Finally! A sunny day in the San Juan Islands. Although we're situated in the rainy pacific northwest, the San Juan islands see more sun than Seattle, Washington or even Portland, Oregon. Which is counter intuitive, because in the Pacific Northwest, the further north you get, the more rain you stand to have fall on your head. Texas actually has more annual rainfall than Washington, but it comes in torrential downpours accompanied by amazing displays of thunder and lightning, like the Gods ARE fighting on Mt. Olympus. But here in the Pacific Northwest, its more as if an angel were crying; we receive a little rain each day, a slight suppressing drizzle that keeps the sky covered in a nimbostratus cloud.

The Olympic Peninsula, to our south features the temperate rain forest whereas, just 30 miles to the north, San Juan Island features cactus. The question is, how can you get such an ecological shift in such a short distance?? San Juan Island is surrounded by a protective ring of mountains, the Olympics to our south, the Cascades to our east and the Coast mountains to our north and west. The clouds occasionally get caught on the tops of these mountains, leaving us in a ring of sunlight. And that's the rain shadow. There's is nothing on this planet like being on the sea in the sun, where water reflects light like a mirror. Even the dorsal fins of the Orcas reflect the light. Today we saw 8 Transients, heading south, including a calf.

Orcas gestate for 16-17 months and nurse for about 2 years. A female only gives birth once every 3-5 years. The calves are born tail first to enable their survival, that way they don't drown during the birthing process. Like most mammals, including humans, the calves are excitable and curious. Often when a calf first learns to breach, it will breach over and over again as if to say to the world, 'This feels good!' We once had an Orca breach a few feet away from our boat, which is surprising considering their amazing powers of echolocation. They have an incredibly accurate sense of their surroundings.


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

People for Puget Sound-Orcas Best Friend

Here is the link to a video from this years annual Harbor Lights dinner and auction gala - People for Puget Sound. Plan on attending next year. Put it on you calendar right now 2nd Saturday in October.
http://www.davekrupa.com/videos/harborlights/harborlights.aspx?harborlights.







Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Home Away From Home

It was a long trip today, but well worth it. A small group of guests joined us on the M/V Sea Lion and enjoyed a tour of Orcas Island and the State Marine Parks to the north as we motored to Birch Bay near Blaine, Washington. That is the farthest northeast that either Jaclyn or I have been and it is always fun to find some new water.

Of course, it is all home to our resident orcas and they were cruising through life today near the Canadian border. The groups were small and spread out, but we had a lovely time with them all of the same. The first group that we watched was some J pod members; J8 "Spieden" and J22 "Oreo" with her son J38 "Cookie". We then crashed a chaperoned date that J1 "Ruffles" appeared to be having with L53 "Lulu". The mothers, J2 "Granny" and L7 "Canuck", were there to give their blessing to the event.

With a long haul to get back to port, our time with the orcas was over too quickly. It was an eventful parting though, as the orcas started to spyhop, breach and cartwheel as Capt. Craig turned us towards Friday Harbor. The crew was happy, the guests were happy and it was another beautiful day in the San Juan Islands!

So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris, to all of you out there, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Su, Su, Su, Superpod!

It was a whalestravaganza today on the water. Orcas from the north, orcas from the south and us in the middle of it all. East Point on Saturna Island was the meeting spot and the Strait of Georgia was the playground. I was hoping that we would see all of the whales get together, but I did not think that it would actually happen. It did though and Capt. Pete, Kathy and I were there on the M/V Sea Lion to see it. Our guests saw it too, so it was a stunning day all the way around.

East Point is best known for it's lighthouse and the fact that the first orca was live captured there. Of course, they were actually trying to harpoon it, but things went awry and "Moby Doll" ended up in an aquarium. Consequently, it was very fitting to have this mass demonstration of orcas off of that point today. Blithely going about their natural processes under the comfort and protection of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act and the watchful eyes of the whale watch operators, Soundwatch, researchers and law enforcement.

All three resident pods were represented and they seemed thrilled to see each other. There was tail slapping and lobbing, spyhopping, breaching by young and old, and continuous mingling and vocalizing. Our hydrophone did not do justice the beauty of the sounds, but it took us down into the water with them and allowed us to be part of their world for a little while. Unfortunately, there is never enough time when we are with the orcas and we finally had to leave. It was a lovely day though and one that many guests said that they would never forget.

