The Captain's Log

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.

We just finished reassembling the power and floatation modules this evening.

We found out today that we need to re-engineer our base station on land, where the receiver and web interface are located, due to physical changes at the site. There are challenges like this every year, but I just keep reminding myself that this is an all-volunteer labor of love, and we just do our best. Thanks to everyone who shows up each year to keep the project alive!

Everyone involved in this project also has a day job, and the economy is challenging right now, but we are moving forward anyway. We had some donations come in over the holidays that will get the buoy in the water if we are very careful to spend it strategically. Thank you to those who pressed the Paypal button.

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 Lower

Two stories that are breaking in the Whale world today:

A juvenile Humpback is tangled in rope between Maui and Molokai, as teams prepare to entangle it. See Story. This points out the importance of reducing ocean nets, ropes, debris, which create problems for whales and dolphins.

Also, researchers are documenting the fact that the songs of the Blue Whale are getting lower in frequency. There is speculation on causes, and more about the mystery of these songs. See Story.

Dan is back on Maui after extended travel, and will be working on the buoy, with the hopes of having her in the ocean by Christmas.

If you would like to contribute to this all-volunteer project, right now money to pay for batteries, a computer for the webcast, parts and supplies would be greatly appreciated. Please use the Paypal button:

November 23, 2009 - More on Ice Sheets melting, and ocean levels rising

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!!!