The Salish Sea Association of Marine Naturalists
SSAMN was created to operate in the Salish Sea region by and for marine naturalists, including creating a structured network, encouraging up-to-date and accurate distribution of knowledge to visitors, and fostering stewardship for the Salish Sea.
When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. ~John Muir
Spring 2011. Well, spring has finally arrived, and with it the myriad of inhabitants of the Salish Sea are also returning. We've seen plenty of Stellar Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Dall's Porpoise, Harbor Porpoise, and of course lots and lots of whale sightings! Transient orcas are being seen quite a bit in March and April, and we have seen some very large groups hunting seals and sea lions. And the Residents have also been making a showing as well. We had very early encounters with Ks and some Ls early in the year, and in the last month, we've had a handful of sightings of J Pod. Sadly, J1 Ruffles has not been present in any of the encounters, but J2 Granny is still swimming along and celebrating 100 years this year!
Spring also brings the arrival of the winged inhabitants as well. Bald Eagles are nesting, and the Aucklets have returned and we've been seeing Loons, and many other birds as well!
Better news so far---the winter/early spring salmon fishing derbies have had some amazing fish being caught, which may be indicative of some good fishing runs this year? Stay tuned!
Need more information? Use the contact information listed below to reach our members. Just click on a name to get an email to send.
Monika Wieland, President
Chris Cassidy, Vice President
Cindy Hansen, Treasurer/Secretary
John Boyd, Technology Chair/Webmaster
Peter Hardy, Captain's Chair
Robin Jacobson, Media Chair
Deborah Giles, Research Chair
Jenny Atkinson, The Whale Museum Liason
For all other inquiries, feel free to use our information email.
Ever wonder what a Resident Killer Whale sounds like underwater? Or maybe the call of a bald eagle? Click on the sound links on this page to find out!
You will notice clicks and whistles and various sounds. The clicks you hear are echolocation clicks. By sending out these clicks, the whales are scanning with their sonar to look for food. As the clicks get faster, that usually means they have found something to eat--a salmon!
The whistles are the way the whales communicate with each other. Each family, or pod of orcas has their own dialect, or language. They all speak "orca", but they each have certain calls that only their family uses.
Actions in Action
SSAMN Naturalists are required to maintain a level of continuing education as well as outreach to maintain their membership. In a world where words are easy to come by, SSAMN members demonstrate that actions speak louder than words.
Continuing Education:
• Soundwaters
• SSAMN Gear Up & Gear Down
• Killer Whale Tales
•The Whale Museum Lecture Series
• Ecosystem Sustainability Lecture Series
• National Association of Interpreters
• Certified Interpretive Guide Training
• SeaDoc Society Online Training Course
• The Whale Museum Marine Naturalist Training Course
Outreach:
• COASST
• NOAA Vessel Surveys
• Lime Kiln Park Volunteer Docent
• Marine Mammal Stranding Network
• The Whale Museum Docent
• Wild Dolphin Foundation
• Parks Canada Interpretor
• Saturna Ecological Education Society
• Volunteer Lecturers
• Soundwatch
• Lolita Campaign
• Beachwatchers
• WSF Ferry Naturalist Talks
• People for Puget Sound Volunteer
• Save Our Wild Salmon Supporters
• KELP Program
• Killer Whale Tales Board
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Docents
• Sea Otter Trackers
