Orca Celebrates 100th Birthday!

Come celebrate the estimated 100 year birthday of J2, Granny !!!

The Center for Whale Research is hosting a celebration of the estimated birth year of J2, one of the oldest females in the southern resident killer whale population. Based on J2's apparent age at the inception of the Orca Survey study in 1976, she is estimated to have been born in 1911 making 2011 her 100th year, and although we do not know her exact age she is likely the oldest living whale among J,K, and L pods. This celebration marks 100 years of evoloving interaction between humans and killer whales in the ecosystem now known as the Salish Sea.

We invite everyone to come to Lime Kiln State Park to celebrate the estimated century long life of J2 and to learn more about and the obstacles she, and all the southern residents, have faced in their struggle to survive the changing world.

Please join us, bring your own picnic lunch to the park, and enjoy an afternoon of music by the Kevin Carr Family Band followed by a talk from Ken Balcomb, director of the Center for Whale Research. There will be children's games and activities provided by Jeff Hogan's Killer Whale Tales. The Salish Sea Association of Marine Naturalists (SSAMN ) will also be hosting an informational booth offering tips and opportunities to foster stewardship of the Salish Sea environment on which the killer whales depend. Additionally, the Center for Whale Research Information Station will be open to provide education about the local killer whales and the Orca Survey project.

J2 100th Birthday!

WHEN: July 2, 2011, 1:00 p.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Lime Kiln Point State Park, San Juan Island
WHO: Hosted by the Center for Whale Research and supported by:

Kevin Carr Family Band

Killer Whale Tales - Environmental Science Though Storytelling

SSAMN - Salish Sea Association of Marine Naturalists

Orca Network - Connecting whales and people in the Pacific Northwest

We hope to see you all there!

For additional information or questions please contact: erin@whaleresearch.com

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To find out how you can adopt a Southern Resident orca, check out The Whale Museum!