So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris, to all of dreamweavers out there, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Here Comes The Sun Again

After what appeared to be the start of fall and winter, we are now back to the September weather that we are all so fond of. September really is the best month to see the islands and today was a perfect example of that.

I welcomed a lovely group of guests onto the M/V Kittiwake this afternoon and we headed off on our tour. The orcas were at the south end and west side of San Juan Island today, so it was difficult to decide where to go. Capt. Bill did a fabulous job though, and after taking us up San Juan Channel, past Spieden Island and through John's Pass, we arrived at Turn Point on Stuart Island just in time to see the orcas shoot off of it and out into Boundary Pass. They were in a rambunctious mood today too.

The orcas were traveling in two large main groups that were closely packed together with 30-40 animals in the area. They swam at a fast clip, but spent a bit of time tail slapping and lobbing as well as breaching. Especially, near a research boat that was taking breath samples, so it was motoring right alongside the whales. There was definitely a lot of high energy and it must have translated to the other species, since four Dall's porpoises shot past our boat leaving rooster tails behind them. They headed north and after several hundred yards dipped down and disappeared.

The orcas though, continued on across Boundary Pass and up Swanson Channel past North Pender Island. We watched as long as we could, but we finally had to say goodbye to the orcas and Canada and get headed back home. Along the way we stopped to see harbor seals at Ripple Rocks and a lone bald eagle on one of the Cactus Islands. The day was warm and sunny and perfect and I am so glad that I have taken the opportunity to live this life.

So, from all of us here at San Juan Safaris, to all of you travel bugs out there, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Tales of Whales

Some days are just not like the others and sometimes the orcas do things that we just can not predict. Yesterday, members of K and L pods swam up San Juan Channel between San Juan and Lopez Islands. That was only the second time this season that they have done that, and we were there to see it. They made it all the way to Friday Harbor before they turned around and headed back south. It was a lovely, mostly clear day and with the orcas traveling in two large, close groups it was easy to both see and hear them.

One of our young guests has had an adoption of "Moonlight" for a couple of years and he was anxious to see her. With so many animals around it was hard to tell at times which individuals were there, but he and I were both pretty sure that we saw her family. There was also "Flash", "Saanich", "Raggedy", "Cappuccino", "Ino" and many, many more.

It was a unique and interesting opportunity to see these animals right in and amongst our islands. No one can say why they choose to come through here, or why they usually do not. There is salmon in the area, as evidenced by the seals and sea lions that we see feeding on them. Even yesterday, in a little cove on Sentinel Island, there was a young harbor seal with a huge fish and lots of seagulls around begging for scraps. So food is available, but whether it is not plentiful enough, or if there is too much boat traffic it is hard to say what directs the orcas' paths to the outer channels and straits. Luckily for us and our guests on the M/V Kittiwake though, the orcas chose a different path this time and we were there to witness it.

So, from Capt. Craig, me and all of the crew at San Juan Safaris, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Orca Magic

Capt. Peter, Ashley and I spent the afternoon with "Spirit" and her boys today. A mother's love and authority are never in question and L22 gave a great demonstration of that. All was quiet and calm when we first arrived on scene. L79 "Skana" was doing his own thing and L22 "Spirit" was within sight, for us humans, but in her own space away from her son. They were moving at an exaggeratedly slow pace and "Skana" was above water for so long each time that he blew that we could see the small nick in the tip of his dorsal fin. The dives were long and there were some direction changes, but for the most part they seemed to be drifting with the currents.

Rather suddenly though, "Skana" and "Spirit" changed direction and sped up. They moved in side-by-side and were definitely traveling northwest. As we motored along trying to keep, we were surprised by another male orca that popped up right behind us. Nobody had seen him up until then. It was L85 "Mystery". He quickly joined the others, but then there was another and another! Suddenly we were watching a family of 5 orcas moving quickly through the waters on there way to somewhere important.

It is of course unclear to those of us above water how the decision to change direction and speed was made, much less who made it. But once the word went out, all of the family responded. With our resident orcas living in a matriarchal society, it makes sense that "Spirit" is the one that decides the who, how, when and where. It may be more diplomatic than that, but the decision was obviously agreed upon and/or followed by all involved.

