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The Captain's Log |
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App for Iphone & Black Berries now available for Whalesong Project! We are very happy to report the development of a dediated I phone application to link to our hydrophone and our project - through a collaboration between The Whalesong Project and Gladworks To buy this application for $2.99 go to the Itunes store by clicking the Iphone about and search the Applications store for "the Whalesong project" The link is: http://tiny.cc/whalesong (This is an abbreviated link: your iTunes will be prompted to open with the Whale Song Project App download page) Hook it up to your stereo system in your car and cruise to live whalesongs, or listen at night to help you sleep (warning: may induce whale dreaming) |
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August 25, 2010 - Excellence in Research Prize and Medal to be Awarded to Professor David Rothenberg We are very proud to announce that our very own board member David Rothenberg is about to receive the "Excellence in Research Prize and Medal" from New Jersey Institute of Technology. It is awarded by the NJIT Board of Overseers in recognition of a "researcher's sustained record of achievement that has enhanced the reputation of NJIT." In the announcement on their website they say David "personifies the integration of research, instruction, economic development and public service that are this University's core mission elements."
Dr. David Rothenberg is a professor of music and philosophy at NJIT. His widely publicized studies of bird song and whale song illustrate the complex, complementary relationship between music and the scientific investigation of nature. Rothenberg is currently working on a book that assesses the connection between evolution and aesthetics, including the power of the aesthetic aspects of Darwin's concept of natural selection. His most recent book, Thousand Mile Song: Whale Music in a Sea of Sound (Basic Books, 2008), as well as the same-named CD, chronicled the rich, underwater universe of whale sound. To produce the material, Rothenberg traveled from Hawaii to Russia to play his bass clarinet while recording the sounds of whales in their native habitats. Booklist , a publication of the American Library Association, named the text one of the ten best science and technology books for 2008. August 21, 2010 - Acknowledging the Loss of a Key Whalesong Founder It's my painful duty to announce the passing of our Founding Board President Ed Bigelow last week. He will be sorely missed by all who had the good fortune to know him. Ed and and I designed elements of our first Whalesong Project buoy on a napkin at Borders Coffee Shop in Kahului back in 2000. He was a guiding light for our fledgling organization as we became a "legitimate" 501C3 corporation. He was a gracious, intelligent, inspiring and good humored facilitator of our Board Meetings for the eight or so years we have been incorporated, until he resigned last year due to health concerns. Ed had a big heart and an incredibly intelligent mind. His interests and professional credentials were diverse, including science, economics, solar and alternate energy design and production, photography, art and music. I met Ed through our mutual love of Hawaiian music, through our Kumu (teacher) and friend George Kahumoku, also a Whalesong Project Founding Board Member. Ed was also one of my best friends and the best kind of friend a person could have. And he was my next door neighbor for the past five years. Those who have attended events at my home can testify that Ed was not only an engaging and delightful presence, and a great guitar and ukulele player, but that he also made one of the best Liliko'i cheesecakes on the planet, from passion fruit that he and Helen grow. What are we going to do Ed? You are irreplaceable. You will live on in our hearts. Dan Sythe, founder of The Whalesong Project July 22, 2010 - Project Update The Whalesong Project is in a holding pattern right now. We hope our last ten years of webcasting the live songs of the Humpback Whales has raised awareness about this endangered species, and our endangered oceans... and about the fact that the oceans are a highly acoustic environment. This is important to know in an age that is filled with noise that can affect life. Whether it is noise generated by boats, underwater oil exploration, acoustic well logging with explosive devices, or sonar for navigation and military purposes. June 19, 2010 - More on Sperm Whales in the Gulf Evidently the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission warned of risks associated with oil exploration in the Gulf in the early 1990's. According to this article these warnings were ignored by federal regulators and BP. The author, Heather Heenehan, is a master's degree student in environmental management at Duke University, and is working on a summer fellowship at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. June 18, 2010 - Messing with Mother Nature CNN quotes one of the workers on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig....."This well did not want to be drilled.....it just seemed like we were messing with Mother Nature." Read the full article June 17, 2010 - Gulf oil spill and Whales There has been a lot of speculation about the impact of the the oil spill on whales and dolphins. This story says NOAA is investigating the death of a Sperm Whale near the accident. In Hawaiian, the Sperm Whale is called Palaoa. The Palaoa are considered a form of Kanaloa, the God of the Ocean. They were hunted to near extinction, and are still an endangered species. Lets hope the problems in the gulf are solved soon, and that some wisdom is developed that will help turn the tide in favor of healthy oceans. June 8, 2010 - Ocean Day - Oceans of Life The theme of Ocean Day this year is "Oceans of Life." Never has the importance of protecting the oceans seemed more important than this very day. Oil streams into the Gulf of Mexico, toxic plastic gyres are growing, ice caps are melting, the ban on commercial whaling may be lifted with support from Washington D.C. June 6, 2010 - Whalesong Project Board Member George Kahumoku honored
