The Newport chapter of the Surfrider Foundation invites all who are interested to a presentation on “Orcas of the Oregon Coast. Colleen Weiler will be the featured speaker at the October chapter meeting on Thursday Oct. 12th. The program starts at 6:30 pm upstairs at the Newport Visual Arts Center, 777 NW Beach Dr in Newport. Killer whales, also known as orcas, are perhaps the most widely known type of whale or dolphin in the world. With their distinctive black-and-white coloring, tall dorsal fins, and reputation as top predators, everyone knows what an orca is and how they live – or do we? Orcas aren’t just the “wolves of the sea,” they live in incredibly close family groups, have lifespans similar to ours, and are one of the best examples of culture in non-human society. There are three distinct kinds of orcas living off the Oregon coast, and one population is critically endangered. Join us to learn about these orcas, the endangered Southern Resident orca community, their connection to Oregon, and what we need to do to help them survive. Bio: Colleen Weiler is the Jessica Rekos Fellow with Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC). Her work focuses on identifying effective conservation strategies and protective measures for orcas, especially for orca populations of the Eastern North Pacific. WDC works globally through a variety of pathways to realize our mission: to amaze people with the wonder of whales and dolphins and inspire global action to protect them. Colleen earned a Master of Science in Marine Resource Management from Oregon State University and has been active in the marine mammal field, in a variety of roles, for over a decade. She has lived and worked in Oregon for 11 years, after giving up on ever seeing a whale in the Great Lakes of her home state of Michigan.
