Oceanic Society Celebrates 100-year Anniversary Of the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge

San Francisco, CA - May 29, 2009 This year, the Oceanic Society's 25th season of educational whale watching cruises to the Farallon Islands is underway at an historic time-2009 represents the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge. To honor this anniversary, the Oceanic Society is enhancing its whale watching trips to the Farallon Islands in several ways.

The non-profit Oceanic Society, an official partner of the Refuge, provides non-invasive public access to this exceptional wilderness area through day-long educational boat trips to the Islands annually from May through November. Founded in 1969, the mission of the nonprofit Oceanic Society is to protect endangered wildlife and preserve threatened marine habitats around the world through the establishment of protected areas, scientific research, and environmental education.

The Refuge, which is located 27 miles west of San Francisco, includes the largest seabird colony in the contiguous U.S. It attracts more than 300,000 birds, including nesting Tufted Puffins, Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinoceros Auklets, Common Murres, Ashy Storm Petrel, Black Oystercatchers, and three species of cormorants.  It is also a breeding haven and home to California sea lions, northern elephant seals, Steller sea lions, harbor seals, and Northern fur seals. As part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the Farallon refuge is part of a collection of public lands and waters that was established to conserve and restore the nation's fish, wildlife and plants. The refuge system is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.    

 "The Farallon Islands are so rich in wildlife, they are rightly called California's Galapagos," says Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO) biologist Russell Bradley, who works on the Islands.  

The Farallon National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1909, after hunters had eliminated populations of Northern fur seals and elephant seals, and commercial egging reduced the Common Murre population from close to a million down to only a few thousand birds.  Initially, even with the establishment of the area as a Refuge, human activities on the Southeast Farallon Island continued to impact the habitat and wildlife through the 1960s. By the time the military and lighthouse-keeping personnel left the Southeast Island in the late 1960s, the damage to the island's bird populations was dramatic.

Now, after more than a quarter century-with additional legislative protections resulting in strict limitations on human presence on the Islands-clear signs of recovery are evident. Elephant seals and Northern fur seals are breeding again in the Refuge. Nesting birds, including Common Murres, have returned in huge numbers. Protection has breathed new life back into the Farallon Islands.

"The Farallones are a jewel of the Pacific, and they can be experienced in just a day's boat ride from San Francisco. This centennial is significant because of all the positive changes we've seen since the Islands were protected. The ecosystem's recovery is symbolic of how people's attitudes about natural resources have changed, from one of destruction and overuse to protection and restoration," says Gerry McChesney, acting refuge manager of the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge.

Still, while the Oceanic Society celebrates these success stories, the organization seeks to remind the public that seasonal events like El Niño continue to affect Farallon wildlife. Researchers monitoring California's coastal wildlife agree that the rising of water temperature by 3 to 5 degrees may have impacted several species including the Refuge's Cassin's Auklet, whose population has dropped 75% since the early 1970's. And the Islands' recovery is not yet complete: for instance, while close to a million Common Murres once bred on the South Farallon Islands, today the total population of all seabirds on the Farallones is estimated to be less than 350,000.  

"While wildlife on the Farallones remains vulnerable to the impacts of human activities such oil spills, human actions are also enhancing the refuge and this 100-year anniversary is cause for celebration. It's an opportunity to raise public awareness about the importance of supporting wildlife refuges around the world," says Birgit Winning, director of the Oceanic Society.
    
The waters surrounding the Islands are part of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, a bountiful marine ecosystem attracting as many as eighteen species of whales and dolphins. The area is a known seasonal feeding ground for not only blue whales, but also for hundreds of endangered humpback whales.  Few places in the world offer this kind of opportunity to observe blue whales, which at 85 feet are the largest animals to have ever lived on earth. White sharks patrol the Gulf in search of a seal meal, while Pacific white-sided dolphins, harbor porpoise, Risso's dolphins and northern right whale dolphins thrive in the nutrient rich waters.

Although the Refuge is off-limits to all but a handful of scientists, wildlife can be closely observed, studied and photographed aboard the Oceanic Society's 56-foot Coast Guard certified vessel Salty Lady.  Past whale watchers have enjoyed special humpback whale events such as lunge-feeding, double breaching and flipper slaps.  Naturalists on board assist with identifying seabirds, locating whales and other marine wildlife, and providing informative presentations on their biology and ecology.

Whale watchers will also benefit by the presence of whale researchers from Cascadia Research Collective, a group recently featured in the National Geographic Society's television and magazine special regarding their work with blue whales.  Oceanic and Cascadia have collaborated since the early 1990's to further the science of blue and humpback whales.

Oceanic Society boat trips to the Farallon Islands, the Gulf of the Farallones and the nearby Continental Shelf depart Saturdays, Sundays and select Fridays, May 30 through November 30, 2009, from the Marina Green in San Francisco starting at 8:00 am and lasting approximately eight hours. This year, to mark the historic 100-year anniversary of the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge, the Oceanic Society has made its Farallon Islands trips more enriching and accessible in a variety of ways.

For one, starting June 1, the Oceanic Society will launch an additional passenger pick-up and drop-off location in Sausalito to make the Farallon Islands trips more accessible to residents from the North and East Bay. Second, this year the $120 per person cost of the trip includes a free copy of The Farallon Islands, Past, Present, and Future, a 42-minute film produced by the Oceanic Society in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The film production provides the boat-based whale watchers a virtual land tour of the islands. Last, to mark the 100-year anniversary of the Refuge, the Oceanic Society has initiated a new "Friends and Family Discount." Anyone who becomes a member of the Oceanic Society at the $35 member level this year will receive a $10 discount for friends and family on 2009 Farallon Island trips. For more information on becoming an Oceanic Society member, visit www.oceanicsociety.org.

Farallon Islands Trip Reservations are on a first-come basis and can be made by calling (415) 474-3385 or going to the Oceanic Society's web site www.oceanicsociety.org to register on-line or obtain information about the Farallon Islands and Whale Watching.  Special group rates are available for the boat trips.  Participants supply their own food and beverage. Minimum age is 10 years and children must be accompanied by an adult.  Call our special hotline for current wildlife sightings: (415) 474-0488.
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Reporters interested in taking one of the Oceanic Society's boat trips to the Farallon Islands for reporting purposes should contact Birgit Winning, the executive director of the Oceanic Society, at 800.326.7491 x 17 or at winning@oceanicsociety.org. The trips have great potential for captivating photographs, video images, and audio recordings.

Founded in 1969, the mission of the nonprofit Oceanic Society is to protect marine wildlife and oceanic biodiversity around the world through an integrated program of scientific research and environmental education.

CONTACT:    
Oceanic Society, Birgit Winning, 415.441.1106, ext. 27, winning@oceanicsociety.org
Oceanic Society, Quarters 35N, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA  94123