Please participate in our newest campaign: the Vaquita “Post-a-day Challenge!” We are challenging you to write at least one Vaquita post on social media every day for the entire month of March (already starting tomorrow!). Please let us know if you are participating (via comments, posts, or tweets), and share the banner below to spread the word! Also, if you read this after March 1st, please still participate. It is much better late than never! #SaveTheVaquita!
Also, keep an eye out on Paws on Controls, a really neat activism website that will be featuring an article about the Vaquita and V-log in the near future.
Here is a digital painting/photo manipulation I made of a Vaquita from a picture of a Harbor Porpoise:
Here is a wonderful crochet Vaquita that my 9-year-old sister made:
This is a canvas painting that I just completed based on a photograph by Chris Johnson. I will be working on another canvas painting soon that will be for sale, so stay tuned!
Tudosoiu Dragos, the creator of V-log’s new logo, has also created the new logo for International Save the Vaquita Day 2014:
Also, this Sunday, January 26th, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, California will be having their 44th annual Whale Fiesta. You can visit the Muskwa Club’s table, which will be spreading awareness for the critically endangered Vaquita porpoise. They will also be advertising my book, which will be available in Cabrillo’s gift shop. Please stop by for a whale of a time! 🙂
I was inspired by Betina Loudermilk’s comment on Facebook. She says that she will go on an eco-tour to look for the Vaquita if she is able to, which is amazing news! I hope many more people take the initiative and go on Vaquita-friendly eco-tours, because it is supporting the fishermen that switch careers from fishing with gillnets to giving eco-tours. You can read about some of the businesses that switched from gillnet fishing here: http://www.cedointercultural.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=69&Itemid=66. Also, here is a travel itinerary I made for a Vaquita-oriented vacation: https://vlogvaquita.com/2013/07/18/update-vaquita-vacation/. This is the comment thread I mentioned above:
17-year-old Frédérique Lucas from the Netherlands, known on deviantART as Namu the Orca, is the Muskwa Club’s first international member! She is an extremely talented artist with a passion for nature, especially cetaceans. She has agreed to do some Vaquita artwork to help raise awareness for the world’s most endangered marine mammal, so keep an eye out for some incredible Vaquita paintings in the near future!
The Muskwa Club’s newest project is: Viva Vaquita!—The Musical! Here is an article about it from Muskwa’s latest newsletter:
“Muskwa’s latest harebrained scheme continued to take shape this month. Viva Vaquita!—The Musical is already gathering widespread support amongst the South Bay and Peninsula theater communities.
The full-length musical will follow the basic plot line of Muskwa’s YouTube serials while injecting lively musical numbers in a Baja California setting.
Muskwa held the first development meeting on December 12 at Peninsula High. President William Whittenbury and local theater veteran Ashley Trutanich discussed the various aspects of musical production, including costs, sets, and necessary personnel. Muskwa’s musical will be original, so the organization will be able to avoid the crippling expenses often incurred by rights purchases.
In addition, Muskwan Hannah Hilden and noted Peninsula newscaster Natalie Edelstein have agreed to join the cast. Many others have also expressed interest. Local parent and talented artist Nancy Parsons has agreed to paint the sets, noting that she has always wanted to paint underwater backdrops.
Ms. Parsons is known for her beautiful sets for the Point Vicente Elementary Variety Shows, which formed a be-loved part of many Muskwans’ childhoods.
A tentative timetable would see the musical continue development for the duration of the school year, followed by performances in the summer. All profits will go directly to Vaquita charities.
¡Viva Vaquita! has also given us the go-ahead to use their name for the show, so it will be officially titled Viva Vaquita!—The Musical. Go Muskwa!”
It has been a spectacular year for the Vaquita and me. V-log got over 6,200 views from 68 countries in 2013, which is that many more people learning about the Vaquita. Check out this awesome report of this year on V-log, created by WordPress and with cool graphics: Click here to see the complete report.
I got some great art supplies for Christmas, and I started a Vaquita painting that should be finished within the next few weeks. In addition, I have plans to create prints and sell an original canvas painting, so stay tuned!
It’s official! International (yes, International) Save the Vaquita Day 2014 is on July 12th! This year promises to have more, better, and bigger venues than ever. Look out for an ISTVD 2014 logo in the very near future, as well as official updates on the event as venues are confirmed. Here is a wonderful picture by Uko Gorter. Let’s make 2014 the “Year of the Vaquita”!
Saturday, July 6, marks enormous day for everyone in the Vaquita world. It is National Save the Vaquita Day, which we Muskwans created as a day to celebrate and teach the world about the wonderful Vaquita. We are going to have tables at in 9 cities, run by members of the Muskwa Club, the American Cetacean Society, and NOAA. Please celebrate this monumental event with us at one of the locations below.
Key: Maroon—Muskwa Club,Indigo—Muskwa and the American Cetacean Society,Orange—American Cetacean Society, Magenta—Muskwa Club and NOAA
Point Vicente Interpretive Center, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA Virginia Beach Aquarium, Virginia Beach, VA Oklahoma Aquarium, Tulsa, OK Monterey, CA Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Los Angeles, CA Maritime Gloucester, Gloucester, MA Oregon Point Dume, CA Waikiki Aquarium, Honolulu, HI
If you have any questions about the event, please email William Whittenbury at wawhittenbury@aol.com.
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