{"id":2083021,"date":"2023-10-29T08:34:41","date_gmt":"2023-10-29T12:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-seattle-phones-ding-killer-whales-could-be-close\/"},"modified":"2023-10-29T08:41:06","modified_gmt":"2023-10-29T12:41:06","slug":"in-seattle-phones-ding-killer-whales-could-be-close","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-seattle-phones-ding-killer-whales-could-be-close\/","title":{"rendered":"Phones in Seattle ding; killer whales may be nearby."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fin-seattle-phones-ding-killer-whales-could-be-close%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2083021&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Seattle Residents Delight in Close Encounters \u200bwith Orcas<\/h2>\n<p>SEATTLE\u2014Peter Bates was dropping his car\u200c at \u200dthe mechanic this month when a notification pinged on his phone: killer whales were approaching his Seattle neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p>He hopped on a bus toward the \u2063water, \u200dthen an electric \u2064bike. He was pedaling along a shoreline trail\u2063 when orcas&#8217; black fins and\u200d white spots punched through the water a few\u2064 yards away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey move so quickly. I was pedaling fast,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I was open-mouthed\u200b the \u2062whole way.\u2063 It was a completely joyful experience, just full of awe.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Related \u200dStories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/caught-on-camera-australian-windsurfer-hit-by-airborne-whale-5517519?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">Caught on Camera: Australian Windsurfer Hit by Airborne Whale<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>10\/26\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/entertainment\/man-vs-wild-star-bear-grylls-realizes-dream-to-be-baptized-in-jordan-river-5511212?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">&#8216;Man vs. Wild&#8217; Star Bear Grylls Realizes Dream to Be Baptized \u200cin Jordan River<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>10\/18\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In a city known for stunning \u2064views of Puget Sound, and where the fate of \u2062the endangered resident orcas is a common topic of\u2062 conversation, catching glimpses of the enchanting creatures is still an elusive treat.<\/p>\n<p>But Salish Wildlife Watch, a WhatsApp group chat that alerts its 1,800 members when \u200borcas are \u2062near, aims to\u200d make it \u200deasier\u200c for residents like Bates to have wondrous experiences with them, and to motivate \u2063people to\u200c learn about and protect the animals.<\/p>\n<p>Users \u200ccredit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mark-green-edges-out-dan-crenshaw-to-lead-homeland-security-panel\/\" title=\"Mark Green Edges Out Dan Crenshaw To Lead Homeland Security Panel\">real-time updates<\/a> for spotting whales swim past\u200d the city\u2019s skyline, calves with\u2063 parents, pod hunts, and orcas\u200d surfacing so close to shore they could hear and smell their fishy breathing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just been kind of addicting,\u201d said group chat \u2063member Ian Elliott of Seattle,\u200c who\u200c saw orcas with visiting friends.\u200b \u201cYou have the city and then you can \u2063go to\u2062 any \u2062park on\u2063 the water and just see\u2063 these really wild animals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Behind the \u200calerts is Kersti Muul, a\u200b biologist and wildlife \u2063advocate who\u200c hopes those experiences motivate people to learn about \u2064and protect the animals. Ms. Muul created the group chat to consolidate text threads and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-move-to-force-conspiracy-theorist-marjorie-taylor-greene-off-her-committee-assignments-report\/\" title=\"Democrats Move To Force Conspiracy Theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene Off Her Committee Assignments: Report\">social media pages<\/a> she\u2063 used to update when orcas were around. Tips come from her most reliable whale-watcher friends, group members, and colleagues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love to get \u2063people out and especially people that have never seen a whale before,\u201d Ms. Muul said. \u201cI don\u2019t know anyone that has had a close pass that doesn\u2019t immediately just love whales.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Muul\u2019s first love is birds and she named Salish Wildlife\u200c Watch after the maze of inland waters between Washington State and British Columbia called the \u2062Salish Sea. She planned to include alerts for all \u200ckinds of animals. The\u2064 orcas, however, became the stars.