Orca mother Tahlequah and her pod communicated a compelling call for human residents of this Salish Sea region to take urgent action to restore salmon and habitat so the orca are saved from the brink of extinction.
This weekend, approximately 150 Vashon Island residents came together in a symbolic message of community, in solidarity with Tahlequah and her pod, and a plea for bold action by Governor Inslee and other leaders. Community members pledged to take action to ensure that Tahlequah’s courage and intelligence be answered in kind by the political leaders of this region, with bold solutions – not half measures. Watch the spectacular drone footage at: https://vimeo.com/286778995
Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the Orca Task Force Meeting at Swinomish Casino, between Anacortes and LaConner, 10am-5pm Our team will be there with imagery and banners, and we invite you to join fellow orca loving friends.
Governor Inslee, AG Bob Ferguson and our congressional delegation must take every possible measure to guarantee a viable future for the other beings who swim in these waters. They must remove the unnecessary dams on the Lower Snake River, protect our rivers and Salish Sea from pipelines and tankers, and more.
Together we can and must re-adjust our way of being to protect what is truly irreplaceable: these sacred beings that bless and nourish this place.
Sign up to join this campaign at BackboneCampaign.org/orca
(Here, you can indicate if you want to bring this tool to your community. Backbone will send you resources to replicate this on your beach or park or other public space.)
Pitch-in to support this work at BackboneCampaign.org/orca_pitchin
Thank you to everyone who made this action possible. Special notes of gratitude to Rob Briggs who designed the orca mural grid, Art Chippendale, Laura Daughenbaugh, and Kyle Britz, who assisted in many ways, along with Janet, Carla, Jude and all those who shuttled folks down and up the hill, helped out prepping the image, brought food to share, and showed up to be part of this important gathering. Another special thank you to Mike Verharen, Davin Rubicz and Emily Ho of GonzoFile.com who ran the drones to photograph the event.
More photos are HERE !