June 3, 2010 - The Mystery of Pu'u Kohola
As we approach the 200th anniversary of the unification of the Hawaiian Islands, much attention is focused on Pu'u Kohola. It was here that Kamehameha built this large heiau before his unification quest. Some call it the "hill of the whale" and some say it resembles a whale. Some have suggested that perhaps the Kohola, the Hawaiian Humpback Whale, was an 'aumakua of King Kamehameha. Others give a different explanation for the name. Kohola can also mean "chosen day," and there was a belief that the prophesies around Kamehameha and the unification of the islands required consecration of this heiau on a particular day. Hawaiian language and mythology is is filled with kaona, hidden meaning, metaphor. It is possible the name means both. Another puzzling fact: One of Kamehameha's names is Pai'ea. Those of you who watched the movie Whale Rider may recall that the Maori prophet who rode the whale was Paikea, which is how one would say Pai'ea in Maori. Paikea was said to have come from Hawaiki, Hawai'i. We may never know the full mystery of this possible connection between Kamehameha The Great and the whales. June 2, 2010 - How to lessen sonar impact on whalesThis article in the Honolulu Weekly includes a conversation with Robin Baird, who has done whale research in Hawaiian waters for eleven years. Robin helps explain the "lay of the land" in Hawaiian waters relevant to cetaceans and sonar, and outlines some steps the Navy could take to reduce impacts in their use of sonar. Robin also explains why we may not see whales who die or are injured by sonar use, making data collection on injuries more complicated than it already is.Dan Sythe, founder of The Whalesong Project: "My personal opinion is that there has not been much emphasis on data collection. My observation is that most whales who strand themselves in Hawai'i are not evaluated for acoustic trauma. Without data, without the scientific method applied, we are in the dark. I am doing necessary post-whale season travel. I'm happy to report we were able to produce another season of bringing the live whale songs to the world, and to participate at a number of events, and to move our sustainability project, Haleakala Institute, forward. I'm sorry to report that we have depleted our financial resources. Our all-volunteer team greatly appreciates the heartfelt financial contributions that help keep our website, webcast, essential services alive. Thank you!" May 16, 2010 - Whalesong Project Season 10 Complete Whalesong Project Season 10 of webcasting the live songs of Maui's Kohola has come to an end. The whales are mostly gone now, and it's been about a week since I have heard any singing. The buoy lost its mooring this morning. Fortunately our diligent lifeguards at Kamaole I Beach called us and brought her safely to shore. They have been keeping a close eye on her for the last 9 seasons, since we moved to Kamaole I after completing our first season at Ma'alaea Bay. Here they are shown loading the buoy into our truck. They not only brought her to shore, but also made getting her on the road easier with their special equipment Here Wendy Acosta, a Whalesong Project volunteer, assesses the situation with the life guards It was John, shown in this picture, who called us and managed the situation. Thank you John, and the rest of your crew. We are deeply grateful. April 7, 2010 - David Rothenberg @ The Cooper Union in New York City The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is hosting a talk by David Rothenberg, musician, philosopher, and author of THOUSAND MILE SONG: WHALE MUSIC IN A SEA OF SOUND on Tuesday, April 13 at 6:30 pm. Rothenberg, who has also written WHY BIRDS SING, will play recordings of sounds of humpback whales and discuss current research on whale communication. The talk is free and open to all in Cooper Union's magnificent new building at 41 Cooper Square (#6 train to Astor Place, R & W trains to 8th St., one block away.) in New York City. April 1, 2010 - Whalesong @ Celebration of the Arts in Kapalua
Charles Kaupu, Hokulani Holt-Padilla & Clifford Naeole The Whalesong Project team is humbled and honored to be invited (once again) to one of the most prestigious festivals on the Island. 'Eia ka Manawa...here, now is the time', is the theme for the 18th annual 'Celebration of the Arts' festival at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua this weekend. Like in the past 8 years we will provide the unique opportunity to listen 'live' to our most anticipated return guests, the humpback whales. March 27, 2010 - Challenging Times Dan Sythe, founder of The Whalesong Project, about challeging times: "I thought I would share this beautiful sunset shot, taken with my iphone off of Olowalu last weekend. There are still a lot of whales here, but their numbers will drop dramatically over the next few weeks as they head north to Alaskan waters. They are becoming increasingly interested in people this year. We are hearing many reports of whales seeking human contact, wanting to interact.
