05/24/2007: "Dr. Osborne To Be Honored By Whale Museum"

On Thursday night the Whale Museum will honor Rich Osborne, Ph.D., for over thirty years of work in the San Juan Islands that has benefited The Whale Museum and the Southern Resident Killer Whales.

Rich began his work with orcas in the San Juans in August of1976 as a research associate with the original Orca Survey and the Moclips Cetological Society. He focused his field research on orca behavior and communication, and by August of 1981, Rich was curator of research at The Whale Museum as well as the senior administrator of scientific research and collections.

Most recently, Dr. Osborn was the director of The Whale Museum. In January of this year, he began his off-island transition while continuing with The Whale Museum as research director. Osborn’s contributions to the local area are immense: serving as scientific consultant to the museum as well as assisting in developing & conducting education programs; serving as the administrative director of the local stranding network; developing the Soundwatch Boater Educations Program as well as the SeaSound Remote Sensing Network; serving as an original member of the San Juan County MRC, and much more. Rich is the author and co-author of several significant publications, including his doctoral dissertation "A Historical Ecology of Salish Sea 'Resident' Killer Whales: With Implications for Management."

Founded in 1979 by Mark Anderson and Ken Balcomb, The Whale Museum's mission is to promote stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research. In addition to providing exhibits, the Museum also provides programs including: the Orca Adoption Program, Soundwatch Boater Education, Marine Naturalist Training, San Juan Islands Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and the Whale Hotline. The Whale Museum can be found on-line at www.whalemuseum.org