Orca Network

All around the world, there are star wildlife opportunities that draw in millions of annual tourism dollars, as well as provide the need for conservation and protection. Perhaps it's the monarch butterfly migration in Mexico, or the famous grizzly bears of Alaska, or even the simple lobster culture of Maine.

However, it's an incredibly rare asset to have not only a strong, visionary leader organization focused on that conservation and education about the animals, but to have a brick & mortar footprint for that organization as well. The Langley Whale Center is an irreplaceable, invaluable asset to the Whidbey Island Community, providing an immense attractor to Island visitors - as well as citizen scientists - to learn about the wonder whirling about in Whidbey's surrounding waters. The staff and volunteers there have always been so kind, welcoming, educated, and informative, and I've never walked in without seeing visitors actively engaged in learning and growth, engaging with staff and exhibits, and building anticipation for going and seeing these animals out in their natural habitats, armed with newfound understanding about their biology and plights.

The Orca Network and the Langley Whale Center are a cornerstone of Whidbey Island's identity, stewardship, and protection of its wildlife and economy, and we're grateful for its leadership!

Orca Network is excellent about keeping the PNW informed about our local whales and marine conservation issues! I work in marine science and outreach, and I am constantly referring members of the public to Orca Network, especially their facebook page which is is a very helpful resource.

I have been following Orca Network since before we moved to the Salish Sea, due to my passion for releasing Tokitae from captivity. Once we relocated to Whidbey Island, I got my family involved in the amazing AND free youth events, which quickly led to volunteering in other capacities and has now snowballed into almost full-time involvement. What speaks to me the most about Orca Network, aside from my alignment with their values and mission to connect people to whales, is the integrity that this organization has. You can trust that the information and advocacy coming from Orca Network has been fully vetted and provided to the public with a lot of care for accuracy and accessibility. Engaging with the public has become one of the hardest tasks for any environmental conservation nonprofit, and Orca Network is at the top of their game. You can feel their love and passion for all living beings with every statement made.

Living in the serene Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica, my friend and I have been yearning to deepen our understanding of whales and their ecosystems. Thanks to Orca Network's innovative and inclusive approach, we've been able to bridge the geographical gap and immerse ourselves in a wealth of knowledge.

The TokiTv platform has been an enlightening resource and so have the YouTube training videos by providing us with insightful that have expanded our appreciation for these majestic creatures. The virtual world of Zoom/hybrid events has allowed us to participate in engaging discussions and connect with fellow enthusiasts from across the globe. It's truly heartwarming to see how technology can unite people with shared passions.

I've volunteered with the Orca Network for several years, and they were an organization Inhad my eye on as a child prior to moving to the Salish Sea. This non-profit holds a special place in my heart because of their accessible volunteer options and the ways they care about their community connections with whales. Orca Network serves the lower Salish Sea region in WA through education, outreach, marine mammal stranding programs, and care for our beloved whales and pinnipeds of the Salish Sea. I'm so proud to support this non-profit and their amazing work they do with community, Tribal partners, and citizens of this region.

Orca network is THE reason I have seen whales in the wild 5 times. People generally come for the spotting network, but stay for the quality education about our local Orca populations and information about how to keep them healthy. This nonprofit is the Orca love gateway in the region, which is so crucial to inspiring people to protect the waterways.

The depth of information that Orca Network makes available to the public is phenomenal. They really have done a tremendous job of making fact-based, scientifically valid, information about whales, accessible, digestible, and available to members of the public from those just learning about the presence of whales in our environment to those long committed to protecting orcas in the Pacific Northwest.

I took my grandchildren to the Langley Whale Museum and they had such a great time exploring the educational exhibits! Then we found out that they also have events for children and some educational trainings on YouTube so they can learn more when they go home. But our favorite thing was the whale sighting information with lots of updates, so that we were able to see some orcas near Anacortes ������������������ so fun and exciting!

I have been following Orca Network for years. They have taught me so much and helped define my advocacy for Southern Resident orcas, the salmon they need to survive, the dams that need to be breached to save them all. And of course, bringing Tokitae home to the Salish Sea.

This organization is truly altruistic and you can trust that your support is well-placed.

