Good with the Bad

Well, it's time for another update. Unfortunately this one isn't as uplifting as past posts.

I heard back from the bird job. There was an initial requirement for the job which stated that the applicants needed a degree in a scientific field to be qualified. Adam said with my experience on the island and assisting on research projects that it shouldn't be a problem and I should apply anyway. Sadly, that's not the case. In order to override the schooling requirement I need at least three years experience working in the field. The project leader said he would've hired me, but the Forest Services Human Resources Department can't give him clearance to do so if I don't match the requirements. So... as of now it looks like I will not be returning to the island this summer, which makes me really really sad. J Pod just had another new baby, J45. This means there are three little ones I need to meet! The Center for Whale Research Reported the following news on March 3:

Photograph by Ken Balcomb, Senior Scientist, Center for Whale Research

Newest calf J45 with its mother J14 (foreground), J1 (large male in background), and J30 (teenage male behind J14)

Ken Balcomb, Dave Ellifrit and John Durban encountered J pod just before sunset in Haro Strait traveling Northwest. We confirmed that the new baby J44 was still doing well with its presumed mother, J17; and, we documented another new calf J45 with its presumed mother J14 (foreground in the above photo). This is quite exciting to have two new calves in J pod within a month. Thanks to Jeanne Hyde for first noticing the newest calf on 28 February, and letting us know J pod was back in the area on 3 March.

Once again, for those of you unfamiliar with the family structure in J Pod, J17 (Princess Angeline) is the mother of J28 (Polaris). As of now, the team is reporting J17 as the most likely mother of new baby J44... meaning J28 most likely has a new sibling. This is the third known calf for J17. She currently has two daughters, J28 - the eldest at age 16, and J35 (Tahlequah) - age 11. The other female, J14 (Samish) is the granddaughter of the matriarch of J Pod, J2 (Granny). J2 is currently estimated to be the oldest member of the Southern Resident Community at 98 years old. Her family group includes the ever-famous J1 (Ruffles) who is my dad's favorite and the first orca I saw in the wild. This new baby is Granny's fourth living great-grandcalf. J14 had a baby in the fall of 2007 (J43). This calf did not survive long and she must have gotten pregnant shortly thereafter because their gestation is 16-17 months. J14 currently has three living claves, aside from the new baby, they are J30 (Riptide - a large 14 year old male), J37 (Hy'shqa - an 8 year old female), and J40 (Suttles - a 5 year old female). Hopefully this new baby makes it through the summer. Its birth has better timing in the year because the summer months tend to provide more food for the animals. This means J44 and J45 will be older claves during the winter, increasing their likelihood for survival.

I'm pretty bummed that it looks like I may not see them this year. I love these guys, as you all know, and am really gonna miss experiencing their lives over the summer. They've had a pretty profound impact on me and I hope one day I can give a little back to them...

I've decided with my mom that if I don't get a job in California by mid-April that I will return home for the summer and try to work with the Downtown Partnership again. I wouldn't mind being home to spend time with family before I head off to law school and of course it'd be nice to see Mikey's sports. If I leave in April, I will return in mid-July to begin preparing for law school and hopefully meeting members of my class. Not all is lost, but I'm still bumming over the bird job. I was pretty excited to go back to San Juan. I hope it won't be too long before I return again to a place I now refer to as "my second home with the whales."