Pod Nod

BIG NEWS!!!

I talked about how parts of L-pod have come back, but J-pod has just been seen in the area as well as K-pod! We might be talking about a superpod in days to come! Ooh, I’m so excited!

Also, I have experienced my first pod nod. Pod nods are overnight sleepovers at the museum for children. I think this one went extremely well. It was an advanced pod nod, so there was a larger (and older) age group. We learned about tidal pools (Brittany and Jerusha brought up sea critters from the dock to show the kids) and did some crafts. And then we went on two night tours—the museum flashlight tour (they kids loved this) and the Pier Peer, in which bright lights were hung underneath the pier so we could peer down and see some critters! It was so cool!

Nudibranch

Anemones

There were worms, shrimp, larval crabs, nudibranchs, and I even helped capture a baby moon jelly!

Then we watched a movie and went to bed. The adults were stationed around the room to make sure that everyone stayed okay, but I got the coveted spot.

And then I got home today and slept for three hours more. Oh man, I forgot how exhausting exited little kids can be. But oh, what fun!

Baseball and Bones

Our baseball team actually won! The Ballenas have finally won a game! How great is that?! Yes, the Whale Museum does have a baseball team and, until now, they have never won a game. But they won tonight!

And also, remember the first day of boiling baby whale bones? Those bones are now all ready to be placed in the case--so that's what we did!

Comparing this little baby's scapula to a full grown Orca's. So sad, right?

Here are the bones!

And here's me putting them in the case!

Baby Whale Bone Soup

So, when I applied for this job, never in my life did I think that I would be spending a day hunched over in protective equipment as I assisted with the cleaning of a baby Orca's bones. But now I can say that I know a way to de-mildew bones using highly caustic chemicals, two buckets of water, and some seed trays.

SAFETY FIRST!

 So, how did we do it? First we cut some hydrogen peroxide with water, and cut it again. Now this is a waaaaay higher concentration than what is used for wounds--it's super caustic! I don't know why it's the mildew and not the bones that is targeted, however. Science is not my forte... However, this mixture is brought up to a simmer and then...

Cindy (my lovely boss) adds hydrogen peroxide to the pot

 WE ADD THE BONES! Well, how did you come across these bones, Sarah, you may ask, and how on Earth did they become so covered in mildew that you had to do this process to fix them? This is a very interesting story.

These bones are of a baby Orca--but they head is on display in the museum already. What had happened is that the bones had been stripped of flesh, but had then been put away and forgotten--for twenty years!

They were finally rediscovered a couple of years ago, but by that point, they had acquired quite a nasty case of mildew. In order to fix this, first we had to find a stretch of good weather, a bunch of people willing, and free time. This is one of the busiest seasons so, as you can expect, having this day was quite a fortune!

After being boiled, the bones are given a rinse in two separate buckets of water and then gently brushed.

And then they are dried

 It was really amazing to watch the mildew just float off as the bones were dipped in the solution. They got so much better than they were before.

The new intern, Michael, was crucial to the bone-dipping process

See the difference? The top of the bone has not been dipped yet--the bottom has just come out!

 All in all, it was a super fun (and informative) experience. Between this project and Stinky Bill, I think I'll become a whale osteologist!

Fourth of July

There are two things synonymous with the 4th of July other than barbeques and picnics and that's parade and fireworks. Luckily, I got to participate in both today.

First off was the parade: as a museum intern, I was part of the preparations, making signs and assisting with float decoration, but then I also got to walk in the parade.

Me in the float

And a cool old jalopy

So I didn't get too many pictures of the parade, but a friend's dad took pictures for me!

Later that night, there were fireworks. Kate and I headed down from the house to the waterfront, where we met up with the new Sound Watch intern, and had ice cream.

Post-Potlatch

Among the Southern Resident Killer Whales, there is a matriline that has become adopted by the Samish Indian Nation. This matriline is in J-pod and the newest member has been named today. J-49 has been named T’ílem Ínges (pronounced “tēēlem ēēnges”), which means "singing grandchild" in the Samish language.

