The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) will hold the first of three Whale Watching Spoken Here volunteer trainings Dec. 5 at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. An additional session is set for Jan. 9, 2016 at Oregon Institute of Marine Biology near Charleston. The Feb. 6, 2016 training at Cape Lookout State Park near Tillamook is full. Limited seats remain for Newport and Charleston. Priority registration will be given to new volunteers. The trainings will teach volunteers how to locate and identify whales, as well as how to help visitor’s spot whales during the watch weeks. Training is free if you pre-register and sign up to volunteer at one of the watch sites for at least two days during either the Dec. 27-31 or March 19-26, 2016 Whale Watch weeks. Prospective volunteers can learn more about the program and register for the upcoming training sessions at www.whalespoken.org. Look for the “2015-2016 Volunteer Registration and Training Schedule” link for information about the training and the registration form. OPRD coordinates both the winter and spring Whale Watch Weeks in partnership with Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon Institute of Marine Biology and Washington State Parks. More information about the Whale Watching Spoken Here program is available at www.whalespoken.org or by calling (541) 765-3304.
