Join us in discovering the incredible Whale Trail alongside its founder Donna Sandstrom!

We will have conversations on how The Whale Trail came to be and how it has helped Southern Resident orcas' recovery since its creation by connecting people to this endangered species and raising awareness of the threats and conservation challenges they face.

Southern Resident orcas are an endangered species both in the US and Canada, three main threats can be linked to their population decline: a lack of their main prey, high levels of chemicals and toxins in their habitat as well as noise pollution, and vessel disturbance.

The Whale Trail has provided an opportunity to connect and make marine wildlife sightings more accessible to the public while advocating for the recovery and conservation of Southern Resident orcas.

Founded in 2008, the project expanded to British Columbia in 2015 through a partnership with the BC Cetacean Sighting Network, which leads The Whale Trail BC today.

Through collaboration, The Whale Trail has shown us that Southern Resident orca recovery is possible and that we can all be a part of it, so join us in discovering how you can too!

Come with curiosity, get ready to be inspired, and have your questions answered by our guest!

About the speaker:

Donna Sandstrom is the Founder and Executive Director of The Whale Trail. Donna founded The Whale Trail in 2008 to build awareness of the endangered southern resident orcas throughout their range. From 16 inaugural sites in Washington there are now more than 100, spanning the west coast from California to British Columbia. Donna recently served as a member of Governor Jay Inslee’s Task Force on SRKW Recovery.

Prior to founding The Whale Trail, Donna had a 14-year career as a project and team manager at Adobe Systems. In 2002 she was a citizen participant in the successful effort to return an orphaned orca, Springer, to her pod and native waters. She is the author of a new middle-grade nonfiction book "Orca Rescue! the True Story of an Orphaned Orca Named Springer," published by Kids Can Press. She also co-authored a teaching curriculum based on Springer’s story for NOAA Fisheries.

Donna grew up in California, where her love for the sea and all its creatures took early hold. She attended UC Santa Cruz 1974 to 1979 where she studied psychobiology. She lives in West Seattle.

We acknowledge that our work takes place on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples.