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Conservation Issues of the Ventana Chapter | chapter wide
Whales to be hunted again?
Come help us say NO on May 23

May 2010

The Sierra Club will present a "Save the Whales Again" event in Santa Cruz at Lighthouse
Point on Sunday, May 23 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

This event will open with a Polynesian chant of welcome and feature Polynesian dancers and musicians from the Hula School of Santa Cruz and Island Breeze as well as Hawaiian folk tales based on the reverence and importance of whales to Polynesian people.

Acknowledgements will be made of the community groups participating (Save Our Shores and O'Neill Sea Odyssey) and introductions will be made of the area politicians who sponsored Resolutions supporting the moratorium on their respective agendas. Major presentation on the IWC issues will be made by Sue Arnold, Executive Director of the CA Gray Coalition and on the threats to the Gray whale by Sarah Graham, West Coast Director of the CA Gray Whale Coalition. Volunteers will circulate throughout the event collecting signatures to be sent to the Obama administration in Washington D.C supporting the moratorium and seeking continued protection for Gray whales

Information: 831.761.3263. or 831.901.0387

Gray Whale
The California Gray Whale is the most ancient Baleen whale on Planet Earth and the last surviving population of a species which once inhabited many of the world's oceans. Photo by Larry Wan.

The US is considering lifting the moratorium that has (sort of) protected whales from commercial hunting for the last quarter-century; now even gray whales might move on to the "hit list". More than 40 organizations are actively opposing this proposal. The Wan Conservancy has initiated an effort to organize events in all coastal CA counties on Sunday, May 23 to inform the public of this proposal and to gather signatures against it, which would be sent to Washington D.C. before the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Morocco on June 3rd.

Come join The Sierra Club and other organizations at Lighthouse Point (grassy area around the Abbott lighthouse) from 11:30am to 2:00pm. We have invited Supervisor and Coastal Commissioner Mark Stone, Councilmember Katherine Beiers from Santa Cruz and Councilmember Dennis Norton from Capitola, and former Assemblymember and current Senate candidate John Laird to attend. List of attendees and entertainers will be updated when we receive confirmations. We have asked the Supervisor and the Councilmembers to present Resolutions supporting the moratorium to respective bodies for their consideration and possible adoption.

Prospective schedule:
Sunday, May 23
11:30 - 11:50 Set-up
11:50 - 12:20 Performances
12:20 - 12:40 Role of the IWC and current proposal
12:40 - 1:00 Introductions, Resolutions
1:30 - 2:00 Clean up

If you would like to volunteer for the event contact

For details go to www.wanconservancy.org/whales/



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