Orca Action Month in June is a chance to celebrate one of the region’s most iconic wildlife species, but also an opportunity to take action to protect them and our shared waters. Join us for a month of educational and celebratory events to raise awareness of the threats facing the Southern Resident orca population and what we can do to protect them.
This year we’ll commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act with some success stories from the past half century and honor some legendary Southern Resident orcas who leave behind “Lasting Legacies”.
In-person, family friendly, and free events to kick off Orca Action Month will be held in Seattle, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Langley on Whidbey Island, and Sidney, British Columbia. A hybrid in-person/virtual event will be held 3 – 5 pm, with keynote speakers Florian Graner of Sealife Productions joining from the Whidbey Island event and Jay Julius of Se’si’le and the Lummi Nation joining from the San Juan Island event!
What: Orca Action Month Kick-Off Events on Sunday, June 4
When: Sunday, June 4th
Where:
- Seattle: 1 – 4 pm, El Centro de la Raza, 2534 16th Ave S., Seattle, WA
- San Juan Island: 1 – 5 pm, beginning at San Juan County Courthouse lawn and ending at San Juan Island Grange. 350 Court St # 7, Friday Harbor, WA
- Whidbey Island: 3 – 5 pm, Langley Whale Center, 105 Anthes Ave., Langley, WA
- Sidney, British Columbia: 11 am – 3 pm, Beacon Park, 9801 Seaport Pl, Sidney, Canada
- Virtual Event: 3 – 5 pm, register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xCB9NeZpSYyfZ5f3BpgnHg
Seattle
- Free community event with face painting, orca coloring, music, speakers, chalk artist, and educational booths.
- Music by Erika Lundahl and Right as Rain.
- Storytelling by Nora Nickum, author of Superpod, Jeff Hogan of Killer Whale Tales, Chris Morgan of The Wild Podcast (invited).
- Speakers: Ken Workman, Duwamish Tribal Councilmember, Jourdan Imani Keith, Seattle Civic Poet and Tammy J Morales, Seattle Councilmember (invited).
San Juan Island
- Free community event includes storytelling and refreshments.
- Meet at San Juan County Courthouse for a parade to celebrate the Southern Resident orcas with life size dorsal fins. Parade through town, ending at San Juan Island Grange. If you want to sign-up to carry an orca fin in the parade, or if you have any questions, email Lovel Pratt, lovel@sanjuans.org.
- Features keynote speaker Jay Julius of Se’Si’Le and the Lummi Nation at the San Juan Island Grange. This presentation will also be part of the virtual event.
Whidbey Island
- Event at Langley Whale Center, includes free admission and refreshments.
- Features keynote speaker Florian Graner of Sealife Productions. This presentation will also be part of the virtual event.
Sidney, British Columbia
- A free community event to celebrate Ocean Week Canada and Orca Action Month.
- Organized by the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea.
- Activities about Southern Resident orcas led by Parks Canada.
- Family-friendly programs and educational booths from local organizations outside on the Sidney waterfront!
Virtual Event
- The virtual event will be held over Zoom with Florian Graner joining from the Whidbey Island event and Jay Julius joining from the San Juan Island event.
Can’t make it to one of the kick- off events? See the full list of Orca Month events here.
Orca Action Month is brought to you by the Orca Salmon Alliance which is composed of multiple regional, national, and international groups with diverse interests and areas of focus. Our collaborative structure allows us to advocate on a variety of issues under our primary goal: to prevent the extinction of the Southern Resident killer whales by recovering the wild Chinook populations upon which the whales depend for their survival.
Happy Orca Action Month!