We wrap up Orca Action Month 2026
As we wrap up Orca Action Month 2026, we want to share this short but beautiful tribute to the Southern Resident killer whales that inspired the creation of the Orca Behavior Institute.
Seeing J-, K-, and L-Pods in the San Juan Islands for the first time over two decades ago changed the course of my life. They inspired me to become a biologist, to make my home in the center of the Salish Sea, and to dedicate my time to learning about not only the orcas themselves but the entire ecosystem they depend on.
While this is no longer the time of year you have a good chance of seeing the Southern Residents on the west side of San Juan Island on a near-daily basis, they may be out of sight, but they are never out of mind. Our goal this month was to highlight the fact that these iconic orcas have now been on the endangered species list for over 20 years, but have yet to show signs of recovery. Clearly, what we have done thus far is not enough, and we are committed to continuing to fight for them and the salmon they depend on for as long as it takes.
We hope that you were inspired, too, through our #OBIArtForOrcas project and the 75 life sized dorsal fins our community built and displayed for the entirety of the month. Our goal is to help light that spark to inspire others to continue learning about and advocating for these incredible whales.
If you followed along with our Orca Action Month project in any capacity, we would greatly appreciate a few moments of your time to fill out this short survey. Your answers will help us evaluate the reach of the project and determine the future direction we take our Orca Action Month efforts:
https://forms.office.com/r/VybWQeNA60
While June is coming to a close, we will as always continue to highlight Southern Resident encounters, publications, and action alerts going forward. Thank you for being here and being a part of the fight to ensure that 20 years from now, we are celebrating an increasing Southern Resident killer whale population.