We finally said goodbye to this proud family and wended our way back to Friday Harbor. Once at the dock we unloaded other proud families that had made many memories today as well as a connection with an intelligent and devoted species of the earth. So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Sleight of Flipper

In these vast, life rich inland waters you just never know what you are going to happen upon. Even when it is an orca. One of our fellow whale watch companies was off looking for minke whales when, lo and behold, there were orcas around. The first reports were of transient orcas. These mammal eating orcas look just like our fish eating residents, with just a few small morphological differences and a vastly different diet.

Capt. Nancy gave the guests on the MV Sea Lion the run-down as to what to expect, but as we were headed south the news came around that the orcas were actually members of L pod. What a surprise as we had already told everyone that all of the resident orcas were traveling through Active Pass in Canada. The news did not change our plans, of course, because we are looking for those black and whites regardless of the type.

A group of eight animals is what we found near the Hannah Heights area of San Juan Island. Passing on one side and then another, while others blew in the distance were L73 "Flash", L74 "Saanich", L54 "Ino" and one of her offspring. As we watched, the sun started to burn through the high fog and clouds and brought a lovely light to the afternoon.

As the day wore on Kathy and I enjoyed the company of our guests and found eagles and seals and lots of seabirds. We answered questions all of the way back to Friday Harbor and were sorry to see the trip end. So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris to all of you, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
P.S. - To the wedding party parents from yesterday, congratulations and we delivered orcas for the ceremony right on time!

~Tristen, Naturalist

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Turning Points

It was an evening to behold and luckily we were there. Most, if not all, of L Pod passed by the MV Sea Lion tonight and with the number of animals that we saw there must have been some of K Pod as well. Capt. Nancy caught us up with the whale watch fleet just south of Turn Point on Stuart Island. We floated in the golden evening light as group after family group of orcas passed by us. There was Mega and Skana, all of their siblings and mothers and Gaia with his new dorsal fin scars, to name a few.

As the animals neared Turn Point they ran very close to the cliffs breaching and splashing. We saw feeding and high spirits and watched as the different groups glided through the kelp beds under the lighthouse. Our hydrophone picked up beautiful vocalizations that slowly faded as the whales moved away. The orcas blew and breached their way into the distance and we left them cruising northwest into Canadian waters.

On the way home to Friday Harbor we stopped by one of the Cactus Islands to look at 11 bald eagles feeding on a carcass. It was a mix of both juveniles and adults scattered all over the rocks and shoreline. As we watched a very large, all dark brown bird flew in and landed right on the carcass, startling all of the juveniles away. Capt. Nancy and I were hesitant to say what species of bird it was since sightings are so rare, but we think it was a golden eagle. They are occasionally seen here in the islands and it is a lucky person indeed that witnesses one of these striking birds.

What an incredible trip we had tonight and I am so glad that our guests had a chance to be with us. So, from all of us here at San Juan Safaris, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Orca Madness

While a heat wave roars through the Pacific Northwest, we here in Friday Harbor decided to cool our heals in the waters of Boundary Pass. The orcas had been north and east and everywhere according to the reports that we were getting, but we found them heading west towards Swanson Channel and the Pender islands. Supposedly, J1 "Ruffles" had been over near Lummi Island, but almost like clock-work he and his family showed up off of the starboard bow of our boat.

Capt. Craig always seems to know where to find them and he makes Kathy's and my job so easy. He slowly maneuvered the MV Sea Lion around to run parallel to the orcas and keep our customers insight of them. There were a few breaches in the area, but it was mainly a sunny stroll through calm waters. The orcas slowly spread out and dissipated until we were tracking just one or two. So we waved a last goodbye and headed off to see some of the other amazing wildlife in the San Juan Islands.

Flattop Island, a National Wildlife Refuge, had several mature bald eagles sitting on it and each little rock that stuck up had a harbor seal on it. We even saw one female on Ripple Rocks that had been stained rust color from excess iron in the waters where she has been living. Cormorants sunned on the rocks nearby and harbor porpoises fed in the area. It was a good reminder of the bounty of this area and that orcas are not our only natural wonder.

It was another great trip well attended by both wildlife and guests. So, from all of us here at San Juan Safaris to all of you sun babies out there, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist




Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

A Fairytale Ending...