Getting to know the organization, I see that Orca Network has played a vital role the Salish Sea region for decades. With the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Langley Whale Center, Education and Advocacy program, and the program to retire Tokitae, they continue to make a huge impact on the restoration of marine mammal populations and their habitats for over 20 years. They are really well connected and collaborate with schools, camps, environmental programs, Indigenous led organizations, state/national initiatives, and more.
Their teammembers are incredibly committed, and their expertise is unmatched. They provide frequent free educational trainings in person, on zoom, and many are available on youtube. The Whale Sighting Network provides consistent expert-verified whale location info and reports that are used by researchers, oil spill response teams, restoration specialists, and community scientists. They offer so many ways to get engaged cost free, and I think that the large volunteer base speaks for itself. They're deeply committed to the mission, and have connected hundreds of thousands of people locally and internationally to the issues facing Southern Resident orcas and the Salish Sea and what they can do to help.

Orca Network provides fun within the ideas of conservation, education, and involvement. By connecting people to the activities of the whales, a great sense of personal interest develops; as that develops, involvement follows. With the involvement, Orca network reaches families, and the young people who discover the world through the positive efforts of Orca Network will be part of changing the world for the better. I've been involved within the host of organizations, such as Mammal Marine Stranding Network and Beach Watchers, with which Orca Network often works closely -- they are all powerful citizen groups.

I have been in love with Orca Whales since I was a child. When I found out about Orca Network through the internet, 6 years ago, I immediatly went and signed up to follow their work on educating the public and the sightings and posts around Puget Sound, WA. I found it fasinating that I (living in TX @ the time) could listen to and see theses magnificent creatures in the wild -through the eyes of this organizations. It was almost like I was there seeing it my self. I have since moved to SJI WA to follow the Orcas and try to help them as much as I can. I LOVE the Orca Network Facebook page and that is what I use to follow where the whales are at for the day. They are in close conection with the Center for Whale Research and Ken Balcomb. I have had the pleasure to meet and shake the hands of the people who are the brains and muscle behind the sceens, and they are very humble people. Thank you for ALL you do Orca Network!

Orca Network provides excellent educational information on the whales that inhabit our immediate marine environment. We have endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales frequenting our waters, and Orca Network alerts us to their presence, and points us to amazing research work done by many organizations on the problems these Killer Whales are facing - one of which is lack of their main food source, chinook salmon. Orca Network is also a sighting network, collecting information on whales in our vicinity and alerting the researchers who need to locate and document the whale populations, feeding behavior, photo ID'ing which pods are here, and more. We also have Eastern Pacific Gray Whales in our neighborhood, and a few Humpback and Minke whales. Orca Network is also the headquarters for the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network, which covers a good portion of 3 counties in Puget Sound, organizing necropsies on Harbor seals and Porpoises, Steller and California sea lions, and Gray whales. Orca Network also works alongside many research organizations, ON is the "go-to" for all things 'whale'.

Orca Network is an incredible non-profit organization run by an indefatigable couple who offer informative seminars and lectures about issues affecting local marine life to the public, sponsor fun and educational activities in their local community and maintain an internet presence for the purpose of cataloging sightings of our endangered Southern Resident orca pods and other marine life in the Pacific Northwest inland waters and beyond. Enthusiasts from all over the world look forward to Orca Network updates and feel a sense of community as they report sightings and are able to share in the triumphs and tribulations of the orca pods, all as a direct result of the efforts of Orca Network. In addition, Orca Network's updates assist local researchers to track the movements and behaviors of these endangered orcas., thereby protecting them for future generations of whale lovers and marine biologists.

Such a truly valuable resource and two treasures we have in Susan and Howard of Orca Network. I was born and raised in the Seattle area and have stayed closely connected to the environment and wildlife since I was a child. Over the years, periodically local media announce the arrival of orca in Puget Sound and sometimes I could manage to see them from afar. A couple of years ago my sister had an encounter seeing Transient orca off Carkeek Park in Seattle and called me. My husband and I scurried to the park, spotted the orca fins, as well as unexpected gift of sighting a gray whale. I knew of many organizations working for our endangered Southern Resident orca, other whales, the care of Puget Sound etc. but it wasn’t until that encounter at Carkeek that it occurred to me there must be an orca organization for sightings. I did a search and found Orca Network. I poured over all the meaningful work offered on their website and the next morning called in a sightings report & talked with Howard. From that day my life has changed in the most meaningful ways. I have been tracking orca and whales with Orca Network ever since.
Susan and Howard have built a community comprised of many types of people (from the general public to researchers) with varying levels of experience. One of the things (among many) I most appreciate about Susan and Howard is their ability to work with so many different types of people with such respect and how sincerely they communicate the value of each person’s connection to, and participation in, working towards the long-term survival of the Southern Resident orca, Gray whales, and the our beautiful environment we all share. Susan and Howard work tirelessly and do an incredible job of providing, educational events, sighting encounters, and various opportunities for a wide range of people to engage in the care of the orca and environment. I personally have found an ever-growing community of friends, learned a lot about science and nature, and harnessed a renewed confidence in participating actively in wildlife & environmental preservation issues-all due to the encouragement and thoughtful work of Orca Network.