This naming ceremony was part of a potlatch--which is basically a gift-giving festival practiced in the Pacific Northwest and Canadian coastal tribes. There is a long history of potlatches (and the subsequent banning by both the Canadian and American governments) among the  native peoples of this area. 

As the nicknames of the whales are given out by the Whale Museum, Whale Museum staff was invited to this ceremony--and I was lucky enough to be granted an invitation!

Before the potlatch there was a canoe blessing ceremony--the canoes were given names and were then paddled around by members of the tribe.

After the canoe ceremony, there was a big potluck (also part of the potlatch) and then the naming ceremony began. Despite being reassured that it was okay to take pictures, I only took a few (and none of them were too good).

The naming ceremony itself incited many emotions in me. For one, it was a fascinating look into the blossoming culture of the Samish. Though I fully admit, I did not do much research before the ceremony, throughout the entire event, it was mentioned how the Samish lost most of their culture and were slowly regaining it. It was really touching when the elders leading the ceremony mentioned that they hoped that their young ones would grow with T’ílem Ínges and bring new meaning and life into the Samish Nation. At times it did seem to drag on, and there definitely could have been more projecting of voices (sometimes it was a little hard to hear the speakers!), but all in all, it was a truly enjoyable and memorable expereience. 

Adventure to the Middle School

Mondays and Tuesdays are usually my day off, but today I took a special detour from my schedule to help out with an educational program for the Spring Street Middle School. The seventh graders had a "Marine Exploration" day and I and Patrick (the head of the stranding network) worked together to create an interactive activity for the students to participate in.

For those of you who don't know, stranding is when a marine mammal is stuck on the shore and can't get back to water. There are a variety of reasons: sickness, injury, loose nets, and death, to name a few. Because of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, normal people can't touch marine mammals--so that means that even if an animal needs help or a body needs to be removed, it can't happen. Luckily, there was an amendment granted in the '90s that allows for trained people to remove and help marine mammals.

So the activity I created together with Patrick was a stuffed animal stranding. Children were given tape measures and stranding sheets and then a stuffed animal with some cards on top of it. The cards were used to convey information on the animal and gave specific information that was needed by the sheet. Then the kids measured their stuffed animal as if it was a real stranding. I think it was a pretty good hit. The students enjoyed both the stuffed animal and hands on activity where they got to touch the skulls and pelts of animals that had been stranded (the stickers proclaiming them "Junior Responders" were also a big hit).

I think it went very well and so did the teachers at the school and Patrick. I'm glad it happened. As it is now, I'm working at the gift shop until closing today--it'll be the first time I close by myself!

As for the previous week (or lack of posts thereof), nothing of real blog-worthy note happened. It was just me working at the shop and sitting in on lectures by Cindy. Soon I will have learned enough to start giving them on my own, I hope!

Bikes, Giftshops, and Employee Discounts!

I got a bike today! One of my co-workers at the Whale Museum had a bike that was not being used and graciously lent it to me to use for the rest of my stay here! I can finally get to the library fast! I’m super excited.

In other news today, I got to visit a Road Scholar group (the lecture was given out at their hotel as opposed to at the Whale Museum) and listen to Cindy’s talk on Cetaceans of the Salish Sea. Road Scholar groups always tend to ask insightful questions, so I’m always glad to listen in on a group because I always learn more.

After the Road Scholars, we headed back to the museum where there were a bunch of free-walking college students and a guided group of fifth graders waiting to learn about whales. All I can really say is that this part of the day whizzed past me so fast that it didn’t really leave an impression. Perhaps it’s because I already know quite a bit of the presentation that was given to the fifth graders.

After the fifth graders, I got to work in the shop. Now, I’m not sure if I’ve told you, but in addition to working as an intern, I’ve also gotten a job working at the gift shop—it’s paid and helps me feel a bit better about taking an unpaid internship (that is generously funded by my kind benefactor!) right after graduation (plus the loan counseling that accompanied it). Today I got a better idea of the stock room, worked the register without needing to ask people for help, and labeled items.

