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This Month’s Contents:
Blue Ocean
Society News | Adopt-a-Creature Month
Upcoming Events
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Blue Ocean Society News
Greetings! It seems like summer just started, and here we are, only
3 weeks from Labor Day. It has been an interesting summer. We’ve had
some great sightings, and some rare ones… You may have heard about
our sad experience in July in which we witnessed a fin whale getting
hit by a sport boat. The whale survived, but was left with some
nasty cuts, which we hope will heal. We are trying to stay posted on
what is happening with the case, and recently spoke to the
investigator in charge, who said he had completed his investigation
and now the case was with NOAA’s attorneys for prosecution. The
whale has not been seen since, but this isn’t too unusual, as we
have many individual fin whales who are only sighted once per
season. We have e-mailed other Gulf of Maine-based research
organizations with photos of the whale asking them to look out for
it and report any sightings! We’ll be posting any updates
here.
We’ve also been lucky enough to see a rare right whale and her calf,
who came into our area one day a couple weeks ago. We have also
recently seen the return of many adult, familiar humpbacks to our
area in the last week, including Owl, Pinball, Regulus, Little Spot,
Newton and Scylla!
We are excited about an event coming up – our first-ever kayak trip!
We’ll be joining the folks at Plum Island Kayak on Tuesday, August
21 for a paddle departing from Plum Island Point that will last
approximately two hours. We hope to have some great bird sightings,
see the local scenery, and witness a beautiful sunset over Joppa
Flats. All equipment is provided and proceeds will benefit our
marine conservation, research and education programs!
Click here for details. We have limited capacity on this trip,
but there are a few spaces still available – make your reservation
now!
We hope to see you soon!
 Thanks
to Leo Gagnon, Strategic Real Estate Advisor with
Keller
Williams Realty, for his generous support as our 2007 Annual
Sponsor!
Announcing Adopt-a-Marine Creature Month!
In honor of our newly-updated adoption program and in an effort to
inform more people about our work and involve them in learning about
Gulf of Maine marine life, we’ve christened this month “Adopt a
Creature Month!”
We have several animals up for adoption, including four local
humpback whales, four commonly-seen fin whales, an Atlantic
white-sided dolphin, a basking shark and an ocean sunfish. All of
the animals up for adoption have been already seen this season, some
of them several times!
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Comet
A fin whale seen with a calf this year |
Pinball
Seen on Jeffreys Ledge this week! |
Stripes
Our newest adoptee, an Atlantic white-sided dolphin! |
The adoption kit is available for a $25 donation, and includes a 5”
x 7” photo of your whale, a sightings history, a beautiful
full-color species fact sheet, a CD-Rom containing over 30 of our
best images of Gulf of Maine marine life, along with a screen saver
and more species fact sheets, and Blue Ocean Society decal, all
housed in a new folder imprinted with the fluke of one of our local
humpbacks. Adopters also receive a one-year subscription to our
newsletters, so that you’ll be informed of when we see your
creature, and we’ll also e-mail you with updates as your animal is
seen during the research season. This is a great way for you to
learn about local marine life, and makes a wonderful gift! Click
here for more information..
Our goal is to have at least one animal adopted per day during the
month from August 15-September 15. Proceeds from the adoption go
directly to support our education and research work on the marine
life in the Gulf of Maine. Thank you for any support you can give!
Upcoming Events
Sunset Kayak Trip Benefit: Tuesday,
August 21, 6:00-8:15 PM.
Join us for a naturalist-guided interpretive sunset paddle by kayak
in the calm, sheltered waters of Plum Island's marshes and basin.
View birds, see the sights and witness a beautiful sunset over Joppa
Flats! Leisurely, content-rich trip suitable for beginners and
experts alike. All equipment provided. Single kayak: $65, Tandem
kayak: $110 for two. Visit
www.blueoceansociety.org/kayak.htm for more information and
online reservations.
Beach cleanup at Jenness Beach:
Thursday, August 30, 6:30-approx. 8:00 PM. Join us in our monthly
beach cleanup. Help us clean Jenness Beach and record our findings
on data cards as part of an important study on marine pollution. All
supplies are provided, along with a brief introduction/orientation
to the cleanup process. Visit
www.blueoceansociety.org/cleanup.htm for more information and to
sign up.
International Coastal Cleanup:
September 14-15, 2007. We are looking for schools to participate in
Student Cleanup Day
 at
Hampton Beach on September 14 and families, individuals, and groups
to participate on September 15 at several sites in NH. We can also
book a special cleanup in September at your convenience if you have
a group! Sign up now at
www.coastalcleanup.org (there are sites around the world!), or
email coastalcleanup@blueoceansociety.org
Fall Foliage Cruise: Date TBA. Join us for
a cruise on the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth and see the fall
colors and learn about the natural history of the area. Details will
be posted online soon at www.blueoceansociety.org.
Fall Paddle to see the Seals! Date TBA.
Visit our web site for details soon!
Whale Watches: See some of the most
fascinating creatures on Earth aboard a whale watch! We work with
several local whale watch vessels. Trips run through mid-October.
Visit
www.blueoceansociety.org/ww.htm for more information and
sightings.
Touch Tank: Visit our
touch tank in
downtown Portsmouth from 12-1 daily to see examples of rocky shore
marine life, including crabs, sea urchins and sea anemones! Take a
trip to the Isles of Shoals and explore our “marine environment”
station and do hands-on activities!
Quote of the Month
To me the sea is a continual miracle;
The fishes that swim--the rocks--the motion of the
waves--the ships, with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?
-
Walt Whitman excerpt from "Miracles", 1856
Thanks for your interest in marine conservation. If you wish
to support our work, please click here.
Have you become a member yet?
Click here
to buy merchandise such as Adopt-a-Marine Creature
packets, t-shirts and sweatshirts online!
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