Beam Reach

Photos from the first 2 weeks

Click on the photos below to see more images from the fall program which began two weeks ago.  The program started with the students and Scott emerging from overcast Seattle into the sunny San Juans. We car-pooled up and felt lucky to be one of the last couple cars to be loaded aboard our planned ferry departure.

The first class session was spent at Lime Kiln lighthouse, listing and discussing each student’s questions about the endangered local killer whales and their environment. While the southern resident orcas didn’t pass by the Whale Watch State Park while we were there, we have heard them frequently on the live hydrophones of orcasound.net.

Since then, the focus has been on learning what past students and other researchers have accomplished and practicing with the bioacoustic instrumentation available through Beam Reach, our research vessel, and the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Labs.  This process has led to the formulation of a draft research proposal by each student which will be further refined in the third week on land, as well as during and after initial data collection over weeks 4-5.

You can monitor the students’ progress via their class home page: beamreach.org/102