PORT TOWNSEND — The story of two powerful and interdependent animals, the Southern Resident orcas and the Chinook salmon, unfold in a new exhibit at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.
“Orca: Shared Waters, Shared Home” opens this weekend at the center on the waterfront at Fort Worden State Park, 532 Battery Way, bringing photos and displays inspired by Lynda V. Mapes’ new book of the same name.
And since this is an exhibit designed for all ages, there’s a dorsal fin to measure one’s relative height, an orca rocker, a drawing and coloring table, children’s books about orcas, model whale toys and an orca rope to show the size of adult and newborn orcas.
The show also includes excerpts from Mapes’ book, display panels and, to add an aural experience, a monitor running the orcasound.net website and a sound loop of orca recordings made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Admission to the marine science center, which is open from noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, is $7 for adults, $5 for youths 6 to 17 and free for children 5 and younger.
The writing, photographs and illustrations in “Shared Waters” have the power to reach visitors in new ways, center Program Director Diane Quinn said. The exhibit will “help us all remember what’s at stake for the orcas and for us.”
“Orca: Shared Waters, Shared Home” is a traveling exhibit to stay on display in Port Townsend until Oct. 31. It complements the center’s permanent exhibit, “Learning from Orcas — The Story of Hope.”
For information about other activities, exhibits and COVID safety protocols at the center, see PTMSC.org or phone 360-385-5582.