This Curvier Beaked Whale washed up and died in Hana Maui on Monday. We still don't know if there is a relationship between these rare whale deaths and sonar use by the military in Hawaiian waters, and I'm not hopeful at this point that we will ever know. We finally had one whale tested for acoustic trauma last year, but now there is no mention of it being part of the necropsy process. Ten years of talking with NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Senator Inouye, other politicians, the National Marine Sanctuary, have only brought me frustration. This beautiful creature was hauled away by a team of excited scientists who want to learn about it, but probably will never tell us if acoustic trauma was a factor in its death. With aloha, Dan" March 14, 2010 - Peak Season Report Thanks to all of you who have contributed to this season's success. It feels a little overwhelming every year to bring all of this equipment and software online, and participate in the events that this season brings. But we now have our buoy secure at her original mooring. It took a few trips out there to manage the trasition, find the anchor, etc. The whales are singing some very interesting songs this year. David Rothenberg is here and preparing for the benefit concert this Friday. David always brings interesting stories, people, technology. We enjoy his presence here. We were mentioned in the Maui News this week. We are preparing for participating in Celebration of the Arts at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua April 2, 3, 4. Again, thank all of you who have helped fix or maintain the buoy, sent money, played music or danced at one of our fund raising events. More soon! March 9, 2010 - Whalesong Project Benefit Concert March 19 2010 Please join us on March 19, 7 PM, Makawao Union Church. David Rothenberg returns to share his music, stories, and to play live with whale songs from our buoy, and more. More information to follow. Thanks to all of you who have volunteered for the project, played music, provided a boat, paddled out on a surfboard during the tsunami, set the anchor, played music, sent money to keep our project alive. March 4, 2010 - Shifting Tides - Whalesong Project needs Help The buoy is moored temporarily in a new location. In the period between the tsunami and sunset we could not get her back to her permanent anchor. She drifts north in the morning and we get some noise as she leaves the area where our dish antenna can pick up her signal. Willy's boat trailer is broken, and we have not been able to secure another boat. We were hoping this season to have our own service boat and a webcam pointed at her, but the economic tides have created challenges for the Whalesong Project. Our all-volunteer team is operating in the red right now. At the beginning, the project was funded entirely by me. We became a non-profit corporation and over a period of several years were able to raise the $15,000 per year we need to operate through donations. Last year donations plummeted and my personal credit cards became maxed out to keep the project alive. We raised $1,500 recently through the kokua of numerous volunteers and musicians at our fund raising concert. With additional donations from Whalesong Germany, we got the buoy in the water.We have another benefit concert scheduled for March 19 (stay tuned). We have survived the tsunami and kept our project alive in an economic tide that left many of the world's largest and most powerful corporations in bankruptcy. But we are straining our volunteers resources to do it. We know that there are thousands of you out there who love the project and many express support with annual donations. Most of our donations are in the $10 to $30 range, and they are heartfelt and deeply appreciated. I have a hard time asking for more, but I just wanted to put it out that we need support to keep the project alive. I read in the news that various countries are competing for rights to the oil reserves under the Arctic ice...looking forward to when the ice caps are gone and the resources can be "exploited." It's this kind of thinking that we are working to overcome. Please help us. The picture above was taken right after the tsunami, when we recovered Hokumoanalani as she drifted. Paulo Mendes, on the left, caught a ride back to shore in Cove Park after the rescue. He picked up his board and looked back to see the cove was empty. The tsunami was still reverberating through our archipelago. Hope you are all well. Thank you for listening. Dan Sythe, founder of The Whalesong Project February 28, 2010 - ...a tsunami adventure... We have great news to report directly from Dan on Maui: "We had a big adventure today with our buoy, Holumoanalani. We planned a service call this