WHALE WATCHING: SAVE WHALES BY TRACKING MIGRATION

Whale watching is critical to preventing the complete decline and disappearance of whales from the world's oceans. There are 12 different kinds of whales on the endangered species list, and still more at risk. Our planet's most beautiful and awe-inspiring marine mammals desperately need our help to survive.

Whales and their habitats are being attacked from every side. We impose shipping lanes on their migration routes, over-fish their feeding grounds, encroach on their breeding area by overdeveloping our coastlines, and continue to pollute and otherwise make physically dangerous the waters where whales live.

Whales simply cannot compete with us and our intrusions on their habitats. Whales cannot work to rid the oceans of toxic chemicals any more than they can change commercial shipping and fishing practices. We alone are responsible for making conservation efforts that will save the whales. But without well-researched and properly documented information about their lives and habits, we can't do anything useful. The only way to save the whales is to find out as much as we can about their behavior patterns.

A volunteer vacation that includes whale watching and other forms of responsible data-collection is the most gratifying and exciting way to help scientists identify both the obstacles and their solutions. With your help, conservation-driven scientific research can save the whales.

Thanks to the efforts of volunteers in the past, some whale species are slowly making a comeback, including Blue Whales and Northern Right Whales. But, it takes many years to build their populations back up to numbers that will enable them to thrive again. Whales are literally swimming against a long list of obstacles, and the need for volunteers to save the whales is more critical than ever.

Whether you have two days, two weeks, or more, you can help save whales from extinction.  Training is always included, so you don't have to be an expert with any previous experience to be an effective part of a whale tracking team.

• Whale Watching Spoken Here offers 28 locations in Oregon from which you can help count and keep track of migrating whales. Minimum participation time is two days. A $20 donation is customary to attend the requisite training class for volunteers. But beyond that, camping is available for free in selected coastal campsites.
• Via Earthwatch Institute, six-day and eight-day "migration vacations" are available in Canada and Mexico. Tracking Gray Whale migration starts at less than $1600, plus travel. Accommodations range from shared cabins in Canada to shared tents in Mexico.
• The Oceanic Society and Biosphere Expeditions both offer research expeditions where you can join a team of about a dozen volunteers working together in exotic locations such as Costa Rica or the Azores. Expeditions can last between 10 and 14 days. Costs begin around $2,000, plus airfare. In this price range, accommodations are more comfortable.

Most of these whale watching volunteer vacations accommodate "extracurricular activities" in your downtime, such as recreational snorkeling, hiking, and sightseeing. 

WhaleWatch.org has a directory of shorter whale watching activities. For long-term opportunities to make a difference, consider a whale watching internship or gap-year project.

Standard vacations offer memories that last a lifetime.  But with a volunteer vacation, you can help save whales in your lifetime.