Last night was incredible! Our guests did not realize how good they got it! We circumnavigated San Juan Island, leaving to the south and meeting up with the Killer Whales (Orcas) of J & K pods on the west side. The seas had calmed down...(earlier we had 2-3 footers & white caps)....but by the evening it was flat calm and you could see a thick fog bank looming in the Strait between Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula. The Orcas were spread out and we got great views of a 1 or 2 here and there travelling south. We moved a half mile from Lime Kiln and shutdown to drop the hydrophone in. The underwater vocalizations and echolocation were incredible! We had no idea where the vocalizations were coming from...which direction or which whale, since there were none nearby. Sound does travel 4-5 times faster in water than air, so they could be a mile or more away! At one point, one of our younger guests aboard remarked "Are you sure that sound's not coming from their butt?! It sounds like a fart!" Haha! Did that get the crowd going....

Enthusiasm is contagious...we all couldn't help but smile and laugh when this same young guest first saw the Orcas and shouted "Wow! I didn't know wildlife could be so cool!"

We saw some great behaviors....logging (when an Orca just sits at the surface with its fin & head poking above the surface for minutes), flipper slaps, tail slaps, and some fishing in the rips where currents collide. Most of the whales seemed to have turned around and started to head north. So hopefully that means plenty of salmon for them and they're sticking around our waters for the next few days!

As we rounded the north end of the island you could see a few dark clouds hanging over the San Juans. The lighting this time of night in the summers is spectacular with the sun getting low in the sky. Then coming south through San Juan Channel you could see one end of a rainbow touching down on Orcas Island, the other on San Juan Island! Just as we docked, the entire rainbow filled in and we had a complete arch! I think our guests got the impression that it's always picture perfect like this out here. Not quite, but last night it was!

-Jaclyn, naturalist
Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

The Best Laid Plans...

Can go awry. You design a vacation around a wild animal that decides that it does not want to be on display that week. You devise a foolproof schedule and then the world conspires against you and nothing is on time. You take every precaution and still chaos ensues.

Such was our week in the whale and wildlife watching business. You never know when that perfect storm is going to hit, but when it does you always feel it. When times like this come upon us we in the tourism industry, and especially the wildlife based tourism industry, appreciate the frustration that they can cause during someone's hard earned vacation. We also greatly appreciate the fortitude with which the public faces each of these challenges.

Twice this week boats have gone afoul here in the islands. One on some shallow rocks and the Kittiwake today had mechanical troubles. To top it off, the orcas have not been seen in two days because they are out in open ocean. On all of these occasions though the guests have shown great understanding and have done their best to help the crews, companies and other visitors. Whether it was calmly being removed from one boat to another for transport back to port or whether it was gamely looking for elusive minke whales that seemed desperate to hide. What could have been miserable circumstances were turned into new adventures and pleasant motor cruises through the help of the wonderful visitors to the San Juan Islands.

So, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to personally say thank you to all of you who have shared your time with us here this week and who remembered that patience is a virtue. As always, I look forward to...

Seeing You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

A Super Safari!

What a day! There were Orca families zooming everywhere with breaches, tail slaps and spyhops galore. We saw auklets and harbor seals and even a bald eaglet in the nest with his parents standing guard in nearby trees. The sun was out and the waters were calm and our guests on the MV Kittiwake could not have been more fun.

Capt. Craig and I took a lively group of visitors through Friday Harbor and down the east side of San Juan Island. Just past Turn Island we stopped to see some harbor seals hauled out on the rocks in the sun and a bald eagle sitting on the very top of a tree causing it to bend over with the bird's weight. We then rode the ebbing tide down San Juan Channel past Griffin Bay and out Cattle Pass. A quick left turn at the southwest corner of Lopez Island and there were the whales.

J1 "Ruffles" along with the rest of his family group went racing past us in a very tight formation and across the opening to Cattle Pass. Once on the other side they slowed down, probably because they were no longer fighting the currents. We could see numerous other family groups in the distance all headed west along the south ends of Lopez and San Juan Islands. They were swimming so fast that we say porpoising and white wave caps each time that the Orcas returned to the water. One individual did a fabulous bellyroll and there was so much tail waving and tail slapping going on I lost track of who was doing what.

