Hey, marine naturalist? Unwind at Whale Museum end of season ‘Gear Down’ workshop

Published 12:51 pm Thursday, November 7, 2013

What does a marine naturalist do after a busy summer season in the San Juans?

He or she marks the calendar and prepares to unwind at The Whale Museum’s yearly Marine Naturalist “Gear Down” workshop, naturally.

Sponsored by the Whale Museum, the one-day workshop is Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Grange Hall; registration begins at 9:30 a.m.

The program includes a presentation about sea otters by Seattle Aquarium’s Shawn Larson, the museum’s Jennifer Olson discussing effects of human exposure on anti-predatory responses of harbor seals and a discussion about sound production and echolocation in orca whales by the Sea Mammal Research Unit’s Jason Wood.

The program also features a “Mythbusters” workshop, was J-1’s dorsal really 6-feet tall? An albino Southern resident orca? Fact or fiction?

The workshop, offered as continuing training for naturalists, includes a general meeting of the Salish Sea Association of Marine Naturalists during the lunch break. Registration fee is $20 for Whale Museum and SSAMN members, $25 for non-members. An optional lunch, $10, is available for order. For information, 378-4710, ext. 23.