Great Whales Curriculum for Grades 6-8

The Great Whales, developed by the Marine mammal Institute at Oregon State University is now available. The curriculum is geared for Grades 6-9.  You can locate the curriculum on DLESE (Digital Library of Earth System Education). http://www.dlese.org/library/index.jsp This takes you to the search page for DLESE.  Enter the title  The Great Whales, Select grade level 6-8, Resource Type  –  Curriculum.  Then select  Search.  It will appear at the top of the page. The curriculum appears on the website with “download PDF file”.  It is 119 pages.

Lecture: New Bedford Whaling Museum

Man & Whales Lecture Series concludes Wednesday,  May 19, at 7:30 pm.  A Case For Oil, with George Mock and Peter Tyack.

Blubber was removed from whales, rendered and sold as the oil used for light, heat, tanning and other products.  But what about products made from the oil found in the melon of toothed whales?  What’s its function in the lives of odontocetes, especially the sperm whale?  George Mock, Treasurer and Chairman of the Board, and former President of Nye Lubricants, Inc., successfully guided his company through the transition from natural to synthetic oils. His presentation will focus on the 160 year-old company’s use of melon and sperm case oil in its product lines prior to the 1970s. Peter Tyack, is Senior Scientist, Biology Department and Director of the Marine Mammal Center at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He studies social behavior and acoustic communication in whales and dolphins and will share the results of his research, which has given us a greater understanding of the function and form of the sperm whale’s case.

The lecture starts at 7:30 pm in the Museum Theater.  A reception at 6:30 pm is held in the Jacobs Family Gallery before the lecture. Admission is FREE.

Also… Please join us to see the whales on Saturday, May 29!  The Whaling Museum is offering a unique opportunity to see whales on Saturday, May 29. A special cruise is available in partnership with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, with a mid-day departure at Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises from Barnstable Harbor. Tickets are $75 per person, payable in advance, which includes roundtrip transportation from the Whaling Museum to Barnstable. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Whaling Museum and WDCS.

For this free lecture and/or the ticketed cruise, please RSVP: Pam Lowe, (508) 997-0046, ext. 100, or email plowe@whalingmuseum.org

Great Whales Curriculum for Grades 6-9 on DLESE

The Great Whales, developed by the Marine mammal Institute at Oregon State University, is now available. The curriculum is geared for Grades 6-9.  You can locate the curriculum on DLESE – Digital Library of Earth System Education.  http://www.dlese.org/library/index.jsp The Great Whales curriculum offers engaging teaching activities that explore the past and present status of whales, whale biology and anatomy, current research to discover whale migratory patterns as well as defining their winter and summer habitats. Different species of great whales are presented with information about their biology, migration patterns, habitat needs, exploitation, and current threats to different species.

Record Number of Right Whales Sighted in Block Island Sound

A NOAA marine mammal aerial survey team based at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, has sighted nearly 100 endangered North Atlantic right whales feeding in Block Island Sound, the largest group ever documented in those waters.

A “flukeprint” is the whale equivalent of a footprint. It appears on the water’s surface when a whale dives and when just underwater flexes its tail, or fluke, upward to help propel itself deeper. This creates a smooth patch of water on the surface that looks somewhat like an oil slick, and to whale spotters is one of the telltale signs whales are present.

All of the whales were actively surface feeding, indicating dense patches of copepods, the tiny marine zooplankton on which right whales feed. During this time of year, right whales are migrating through southern New England waters generally headed northward to feed at different times and places throughout the summer.

North Atlantic right whales are particularly susceptible to collisions with vessels, causing serious injuries and deaths of the animals. The likelihood of a seriously harmful collision is reduced when vessel speeds are slowed.

The whales were sighted both within and just outside of waters that are also part of a seasonal management area for large whales intended to reduce the risk of harmful collisions. Within the area, vessels 65 ft or larger are required to abide by a speed limit of 10 knots or less between November 1 and April 30 of each year. NOAA has extended protection in adjacent areas by implementing a short-term management area that mariners are expected, but not required, to either avoid or to voluntarily reduce speeds to 10 knots or less while transiting.

