The only member of the family Eschrichtiidae, the gray whale is a mysticete, or baleen whale. It is a 'coastal' whale that migrates along the North American Pacific Coast between arctic seas and the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico. Frequently visible from shore, gray whales provide a unique opportunity for land and boat observation, and commercial whale watching has become a major industry along its migration route. Visitors to the calving and breeding lagoons sometimes encounter the phenomenon of the 'friendlies'; gray whales that closely approach small boats and allow themselves to be touched by humans. -- from American Cetacean Society Website
Sightings : the Gray Whales' Mysterious Journey, by Brenda Peterson and Linda Hogan (Washington, D.C. : National Geographic, 2002)
"In Sightings, we share with the reader what we have learned about the gray whale, recent natural history discoveries, Native stories, and migration routes. We also tell you what we don't know, but can only fathom with our imaginations, because it is an animal so hard to define in words alone." -- from Sightings, by Brenda Peterson and Linda Hogan
Brenda Peterson and Linda Hogan's voices guide readers along the 5,000-6,000 mile gray whales' migration route. The journey moves from the "shallow, warm lagoons in the Baja, Mexico, peninsula, to summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea." It is a journey that asks us "to consider the ethics and spirit when we think about a species besides our own."
For those of us whose only glimpse of a gray whale is from a narrow vantage point somewhere along the Pacific coastline, Sightings allows us to imagine the entire migration route, its beauty and hazards. At Baja's San Ignacio Lagoon, Peterson and Hogan share their encounters with "the friendlies," what it is like to "see only her huge eye inches from my own," or "when [a] calf decides to trust us and offer a glossy snout for our touch," to become so enraptured with a baby gray "albino" that they give him the name "White Beak." We feel the beauty of this place, the whales, the surf, and "heavens...alive with a multitude of stars...." As the history of the lagoon is recounted and a beached whale described, we understand Peterson's reminder of the "daily...dangers these grays face."
The second part of Sightings moves readers along the migration route between San Diego, California and Whidbey Island, Washington. Concerns for the gray whales mount as we read descriptions of "the die-off of the grays during the 1998 and 1999 migrations," environmental hazards, and the controversy over "the tribal whaling rights of Native Americans." We're asked to think about the gray whales as "indicator species," showing "us the health of our shared ecosystem."
The Makah Reservation, Neah Bay, Washington, is the focus of part three. Sightings reaches back to 1996 when Peterson and Hogan "answer[ed] a call from Makah tribal elders who wanted to talk openly about their tribe's return to whale hunting." This historic meeting began their seven-year "migration...to follow the grays." Although there is never any question about Hogan and Peterson's stance on whale hunting, they present both sides of the controversy and the pull between "standing up for treaty rights" and standing up for the gray whales. Today, the hunt remains on hold due to an "unexpected ruling by a San Francisco court of appeals." The authors wonder if the "quiet coalitions of Makah and conservationists [will] at last make a bridge strong enough to carry all cultures, human and animal.
We continue north in part four, between Ozette, Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Examples at Ozette, where an archaeological dig reveals ancient connections between Native People and whales, and along the Olympic Peninsula where the Quileutes are turning to whale watching for a livelihood as opposed to hunting, help readers understand that "the Makah are not the only Northwest tribe to have traditionally hunted and intermingled their ceremonies with the great gray whale."
The last section of Sightings takes us to Alaska, the gray whales' plankton rich summer grounds. There are more warnings in this section, particularly about global warming, but as Brenda Peterson and Linda Hogan recount their summer solstice on Kodiak Island there is also time for reflection on "the immensity" of the gray whales journey and some cause for hope. After following the whales, and authors, it is touching to read Brenda Peterson's description of their gray whale sightings in "far north waters." Not only do we share their excitement of a reunion with "White Beak," we marvel with them as they see "whales...everywhere -- off our starboard rail and our bows, surrounding our bobbing boat in concentric circles of blows and flukes, and ranging as far out on the 360-degree horizon as we could see. There were even whales beneath us, feeding fathoms deep. We could not count them fast enough before more whales surfaced, exhaling in blasts of breath and mist, sucking in the inspiration of air, then diving again, tail flukes streaming."
Sightings encourages readers to look inward, to find a "new way to look at other species." It is a book you'll remember and return to, especially during fall and spring migrations -- as you imagine the gray whales' "immense journey" or stand on the shore waiting for one to pass by.
Websites
American Cetacean Society
http://www.acsonline.org/
The Census Project
http://www.acs-la.org/GWCensus.htm
The Center for Whale Research
http://www.whaleresearch.com/
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort
http://www.wildretreat.com/
Makah Tribe
http://www.makah.com/
Orca Network
http://www.orcanetwork.org/
Quileute Tribe
http://www.quileutetribe.org/7.html
"Sailing through layers of great, generous grays was like going back through time to an ancient ocean alive and teeming with whales. A time before human history had done its harm. A time even before humans had a history. A time and a whole world of ancient whales." -- from Sightings, by Brenda Peterson and Linda Hogan
"We, as humans, are burdened or lightened, hour by hour, act by act." -- from Sightings, by Brenda Peterson and Linda Hogan