Wildlife Refuge Hosting Humpback Whale Program
On Thursday night, September 29th at 7pm at the National Wildlife Refuges Visitor Center for an intriguing program about Humpback whales and the Humpback Whale Sanctuary in Maui.
Refuge Volunteer Terry Mitchell also volunteers as a docent at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Terry has offered to share his experiences with us. The talk will have two main parts. First, after a brief introduction about the history and location of the Sanctuary, there will be a 30 minute presentation about Humpback Whales.
They come to Hawaii every year to mate and give birth. Terry will cover their migration, physical attributes and behavior. In 1982, there were only about 2000 humpback whales left in the North Pacific (when they were classified as endangered). Now, there are about 20,000. It is a nice success story about conservation and protection of a valuable and intelligent species.
The second part (15 minutes) will cover the training and responsibilities of being a Docent at the Sanctuary. We are engaged in meeting the public in a visitor center as well as various outreach locations. We are involved with the protection of Monk seals and Green turtles and have various other activities in which we can participate. Included are water quality assessments, whale disentanglement, a kayak team to inform boaters and others on the water of the sanctuary rules, and reef cleanup snorkel trips. There will be 10-15 minutes for discussion.
Terry Mitchell has a PhD in Organizational Psychology and spent 40 years at the University of Washington. He taught numerous courses in the Psychology Department and the Management Department. He also gave lectures on cruise ships for 5 years. He is currently an Ambassador at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, a Docent at the Humpback Whale Sanctuary in Maui and a docent here at the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge. He grew up in DC and spent his vacations here on the Outer Banks.
Join us next Thursday, September 29 at 7pm for a fun and educational presentation about humpback whales, a Hawaiian Sanctuary, and the joys of volunteering. (photo: Terry Mitchell)
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