Annual whale festival returns to the Mendocino Coast

It's Whale Festival time! With the arrival of Spring, our old friends, the gray whales, are passing our shores again as they head back to their Arctic feeding grounds after wintering in Mexico. On the North Coast, of course, that's something to celebrate, and Fort Bragg, Mendocino, Little River, and Westport will be putting out the welcome mat. Really, how could we not honor one of nature's most awesome long-distance migrations? A mere glimpse of these school bussized creatures as they pass our door is an unforgettable, almost magical experience, a stunning display of nature at its best.

Along with other local ocean-loving organizations, the Noyo Center for Marine Science will be gearing up to provide the public with an in-depth appreciation for the complex lives of the gray whales and, indeed, all the other whales that inhabit the Pacific and visit our shores. Activities will include guided whale-watching opportunities along the south coastal trail; two fun science social evenings (March 13 and 22) at the Noyo Center's newly established Field Station in Noyo Harbor (drinks available); an Open House at the Field Station with new marine mammal exhibits, a movie night, trivia contests, talks by leading experts, an ocean-themed puppet show for kids and adults, and more.

Several new marine mammal exhibits will be on view at the Field Station, including one that examines the evolution of the whale flipper. You'll be amazed at what a versatile and unique feature the whale flipper is. There will also be a rare opportunity to sign up for a view of the iconic Fort Bragg blue whale bones, temporarily in storage at a private residence. These are just some of the activities the Noyo Center has in store. Check their website, noyocenter.org/whale-festival-2024, for more information.

The folks at the Noyo Center will also be the first to tell you that with celebration comes a need for reflection. Gray whale numbers are down this year from some 26,000 animals five years ago to about 14,000 today, and the reason appears to be a die-off from starvation caused by climate change. This will be no surprise to Californians, who have been whipsawed over the past decade between fires and drought one year to atmospheric rivers and flooding the next. These dramatic shifts in big weather events are occurring across the country and around the globe, leading the most skeptical to conclude that climate change is real and that we humans will have to modify our behavior if we are to avert further disaster. Of course, not just humans will bear the brunt of extensive climate change; every creature walks, swims, or flies.

It's crucial to understand that climate change impacts life undersea and on land. Warming waters are implicated, for example, in the near disappearance of the North Coast's once-majestic kelp forest and the

damage to many kelp-dependent creatures. Remember abalone, anybody? Farther north, the melting of Arctic ice has severely reduced or shifted the availability of krill, forage fish, and crustaceans that gray whales and most other cetaceans rely on for food. This phenomenon is almost certainly responsible for the recent die-off in the gray whale population and impacts many other whale species.

There is much to celebrate about the whales, from the fact that these amazing creatures survived centuries of merciless whaling to the adaptability many demonstrate today in the face of climate change. One of the Noyo Center's many contributions to public education is a series of excellent (and free!) monthly public talks about various aspects of marine science. Several recent ones have touched on the struggles that gray whales and others face in finding enough food to stay alive, but they also provide grounds for optimism. There are indications, for example, that gray whales and perhaps other species are adapting by modifying their behavior — breaking up their age-old trek between their feeding grounds in the Arctic and their breeding and calving grounds in Mexico and lingering in areas along their migration path where food is available, including some areas along the West Coast. Some also appear to be modifying their diet, supplementing their usual regime of bottom-dwelling invertebrates and crustaceans with gulps of small fish. Other whale species may be making similar adaptations. For animals that have long been assumed to have programmed behaviors, these adaptations demonstrate the whales' versatility and, perhaps, desperation.

While celebrating the whales' beauty, mystery, and majesty, we should also celebrate their amazing ability to improve and “cultivate” the oceanic environment they inhabit and even, to an extent, to counteract climate change. In a recent fascinating Noyo Center discussion, area residents and long-time whale observers Scott and Tree Mercer described how whales and other marine mammals have an enormously beneficial impact on the marine environment simply by moving up and down through the water column in search of food. These movements essentially create a natural pump that draws nutrients from the depths up to the surface where, in the presence of sunlight, the enriched waters support vast quantities of edible plankton and krill.

Just as amazing (and your kids will love this bit) is that when whales defecate, they release nutrients into surface waters. These fecal tsunamis — “poonamis” as humor-minded whale watchers have called them — fertilize an explosion of planktonic life that acts like a floating smorgasbord for whales, fish, and sea birds. And there's another benefit. When plankton is alive, it extracts enormous quantities of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere; when it dies, it sinks into the deep ocean, bringing the carbon with it, where it remains entombed and out of circulation for millennia. It's an upward spiral — the more whales there are, the more plankton is produced, and the more carbon is withdrawn from the atmosphere. Yes, whales affect climate. It's a dynamic that benefits us all. What better reason to celebrate whales?

Here's the best part: all of the Noyo Center talks are archived and accessible for viewing (for free) on the Noyo Center website, noyocenter.org/science-talks. Try them. You'll be amazed at what you'll learn.

While the archived Zoom talks are always available for viewing, don't miss those activities at the Field Station or the guided whale walks every weekend through March, led by volunteer docents who can tell you a lot about any whales or other marine mammals that come into view. Check the Noyo Center website for full details. And, of course, the Noyo Center's Discovery Center on Main Street is always filled with fascinating exhibits.

If that mention of “poonamis” inspired your curiosity, Scott and Tree Mercer will lead a whale count at the Crow's Nest on the South Coastal Trail on Sunday, March 17, from 10 am to 2 pm. Join them. They can tell you about the whales' digestive habits and much more.

The Noyo Center is dedicated to exploring and understanding the mysteries of life undersea on the North Coast and enhancing educational opportunities for everyone. Finally, the Noyo Center is bringing back its Whale Migration Challenge fundraiser for March in honor of the humpback whales that have been captivating the coast for the last few years. The Noyo Center is looking to raise $15,000 during March to match the 15,000 combined miles a mother and newborn humpback calf travels in a single year. All money raised will benefit the Noyo Center's education programs. To learn more, visit noyocenter.org/ humpback-challenge.