Congratulations! It’s a whale!

Rather than celebrating the holidays by sending you another branded key float or pen, we have opted this year to make a donation to The Whale Museum on San Juan Island and adopt an endangered southern resident orca whale in the name of you, our friends, colleagues, and customers!

Meet Oreo, or J-22 as she is known to her scientist friends:

J-22 adoption certificate

Oreo is 34 years old, and mother of sons Cookie age 17, and DoubleStuf (now deceased.) She also took over care of her young niece calf at age 12 when her sister, Rhapsody died. The daughter of Tahoma, Oreo stepped up to share leadership of J-Pod with sister HyShqa and cousin Angeline when Granny (longtime matriarch of J-Pod) and Double Stuff died in 2016. J-Pod has had very few sightings in inland waters 2019, possibly due to the low numbers of returning salmon.

The southern resident orcas are not only an iconic symbol of the natural beauty of where we live and play, but they are also a bellwether for the overall health of our Salish Sea. Sort of a very large canary in the coal mine. Their endangered status should be of great concern to all of us who live on, play on, or enjoy the Pacific Northwest.

Your adoption of Oreo allows you to get to know her and her family, while at the time providing funding to the Whale Museum’s conservation efforts. We’ll be posting more information about her and J-Pod during the coming year. In the meantime, we hope that you have the chance to see your new adopted family member when you are out enjoying our local waters.