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February to May, 2005
About the Gray Whale Migration Study
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| Gray
Whale Migration Route (click on map) |
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ACS/LA
Census Observation Post near Los Angeles, California |
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| Live, Interactive Migration Map |
Background
Gray whales migrate farther than any mammal. Their
journey between the warm birthing
lagoons in Mexico and the frigid arctic feeding grounds adds up to more
than 10,000 miles roundtrip—every year! Download our written-for-kids
booklet to find out when, where, and why:
- Gray
Whales: The Monumental Migration
link to pdf booklet (download, assemble, read!)
OR, see Web "slide show" version
How to Track
Gray Whale Migration
Journey
North follows the spring migration of these gentle giants and their
new
babies all along the Pacific Coast. Here's how to follow
the migration in your classroom:
1.
Live Data from Single Observation Posts
Like watching a parade, trained volunteers watch for whales
and calves passing two California observations posts. Counting for
the American Cetacean Society (ACS),
they provide live data for each of our
spring
migration updates. Track gray whales
from one ACS Census post or both!
- ACS-Los Angeles (ACS-LA) reports whales southbound and northbound using the nearshore coastal path. This is a long-term study.
- ACS-Channel Islands (ACS-CI) reports northbound whales (many with calves) passing Coal Oil Point in Goleta, California (10 miles west of Santa Barbara). The census is being conducted from the mainland and will look at whales who choose to go the long way along the coast. The route through the Channel Islands is more direct, shorter. Over time and in comparison with other census data, this census hopes to begin to provide an understanding of the percentages of whales that choose between the two routes: along the coast and through the islands. The first year for the ACS-CI Census is 2005; we're thrilled to share data!
The data
and our guiding questions help you compile a picture of migration
as the whales
swim
past. What migration patterns will emerge based
on the hundreds
of
whales
observed offshore? Our lesson explains how to use the
ACS migration data to calculate, graph, and analyze:
Thanks to Alisa Schulman-Janiger and volunteers of the ACS-LA Census, and to Michael Smith and volunteers of the new ACS-CI Census for providing this opportunity!
2.
Reports from Observers Along the Migration Trail
News
from observers all along the "whale trail" helps to
narrate the whales' long journey up the Pacific Coast to the
arctic feeding grounds.
If you live along the whale trail, you can help track the migration!
Please
Report Your Sightings!
If you're on the Pacific Coast, please watch for. . .
- The FIRST northbound gray whales.
- The FIRST northbound mother/calf pairs.
Copyright
2005 Journey North. All Rights Reserved.
Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to jn-help@learner.org
