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Whale watch coordinator seeks volunteers By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune If you like the feel of the wind in your hair, the smell of salt air and the thrill of seeing humongous mammals, Mike Rivers would like to hear from you. He is the whale watch volunteer coordinator for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The agency is seeking volunteers for its winter gray whale watch week beginning Dec. 26. Participants will be trained Dec. 8 and 9 at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. "The training is a great opportunity to learn about whales and our coastline and to help others appreciate one of nature's greatest shows," Rivers said. More than 19,300 people from all 50 states and 47 countries participated in the winter whale watch a year ago. A record 1,556 gray whales were sighted during the week a year ago, making it the most since the program was launched in 1987. Trained volunteers are stationed at 30 sites along the Oregon Coast and at points in southernmost Washington and northernmost California coastlines during the winter whale watch week. The watch week is intended to coincide with the peak of the southern migration of the gray whales along the Oregon Coast. Gray whales migrate each year along the Pacific coasts of North America and Asia, often swimming more than 14,000 miles in a round-trip sea cruise. However, some gray whales do linger along the Oregon Coast in the fall, according to experts. The program helps whale experts keep tabs on the health of the gray whale population while giving average citizens an education on whales. During the first day of training, Oregon State University whale expert Bruce Mate will give a presentation on gray whale biology and its world. The second day will find the volunteers on a interpretive whale-watching trip. An optional charter boat cruise is also planned, weather permitting. No fee is charged for the training but a $12 donation is encouraged from trainees 18 years and older. Participants will receive two new publications on whales as part of the training material. Trainees will also receive free RV and tent campsites in nearby state parks during the training weekend. Arrangements should be made through Rivers. The pods of trained volunteers then spend from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day of the whale watch week at the sites to inform visitors about gray whales. Sites in the southeast corner of the state include Shore Acres State Park, Face Rock Wayside State Scenic Viewpoint, Cape Blanco Lighthouse, Battle Rock, Cape Sebastian, Cape Ferrelo and Harris Beach State Park. The southernmost site is the Crescent Beach Overlook in Crescent City. A volunteer packet can be obtained by calling Rivers at 541-563-2002 or through e-mail at [email protected] The Alsea Bay Bridge Interpretive Center's address is PO Box 693, Waldport, OR 97394-0693. For more information on the program, check out the website at: www.whalespoken.org Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.