Author: Dan Sythe
Elevate on March 12th
We are proud to present a Raining Grace Production for the Whalesong Project. If you are on the island of Maui please join us on March, 12th!
DANCE FOR THE OCEANS AND OUR WATERS!
Over 10.000 people gathered in August 2009 and danced on the beach in Ostend Belgium, creating a global movement.
Now they are doing it here on Maui!
This event will take place on Maui, Sunday March 6th 2011 at Cove Beach in Paia at 10:30am (Hawaiian time, please check the time difference in your country) where we will gather and dance to one song in honor of the oceans and our waters.
“Last Song of the Whales”
Savant Books and Publications LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii, publishers of significant books and enduring media for the 21st century, is pleased to announce the release of Four Arrows’ new book, “Last Song of the Whales.”
In this novella, a humpback whale mysteriously takes a mixed-blood American Indian professor to sea. While struggling to survive and learning to communicate with a pod of whales, the man rediscovers his Indigenous roots. In the process, he learns that thousands of whales may be on a suicide mission in the North Pacific in an effort to end human pollution of the ocean. However, when he realizes the dire effects the whales’ actions could have for all of life on Earth, he and the whale work together- against all odds—to warn the world in time.
Hope for the False Killer Whale around Hawaii
The NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) announced a victory: the Obama Administration has proposed putting Hawaii’s near-shore population of false killer whales on the endangered species list. The move came in response to our formal petition on behalf of the whales. Only some 150 of these magnificent marine mammals remain in the wild. Their numbers have plummeted over the past two decades as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals, a reduced food supply and injuries from fishing gear.”Endangered Species Act protections will give false killer whales a chance to survive, and will also help save their extraordinary habitat — the ocean oasis surrounding the Hawaiian Islands,” says Michael Jasny, senior policy analyst for NRDC’s Marine Mammal Protection Project. False killer whales, like the orcas they resemble, are members of the dolphin family and normally live in deep open water. The dwindling Hawaiian population is the only group on the planet known to make its home near land. Adults can reach 20 feet in length and up to 1,500 pounds. They are highly social creatures and form close bonds with other members of their pods, mating for decades.
Whalesong Benefit Party TONIGHT!
For all the whale lovers on Maui: please join us in Pa’ia TONIGHT for a beautiful and inspiring event produced by Radha Divine to benefit the whales. ‘Get the buoy in the water’ is the motto for this event. We need to raise money to put our buoy back in the ocean to broadcast the live whalesong to the world – for free! Please join us in Pa’ia or if you are not around please support our mission with a donation. Mahalo nui!
What is the Significance of the Whales?
As we navigate these challenging times on Planet Earth, and sail into a new year, I ponder the importance of the oceans and the whales, and what we can do. Much scientific data has been collected about these large creatures. We know they were nearly hunted into extinction, and that their numbers are increasing under the protection of national and international laws. We know a lot about their size, weight, habits, migration patterns. We know that their songs are sung in patterns that meet the definition of what we humans define as music.
We also know that humans are very curious about whales, and that there are thriving businesses here and across the globe that specialize in catering to our desire to get close to them. Here on Maui, many people have arrived for respite from the cold and a chance to go out and see our whales. Many whales are also arriving to give birth in these warm and friendly waters. Very soon we will be in “peak season.”
We have based our operations here on Maui for ten years now, and have learned a lot about the whales and the people who love them, and the people who study them. We still have a lot to learn. We are still working on finding our place in this world. We want to contribute to increasing the awareness of the importance of the whales and the health of the oceans. If nothing else, the whales are a reminder of the fact that the actions of humans can drive a species to extinction or the brink of extinction…and that we humans can also take action collectively to make things better.
Despite the challenges of the economy for the past two years we are still hoping to be back in the ocean again this year, for our 11th season. Thank you to all of you who have supported us in this endeavor with time, money, expertise, encouragement. From the Whalesong Project, best wishes to all of you out there for a happy and healthy New Year.
Buoy status
Team Maui is working on the buoy and is making progress. Avery helped Dan open up the electronics chamber to begin testing.
Paypal button is working again!
We finally solved the internal problem on our website we had with the link to Paypal. The button is working again and you can easily use it to support our project. We are sorry for all the inconvenience we’ve caused! More and more whales are migrating to the waters around Maui and we at The Whalesong Project are working hard to get this upcoming whale season financed to bring you live whale songs. But we do need your help! Please go to ‘You can help’ – every contribution will bring our buoy closer to the launch. Mahalo nui or thank you so much in advance!
Great holiday gift plus support for The Whalesong Project
Make someone beloved happy with a wonderful and meaningful gift. Grace Mantle Studios offers this limited edition signed fine art print on archival paper and $25 per sale will be for The Whalesong project. We do appreciate this help very much and encourage you to visit the online shop.
Artist Grace Mantle about her experience during the creation of this wonderful piece of art : “I was living in east Maui when I painted it, and during the time I was meditating and working on the image, the whales would appear in dramatic ways!
Gulf oil spill and Whales
There has been a lot of speculation about the impact of the the oil spill on whales and dolphins. This story says NOAA is investigating the death of a Sperm Whale near the accident. In Hawaiian, the Sperm Whale is called Palaoa. The Palaoa are considered a form of Kanaloa, the God of the Ocean. They were hunted to near extinction, and are still an endangered species. Lets hope the problems in the gulf are solved soon, and that some wisdom is developed that will help turn the tide in favor of healthy oceans.