morning, but woke up to sirens and phone calls about the approaching tsunami. We watched the tsunami hit Hawai'i on television, and when I took a break to check email I saw a message from a woman named Jackie in Kihei who said the buoy was drifting north. Paulo Mendes and I rushed over there hoping to retrieve her before she was damaged or lost. The emergency had just been lifted, but there was no one and no boats in the water in South Maui. The beaches and parks were closed. Strong currents and unusual shifts in sea levels were still occurring. Shelly Stephens joined us, along with Paulo's friend, Nikos Los Banos, with his amazing Dog, Mana. Mana is well known on Maui for his love of surfing with Nikos. On a kayak and two stand-up paddle boards, we followed Shelly to the buoy. We then towed the buoy back to a spot near her usual mooring. A tricky situation turned humorous when Mana, a strong swimmer, was given a rope to help tow the buoy. We were able to create a temporary mooring until we can go back with GPS to restore the original mooring early this week. I could not bear the thought of losing the buoy after so many volunteers, including myself, have put in so much time and money to bringing the live whalesongs to you and the world. Big thanks to all!!!" February 27, 2010 - Tsunami update - 11:57 am Update from Dan: "I'm sorry to report that some radio interference has moved into our buoy arena. The tsunami is hitting Hawai'i as I write. There is no way to get to the hydrophone and base station right now due to road closures and general evacuation of the coastal areas. We are now getting reports of erratic whale behavior outside of Kahului Harbor. A dramatic drop in the water level at Kahului Harbor is being reported." February 27, 2010 - Tsunami - 10:55 am Dan reports: "The whales are singing their seemingly normal songs for this season approximately 15 minutes before the predicted tsunami. I am recording now, out of curiosity. What does a tsunami sound like? I hope I don't hear the sound of our precious buoy washing up on shore. So many volunteers have had a hand in putting her in the ocean and keeping her working. We had a scheduled maintenance run on the calendar this morning. This would have involved two people on surfboard and kayak with tools at the buoy site. We are trying to address some intermittent noise, and the fact that our hydrophone gain is set a little high. This makes the hydrophone (basically an underwater microphone) very "hot." It's great for listening to the whales at medium and far distance. But when we get a singer close by, as we did last night (a very energetic singer) it is causing some distortion. We can't do anything until this tsunami passes, which could happen "any minute" according to the local news channel. More later." February 24, 2010 - Noise reduction is working We are now able to offer a much better sound as we successfully installed the noise reduction software. Enjoy! February 21, 2010 - Whalesong at Whale Day The Whalesong booth was entirely solar powered this year, thanks to volunteer Terry Fielding, who has a small solar company and loaned us 400 Watts of photovoltaic power. Terry also made a serious commitment of time, energy and expertise to the buoy. He pulled new Kyocera marine solar panels out of his hat at the last minute, when we realized they all needed to be replaced to go into the season with confidence. Our friends at Pacific Whale Foundation keep giving us more space and better locations every year. We were by the ocean with low noise from the stage, space for the solar array and two tents, next to the Children's Whale Oragami project. There is an Orgami whale created by a child... for each whale killed by commercial whaling - in a very large tent... We could see Hokumoanalani from our display and there were many whales in the area, a mother and calf close to the buoy, and lots of singing going on. We never could get a picture of our display without people in front of it, but we got this shot when the traffic was light. People on their way to the Orgami tent would inevietably pause to contemplate the whale songs. Pacific Whale Foundation people expressed much appreciation to us, continue to tell people about us on their boats, have a link to us on their website, let us know they gave us the prime location. Thank you! February 20, 2010 - We are online - enjoy LIVE Whalesongs! We are very happy to post this report of Dan from Maui - what a great team we have! Thanks for everybody involved! "It's been a very challenging several weeks, but we raised enough money to finish rebuilding Hokumoanalani and and get her out in the ocean today. We had a great crew on the boat, and I stayed ashore to install the base station in its new location. We are