The Seabirds Flock Together
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Coming Together
Underneath the bright blue skies of San Juan Island and surrounded by the ocean waters of the Salish Sea, the Seabirds Foundation gathered for our very first retreat, to revel in fostering ocean exploration and building community.
Team members flew or drove in from across the United States and Canada, along with a film crew from England, there to capture video footage for the Matriarchs movie project. Everyone arrived between Wednesday, August 23, and Thursday, August 24. The retreat gathered to create in-person connections between the widely dispersed members of the team and to align our mission, vision, and strategy for all we want to accomplish in the next few years.
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Educational Stuff
The retreat was on Friday and Saturday. We met Friday morning at the Center for Whale Research/Orca Survey for a fascinating presentation about the Southern Residents of the Salish Sea.
After the presentation, we went to The Whale Museum. It went deep into historical, cultural, and scientific aspects of orcas. We got to meet the film crew at the museum, Felicity and Katie. They work with David Attenborough and other serious documentarians.
Fun Stuff
After the museum, we split up for lunch and various meetings and reconnoitered at Lime Kiln State Park for a classic Seabirds activity, a beach cleanup. When we arrived, however, we discovered the beach was pristine! Instead, we admired the incredible views while some of the more adventurous among us climbed onto the rocks and we learned about the exciting Blue Echo project.
We met for dinner at the Airbnb of the film crew. The Salish Sea just off their deck, next to the bay where Free Willy 2 was filmed. As we oohed and aahed, multiple Seabirds confessed that their passion for orcas originated from the movie Free Willy!
Before the pizza, we strutted our stuff for the cameras with a rough, grassy terrain as our catwalk. Our instructions were to gaze confidently at the camera as we walked boldly forward (rather than watch our feet). During the five takes, it was a miracle I didn’t face plant!
Strategy Session
The next morning was the strategy session for the Operations Team. We spent four hours and could have spent eight. We outlined a new mission statement, defined our roles, and identified current projects and their owners. Whew! Stay tuned for more from the Ops Team!
Orca Sighting
The retreat ended Saturday evening with a bang, or maybe I should say “a splash”. Our chartered whale watching boat, the Kestrel, took us out in search of orca, and we found them!
It's Not a Goodbye
We said our farewells Saturday night because most of the Seabirds left early Sunday to head to their respective berths. But some Seabirds will be gathering in a few weeks to venture to the North Sea for another expedition. Happy sailing, dear friends!
