“ORCA: Shared Waters, Shared Home” is an interactive exhibit exploring the natural history of the orca species and the extreme challenges facing the Southern Resident orca families that frequent Puget Sound.
The exhibit will be at the Gallery in Flagship Landing, downtown Port Townsend, thru September 29, 2024. It’s open Friday – Sunday, 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. There is no admission fee, though donations are always welcome.
Based on the book of the same name co-published by The Seattle Times and nonprofit publisher Braided River, the special showing features captivating photography by Steve Ringman and others, and stories by author and Seattle Times journalist Lynda V. Mapes about the power, majesty and plight of two endangered – and intertwined – species of the Salish Sea: Southern Resident killer whales and Chinook salmon.
The exhibit is designed for all ages. For children there’s a drawing and coloring table, children’s books about orcas, a dorsal fin to measure one’s relative height, an orca rope to show the size of adult and newborn orcas. While the children are engaged, parents can review the display panels, view the Seattle Times’ Hostile Waters webpage, and read newspaper reprints and excerpts from Mape’s book.
The exhibit is augmented with fascinating video of orcas in the Salish Sea provided by Cindy Hansen of Orca Network. A kiosk provides access to information from orcasound.net, Center for Whale Research, and Orca Network.