now webcasting to the Live365 server, which is linked to the whale picture, and which the Iphone application links to. We have to reestablish the shoutcast server - please stay tuned for more possibilities to listen live. The recording David Rothenberg made is still playing on the shoutcast servers until then. We have not implemented the noise suppression software yet, but hope to do so this coming week. The new transmitter, new receiver, new hydrophone, new solar panels are all working very well, so I expect a reliable webcast for the duration of the season. Paulo took photos of the launch that I expect we will see this coming week. Below are a few I shot with my iphone. All attention is now focused on Whaleday tomorrow. We will have a fully solar display booth this year with a 6 ft square Kyocera array... focus on sustainability. It's a marathon but we are holding up, with a great crew, but the $600 in the bank is essentially spent already. Hope to get some donations tomorrow to hold us through until the next benefit concert with David on March 19." February 17, 2010 - Whalesong @Whale Day Whale Day will be bigger than ever this year as it's the 30th anniversary of Maui's largest and longest running celebration of its famous wintertime residents, the humpback whales! Whalesong will have a booth to bring whale songs to the event. We are working hard to get the buoy into the water before Saturday! The new base station is completely installed! Thanks to the benefit concert last Friday we were able to buy a new shed and a new higher speed Clearwire modem. Wiring and testing the network was successful. Please keep your fingers crossed that we will be able to launch the buoy in time and please come see us this Saturday! Whale Day is free and open to all. The Whale Day Celebration will take place Saturday, February 20, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Kalama Park in Kihei. February 8, 2010 - The Whalesong Benefit Concert Lei'ohu Ryder with Maydene Iao at our fundraiser Friday night. Big thanks to them and cousin Ke'ali'i, who danced the hula, and to Ed Ellsworth who took these photos on his iPhone. For a beautiful collage of photos of the evening that show more participants and some music go to Peter Rosen's Site. Thank you, Peter. Oh yes, that's Jonathan Dreshler on bass. Here's George, our Whalesong Project Board Member, and 4 X Grammy winner! Congratulations George! February 1, 2010 - Buoy update and Benefit Concert this Friday, Feb 5th!
We are very happy to announce that Whalesong Project Board Member George Kahumoku Jr. just won his 4th Grammy Award in the Hawaiian Music category! George emailed Dan from Los Angeles from his iPhone with the great news last night. We are in the middle of creating an event for this Friday evening with George at Makawao Union Church on Baldwin Avenue near Rainbow Park, 7 pm through 11 PM. First two hours will feature George and other Hawaiian musicians, with hula, and with a little talk-story about the Oceans and Whales....and really anything George wants to talk about. He's a true Hawaiian Renaisance Man, and it is always a great pleasure to hear him play and hear what he has to say. The second part of the evening will explore the musical and mystical realms of the Whale and Ocean world, and human interaction, with Sam David, WhaleTrance, and Eva Gueke, WhaleDance. Dan's band, Keaolani, will open the show. There will be surprise guests and we expect it to be a very enjoyable evening. The acoustics and atmosphere are very good at this venue. Suggested donation $20, Seniors $10, Keiki free. Download the poster here - please print and spread the word! Money raised will go to getting our buoy, Hokumoanalani, back in the ocean for the season. We are getting a later start than we would like to be getting, but it's been a challenging couple of seasons in many ways. We've lost some key people to relocation and the economy, and illness. But we are still standing, and hope to become a stronger organization as the challenges facing the world's oceans increase. Your donations through the Paypal button, by mail, or by attendance at our fundraiser will help with that. We remain an all-volunteer organization. There are no salaries, and no compensation paid, to officers, board members, or our team of dedicated volunteers. Your contributions pay for hardware, software, webcasting and webhosting fees, costs associated with participating in the many events we show up at to promote Ocean health and awareness. Stay tuned for details. January 25, 2010 - Making progress towards the sea... The whales are here and singing. The buoy is getting closer to being complete every day. We think it will be at least three more days to complete all tests and get a boat, but it could