Spring Excursion – Seabird & Whale Tale Trip

Join the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) for an all day marine excursion to view seabirds, whales, dolphins, basking sharks and ocean sunfish along the Mass coast, Sunday, June 13 from 8-4.  NECWA is a volunteer, non-profit organization.  All trip proceeds go to support marine wildlife research, education and conservation.

Enjoy our guided wildlife commentary by David Clapp (Natural History Services), Jim Sweeney (South Shore Bird Club) and Joanne Jarzobski (Capt. John Boats). Travel aboard the “Tails of the Sea”, a 110’ luxury commercial whale-watching vessel owned and operated by Capt. John Boats (www.captjohn.com).

Leave from the Plymouth Town Pier at 8 am and return by 4 pm. While offshore, we will conduct a plankton tow and demonstrations, chumming for seabirds and a free onboard nature raffle.

Tickets: Pre-Sale $90 and then $100 after May 31, 2010.  Go to www.necwa.org to download the registration form.  Space is limited to ensure lots of viewing room along the rail.  Group rates available.  For more trip information, call Krill at 508-566-0009.

This marine adventure is an annual fundraising event for NECWA and supports marine wildlife education, research and conservation in the New England area.  Assistance provided by Capt. John Boats, Mass Audubon South Shore Sanctuaries,  South Shore Bird Club, Natural History Services and Bridgewater State College.

Job Opening – Whale Center Operations Coordinator

The Whale Center of New England in Gloucester, MA, is looking for an Operations Coordinator.  Tasks include bookkeeping; managing a membership/donor database; overseeing and (at times) staffing a Visitor Center/Gift Shop; general office duties including payroll, correspondence, record-keeping.  Position also includes (with provided training) responding to occasional marine mammal strandings.  A full job description is posted online.  Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter to Executive Director Mason Weinrich at mason@whalecenter.org.

Sunset Whale Watch to Benefit Humpback Whale Studies at PCCS

Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS)  invites you to a whale watch on Friday, August 7, 2009, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Complimentary wine, beer & picnic supper–$100 all inclusive. Free one-year membership for newcomers to PCCS!
Reserve by calling 508-487-3622, ext. 104 or e-mailing jeyoung@coastalstudies.org
All proceeds directly benefit the Humpback Whale Studies Program, which has been studying and protecting the whales you watch for over 30 years

Whale Research in the News

Whale research has gotten bigger than usual media coverage recently in an article in The New York Times Sunday Magazine and an interview on National Public Radio’s show Fresh Air

Seabird and Whale Excursion from Plymouth MA

The New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA), a non-profit organization based in southeastern MA that supports a number of projects and activities related to marine wildlife education, research and conservation, invites you on a Seabird & Whale Tales (SAWT) excursion scheduled for Sunday, September 13th from 8 am – 4 pm.  The destination is the waters of Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay, including the waters of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Here participants will view seabirds, whales, dolphins, seals, basking sharks and ocean sunfish that come to feed off our cold yet productive New England shores.

Guided wildlife commentary will be given by Wayne Petersen from Mass Audubon Society, David Clapp from Natural History Services, Joanne Jarzobski from Captain John Boats and Dr. John Jahoda from Bridgewater State College.  The trip leaves from the Plymouth Town Pier at 8 am and returns by 4 pm. While offshore, participants will conduct a plankton tow and observe the sample under microscopes, and will also chum for seabirds.

Tickets: Pre-Sale $90 and then $100 after August 31st, 2009.

To learn more about NECWA or to download the registration form for this trip visit online or call Krill Carson at 508-566-0009.  Space is limited so register early.  Group rates are also available.

SAWT excursions receive assistance from Capt. John Boats, Mass Audubon South Shore Sanctuaries, Natural History Services and Bridgewater State College.

Whale Sightings on Stellwagen

Whale sighted on Stellwagen Bank

Captain Bob Avila of Capt. John Boats, Plymouth MA, reports that they are seeing lots of whales on Stellwagen Bank!