In an interview with Chris Johnson, Dr. Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho stated that the Vaquita probably has the cleanest blubber of any marine mammal. This is a direct result of the health of the Gulf of California, which is one of the least polluted and most naturally productive areas of ocean in the world. This shows how simple the Vaquita’s threat is. Once we remove the gillnets, the Vaquita is in one of the best possible places to thrive. Watch the inspirational interview below. (Not viewable in email.)
The Muskwa Club has put up the first episode of their series of shadow puppet videos. You can watch it below. Also, their website is now www.muskwaclub.org.
Attention Muskwa Club members: the deadline for ordering a Vaquita t-shirt is Tuesday, May 7 at 11:59 pm, though I may extend the deadline slightly. Order it here: http://www.customink.com/signup/2nvhf7s2.
I have made a lot of progress on my book, including finishing all text, almost finishing all the illustrations, and I have front and back cover images (courtesy of Memuco and Tom Jefferson). I might even get NOAA or The Cousteau Society to pay for printing by sponsoring it! I hope to send it off to publishing this month.
Immense progress has been made with Muskwa’s National Save the Vaquita Day, about which they are contacting the president to make it an official day, July 6th. They have many, many aquariums participating in or considering participating in the event, with the Waikiki and Cabrillo Aquariums being confirmed for that day. Also, there is a chance I will be manning a table at the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts on June 9 for World Oceans Day, and the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland on July 6 for National Save the Vaquita Day, if they confirm their participation in the event.
The Muskwa Club has a huge range of contacts in every imaginable niche, which is helping make all of this possible. They will be selling my book on July 6 at many of their tables, (¡Viva Vaquita! will be doing the same), and the Cabrillo Aquarium has even offered to sell the book at their gift shop! The Muskwa Club has many projects that they are keeping under wraps for now, but believe me, they are awesome! Also, I am now writing a column for the Muskwa Club’s monthly newsletter.
In other news, Jonathan answered the riddle correctly! Q: What is a Vaquita’s favorite model of computer? A: Microsoft Surface.
Filmmaker Chris Johnson just released his updated Vaquita movie. Watch it here: http://vimeo.com/58132769. This movie is so great for the Vaquita, but it does bring up some points that make me a little nervous about the Vaquita’s survival. The new Vaquita-safe net appears to be the future for the Vaquita, if there is any.
Join ¡Viva Vaquita! at Whalefest on Saturday, January 21 from 9 am-5 pm at Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, California! They will be giving a special lecture about the Vaquita and showing the documentary “Vaquita: Last Chance for the Desert Porpoise”. Be sure to stop by the ¡Viva Vaquita!/American Cetacean Society Monterey Bay Chapter and Save The Whales booths to learn even more about the Vaquita! More information can be found at the link below. Even though I can’t attend (ahhh, the cost of traveling), anyone near or in Cali should head over for a great experience!
V-log 