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I mentioned "The Dolphin Project" that was founded by a friend of mine in another thread. It is a NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION and is NOT AN ACTIVIST organization.

What they do is all volunteer work along the Georgia coast doing surveys of the dolphins and getting pictures of the dorsal phin (there are ridges and shadows unique to each dolphin's dorsal phin like our finger prints) and record data about the dolphins There is a class being held in Savannah in March and another in June if anyone is interested in volunteering. It is a very fun and enjoyable time for all people involved!
here is a quote from the site:

TDP members conduct field research using 16-35 foot boats in sounds and tidal rivers from Hilton Head, SC to Fernandina Beach, FL. (see map) Our study is unique among currently active dolphin research programs in its longevity, quarterly abundance surveys and self-funding. While the majority of our members come from Georgia, the Carolinas, and Florida, we have members from many other areas of the US and other countries. Everyone in The Dolphin Project is a volunteer. No member receives a salary or stipend for their work or commitment of equipment

For further information please visit the site: http://thedolphinproject.org/

Hopefully at least few of you can and will volunteer for this. People come from all over the States and from all professions to participate, So if you are interested and can help. PLEASE by all means do so!

PM me or post here if you have any further questions not answered on the site and I will do my best to get an answer to you.
Thank you!

Sam! That would be something I would be totally into. Unfortunately not easy for me location-wise......I need to find similar organizations on my coast. Thanks for posting this!

Hi ya, Beau started it 1989 and it was originally set up to last ten years.
Truly awesome with the data that has been collected and individual dolphins are now being recognized ( among numerous other things that have been learned) because the data base has grown and continues to grow.

I can understand your predicament being on the Left ....er West coast (heheeheheehe Sorry I have other friends there that I tease about that all the time.<grin>)


There are other Dolphin Projects around and perhaps there is one in your area. I can ask Beau if you like he may know or you can or I will do a search for you if you pm info on the area you live.
They are awesome and a large time is had by everyone that participates in them.

HEY! The Left coast isn't all that bad! I do prefer the warmer waters of the SE though......

Thank you...that would be cool! I'll look into it as well but it never hurts to have an extra set of eyes. Incoming!

WEEEEELLLLLLLLLLL at least you don't live in "The Granola State" LOL HEHEHEHEHE

I will give him a call later today or over the weekend and get back to you on what he had to say .
If you find anything let me know and I will do let you know soon as I hear or find out anything!
HUUUGGGGGZZZZZZ!

Sam wrote:Hi ya, Beau started it 1989 and it was originally set up to last ten years.
Truly awesome with the data that has been collected and individual dolphins are now being recognized ( among numerous other things that have been learned) because the data base has grown and continues to grow.

I can understand your predicament being on the Left ....er West coast (heheeheheehe Sorry I have other friends there that I tease about that all the time.<grin>)


There are other Dolphin Projects around and perhaps there is one in your area. I can ask Beau if you like he may know or you can or I will do a search for you if you pm info on the area you live.
They are awesome and a large time is had by everyone that participates in them.

Hey, no knocking the left coast. Ken Balcomb was soley responsible for the killer whale recognition program. Before he got involved, folks thought they had to tag whales to ID them. He was the one who realized each saddle patch is unique, and started the photo ID program in 1976 and it is still going strong today.

I'd love to be involved in the Dolphin Project. That would be fun to do on my next trip to GA.

Hey, Left or Right Coast no denying they are there is there??? hehehehehe

I think I saw a documentary about that guy before. KEWL STUFF!!!

One has earthquakes and mudslides ( the only mudslides around here are a drink you order in a bar or make at home) and decent surfing, and the other coast has hurricaines. The Left Coast has The Granola State and The Right coast has Fla-REE-DUH!

Just kidding you BEG! You know we love ya!

One other thing The Dophin Project documented for the first time is called "mudding" Where dolphin will herd a school of fish up on the bank then chase them out of the water then force themselves up on the bank and roll around chowing down on the fish. For years people had been told of this process but no one ever actually had documented it.

Would love to have you. You will love it! You have to go through a course on whatever your position is going to be. Such as Data Recorder, Photographer,etc. I know your interested in the ocean and marine life. Come on over!

It really is fun and sometimes people do not see any dolphins whatsoever but that is important information too, because it says they went somewhere....so where did they go and why? Did they go away to migrate? Did they go elsewhere seeking a better food supply? and other questions as well. All important information. Sometimes people only see two or three dolphins and there might be as many as 25-30 in the area. One never knows what they are going to see....But always a good time on the boat out on the water.

Sam,

The Southern Resident killer whale pods up in Haro Strait between Washington and Canada also disappear and no one knows where they go. Ken has dedicated his life to studying whales, especially killer whales and he still hasn't figured it out. With all our technology and resources, those dang whales can still outsmart us. The big whale watch operations use spotter planes to find the whales, but only locally.

It is really cool when you can ID an animal in the water. There are several of the killer whales that I can ID by dorsal fin and/or saddle patch, it's like seeing an old friend.

Moonie wrote:That's what the program was about..and as they discussed each whale...they seemed to know the identifying patch and as you said dorsal fin...they knew the number and some of them had nicknames..

They all got excited when they spotted one they'd not seen for a while, and told stories regarding some individual whales..

What Fun!!

Oh yes, they all have designations such as L-10, J-22, K-11 etc, but they have names as well: Oreo, DoubleStuf (Oreo's first calf) Granny, Ruffles, Keet, Deadhead, Spock, JellyRoll, Moonlight...you get the idea.

BEG,
They also each in fact ( maybe techically) have names, atleast what we would consider to be a name. At least dolphins do. They each have their own sound signature of clicks and whistles or some such. The mother can call "Junior" back if he strays to far away.

The killer whale is not really a true whale at all. It is actually the largest member of the dolphin family.
There are a lot of realy KEWL things about them.
The guy has done and continues some awesome and productive research.

Sam wrote:BEG,
They also each in fact ( maybe techically) have names, atleast what we would consider to be a name. At least dolphins do. They each have their own sound signature of clicks and whistles or some such. The mother can call "Junior" back if he strays to far away.

The killer whale is not really a true whale at all. It is actually the largest member of the dolphin family.
There are a lot of realy KEWL things about them.
The guy has done and continues some awesome and productive research.

Pssst, I know that about killer whales. And the dolphins.

I'd really like to meet Beau...he's obviously a kindred spirit. I'd like to share stories with him.

Brown Eyed Girl wrote:

Sam wrote:BEG,
They also each in fact ( maybe techically) have names, atleast what we would consider to be a name. At least dolphins do. They each have their own sound signature of clicks and whistles or some such. The mother can call "Junior" back if he strays to far away.

The killer whale is not really a true whale at all. It is actually the largest member of the dolphin family.
There are a lot of realy KEWL things about them.
The guy has done and continues some awesome and productive research.

Pssst, I know that about killer whales. And the dolphins.

I'd really like to meet Beau...he's obviously a kindred spirit. I'd like to share stories with him.

Perhaps that can be arranged hehehhhehehehehee