Sitka Whalefest 2011

Sitka Whalefest this year was awesome! The three day event is the quintessential community engagement activity. Ten scientists involved in marine science come from around the nation and the state to give presentations to the general public in Sitka. The week before many of these scientists participate in the famed Scientists in the Schools program. There is a sea chanty concert, a banquet and several whalewatching cruises. This year the weather cancelled one cruise and so the scientists did a Scientists in the Schools activity for grown ups. There are special opportunities for students to attend for college credit and this year third to fifth graders attended with special discussion sessions with scientists. Dr. Francis Wiese, science director for North Pacific Research Board met with younger students to talk about what to expect at a science conference.

Katy Payne a Research Associate in the Bioacoustics Research Program of Cornell University's Laboratory of Ornithology was the keynote speaker at the fundraising Whalefest banquet this year. And the symposium itself had speakers talking on subjects as octopus research(Reid Brewer); Sperm whale bioacoustics(Aron Thode, Scripps Oceanographic); Ricketts and Calvin historical research(John Straley). There was also a reception at the Sitka Sound Science Center where volunteers showed visitors around the killer whale re-articulation project. Check out www.sitkawhalefest.org to see the run down of speakers and events.

We would like to thank Lisa Busch, director of the Sitka Sound Science Center, for this wonderful recap of the Sitka Whalefest!!