After leaving what appeared to be a mix of Js, Ks and maybe Ls we then cruised Long Island and found the mated pair of bald eagles there and then motored over to the coastline of Lopez Island to check out a nest and chick that our sister boat, the MV Sea Lion, had alerted us to. Sure enough the adults could be seen sitting in nearby snags and the eaglet was proudly standing up in the nest surveying his domain. It was very cool.

Today really showcased what an awesome job this is and how fabulous it is to be here in the San Juan Islands. Neither I nor our guests could have asked for anything better. So, from all of us here at San Juan Safaris to all of you adventurers out there, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist



Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Natural Entertainment

Life is good as a naturalist these days. The Orcas are back in the islands and the summer is in full swing. With the 4th of July coming up, as well as Friday Harbor's centennial and the sesquicentennial of the Pig War there is no shortage of special events to fill those hours that can not be spent on the water. Luckily for our guests today, it was a day spent on the water and in the company of whales. And not just giant black and white dolphins, but real whales as well.

As we were making our way down the Strait of Juan de Fuca we got reports from another boat about a minke whale near Salmon Bank. It turns out that there were actually two whales and we watched for several minutes as they surfaced and fed. Each time after a breath sliding quietly back beneath the waters. Shortly though we were once again on the trail of the Orca. Luckily for us some of the other wildlife watch companies had scoped out the action before we got there.

The Orca whales, actually the world's largest dolphins, were spread out over a large area similar to where they had been the day before. There were a number of family groups numbering from approximately 4-6 individuals feeding and traveling within sight of the south end of San Juan Island. Even though there had been reports that L pod might have left the area, that was who we found today. All the groups were pretty focused on what they were doing and so there was not a lot of rambunctious behavior. But there were some quiet vocalizations heard as one family group passed by the MV Sea Lion.

Even though the south waters were as calm as could be today, it soon became time for us to go. So Capt. Nancy, Kathy, our guests and I bid the Orcas farewell and motored on back to Friday Harbor. On our return trip we caught sight of a bald eagle, some harbor seals and even a couple of harbor porpoises. It was a full and lovely day with the abundance of nature to entertain us and the sun coming out to chase away the clouds.

So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris to all of you loyal Orca fans, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

For The Love of Whales

Not wind, nor weather, nor water can deter us. If the whales are in the vicinity then we will do all we can to get to them. So said our guests today on the MV Sea Lion. Despite the grey skies and the spitting rain everyone was ready to get out on the water and commune with whales. We were in no way disappointed. The reports had been of sporadic behavior, but we found the whales at the South end of the island moving around in classic feeding patterns, which means that they were swimming everywhere.

We were on scene with the Orcas for a few minutes traveling with them as they moved offshore. Whales could be seen spread out over a large area traveling in small groups or even as singles. Suddenly, through what must have been a direct command or agreement, all of the whales changed direction and started heading west. The Orcas collected together into a group and increased their speed as we continued to see some erratic movements that coincided with feeding.

There was a general sense of urgency about their travels and we saw a number of spyhops and tail slaps. The tail slaps may have been a means to gather together and even herd salmon and other fish for feeding. The spyhops might also help with that since it gives the whales a chance to see where other members of the pod are, where the boats are and how far away the coastline is.

Finally, time and rough water forced our return to port, but not before we saw one juvenile and two adult bald eagles on Long Island. As well as a Bald Eagle that buzzed over Goose Island and sent all of the nesting birds into the sky in a frenzy. Despite the grey skies our day was golden with the glow of time spent with J pod, members of our beautiful Southern Resident Orcas.

From Capt. Nancy, Jaclyn, San Juan Safaris and myself, thank you to all of you nature lovers out there and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

The Wonder of Whales

How do you measure the quality of a moment? What is it that makes some indelible and others ephemeral? Why aren't all moments created equal?

Today was one of those types of days. It was grey and overcast with a little bit of rain in the air. The water was steely but calm and nature seemed to be holding it's breath. An eagle floated slowly past, harbor porpoises surfaced erratically and the breezes were still. There was a sense of bridled anticipation coming from the guests, the crew and even from the boat itself. Would the whales move out of range? Would we have traveled all those miles simply to see empty ocean? Would our memories be restricted to the wind and the waves?