I get an employee discount, but I absolutely cannot use it; I’d go crazy otherwise. So far, I’ve only bought a pair of Orca earrings, and am eyeing some scarves…and a water bottle…and some plushes for people back home…

You see why I refuse to buy anything else yet? If I start, I may need another suitcase by the time I return home!

Slow Day

Today I learned how to work in the gift shop, giving me paid employment for the summer. Yippee! I also became an “office lumberjack” by way of the copier. This title I bestowed upon myself because I was replenishing the summer stock for the children’s coloring room in the museum. So many trees died for this cause…I hope they will be recycled in the end. I need this to be true! After my shift at the gift shop, I sat through an informational session on Soundwatch and all it entails. Most of it I knew already from my previous outing, but now I am officially certified to be a Soundwatch volunteer! Now the only problem is getting there…

Party of Pinnipeds

Today we focused on pinnipeds and orcas. Pinnipeds (pinni meaning flipper, and ped meaning foot), are mammals that live in water and have flippers for feet. There are three basic types of pinnipeds: seals, sea lions, and walruses, but you can only find Harbor Seals and Stellar Sea Lions in Friday Harbor. Despite both being classified under the name ‘pinniped,’ there are several differences between seals and sea lions.

Seals sport a spotted coat that covers every inch of their body. We have a touch table at the museum, and I can assure you that seal pelt is super soft, fine and I can see why people would want to wear it.  It is illegal now, however, to hunt the creatures here and for that I am glad. Seals also have special whiskers that are “beaded.” Beaded whiskers mean that they are bumpy to the touch. And actually, these whiskers aren’t really whiskers at all: they’re called vibrissae. Vibrissae work in the same way whiskers on a cat do, however, and sense changes in the water as well as movement around the animal itself. Seals have short, stubby fins and can only move by dragging themselves around. They also have no external ears—only ear holes.

Sea Lions, on the other hand, are quite larger than seals and are usually a solid color, such as dark brown for the California Sea Lion or golden brown for the Stellar Sea Lion. Their vibrissae are straight and smooth, much like uncooked spaghetti, and much longer than a seal’s. Their pelt, interestingly enough, leaves the flippers bare—and they can walk (or kinda hop) rather than pulling themselves on their bellies, like seals.

Unlike the seals, they also have tiny ear stubs, are larger in size, more social, and much nosier.

There is so much to learn about Orcas, I’m hoping to do it in an upcoming post. :)

The Adventures of Sarah and Stinky Bill

Tuesday was a pretty hectic day! On this momentous day, we were visited by around 60 to 70 fourth graders to learn about Gray whales.  The programming was fantastic! The Whale Museum has a number of whale skeletons, but the fourth graders actually got to put together a disarticulated gray whale skeleton found in 1995! This skeleton even has a name, Stinky Bill! From the head, school groups get to reassemble the spine, ribs, and tail, while identifying different types of bones and trying to figure out how Stinky Bill died.

Now, Gray whales are an interesting sort of baleen whale. Rather than gathering up water, they head down to the bottom of a shallower part of the ocean and scoop up mud! Inside this mud is the food they love to eat—plankton, krill, and their favorite food—amphipods, a small shrimp-like creature.   

Because of this, Gray whale baleen is set a bit wider apart than other baleen whales because it has more sediment to push out. Much like the other baleen whales, Gray whales scoop their food out of the baleen with their tongue (which can weigh up to 2,000 lbs!) and consume about 1.5 tons of krill and other associated creatures a day.

We had multiple school groups come in and learn this today. And after hearing the lecture so many times, I think I’ve gotten the basics down. But I’m still learning.

Splashing into the museum

Rather than slowly easing into the job on the first day, I decided to make a splash! Well, it wasn’t really my decision, but I’m glad it was done. After manning the touch table in the morning (more on that later), Carrie and I headed down to Lime Kiln State Park where the second graders of San Juan Island were having a field trip. There were several stations, and I only help manned two, but it was really interesting to see the programming, and also learn as well!

For the programming, we focused on how boat engines interfere with orca communication by grouping the kids into “Orcas” and “boats” and then creating different settings, such as Orcas with no boats, Orcas with noisy boats, and Orcas with polite boats. It helped the kids realize the difference and need for the protection and laws associated with whale watching.