<\/p>\n<p>Ms.\u2063 Muul doesn\u2019t mind. She hopes to marshal the whales\u2019 charisma into\u2064 awareness of challenges the ecosystem faces,\u200b such as depleted salmon runs, vessel noise interfering\u200b with their hunting and collisions with boats and ships.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re in our\u200b backyard, which is humbling\u200b and honoring to begin with,&#8221;\u200c she said. \u201cI\u2019m trying to promote and facilitate equity and inspiration, and inspiration as a vehicle for advocacy. It\u2019s the only way people get involved.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>  Orca whales swim in Elliott Bay in Seattle on Oct. 12, 2023. (Jamie \u2063Kinney via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Carved by retreating glaciers, the Salish Sea has been home to orcas for time immemorial. They \u2064are revered by the indigenous Coast Salish people.<\/p>\n<p>Visits by \u201cBigg\u2019s\u201d or\u2064 \u201ctransient\u201d orcas have increased over the last few decades, as populations of their prey, like \u200dseals\u200d and\u200c sea lions, rebound in \u2064the region. Alerts from the group chat led \u2063people to see these orcas hunt just off the Seattle waterfront, near sports stadiums.<\/p>\n<p>Then there are southern \u201cresident\u201d orcas, an endangered group that primarily eats salmon. Earlier this year, Lolita or Toki, the last \u200bcaptive member from this \u200cpopulation, died in an aquarium in Miami. Humpback and gray whales \u200calso visit during their migrations.<\/p>\n<p>Now, with so many people \u200cin the group chat, Ms. Muul\u2063 usually only allows the two \u2062active administrators \u200dto post sightings. Alerts come with information about the type of whale, their direction of \u2063travel, and nearby\u200b landmarks.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany\u2063 Philbin is an emergency hospital nurse who sought the outdoors as a way to relax during the coronavirus pandemic and quickly\u2063 became obsessed with whales. Sporting \u2063a telephoto lens with her\u200d camera, Ms. Philbin now can\u2063 identify individual whales \u2063from their fins and tails and is second to Ms. Muul in\u2064 sorting sighting tips and \u2062sending alerts. Ms. Muul said\u200c she couldn&#8217;t do it without Ms. Philbin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI volunteer for this group because I want people to be able to have the opportunity to see whales,\u201d she \u200csaid, \u201csomething that everyone can participate in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Having so many eyes on whales when they&#8217;re \u2064in town may also help improve their safety. Watchers often track private boats\u200b that\u2064 are getting too close to \u200dthe animals. And \u2062while commercial whale watching is regulated under federal law, Ms.\u2062 Muul\u2063 said the alerts allow people to see whales from shore, without disturbing them.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Muul\u2019s group is one of many efforts to marry the digital world with nature. The Orca Network and Puget Sound Whale \u2062Sightings also post sightings on their Facebook pages and users track the whales. Other local Facebook \u200dgroups flag the appearance \u200dof the northern lights and bioluminescent plankton.<\/p>\n<p>Steven\u200b Rice, a recent transplant from Philadelphia, learned through the Orca Network about chasing \u2064whale sightings around Seattle. On clear days he checks the updates on Facebook, hitting\u2063 refresh over and over.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me, growing up on\u200d the East Coast, \u200dI never really imagined I\u2019d be living somewhere where you could see something like that,&#8221; he said after photographing a pod of\u200b orcas this past summer south of Seattle.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Rice once got to see the whales so close he could hear their spouts and see the puff of air \u2062and water that orcas let out when breathing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI \u2062don\u2019t \u2063really know the\u200d right \u200dwords for it, but it was \u200cjust really a kind of a magical experience,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\"><em>By Manuel Valdes<\/em><\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200bHow does \u2064the Salish Wildlife Watch WhatsApp\u200d group provide real-time\u200d updates on orcas&#8217; whereabouts?