Underwater interstate gets moving

• Whales’ peak travel time is prime peek time for landlubbers

By Suzie Ridgway

The Portland Tribune, Dec 27, 2005, Updated Oct 30, 2009

On a cool, cloudy Saturday morning at the Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, volunteer training is about to begin. A rainbow sits low and wide on the horizon over the ocean, and sea lions bark nearby in the marina under the Yaquina Bay Bridge.

The trainees are about to discover one of the most fascinating creatures in the Northwest.

According to the “Whale Watching Spoken Here Volunteer Training Manual,” roughly 18,000 gray whales reside in the Eastern North Pacific area, and during peak winter migration, about 30 per hour pass within five miles of the Oregon coast on their journey to Mexico.

When you drive to one of the many parks and natural areas to see the magnificent beasts, chances are one of 1,100 registered volunteers from the Whale Watching Spoken Here program will be waiting, prepared to help identify the animals.

Veteran volunteers are poised just inside the building, awaiting trainees arriving for the 8 a.m. registration. Trainees follow blue arrows taped to the floor to the registration desk, where they receive packets, which include the training manual, brochures, fliers, a name tag, button and, if they donated $20, two waterproof guides and a T-shirt.

After registration, the trainees head back to the auditorium, at near capacity with a fairly even mix of 99 men and women, a majority in their 50s and 60s. Many greet old friends. One woman, wearing a bright red Whale Watching Spoken Here sweatshirt and gold, dangling whale-shaped earrings, says hello to 10-year vets of the program, Bill and Joan Russell.

Another trainee, Larry Stecker, from Shelton, Wash., has volunteered in the past at Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint and Cape Sebastian State Scenic Corridor. According to Stecker, the training instruction just gets better.

“It’s great,” he says. “I learn something new every time.”

Morris Grover, volunteer coordinator for the program, wearing his official Oregon Parks and Recreation Department beige and green uniform, steps onto the stage. He begins with a lighthearted introduction and states that the purpose of the program is for volunteers to know a little bit more about whale watching than the average Joe.

Created in 1978 by Don Giles of the Marine Science Center, the Whale Watching Spoken Here program has grown to become the most organized onshore whale-watching program in the U.S. Last year, Grover estimates that roughly 250 volunteers helped 17,961 visitors make 2,079 whale sightings during the Winter Whale Watch Week. Spring Watch Week saw 17,493 visitors and 1,503 whale sightings with 250 volunteers.

Awareness keeps grays going

Moving closer to a sign that reads “Vanishing Whales: We made them endangered. That makes us responsible,” Grover takes a serious tone to remind the group that the reason for volunteering is to raise awareness. “Whales are endangered. Man got greedy. Spread the word. Care, learn and share.

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