My focus in life is museum education; basically teaching kids about what’s in the museum and doing fun activities along with it. I have little to no background in marine animals, marine biology, or marine anything, and so I’m taking this opportunity to work at the Whale Museum as a challenge. Right now, I’ve got about three or four books on marine mammals and identification guides for San Juan Island on my nightstand and I skim parts of them before bed. I’m used to knowing what I’m looking at, be it out the window, on my walk, or out the car, so I’ve been rather rattled by only being able to identify poplars and the fact that ‘that tree is a conifer’ and the like. I really need to bone up on this information. And that’s not even including my dearth of knowledge on whales.

As Mom said, it’s going to be a steep learning curve for me, but I’m positive I can make it. And sometime soon it will be I giving the lectures on baleen whales vs. toothed whales and what exactly a pinniped is in the upstairs of the Whale Museum. Soon it will be me…

Settling In

Today, after a serious sleep in, I went exploring the island. There's no internet at my house right now, so I trekked twenty minutes to the library, while figuring out the layout of the town. It's pretty darn cute. And now I'm in the library typing this up. Oh man, what a library; it's stocked with some of my favorite books and I feel that I will become a frequent customer.

I am going to buy a bike--sometime. The cheaper shop doesn't open until Tuesday, but they make appointments over phone during the weekend, so that's an option.

So, what am I doing here on San Juan Island exactly?

I have been taken on as an education intern at the Whale Museum. What does this mean? It means that I get to work with educational programming especially for children. This is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for me because I want to eventually go to some sort of grad school/certificate program for children's education in museums. In addition to this, I will also be working with the Marine Naturalist Certification program as both a student and instructor. I'm super pumped.

But as a recent graduate (and congratulations, by the way), don't you have to make some money, rather than go to an unpaid internship, you may ask. Well, the answer is quite simple. While I will not be making money off of this, a very generous grant from a former alum of my college provides for me while I'm here. I will not be making money, but I won't be losing money either. Starting this fall, I'll probably be looking for some sort of job (if not working in an archives--more on that later, as well).

Well, I need to be heading back, but please leave a comment if you want to hear anything in specific!

Welcome to Friday Harbor

So after a harrowing 27-28 hours of travel, I finally made it to Friday Harbor. I will refrain from telling you the harrowing tale of sleeping in a strange airport, the unnatural taste of strong coffee, and a leaking shampoo bottle, but know that I really am not fond of airports. Next time I'm getting a non-stop flight!

Everyone I've talked to about this trip has mentioned how much the scenery is astounding, breath-taking and a variety of other positive verbs. I am very sorry to admit that rather than look at the scenery all around me, I was out like a light the entire ride to the ferry.

So, I hopped on the ferry and what did I see but cormorants! I'm not sure if I mentioned it in my previous travel blog about Japan, but when I went to Uji, I got to see the fishing cormorants used in ceremonies. These were certainly much freer that the ones before!

So, the ferry was taken and soon we arrived at Friday Harbor, the place I'm working this summer! We were met by Cindy, my boss, and taken to our new home where we met our landlord and got groceries. But who is this 'we,' you ask. There is actually another intern called Kate who is working in another program but staying at the same house. It was practically serendipity that we met--we didn't know each other but we met at the airport and were on the same ferry! After the house, we quick stopped by the whale museum to take a look at what was in store for us. I'll go into detail in a later post, but what I've seen is STUPENDOUS!

And look at that marvelous sign!

Then Cindy got a call -- the whales were moving inward towards the shore! We jumped into the car and raced towards Lime Kiln point. There, we waited with bated breath...and waited...and waited.

While waiting, I took pictures

And then we saw them! They were in resting mode, which means that they had half their brains turned off and so were periodically bobbing up and down to get air, but weren't really active. It was amazing. Kate and I had only been on the island for under two hours and we had already seen whales. It was spectacular!

Unfortunately, my battery had died, so there are none of my photos of whales. I may grab some from the others who were photographing as well and add them in. But it was amazing.