Press Release:
OrcaFest 2010, a community celebration co-sponsored by The Whale Trail and Killer Whale Tales, is coming to Alki Beach in West Seattle. Taking place on Sunday, November 7 at the Alki Bathhouse from 11 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., the event celebrates the return of the southern resident orcas to local waters. The Whale Trail is also celebrating its recent award of a City of Seattle Neighborhood Matching Grant to establish viewing locations and orca stewardship programs in West Seattle.

The event will feature storytelling, kids’ activities, a performance by the Duwamish Tribe’s dance group, T’ilibshudub, or “Singing Feet,” art created by local school children, and an environmental fair.
“There is nothing like seeing the orcas when they pass by the shores of West Seattle,” notes The Whale Trail Executive Director, Donna Sandstrom. “It is a breathtaking reminder that this is their home as much as ours. We hope this event inspires us all to take better care of the Sound, so that the orcas survive – and thrive – for generations to come.”

In addition to The Whale Trail and Killer Whale Tales, the environmental fair will feature displays from NOAA Fisheries, People for Puget Sound, the Seattle Aquarium, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, the American Cetacean Society (Puget Sound Chapter) and others.

“We are looking forward to the first Orca Fest event here in our home neighborhood, sharing with our community the passion we have for these animals,” said Jeff Hogan, Executive Director, Killer Whale Tales. “We are also excited about engaging the children of West Seattle and getting them and their families actively involved in the conservation of this iconic species.””

The event is co-sponsored by The Whale Trail, a project to establish Washington State’s first network of viewing sites for whale watching, and Killer Whale Tales, an environmental education program that uses storytelling and field based science to inspire students to take an active role in the conservation of Pacific Northwest killer whales and their habitat.

About the Whale Trail
The Whale Trail is a series of sites around the region where the public may view orcas and other marine mammals from shore. Its mission is to inspire appreciation and stewardship of whales and our marine environment. The project is partnering with groups, agencies, individuals and communities around the region to select and develop the Whale Trail sites, and to create and deliver educational programs. With 20 sites established, the project plans to add at least 20 more in the coming year, including four in West Seattle. For more information, visit www.thewhaletrail.org or www.facebook.com/pages/The-Whale-Trail/114940735193641.

About Killer Whale Tales
Killer Whale Tales (KWT) was founded as a 501c3 nonprofit in 2000. To date, we have taught over 40,000 elementary school children and their families about their impacts on the local Puget Sound environment, as well as engaged them in reducing these impacts.

We partner with most of the region’s top killer whale researchers and marine educational institutions as well. Our geographic scope has grown from elementary classrooms in the Seattle/Everett areas during the early years of our program, to now expanding into both California and Oregon for the 2010-2011 school year. We initially piloted this program for 700 children in 2004 and are now reaching nearly 10,000 annually. For more information, visit www.killerwhaletales.org.