Orca Network is the eyes and even ears for the Puget Sound communities to keep track of our resident and visiting whale pods. Our resident pods are endangered and Orca Network plays a vital role in keeping the public "whale wise". They keep us reminded of the interconnectedness of all life on the Puget Sound with educational and inspirational events throughout the year. We are a whale-loving people and Orca Network honestly keeps us all connected in one unified effort to protect our whales and the habitat in which we all depend.

I have been following Orca Network for a few years now, and I can honestly say that the work they do is of great importance. They work 24/7 to bring the latest news and whereabouts of the southern resident killer whales in Puget Sound as well as other cetaceans to the general public. They are extremely reliable, educational, and informative. It was through this non-profit's facebook group that I learned alot of the things I now know about killer whales, and helped me re-kindle my interest in them. I believe they have done the same for many others as well, and this is important considering the southern resident killer whales are now listed as endangered. Orca Network helps educate people on what they can do to help these whales, as well as other cetaceans worldwide. Also, unlike some other groups, they almost always answer any questions or comments people have when posting on their facebook page. I have had the pleasure of meeting the founders of Orca Network in person, and I can also say that they are very kind people as well. If anyone deserves an award or nomination, Orca Network deffinetly does. They have my vote.

I wanted to learn more about the orca. The Orca Network has become my favorite places to go and learn and get updates. I'm very thankful for the time they put into it.

I enjoy the Orca Networks stories, important updates and issue's and work they send out to spread the awereness that is so needed for the plight of the oceans and it's citizens. Most of all their photo's are very welcomed by me and many other people. People need to become more aware of the issues and also wonderful news stories Orca Network provides.

The Orca Network has been monitoring the Southern Resident and Transient orcas of the Salish Sea (from Puget Sound to the Straits of Georgia, Canada) for over 40 years. They have helped create an identification system for the orcas. They share observations and sightings with the public via the Inteernet daily, sometimes on almost an hourly basis, hold educational workshops, share calls heard on hydrophones, etc. I believe the most important work they have/are doing is in the research field; they collect data which is then shared with governmental agencies (NOAA) and other research organizations. This has already led to changes in laws to help protect these endangered species, and may possibly contribute to further changes in statutes that will affect the entire nation.

Orca Network, based on Whidbey Island, Washington State, aims to promote awareness of whales and environmental issues concerning them through educational workshops and other social networking media. Their sightings organization enables not only people to see whales from shore, but also advises researchers of the whales' whereabouts so that valuable information can be obtained through specimens and photo identification. Orca Network's approach to helping the public learn more about whales and raising awareness of the fragile status of the endangered southern resident killer whales, is educational yet friendly. Orca Network's workshops and presentations are always first rate, introducing a wide variety of knowledgeable presenters. To be a volunteer with them is a pleasure - they make a person feel valued and of worth in helping with any aspect of the organization. Many people have had their first sighting of a whale through this network, and as anyone knows, seeing a whale for the first time is a life-changing experience - for the better. More people then become ambassadors for the whales.

This is hands down the most amazing group of people and non-profit organization. They are instrumental in educating the public not only Orcas, but the entire ecosystem! I have friends and family waiting for the facebook message that the Orcas are on the hydrophones. I have teacher friends who are accessing the hydrophones in class...all due to the vision of the Orca Network!!

Orca Network works daily to keep us updated on our wonderful J, K and L pods of Orcas--it is like having a little window into their world. I am so thankful that Orca Network informs about the past wrongs that we have inflicted on these Orcas, advocates for Miami Seaquarium to return the one surviving captive L Pod Orca Lolita/Tokitae, and watches over those who swim free in our PNW waters. These Orcas will only survive if people connect with them and come to care about their important, and beautiful, place in our ecosystem.