John,

June is Orca Month in the Pacific Northwest! Orca Month is a chance to celebrate one of our region’s most iconic wildlife species, but also an opportunity to reflect on the plight of these fragile creatures.

Join us for a month of educational and celebratory virtual events to raise awareness of the threats facing our Southern Resident orca population and what we can do to protect them.

Given the current public health protections in place, the Orca Salmon Alliance decided to move this June’s Orca Month to a virtual format. We’ll work hard to bring you 30 days of orca content from a safe distance.

Visit the Orca Month website and our Facebook page often as we are constantly adding new events and activities to the menu. Want to learn how to build a raingarden? Need a fun kids’ activity? New podcast to listen to? We got you! Also be sure to follow us on Instagram for fun orca posts and daily actions that support orca recovery.

Some of the virtual events in store for June include:

• Orca Story Time – Listen and watch as members of the Orca Salmon Alliance read aloud children’s books that involve or relate to orcas every Friday. Musician Dana Lyons will play a few songs as well!
• Orca Crafts – Get creative with materials you already have around the house and have a whale of a time.
• Salmon School Saturdays – Join us for fun games that will get your creative juices flowing and boost your salmon expertise.
• Orca Concerts – Join musician Dana Lyons for an orca-themed sing-a-long.
• Orca Webinars – From toxics to noise, learn about the issues that orcas and salmon face, and what you can do to take action.

Since we aren’t able to host in-person events in June, the Orca Action Month Kickoff Festival has been rescheduled to Sunday, September 27, and will be renamed "Fin Fest" this year to highlight the important relationship of orcas and the salmon they need to survive. The festival will still take place at the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park. We will be incorporating any needed protocols to align with the state’s regulations on physical distancing in order to help protect the health of our communities. Please hold September 27 on your calendar.

On behalf of the Orca Salmon Alliance, we hope you will join us in making Orca Month 2020 a virtual success!

Thanks for all you do,

Rein Attemann
Puget Sound Campaign Manager