Baby Gray returns to ocean. Mom still in the river.
After two days of swimming further and further away from his mother, the baby gray whale
has split from his mother completely and has made his way back to the ocean. In the meantime, mom continues to swim circles right under the Golden Bear Bridge on Hwy 101 in Klamath, California.
Authorities are starting to worry because the mother seems to be moving up river which becomes more and more shallow. Plus, they believe, that within three days, the river overall will be lower as the mountain snow melt slows.
Today, six different agencies from the community, including river patrol, Yurok tribe members, marine biologists and scientists from Cal State, Humboldt, all joined together to try to guide the mother in the direction of the ocean. Boats lined up on the east side of the bridge and tried to get her to turn around. Unfortunately, she continues upstream and just swims under their boats.
In the afternoon, the boats blasted horns. She pretty much just rolled about, flipping her fins and not paying attention to all the commotion.
I watched from a distance down stream in hopes Lucy would be swimming by. From the edge of the old bridge, I met The Shermans. Marlon and Dale Ann. Marlon is a member of the Lakota tribe located in South Dakota. Dale Ann is Yurok. They both teach Native American Studies at Cal State Humboldt. Marlon was playing a beautifully decorated drum and chanting, hoping to sooth the whale toward his end of the river. Marlon says the beating of the drum is supposed to represent the beat of your heart. The two had been stationed down stream for over five hours when I arrived. I joined them for a time and we had pleasant conversation.
If today's actions don't work to guide Lucy back to the ocean, word is that the group will let nature take it's course. I will keep you updated with the latest info.