| Back to Field Notes, Post #7 |
Almost every day we get thanked for our work — for paying attention — by passersby who stroll along the bluff above the ocean. We, in turn, would like to thank all those who are paying attention to our work on that same bluff-top, those who may see what we see, and those who visit our website and keep up with our Count. For us, it is all about caring and paying attention. Scientists in Namibia in early May were paying attention when they recorded the first documented sighting of a Gray whale south of the equator, in the south Atlantic Ocean. Is this truly the first southern hemisphere Gray whale? Or has this occurred and it was not realized? We are in a different age when people who care are able to make instant queries and communicate from and to anywhere. We are also on a planet with changing environments. That humankind is becoming aware of the depth and breadth of some of these changes is a good thing. In the meantime, we do not yet know why Gray whales are appearing in vastly different places from what we expect, and we do not now know how Gray whale mothers are finding ways to work around the harsh weather events punctuating the changes in their environment to give birth to the calves that we count along our coast. We are fortunate to work with and collaborate with people who care enough to consider these questions and how they affect us; people who consider Gray whales us. At Gray Whales Count: Board of Directors Our collaborators: Cascadia Research Scripps Institution of Oceanography NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center Journey North Our foundation of support: Counter Support + Community, Organization Support: We could not have done our work without the loan of a world-class spotting scope by Tony Urwick of Santa Barbara Thank you all; you truly care! —Michael H. Smith, Director, Gray Whales Count Photo: Michael H. Smith
|