Save the Whales (Again) Sonoma and Marin Rallies

Greetings!

Sonoma and Marin activists came to our Save the Whales (Again) rallies today, and these photos provide you with glimpses of the excitement, passion, and dedication of those committed to protecting the world's whales.

Click on: Save the Whales (Again)

California Legislative Letter

Greetings!

The rallies are two days away, and all along the coast thousands of Californians will be demonstrating their opposition to the U.S. support of suspend the current commercial whaling moratorium for ten years and allow commercial whaling.

Earlier this week, sixteen members of the California Assembly and Senate (including all of our north coast representatives) signed a letter to President Obama expressing their opposition. Here is the text:

Dear President Obama:

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) recently released the details of a proposal that would suspend the current commercial whaling moratorium for 10 years and allow commercial whaling.

Japan, Norway and Iceland continue to hunt whales in spite of the 1986 moratorium, and many Americans agree we must find a way to stop the deadlock. We strongly urge you to reject the current proposal and opposes any deal that would legitimize commercial whaling.

On April 22, U.S. Commissioner to the IWC, Monica Medina, stated that the U.S. supports the whaling moratorium and "will oppose any proposal that would lift the moratorium". We appreciate this pledge and hope that the United Stats will remain committed to this position.

In lieu of this proposal, the United States should develop a plan that will close the loopholes currently exploited by whaling nations, end the trade in whale meat and products, and address the many other threats to whales that include climate change, ocean noise, and pollution.

I hope that the United States will take a strong leadership position in opposing any proposal that allows for, or in any way legitimizes, the resumption of commercial whaling.

The IWC should drop this proposal and close the loopholes currently exploited by whaling nations, end the trade in whale meat and products, and address the many other threats to whales that include climate change, ocean noise and pollution.

In 2008, California sent a message to Washington via Assembly Joint Resolution 49 calling on the National Marine Fisheries Service to undertake an immediate and comprehensive assessment of the California Gray whale.

Our request that you reject the commercial whaling proposal is consistent with this message. As members of the California State Legislature, we do not support lifting the ban on commercial whaling, especially when our oceans and marine ecosystems are in such peril, until such an assessment is completed.

Again, we respectfully urge you to reject the current proposal that would suspend the current commercial whaling moratorium for ten years.

Sincerely.

Jared Huffman, Assembly, 6th District
Pedro Nava, Assembly, 35th District
Noreen Evans, Assembly, 7th District
Paul Fong, Assembly, 22nd District
Ted Lieu, Assembly, 53rd District
Bonnie Lowenthal, Assembly, 54th District
Jim Beall, Assembly, 24th District
Wesley Chesbro, Assembly, 1st District
Julia Brownley, Assembly, 41st District
Ira Ruskin, Assembly, 21st District
Tom Ammiano, Assembly, 13th District
Bob Blumenfield, Assembly, 40th District
Dave Jones, Assembly, 9th District
Christine Kehoe, Senate, 39th District
Mark Desaulnier, Senate, 7th District
Loni Hancock, Senate, 9th District

Rally Info Coming Together

Mom and one of the few gray whale calves born in recent years seen in Magdelena Bay, Baja.









Greetings!

Date: May 23rd. 10am- 1pm
Location: Whale Sculpture, Doran Park, Bodega Bay
Event: Save the Whales (Again) Day

The purpose of the gathering is to protest the IWC proposal to remove the current moratorium on commercial whaling and allow the resumption of whaling. We will be gathering signatures on a petition to the President asking him to keep his promise to oppose whaling and direct the US delegation to the IWC to support the continuation of the moratorium

History:
There is a proposal by a working group of the IWC to allow commercial hunting of whales for the first time since a moratorium was enacted in 1986. This proposal would legalize commercial whaling and would leave enforcement of quotas to the same nations that have been in violation of the current moratorium- Japan, Iceland and Norway- and allow the killing of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. This commercial whaling would be legalized for 10 years. It ties the current quotas on Gray Whales to the commercial quotas. Even though we know that the Gray whale population may be experiencing problems because the calf counts have been down for the past four years and dead emaciated grays are washing up on shore, these quotas would also set for 10 years without the ability to periodically review those quotas and without current population data.

This demonstration's purpose is to raise awareness of this issue and ask the US to oppose this proposal. For more detail on the proposal, visit our Facebook page at: Save the Whales (Again) Facebook Page

Speakers Invited, Info current to Monday, May 19th:

Una Glass, Executive Director, Coastwalk California - Introducing:
Lynn Woolsey, 6th District, U.S. House of Representatives (see Congressional letter released by her - Congressional Letter) (Invited, Confirmation - Tom Roth representing)
Patricia Wiggins, 2nd District, California State Senate (Invited, Confirmation - Fred Euphrat representing)
Pedro Nava, 35th District, California State Assembly (Invited, Confirmation - Gregory Fearon representing)
Efren Carrillo, 5th Supervisorial District, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors (Invited, Confirmation - Efren Carrillo)
Veronica Jacobi, Santa Rosa City Council (Invited, Confirmation - Veronica Jacobi)
Norma Jellison, ORCA (Invited, Confirmation Norma Jellison)
Bill Kortum, President Emeritus, Sonoma County Conservation Action (Invited, confirmation - Bill Kortum)

Here is a Google Map to the location of the Rally:


View Sonoma Save the Whales (Again) Rally in a larger map


To learn of other rallies and local organizers, click on: Rally locations and contacts

North Coast organizers are:
San Mateo - Nadia Holober, (408) 293-3911 (office), nvh@nadiaholober.com;
Marin - Nancy Okada, 415 987-8800, nxokada@yahoo.com; 2pm-5pm at Rodeo Beach, Fort Cronkhite.
Mendocino - Judith Vidaver, (707) 964-2742, indigoa@mcn.org.

Children and Whales - Teaching us Compassion

Greetings!

I need your help with an idea I've been thinking about. As you may have heard, Coastwalk California has agreed to be the lead organization in the organization of a rally on the coast of Sonoma to protest the plan by the International Whaling Commission to end the moratorium on the commercial hunting of whales. At their meeting in Morocco in June, they will consider a proposal to establish quotas of several species of whales, including the Pacific Gray Whale.

All along the coast of California, on May 23rd, rallies are being held to protest the plan, and to ask President Obama to honor his promise to us to end the killing of whales. It is particularly important, since his representatives are currently supporting the plan.

I have invited all of our political representatives, congressional to local supervisors, to speak on that morning. Together with environmental organizations and community organizations, we will voice our opposition once again to the needless slaughter of cetaceans worldwide.

But I need your help to raise the quality of the event, and to make it more meaningful to all of us.

I'd like for Sonoma's children to draw pictures in the next two weeks of the whales that they love. And I'd like to ask your help in locating teachers who would ask their students to draw the pictures, and either come and present them to our political and environmental representatives on that day, or send them to us for presentation. The ceremony will take place at 10am, on Sunday, May 23rd, in front of the whale sculpture, underneath the ORCA kite, on the beach.

I know this would elevate the event from one in which we all enjoyed the time together on one level - to a whole other experience. And bring meaning to the rally to children, parents, and all others. As you may know, I've spent most of my career helping implement programs and services for young children and the families. I can't help but believe that this is another opportunity to remind ourselves of ourselves of the importance of making the world safe for each other, and for those who will follow us.

Please let me know if you can help. Thanks.