Destination L
The Whale Museum Discover the celebrities of the Salish Sea
OCATED IN FRIDAY HARBOR ON PICTURESQUE SAN JUAN ISLAND, The Whale Museum is a national depository of Pacific Northwest mari- time wildlife collections. Easily accessible for both adults and children,
The Whale Museum is the only major museum in the region dedicated to ex- hibits related to the Salish Sea and marine mammals. Collection highlights include whale skeletons, Native art, marine photography and children’s ex- hibits. Founded in 1976, the museum’s mission is to promote stewardship of cetaceans and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research. The Whale Museum features temporary exhibits offering the public a
chance to view a variety of art and displays specific to marine mammals. The facility also hosts a Whale Hotline, a depository of whale sightings across Puget Sound. Guests can listen to the “songs “ of various species of whales in a phone booth, and watch a 30-minute video on Pacific Northwest orcas. The museum recently gained nationwide attention and prestige among
conservationists and academia when it hired Dr. Stefan Bräger as its new research curator. Stefan was a renowned marine mammalogist with the prominent German Oceanographic Museum where he worked to bring to- gether research, conservation and public education. During his tenure with the German Oceanographic Museum, he focused on advancing the conser-
vation of small cetaceans and as a policy advisor to the federal ministry for the environment. He has more than 30 years of involvement in research and conser- vation, concentrating on cetaceans during the past 20 years with fieldwork in Texas, New Zealand and Chile. His broad range of expertise and interests, ranging from Hector’s dolphins to white-flippered penguins to harbor seals and molting sea ducks, will surely be of benefit to The Whale Museum. In addition to providing exhibits, the museum also
provides programs including marine naturalist train- ing, a whale adoption program, Soundwatch boater education and the San Juan Islands Marine Mammal Stranding Network. The latter utilizes responders who investigate live and dead stranded marine mammals, collect data, and choose the appropriate solution.
The Whale Museum
62 1st Street North Friday Harbor, WA 98250 (360) 378-4710
www.whale-museum.org
photos courtesy of the Whale Museum 58 WA WASHINGTON MAGAZINE Fall 2011
www.WAstatemag.com
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