April 15, 2013 - Right Whale Days

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Val and Mary getting set-up for their amazing arts & craft activites. 
NECWA staff members Val and Mary joined the staff at the New Bedford Whaling Museum for their annual Right Whale Days. On this special day, kids and adults celebrate and learn about the North Atlantic right whale by participating in free activities, listening to stories, viewing life-sized inflatable whales, and helping devour a beautifully decorated whale cake!
The Whaling Museum's Bob Rocha getting ready to cut the cake.
Val and Mary hard at work helping the children.
Mary and Val and Therese, Mary's sister, teamed up to provide a number of hands-on activities that included "make your own origami whale" and "decorate your right whale fluke." Also onboard to help was RSVP volunteer Claire and NB Whaling Museum volunteer Ryleigh. The kids really enjoyed making their own whale crafts and learning about right whales in the process.

Kids working on their origami whales. 
Inflatable mother and calf right whale. 
All in all it was a wonderful day for everyone involved. We are so thankful to be part of this very important celebration each year and look forward to next year's Right Whale Day's celebration. We hope you will be able to visit the New Bedford Whaling Museum for the museum is a treasure trove of amazing facts, artifacts and images on whales, whaling and life.

Mary's sister Therese with her origami whale. Nicely done!
On our whale watches with Captain John Boats out of Plymouth Harbor, we are seeing (at a distance of 500 yards) right whales offshore. Many are surface feeding (skim feeding) on small zooplankton called copepods. Right whales have also been sighted just off many Cape Cod beaches bordering Cape Cod Bay. Now is the time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather and the amazing sightings!

Therese and Claire  helping out. 

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