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Seattle residents are being treated to rare and magical encounters \u200cwith orcas, thanks \u200dto\u200d a WhatsApp group chat \u200dcalled Salish \u2064Wildlife Watch. The group, with over 1,800 members, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-seattle-phones-ding-killer-whales-could-be-close\/\" title=\"Phones in Seattle ding; killer whales may be nearby.\">receives real-time updates<\/a> on orcas&#8217; whereabouts in order to provide opportunities for residents \u200dto witness and \u2063learn about these majestic creatures. The group&#8217;s \u2063founder, Kersti Muul, hopes that these\u200b encounters \u200bwill inspire people to protect and\u200d conserve the animals and the ecosystem they inhabit.<\/p>\n<p>Seattle, known for its stunning views \u200bof Puget\u200d Sound, has \u200blong been fascinated by the endangered \u200cresident orcas. However, sightings\u2063 of these enchanting\u200b creatures \u200chave remained\u2062 elusive\u2064 for many\u200b residents. Salish Wildlife Watch aims to change that by\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-announces-plan-for-mass-evacuation-of-americans-from-war-torn-israel\/\" title=\"US to evacuate Americans from war-torn Israel\">providing timely updates<\/a> on orca locations, allowing people to witness them in their natural habitat.<\/p>\n<p>Members of \u200cthe group credit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/talks-underway-to-free-hostages-from-hamas\/\" title=\"Negotiations ongoing to release hostages held by Hamas.\">real-time\u2063 updates<\/a> for allowing them to witness orcas swimming past the city&#8217;s skyline,\u200b with sightings of calves and pods\u2063 hunting. Some have even\u2064 been fortunate\u200c enough to witness\u200d orcas surfacing close\u200c to the \u200dshore, hearing and smelling their fishy breath. For many, these experiences have become addicting\u2063 and provided a \u200ddeeper\u2062 connection to the\u200b natural world.<\/p>\n<p>Kersti Muul, a biologist and\u200d wildlife advocate, created the group chat to consolidate information and provide a \u200dplatform for people to experience the wonders of nature. She hopes\u2062 that these encounters \u2062will motivate individuals to learn \u2063about orcas and \u2062the \u200bchallenges they face, such as depleted salmon runs and\u2063 the effects of vessel noise\u200d and collisions.<\/p>\n<p>The Salish Sea, named after the \u200binland waters between Washington State and British Columbia, holds a special\u2062 place in Muul&#8217;s heart. While \u200dshe initially planned \u2062to include\u2062 alerts for various animals, the orcas quickly became the stars. Muul believes \u2064that harnessing the charisma of these creatures can raise awareness of \u2063the broader environmental issues impacting the \u200cecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200bSalish Sea has been the ancestral home of the orcas, and their\u2064 presence holds cultural significance \u2063for the indigenous Coast Salish people. Over the past\u2064 few decades, the region\u200c has seen an increase in visits from transient orcas, as \u200bthe populations of their prey, such as seals and \u2062sea lions, have rebounded. The group chat has allowed people to witness these orcas hunting \u2064near the\u2062 Seattle waterfront.<\/p>\n<p>In \u2062addition to transient orcas, the southern resident orcas, an endangered \u2063group that primarily feeds on salmon, are also found in the Salish Sea. Earlier this \u2063year, \u200cthe \u200dlast surviving \u200dcaptive member of this population, Lolita or Toki, died in an aquarium in Miami. Humpback and gray whales also\u200d migrate through the \u2062area.<\/p>\n<p>As the \u200cgroup chat grows in popularity, Muul has limited \u2063posting access to \u200bonly two\u200d active\u2062 administrators \u2062to ensure the accuracy and quality\u200c of the \u2064alerts.\u200b The\u2063 messages \u200binclude detailed information about the type of\u200c whale, their<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Seattle, Peter Bates received a notification about killer whales nearing his neighborhood while at the mechanic. He quickly took a bus and an electric bike to reach the water. As he cycled along the shoreline trail, he witnessed the majestic orcas with their distinctive black fins and white spots emerging from the water.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2083022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2083021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2083021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2083022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2083021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2083021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2083021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}