Alas, no, the other companies had not led us astray. As we cleared Boundary Pass and entered the Strait of Georgia there were the other wildlife watching boats and whale blows and Orca dorsal fins could be seen amongst them. We slowly joined the throng so as not to disturb the magic that the whales cast over everyone and took our place in the moment. It did not take us long to realize that there were family groups spread everywhere and that you had to keep your eyes moving to take it all in. We saw J1 "Ruffles", J28 "Polaris" and J26 "Mike" among others. All of J pod seemed to be there with some extras as well. The animals were excitable and transferred that energy to us through their breaches and spyhops, tail slaps and splashes.

As always our time with the Orcas seemed too short, but soon we had been there nearly an hour and it was time to head back. We slowly departed the dream-like scene just as we had arrived and watched as the whales and their human sentinels faded into the foggy background. Our minds cataloging and storing the precious memories that we had just amassed. So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris to all of you dreamers out there, thank you and we will...

See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist


Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Active Orcas

Today was a great orca viewing day. The whales were doing back dives and breaches!!! They were also traveling fairly fast. Both the guests and I very interesting to watch. Everyone on the boat was very impressed with J-pod.

J-pod is one of the three pods that make up the southern resident killer whale community. These killer whales are actually fish eaters, they do not prey on marine mammals. These orcas have been listed as an endangered species in both Canada and the United States.

On the way back to Friday Harbor we took a look at the Cactus Islands and saw a couple of bald eagles. We even saw a bald eagle in the nest feeding its eaglet.

Naturalist Jeannette
Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Backdiving...

Our adventure startedby heading North out of Friday Harbor. We found the orca whales about 5 miles North of Patos Island heading and they were headed north.

Members of J and K pods were there. We identified J-1 "Ruffles". We were also lucky enough to see one individual back dive about 4 times in a row. One of our guests got a great picture. Hope she emails it to us (Fun@SanJuanSafaris.com)

On our ride back we made a quick stop around Yellow Island to see some Harbor Seals hauled out on the rocks.

Everyday is a great adventure we never know what great things we are going to get to witness.

