By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka WhaleFest themes may be a little on the “snazzy” and “saucy” side this year, organizers say.
Examples of the symposium talks include:
“Octopuses and How They Shag.”
“Sex in the SEAtaceans: Mating behaviors and reproductive Anatomy of Cetaceans (whales).”
“Slime, Clones and Baby Factories: Sci-Fi or Jellyfish Sex.”
Juliette Levy, left, and Minh Iwamoto prepare WhaleFest materials for publication today at the Sitka Sound Science Center. (Sentinel Photo)
The 26th annual Sitka Sound Science Center event kicks off Wednesday with adult workshops, a snorkel and sauna event, student art show and film festival, with a panel discussion.
From talks about cutting-edge science, to social events like whalewatching cruises, films and parties, Whalefest has a 25-year history of providing Sitkans with the opportunity to learn about the latest research, ask questions of scientists at the top of their fields, and participate in fun events – science-based and otherwise.
The theme for this year’s festival is “How It’s Made: Courting, Babies and Growth.”
“It’s a theme in which we talk about those aspects of animal courtship, how they raise babies, the nurturing of young,” said SSSC education director Janet Clarke. “They (the science committee) thought that would be an interesting theme. And it’s a little snazzy, a little saucy.”
Clarke was talking about the committee whose members are Madison Kosma, Dr. Casey Clark and Dr. Lauren Wild, who have been symposium speakers in past years, are moderators at the symposium this year, and are researchers in their own right.
Hundreds of students at the high school and college levels, and adults of all ages and from all over the country, have signed up for the symposium this year, as it returns to an in-person event. For the last two years, the event was the same length, but virtual.
Clarke said the science center and WhaleFest crew are proud of the expanded offerings this year.
“Not only are there high schoolers coming in from the region for the Ocean Bowl, students from Ketchikan, Juneau, Hoonah and local high schools, and not only undergrads from UAS-Juneau and Fairbanks ... There are three adult workshops for the community, for people who want to be lifelong learners associated with Sitka WhaleFest,” she said.
That includes a “snorkel and sauna,” a marine mammal necropsy and a talk on emerging monitoring techniques.
Organizers – including Whalefest director Tiffany Pearson – say they’re happy to be back to an in-person event, but admit that there was a positive aspect of the two years of virtual WhaleFests: people all over the world could participate online, and it was accessible at a time when people were wary of traveling and being in crowds.
Although events won’t be available live through virtual means this year, filmmaker Aaron Minks will record the lectures and make them available after the festival.
“It’s fabulous to be back in person, but what we learned having it virtual is that you can reach a lot of people and there’s interest everywhere for our symposium lectures,” Clarke said,
Most events are at Harrigan Centennial Hall, where you can buy tickets for events, or register for the symposium, which runs Friday through Sunday.
The week is a mix of events, but organizers stress that “the heart of WhaleFest is the three-day symposium, where world-renowned scientists share their current research.”
Arleigh Reynolds, SSSC interim executive director. said the ocean plays a huge role in the big challenges facing humanity today.
“Climate change, ocean acidification, food security,” he said. “People are starting to understand that the oceans aren’t just limitless, we need to take care of them and that we need to understand what’s going on. And Sitka is one of the places people look to for that, the science center in particular.”
Reynolds said the combination of researchers and people who make their living off the ocean makes Sitka unusual.
“People come here from all over the world to study because this is such a great place to do that,” he said. “It’s appropriate that you would have a symposium like this that would reach the world with cutting-edge knowledge and be able to not just cut across what scientists know but deliver it to people at a community level, so that they can understand how it affects them and what role they might play, and what they can do.”
Emily Scott, WhaleFest coordinator, said since arriving in April, she has learned a lot from the visiting researchers who have come to Sitka.
“It’s such a valued area for all kinds of marine and terrestrial research,” Scott said. “It’s really diverse, it brings a lot of interest. And we’re a field station. ... It’s just so incredible that in such a small community we’re this hub for cutting-edge environmental research. And also that we put on this incredible huge event that people come from outside of town to hear nine speakers. These are people who aren’t just students. They’re just curious.”
The symposium lectures run 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
The marketplace and cafe will be open Friday through Sunday. Food in the cafe will be provided by the Sitka Classical Learning Center and Fresh Fish Company all three days. Treats will be provided Friday and Saturday by the Donut Lady, and Sunday by Bhargavi Pochi.
Registration is available at sitkawhalefest.org. Participants can sign up for the whole symposiums or buy individual tickets for lectures, and events. Below are a few highlights on the schedule:
Wednesday
The first event is Wednesday with a dock walk led by naturalist Matt Goff. The event is sold out.
Thursday
6 to 10 a.m. - Adult snorkel and sauna. The event is a guided snorkel expedition, followed by a sauna at the science center.
5:30 to 6:30 p.m. - student art show opens. Photography contest winners announced.
6:30 to 8 p.m. - Film Fest - :Fáa at Wooné (Respect for All Things),” a film made by the Herring Protectors, an Indigenous-led grassroots collective in Sitka. The film will be followed by an expert panel discussion. Light refreshments and herring egg salad also will be provided. Sheet’KÁ KwÁan Naa Kahídi. No registration required.
Friday
8 to 10 a.m. - Ocean Bowl competition, UAS
8:15 to 11:45 a.m. - Oregon State University technical workshop. SSSC Ricketts Lab.
8:30 to 11:30 a.m. - Marine mammal necropsy, for undergrads, UAS campus
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Marketplace open
1 to 4 p.m. - symposium lectures
7:30 p.m. - Maritime Grind
Saturday
8 to 9 a.m. - Whalefest fun run registration open. Run starts at 9 a.m. at Whale Park.
8:45 to 11:30 a.m. - marine wildlife cruise, Crescent Harbor.
10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Marketplace and cafe.
1 to 4 p.m. - Symposium lectures
6 to 7 p.m. - Marine Mingle
8 to 10 p.m. - Ocean Bowl trivia for adults, Mean Queen Dungeon
Sunday
8:45 to 11:30 a.m. - marine wildlife cruise, Crescent Harbor
10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. - Marketplace and Cafe
1 to 4 p.m. - Symposium lectures
