Hello,
I was just beginning to write this post, to talk about our great kayaking trip with the middle and high schoolers. I was going to mention that we returned on Saturday from our annual trip up to Johnstone Strait and saw lots of whales, and even that the high schoolers collected some very valuable data regarding vessel traffic along the VI shoreline.
Unfortunately that success was trumped today about news of a diesel fuel spill in the strait, specifically in the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. Most of you know that this is a very special area for the Northern Resident killer whales. It is in this reserve that these whales frequent the rubbing beaches to rub themselves upon the smooth pebbles located their. It is the only place in the world that killer whales do this and it is a tradition that they pass down to each others through the generations. We may go to Disneyland with our folks and in turn take our children there...the whales go to the reserve-and have for as long as we have studied them.
There is not much news, other than it was a logging barge of some type, that was carrying heavy equipment on the deck. I have read that 200 liters was spilled, but that it is possible that much more may leak out in the coming days. The barge is apparently still aground in the reserve and cleanup procedures have commenced.
I will write more when I hear about it. There really isn't much for us to do, except to hope that the cleanup is quick and that the source of any future leak is contained. You can visit www.orca-live.net for up to date info about the whales.
Obviously we are very whale oriented at KWTales, but we shouldn't forget the millions of other animals that inhabit that amazing eco-system, millions upon millions of animals that will now be fighting for their lives as this situation unfolds.
I will leave with a picture of what it looked like the Friday before the accident.
No comments:
Post a Comment