath. Wounds badly infected.
8/5 First swim in isolation pool.
8/7 Wounds still infected, lab results indicate use of second antibiotic.
8/9 First fish – swallowed easily. Weight – 19.8 pounds.
8/19 Out in pool full time.
8/21 Weight – 22.4 pounds.
8/27 Eating fish on own off bottom of pool.
8/29 Into big pool.
9/11 Weight 32.3 pounds
9/25 Weight 42.3 pounds.
10/9 Weight 48.9 pounds.

Released 10/22/09 – Weight ___

CHITENANGO
History - First seen alone on Village Point Beach, Lummi Island 7/26. Observed by NW Marine Mammal Stranding Network for 2 days, then brought to Wolf Hollow 7/28.

Condition – Age ~8 days, Sex – Male, Wt. – 14.6 pounds. Dehydrated, very thin. No apparent injuries.

Treatment – Subcutaneous and oral fluids to rehydrate. Gradual introduction of formula.

Progress Notes – Some highlights
7/28 Arrival at Wolf Hollow – Very thin, and dehydrated. Wt – 14.6 pounds. Gave fluids. No meds required.
7/30 Active in bath but gets cold and shivery very quickly.
8/4 Stronger, more playful in bath.
8/7 Digestive problems, lethargic. Changed formula. Gave antibiotic.
8/8 Weight 16.2 pounds.
8/10 Recovered. Gave first fish – swallowed easily.
8/15 First swim in pool.
8/21 Weight 18.3 pounds.
8/26 In pool full time. Eating fish on own off bottom of pool.
9/5 Moved into big pool.
9/11 Weight 30.4 pounds9/25 Weight 44.1 pounds.
10/9 Weight – 49.8 pounds.

Released 10/22/09 - Weight ___

DRAGONFLYHistory – Alone on shore below Downriggers Restaurant in Friday Harbor. Brought to Wolf Hollow by San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network 7/31.

Condition – – Age ~8 days, Sex – Female, Wt. – 16.4 pounds. Dehydrated and very thin. Infected puncture wounds.

Treatment – Subcutaneous and oral fluids to rehydrate. Gradual introduction to formula.
Antibiotic for infected wounds.

Progress Notes – Some highlights.
7/31 Arrival at Wolf Hollow – thin, dehydrated, lethargic. Wt – 16.4 pounds.
8/3 More active, but quickly gets cold in bath.
8/7 Lethargic, sticky eyes, wounds still infected. Lab tests indicate use of second antibiotic.
8/9 Recovered, active. First fish – swallowed easily.
8/20 First swim in pool. Weight 18.6 pounds.
8/26 In pool full time.
9/10 Eating fish on own off bottom of pool. Weight 26.8 pounds.
9/25 Weight 38.9 pounds.
10/9 Weight 50.3 pounds.

Released 10/22/2009 - Weight - ___

Updates - Summer 2009

2009-09-29T04:59:00.000-07:00

Well, the summer started off with a bang, albeit a little late. While everyone else was busy in early to mid June, we did not get our first call on seal pups until June 19th. But when we did, we were hit with three at once. Our first (01) was a dead lanugo pup (premie) that rolled up onto a beach at Birch Bay Village and was collected for later examination via necropsy. The second (02) was a young female seal pup that was abandoned by her mother at Semiahmoo. She was transferred to PAWS rehabilitation clinic in Lynnwood by Carley Lowe, our Co-Investigator, with assistance from Joan Clark, one of our volunteer responders. She was recently released back at Semiahmoo by PAWS volunteers (click here - Two Days at the Beach, to see the newsletter article by Kevin Mack, PAWS Wildlife Naturalist, about that event). The third (03) was a dead yearling seal washed ashore at Semiahmoo. No apparent cause of death was noted for that individual. Thanks goes to Carley Lowe for responding to all three of these calls and completing the Level A dataforms on these three seals on the same day!

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We also had a seal pup on Cypress Island on June 29, but no one with a boat was available, so the Central Puget Sound MMSN took on that one. In addition, we had a dead seal reported from Point Roberts on the same day. We don’t have any trained volunteer responders at Point Roberts (a need we are trying to fill) so the local firefighter gave us Level A data on that seal but the cause of death could not be determined. The dead seal stayed on that beach for quite some time, so we kept getting calls on it. The NOAA Regional office completed that Level A.

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We had trained some new volunteer responders during our brief break. The next live pup (04), was collected from Orcas Island and transferred to one of our volunteers in Bellingham, by a well-meaning, but ill-advised, man who thought the pup was abandoned and opted to bring to us before notifying us (if he had we would have informed him that 1- he should leave the pup there and 2- call San Juan MMSN, as that is in their jurisdiction) on July 5th. That pup was brought to the Northwest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for stabilization prior to transport to Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, but did not survive the night. Lessons can be learned from this incident.

