To coincide with the return of the Southern Resident Killer Whales to our area, The Port Townsend Marine Science Center (PTMSC) will be kicking off their Orca Project Capital Campaign with an Open House, October 9, 2010 from 1-4pm.
The capital campaign will allow PTMSC to build a home for Hope, the orca named by children attending spring programming and Whale Camp. Drop in between 1pm and 4pm to learn about what the Orca Project has accomplished so far, hear about PTMSC fundraising plans, see the architectural sketches, and view an artist's beautiful rendition of the planned exhibition hall. At 3pm staff and volunteers will share the extraordinary story of Hope and the powerful vision for the future of the Orca Project. This orca beached herself and died, near Dungeness Spit in 2002 carrying a high load of toxic contaminants. A male orca–likely her son–was stranded in shallow water nearby. He refused to leave until rescuers finally coaxed him back into deeper waters.
Open House Schedule
- On-going: Orca craft activities for kids
- 1pm: What is the Whale Trail?
- 1:30pm: Listen to the Orcas
- 2pm: Orca-dontics
- 2:30pm Tour of the Whales in our Midst exhibit
- 3pm: Orca Capital Campaign Kick-off (brief presentation)
The goal of the capital campaign is to build on to the Natural History Exhibit and create a new space which features the orca skeleton, video, hydrophone technology and other displays, in addition to room for class instruction. Through the display, the Orca Project will tell the story of our connections with the ocean, the interconnectedness of food webs, and how to build a healthy future for all species including our own.
Admission to PTMSC is free for the day; for more information, call 360.385.5582, e-mail info@ptmsc.org or visit them online.