Naturalist,
Jeanette Miller

Orca Whales and Wildlife Are Our Only Business. ©

Navy and Sonar - again

2/4/2009 3:11:00 PM

Email this article • Print this article

Photo: Howard Garrett Ruffles, the oldest known male orca in the world, swims past Fort Casey Lighthouse in October 2008. The U.S. Navy recently released its plans to increase operations in its Northwest Training Range Complex and the news has many people wondering what the impact will be to marine wildlife and the environment. Justin Burnett / The Whidbey Examiner Clinton resident John Hurd speaks at a public hearing in Oak Harbor concerning the U.S. Navy’s plans to expand activities at the Northwest Training Range Complex. Public comment Mail comments about the plan by Feb. 11 to Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest, Attn: Kimberly Kler, 1101 Tautog Circle, Silverdale WA 98315-1101, or submit comments online at www.nwtrangecomplexeis.com. Navy training expansion draws criticism By Justin Burnett Examiner Staff Writer Whidbey Examiner As many as 150 orcas are known to inhabit the waters of Puget Sound and the coast of Washington at various times of the year. Among them is Ruffles. He belongs to a small family group called J-pod. At 57, he is the oldest known male orca in the world, according to Howard Garrett, president of Orca Network, a Whidbey Island based nonprofit group dedicated to raising awareness about whales in the Northwest. Ruffles's exact age has been confirmed through photographic evidence. The characteristic ruffled back edge of his dorsal fin not only makes him easy to identify but also earned him his name. He is usually spotted traveling on the outskirts of the pod. It may be that he is a loner or it may be that his position serves some special function within the group. It's one of the many mysteries about orcas that scientists have yet to discover, Garrett said. The U.S. Navy recently released its plan to expand its training operations in Puget Sound and off the coasts of Washington and Oregon. With everything from missile and sonar testing to dumping depleted uranium included in the proposal, some environmentalists are concerned that Ruffles and J-pod may have given up the last of their secrets. Strategic defense The Navy's plan is to expand operations in its Northwest Training Range Complex, an area encompassing about 122,400 nautical miles of air, surface and subsurface space, which has been in operation since World War II. The main purpose is to prepare for the wars of tomorrow, said Cmdr. Matt Miller, the executive officer at the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, at a public hearing on the plan last week in Oak Harbor. "Realistic training insures U.S. Navy personnel maintain the highest level of readiness in capability and is the single greatest asset the military has in preparing and protecting American service men and women to defend the nation," he said. The Navy has spent the past year preparing an environmental impact statement, or EIS, which is a requirement of the National Environment Policy Act. According to the document, which contains more than 1,000 pages, current training exercises in the complex include everything from anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare to explosive ordnance disposal. Besides a no-action option, the EIS outlines two main alternatives. The first calls for an increase in current training activities as well as testing new equipment such as new aircraft, guided missile submarines and unmanned aerial systems. Alternative 2, the Navy's preferred option, includes all the changes outlined in alternative one but proposes increasing current training levels even more and enhancing the range by using new air and sea surface targets, and developing an underwater training minefield. According to the EIS, Alternative 2 would allow the Navy to increase the number of missiles it fires by 470 percent, from 10 per year to 57 per year. The number of bombs dropped per year would increase 33 percent, from 108 to 144, and the number of shells fired would increase 106 percent, from 25,856 to 53,343. That includes 20 mm cannon shells made from depleted uranium. Alternative 2 also would roughly double the number of sorties flown per year, from 2,499 to 4,998. While most of these exercises would take place in coastal waters, some explosives testing is currently allowed within Puget Sound. Under Alternative 2, such activities would continue to be allowed. Impact debated Despite the Navy's proposals, the EIS concludes there will be no significant effect on marine life from any of the offered alternatives. The claim has drawn significant skepticism from a number of local residents. Of the 30 people who attended the public hearing in Oak Harbor, not a single person voiced support for the Navy's plans. Instead, one attendee after another said the study's conclusions are hard to swallow - literally. "How much depleted uranium do you want to eat in your fish?" asked Zimmer Morris, a South Whidbey teacher. While the study acknowledges that some species listed under the Endangered Species Act - certain salmonid species, leatherback turtles, migratory mammals and birds - could be affected, it would not be enough to have lasting effects. The EIS is also proposing mitigation measures to help reduce potential impacts. With marine mammals, such as whales, the plan is to use passive sonar and keep at least three "well-trained" lookouts on duty 24 hours a day. When the animals are present, and they come within 200 yards, certain training exercises would be halted until the animals move out of the area. But several people at the hearing expressed their doubt about the effectiveness of the mitigation measures. The Orca Network's Garrett, for example, said he has been involved in observing and researching whales since 1981 and is aware of the difficulties of listening for "faint acoustic signals" that would indicate the presence of orcas. "Recognition is highly problematic - even for experienced personnel," Garrett said. Another common concern among speakers was a feeling of being blindsided by the Navy's plans. Although the EIS has been in the works for more than a year, Clinton resident Jerry Hurd said he didn't learn about the proposal until January, shortly after the public comment period started Dec. 29. The comment period closes Feb. 11. He also complained that he found it difficult to submit comments on the plan. The document was available at the Oak Harbor library, but not at any of the other Island libraries. And he said the Navy's Web site, where the plan could be viewed online, wasn't working for several days during the comment period. "I think it would be appropriate there be an extension" of the public comment period, he said. People from environmental organizations such as Whidbey Environmental Action Network, Whidbey Audubon Society and People for Puget Sound reported they also hadn't learned about the plan until January. "We just found out about this," said Mike Sato, spokesman for People for Puget Sound. Garrett said he also is hoping for an extension to the public comment period. Washington residents need more time to comment on the proposal, and a delay could improve the chance that the Navy's plan will be noticed by Obama administration officials in Washington D.C., he said. "The more time we can buy, the better," he said.

Orca Whales near San Juan Island - in December!

Dec. 18 AM. A report came in that three killer whales, one a male, moving east at Danger Shoal, where Haro Strait meets Speiden Channel, northwest of San Juan Island were seen.
Also a report of 5-7 orcas heading east at Thatcher Pass, between Lopez and Blakely Islands.

ps: Blakely Island is an Island in the state of Washington (county of San Juan), located at latitude - longitude coordinates of N 48.56205 and W -122.80157. Blakely Island is shown in the center of the topographic (topo) map, which is sourced from the United States Geographical Survey map USGS Blakely Island quad. Highest spot on this island is 410 ft.