(Photo by Steven Rice, from J-Pod visit off Alki, October 2024)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Though there was no strident rhetoric nor calls for action, the latest gathering of The Whale Trail provided a reminder of what federal budget-slashing is doing to science, including work to save endangered species.

The guest of honor was Lynne Barre, who until recently led the Southern Resident Killer Whales recovery program at NOAA. “My NOAA career ended a little sooner than I had planned,” she explained, simply.

Barre’s retirement, regardless of the circumstances, brought out what was described as a who’s-who of behind-the-scenes scientists and support personnel who had worked with her, and other collaborators like The Whale Trail executive director Donna Sandstrom, who knew Barre dating back to the rescue of wayward northern resident orca Springer more than 20 years ago. The Springer rescue is what intensified Sandstrom’s advocacy work; she opened the night with a recounting and an update.

But first, Barre’s time in the spotlight at the recent gathering at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor).

She came from the East Coast to be part of the Springer operation “and stayed.” She had expertise with dolphins “and as you probably know, killer whales are just big dolphins.” Over the years, not only did she lead the Southern Resident Killer Whales recovery program, she also worked with the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act, and became a branch chief. Working on helping the southern residents recover included undertakings from vessel regulations to transboundary (US/Canada) coordination.

And she listed the many private and public organizations and departments with which she and her team partnered along the way. That included West Seattle-based and -founded organizations like – in addition to The Whale Trail – Killer Whale Tales and Seal Sitters.

Barre described “just a few highlights” from Be Whale Wise – work that began in her East Coast days – to giving former governor Jay Inslee an award for the orca task force he created (with Sandstrom among its members), a task force whose achievements included requirements that boaters give the whales more space. She also noted a proposal to put sunflower stars on the Endangered Species list. What gives her the most hope, Barre added, is that “we’re reaching a whole new generation.” And despite the turmoil of recent months, she reminded attendees that “there still are a lot of people working on this at NOAA.”

Tributes followed from past co-workers and other collaborators. “You have a magnificent record of bringing the community together,” one told her. Another cited longrunning inspiration from her insistence that “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” State orca-recovery coordinator Tara Galuska lamented that Barre’s departure was a major loss, as she was “a leg of the stool” that supported the efforts.

“She’s good at creating a welcoming space for collaboration,” noted Quiet Sound director Rachel Erickson, pointing out that her program is voluntary, and yet participation has reached the point where Puget Sound is “up to 50 percent quieter for the Southern Residents.”

Lynn Shimamoto from Seal Sitters told a West Seattle story about Barre, from the humpback-whale stranding next to the Fauntleroy ferry dock in 2016 (initial WSB coverage here). Seal Sitters and Whale Trail volunteers were among those who worked to set up a perimeter to keep back curious hordes, “and in the middle of all this excitement, Lynne Barre appeared by my side – I am so grateful to you for being there that day.”

When Barre was in charge, “everything was going to be all right,” another collaborator declared, but yet another warned the flip side of that is, the current changes can’t go unremarked on, by anyone who cares. Some of what’s being gutted now are programs that go back to the administration of another Republican president, Richard Nixon, one speaker said, and “it’s important for us nonprofits to voice our concern.” Barre was skillful at navigating concerns and “handling tough crowds so well.”

Toward the end of the tribute, Barre was presented with a going-away gift, a paddle carved from Western red cedar, with its depictions including Springer, honoring Barre as a “great skipper” who had navigated difficult waters, both literally and figuratively. “Regardless of the transition that we are going through – look around the room and realize you are loved by so many people … When you are paddling on your next journey, you will look at the back of the paddle and see your family.” With that family, the presentation continued, “we’ve changed the world … we changed history … we’ve engineered a sea change around the Southern Residents.” Amid all the current government turbulence, Sandstrom added, “the whales are still here … and they need us, as a community, more than ever.”

She had opened the night with what you might call The Whale Trail’s origin story, her involvement with Springer (about which she has written the award-winning young-adult book Orca Rescue! – currently a Summer Book Bingo recommendation) and the “wayward whale”‘s successful return to her home waters. Sandstrom recalled a child’s observation – amid all the official fretting – that
“she might not be sick, she might just be lost, she deserves to go home, her family might be missing her.” Once Springer was back in her home waters, that family came by much sooner than anyone had expected; Sandstrom played a recording of Springer’s excited calls to them when the first Northern Resident orcas came by her holding pen, less than 24 hours before her birth family showed up.

Speaking of births, Sandstrom said Springer may have had her third calf – “up in Ketchikan (Alaska), someone took a photo of someone we think is Springer, and she has another calf.” That would be a sibling to her first calf, Spirit, born 2013, and her second one, Storm, born in 2017. “All this led to The Whale Trail, places where you can watch whales from shore,” 4 in West Seattle, 150 spanning the entire West Coast of North America. And it’s led to successes such as, as mentioned above, progress “quieting the seas … These are public processes that worked … never forget that it can work.” Signs of that are present in more than births – though those are promising, with 11 calves under six years old including seven females – such as trends like the Southern Residents returning to the Salish Sea every summer month starting in 2022, after five years in which they didn’t.

Also involved deeply with the Springer rescue was West Seattle-based researcher Mark Sears, who wasn’t able to attend this gathering, but works with his daughter Maya Sears, who was there. (In addition to orca research, the family is also longtime caretakers of Colman Pool at Lincoln Park – Maya is third generation for that.) Her skills include orca IDing, so everyone can know who’s here when the whales visit. She explained the work that she and her father often do is centered on getting biological samples left behind by the orcas, such as mucus and fecal samples, which assist in assessing their health.

Rather than focus on results, her presentation focused on their methodology – how they follow “fluke prints” to find samples. One rich ground for collection, she said, is an area off Whidbey Island where there’s a “cacophon of life” that attracts the Southern Residents: “J-Pod has spent a lot of time there in the past few years.” She also spoke of J-Pod’s joy and sorrow toward the end of last year, the calf born to J35 Tahlequah that did not survive, another calf born in December that did, and the new J-Pod calf born a few months ago. Since 2023, Maya said, three calves have died, but four have lived.

Looking ahead, she said researchers are making more use of drones, currently to sample the orcas’ breath: “It’s very non-invasive.” Drones also can be equipped with infrared cameras.

The evening ended with a toast to Barre, and mingling for one-on-one conversations about memories – and the future.

Keep up with The Whale Trail’s events and updates at thewhaletrail.org.