Support Vashon Nature Center's Gray Whale Project
Donation protected
In April, Vashon Island received a bittersweet gift from the sea when a 39.5-foot adult male gray whale beached near the high tide line. Help us respectfully give this whale a final resting place on Vashon where his rebuilt skeleton can be a sentinel for his species and a beloved fixture in our community.
This whale is affectionately being called Singer at the moment, in honor of his species ability to vocalize, his arrival on an island known for music, and because his bones are currently being stored near the Coop, a beloved local music venue. Over the months, our respect for Singer has grown and we have learned a lot about his kind as we’ve navigated his presence on island shores.
April 2024:
May 2024:
July 2024:
Vashon Nature Center has obtained a permit to recover and collect the bones for the benefit of our island community.
It's a WHALE of a job and we need your help! This rare opportunity allows you a unique chance to become part of the process of rebuilding Singer's skeleton for educational display.
Vashon Nature Center Co-directors Maria Metler and Bianca Perla retrieve a large piece of baleen from the gray whale. Photo by: Bob Lane
Education Director Maria Metler shares a look at the whale baleen with beach walkers passing by. Many people have visited the whale over the months to have their own personal experience with him making him more and more a fixture of this community. Photo by: Bianca Perla
Whale ambassador volunteers help clean, sort, and organize the first bones released from the whale at Vashon Nature Center's field office in Heron Meadow. Photo by Adria Magrath
Help us raise funds to:
- Process, clean, move, and organize the skeleton as bones are released.
- Rebuild the whale together with marine science students at Vashon Island High School!
- Document the decomposition process with wildlife cameras to learn how large marine mammals cycle back into the Puget Sound ecosystem. (See what we've documented so far on the Whale Cam playlist).
- Create educational events around the whale to encourage wonder and curiosity for gray whales in Puget Sound.
- Contract whale experts and engineers to help us hang the full skeleton at the Vashon Center for the Arts for all to see and enjoy!
- Create educational signage for the whale display.
"There is something incredible about being able to not only see a large animal like this up close but also to actually hold his bones and learn about the intricate way these massive creatures are put together and how their bodies are so efficient for life at sea. While it is sad that he died, his death can be a gift that inspires awe for life’s complexity and respect for his species. We can all benefit from those feelings. We envision this opportunity as offering a rare glimpse into the life of one of the magnificent creatures we share our waters with.” –Bianca Perla, VNC Science Director in an excerpt from our latest blog post. Learn more about Singer in the full story here
Vashon Nature Center intern, Juwaria Jama, helps secure the vertebral column for later collection. Photo by: Maria Metler
Become part of the team at Vashon Nature Center! Help us take advantage of this incredible opportunity to study and learn from this gray whale. We welcome your support in any way you can.
Your financial contribution of any amount helps us with
- staff coordination time and data analysis
- materials
- equipment and rentals
- contractor fees
- educational signage and more...
Volunteer as a Whale Ambassador to help us with
- Checking and maintaining wildlife cameras at the whale
- Bone recovery and retrieval
- Processing the skeleton
- Participating in the rebuild
Do you have anything on our wish list?
- Large dry indoor storage space (a heated barn would be ideal) for overwintering the bones.
- A large horse watering trough for soaking and cleaning bones.
- A boat for helping remove bones from the beach.
- Engineering and building experience– we need people to help build slings for moving the 500 lb skull and floating it behind a boat, for building a cart to build the skeleton on so that it is moveable and more.
- Certified PE or structural engineer– we need someone to help design the structure on which we hang the skeleton.
- Tractor-trailer for moving bones from place to place.
Proposed Timeline:
April 12, 2024-October 2024: Bones are cleaned naturally on the beach and collected when released from the carcass by Whale Ambassador volunteers, VNC staff, and community members. Decomposition recorded through wildlife cameras.
September 2024: Move the skull (500 lbs) and any large vertebrae to land site by boat. Bone cleaning party.
October 2024-June 2025: Bones overwinter and cure in a dry indoor space.
February-June 2025: Whale bone cataloging and illustration project at Vashon High School.
July-September 2025: Bones are moved outside to cure in the sun.
September 2025-April 12, 2026: Full skeleton articulation and rebuild.
April 21, 2026– Earth Day whale installation celebration and display at Vashon Center for the Arts. VHS Biological illustrations displayed with the whale.
Fundraising team: Vashon Nature Center (3)
Vashon Nature Center
Organizer
Vashon, WA
Bianca Perla
Team member
Taylor Umetsu
Team member