Conscious Choice Seattle: Saving the Orcas, Still Enjoying the View

April 2006 | Letters to the Editor

Saving the Orcas, Still Enjoying the View

The sad loss in early March of Luna, the orca whale, due to a boating accident in Canada, reminds us that while there are many things that can be done to improve environmental conditions for these whales, only one change has an immediate, positive impact.
That would be reducing boat traffic and noise. Orca Relief Citizens’ Alliance proposes the following:

Give them room. Boat distance to the nearest whale should be increased to 400 yards. Water carries sound much better than air. At the current 100-yard viewing limit (which is regularly transgressed), a 2002 study by David Bain indicates boat noise decreases the whales’ sonar efficiency by 95 percent and more. Yes, the orcas will be harder to see, but the good news is they’ll be able to eat and will be safe from getting tangled in boat motors.

Whale weekends. We ask that people earning a living by running whale watching operations, reserve the two least-expensive contiguous days for no commercial whale watching at all. Maybe take off two mid-week days to give the whales a break?

Shorter days for people, longer days for whales. We ask all commercial whale watching boats to back off from the dawn to dusk current operating schedule. We suggest these boats restrict trips to allow maximally two round-trips from Victoria or other locations per day. Combined with half-hour viewing periods, and additional time for travel, that runs from 10am to 2pm. These hours will also apply to private boaters.

Melissa Milburn
Orca Relief Citizens’ Alliance
Friday Harbor
www.orcarelief.org

Going Vegetarian And Going Mainstream

Dear Editor,
Thanks for the recipes in the March issue (“Fundamental Flair”). I have already tried the “Soul-Full” chili for a work-related party and got rave reviews. It is refreshing to see recipes presented for vegetarians without a lot of excuse-making.

If you don’t believe that more people are enjoying vegetarian and healthy meals, tell that to the 12,000 people who attended last month’s VegFest.
Sincerely,

Tyler Trice
Seattle

Depicting Women In ‘Non-Traditional’ Roles

Dear Editor,
Although I was happy to see a focus on Women in a recent issue of Conscious Choice, I was surprised to see it in February rather than March, which is International Women’s Month.

Nevertheless, I find the cover of the February issue offensive. I am a woman who worked for 12 years in “non-traditional jobs”, as they were called 30 years ago. Like many others who were among the first to climb telephone poles, repair various equipment, be firefighters and such, we worked hard to develop respect for women in the workplace and to overcome stereotypes.

I am disturbed that 30 years later the cover of a publication that calls itself “A Conscious Enlightenment Publication” would portray us, and those who came after us, by using a model who is wearing spotless “Rosie the Riveter” clothes, has clean manicured hands, fake dirt on her face, and is lounging against a non-working piece of equipment, while gazing longingly at something above.

There are many thousands of real women doing real work in the Northwest who could have done honor to the cover of the 2006 Women’s Issue of “Conscious Choice”. Next year I hope we will see them on the cover of the March issue.

Cheryl Cromer
Seattle

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