(Photo by Lynne Barre, NOAA Fisheries)

Though West Seattleite Donna Sandstrom, founder and executive director of the nonprofit advocacy/education organization The Whale Trail, served on Gov. Jay Inslee‘s orca task force, she hadn’t met him until he visited one of the stops along the “trail” earlier this month. She shared the photo and explains:

We met him, First Lady Trudi, and their grandson Brody at West Beach in Deception Pass State Park, along with other Whale Trail partners from NOAA Fisheries, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, WDW Enforcement and Washington State Parks.

We talked about land-based whale-watching and its role in orca recovery. And spotted some seals too!

A big day for The Whale Trail, started in West Seattle a little over a decade ago, and inspired by watching orcas from Alki.

You can read the governor’s report on the visit here. See the full list of 100+ Whale Trail sites, from Southern California to British Columbia, by going here.