The fifth annual Whale Fest Kodiak will celebrate the passage of the Gray whales near Kodiak Island on their 12,000 mile annual migration from the shores of Baja to the Bering and Chukchi seas. The majority of the northbound gray whale migration passes through the gap between Narrow Cape and Ugak Island, and large numbers are present there during the week of Whale Fest, April 13 through 22. In 1999, the National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle estimated the population of gray whales to be 26,635. Whale Fest Kodiak includes a literary reading and book signing, lectures, storytelling, video, radio talk shows, children's activities and art show, local art show and sale, exhibits in local museums, sea shanteys and more. Lectures by whale and marine mammal experts will give the public the opportunity to learn about current research and other issues affecting ocean habitats.
All events are free or for a minimal donation to the sponsoring organization.
Evening lectures will be held throughout Whale Fest at locations around Kodiak. On April 18, she teaches the whale watching techniques used in Oregon by Whale Watch Spoken Here. He also joins the Enchanted Island on April 14 on KMXT public radio. Discarding the new, lower limits for arsenic in drinking water could hit President George W. Bush close to home. President Bush has put that rule on hold.