TELEGRAPH COVE—The Whale Interpretive Centre opened for the 2014 season Monday, and will host a major fundraising event this weekend in an effort to articulate a pair of whale skeletons for public display.
The Whale and Wildlife Festival is scheduled for May 9, from 7-10 p.m. at the Tidemark Theatre in Campbell River.
“We thought it would be a good meeting point to get the people who want to come up from down-Island,” organizer Mary Borrowman said. “We’re trying to draw 400 people, and hope some of our North Islanders can make it down, as well.”
Guest speakers include Dr. John Ford, head of marine mammal science at Pacific Biological Station; Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, head of marine mammal research at Vancouver Aquarium; Jackie Hildering, the Marine Detective; and Christie McMillan of CETUS, a master’s candidate working in humpback whale research.
Tickets for the interactive event, with numerous informational booths and door prizes, are $15 and are available at the Tidemark Theatre.
Funds raised will go to Telegraph Cove’s renowned Whale Interpretive Centre. The centre has been preparing the carcasses of “Whitey”, a humpback whale that washed up at White Rock, and T-44, a Biggs killer whale found dead in Bull Harbour.
As of its opening May 5, the centre plans to raise additional funds through an adopt-a-bone program. The Whale Interpretive Centre will be open through the season until early October. Volunteers interested in staffing and other duties at the centre, or those seeking information on the Whale and Wildlife Festival, may call Borrowman at 250-928-3187.