take longer, depending on how testing goes. Sam David painted the buoy and has added some artistic touches that are beautiful January 21, 2010 - Buoy progress report Thanks to all for your patience, as we complete the final stages of the buoy renovation. The picture above shows the electronic section on the work bench last night James, Kevin and Paulo test the battery pack, cables, and solar charging circuitry on Sunday Dan, Atreya and his Dad, Sam, retesting the charging system after repairs yesterday January 7, 2010 - New sounds added We've added some new sounds in our audio archive. Please have a look and listen to whale songs off of Alaska and sound samples of sonar, vessels and light bulbs... December 25, 2009 - Happy Holiday Season! We wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! December 15, 2009 - Buoy in renovation stage...Our buoy is in the renovation stage right now. It's a night and weekend project for us. Thanks to Paulo (picture below) for his late night dedication. Our goal is to have improved performance and have it in by Christmas, but there are a lot of variables. Many thanks to all who have contributed to our project over the years. Sending aloha and gratitude to each of you. December 3, 2009 - Tangled up In Blue - Maui Humpack Tangled, Blue Whales Song LowerTwo stories that are breaking in the Whale world today: November 23, 2009 - More on Ice Sheets melting, and ocean levels risingNews continues to come to us of rising sea levels due to climate change. This article says 1.5 inches since 1997.November 17, 2009 - Whales are arriving - Project Status Update As the whales return, we volunteers at The Whalesong Project are scrambling to raise money to get the buoy back in the ocean. It's an annual ritual, it seems for us. Launching and nurturing the project each whale season takes a lot of time and attention. Last season saw us participate in more events than ever, and at the same time our income dropped dramatically. At the end of each season we scramble back to our paying jobs so we are able to participate in another whale season, which always arrives faster than we expect. We always hope to have the buoy in early so we can hear the early season songs, but we do the best we can... which means if everything goes well we will have her in the ocean by Christmas... which is when the babies start showing up and the singing begins in earnest. Of course, no one can really prove yet why these mysterious songs are sung, and why they evolve the way they do each year. I keep listening each year in fascination, and something new is learned each year. Maybe, like a puzzle, the "picture" of what we are hearing will be come clearer with time. In the meanwhile, listening and enjoying the fact that these beautiful creatures are still with us after a close brush with extinction, is an annual ritual and celebration for me. The older Hawaiians tell us that the whales arrive when the Makali'i, the Pleides, come up over the horizon and the Sandalwood Trees blossom. It's the ancient season of the God Lono, who represents peace and agriculture. It's a season when any war ceased. That season is upon us. October 31, 2009 - First whale sighting of the season The humpback whales are back to Maui! One of the local whale watch boats spotted a mother and a calf 3 miles off Pali. This is always a very exciting moment for all of us on Maui. We are working hard to make our Season Number 10 of broadcasting the sounds of the humpback whales possible - we need your support! October 8, 2009 - Getting ready for Season Number 10! The Whalesong Project is preparing for Season Ten! We continue to hear from teachers and students, and all kinds of people who are listening to our live webcast every year. We continue to operate as an all-volunteer organization focused on inspiring people to care for the oceans. We feel we made progress recently when the first necropsy was performed on Maui that looked at the ears of the beached whale for acoustic trauma. This is something we have been talking to numerous politicians and agencies about for the past nine years. We also are making progress on a new initiative to model sustainable living ideas on our home Island, Maui. We need to change our lifestyle as a species if we are going to slow the melting of the glaciers and keep the oceans healthy. We are calling this project Haleakala Institute. Please join us in our work by volunteering, or by pushing the Paypal button to give our volunteers some money to work with on this labor of love. Last year was a challenging one financially and we are hoping for more support from our listeners this season, so we can make improvements and move our new projects forward. Thank you!!! |
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