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We had another break until July 25, when two calls came in. A seal pup (05) was rescued from kids pouring water on it (not good, as seal pups come to shore to sun themselves and get warm) at Birch Bay after it was clear the mother was not coming back, and was flown to Wolf Hollow for rehab. Thanks to Julie, Rose and Heather for helping on that one. Latest news was that pup is doing fine. Another dead adult seal (06) was reported from Point Roberts, different from the last one, and Peter Hamilton, from Lifeforce, stepped in to send us pictures and level A data. Thanks Peter. The next day, July 26th, a seal pup at the Semiahmoo marina was stuck on a barge near the main walkway, close to where everyone passes by, so the phone was “off the hook”. Luckily we were able, with assistance from marina staff and our volunteer responders (Sonia, Starra, Joan), to get the pup off the barge and into the water where his mother was anxiously awaiting him.

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Soon after that, July 28th, we had another seal pup at Semiahmoo stuck in a cistern in the breakwater, but he was able to free himself. On July 29th, though, we finally decided to stop waiting and take action on an abandoned seal pup from Lummi Island (07) , who was transported via boat by one of our responders, Cynthia and her husband, to Wolf Hollow. Thanks to Cynthia (and spouse), Victoria, Claudia, Christi (did I miss anyone?) and any others from Lummi that helped with this pup. You saved him! Latest news was that he is healthy and doing well at Wolf Hollow.

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August 3rd was another busy day. A seal pup (08) watch took place, at Semiahmoo by the ferry landing. This one was found fresh dead the next day by the pup sitters (our very own Starra and Katherine) with the likely culprit, a bald eagle sitting nearby, although there were dogs in the area that may have actually done the dirty deed. Also, on the same day, a dead seal pup (09) was found floating near the breakwater at Semiahmoo. Cause of death was unknown. Thanks Starra and Katherine for your assistance on both these unfortunate pups. Another seal pup (10) was discovered at L dock at Semiahmoo marina also that day, and Starra collected the data on that fresh dead pup. He appeared to have a head injury and a puncture wound, but cause of death was unknown. An additional dead seal pup at Semiahmoo marina was reported the next day by a kayaker but he washed out before we were able to get to him. He was not any of the other pups as those were taken to a landfill by Semiahmoo marina staff the same day as the Level A was completed.

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On August 6th, a seal pup from Neptune Beach (12) had clearly been abandoned by its mother and was not doing well. Bob, Jeremy and Krista helped transfer this pup to Wolf Hollow for rehab, where the latest word is that he is doing fine. In Bellingham, a female seal pup (11) did not make it and Carley took a small group of our new volunteers out to the Holly St. bridge over Whatcom Creek to collect level A data on Aug. 10. Cause of death could not be determined.

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Another brief break and then hit all at once again. On Aug. 22, a seal pup was reported from near the ferry landing at Semiahmoo. Our pup sitters, consisting of Starra, Katherine and Sonia, watched him for several days but he appeared fine and his mother was around. The next day, a second seal pup joined him on the beach but eventually only one remained. Carley eventually joined the pup sitters and determined that he was fine and we should leave him alone. He went back and joined his mother for good several days later.

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On August 26, a dead seal at Squalicum Beach in Bellingham (13) was reported. Carley went to do the level A by herself as no one was available that day to help. He was moderately decomposed, so cause of death could not be determined. On Aug. 30, a dead seal yearling (14) , was reported at Mud Bay at Chuckanut. Leland responded and completed the level A for that seal. Thanks, Leland! Cause of death is unknown, although some predation on the carcass was noted.

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On Sept. 2nd, a supposedly dead baby orca was reported floating in the water near Lummi Island. Instead a fresh dead harbor porpoise calf (10) was collected by Claudia just south of Pt. Migley, and a necropsy was eventually performed (Thanks Mike and crew!), where blunt trauma was noted, although cause of death could not be determined.

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On Sept. 6th, a seal pup became entangled in some fishing gear at Semiahmoo marina, but was eventually able to free himself. On Sept. 21, Starra completed a level A on a dead seal pup at Semiahmoo (15) that had lacerations under its left flipper as well as cut fingers on that same flipper, likely a propellor strike. On Sept. 25, a report came of an injured seal pup (weaned most likely) at Boulevard Park in Bellingham, but by the time someone could be rounded up to go look at it, a passerby scared it back into the water, never to be seen again (yet). On Sept. 26th, a dead weaned seal pup at Squalicum Beach (16) was reported adjacent to the very decomposed (by now) adult seal that died there the month prior. Cause of death is unknown at this time.

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Well, that about wraps it up for now. As more calls come in, expect that this UPDATES page will contain new info on recent developments regarding these same individuals and new ones as well. As you can see, our trained volunteer responders are kept busy this time of year, depending on their availability. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with our organization, please contact Bob at flowol08@aol.com or at 360-758-4124.

Submitted by,

Mariann Carrasco
Wildlife Biologist
Fisher Consulting Services LLC, Parametrix
Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network Coordinator
P.O. Box 108, Acme, WA 98220
(360)595-2114 hm/wk, (360)303-3608 cell