A Message of Love – Mama, the Klamath River Whale

A Message of Love

Poem by Leslie Hancock

(reprinted with her permission)

I heard about you and I really wanted to meet you.
As luck would have it, our paths crossed on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon in August.
I watched you swim for almost an hour and fell in love with you.
I didn’t want to leave but it was time to go on my own journey home.
Now you are gone and I am left with a beautiful memory.
Thanks for sharing yourself and spending time with us far from your home.
You will be missed and never ever forgotten.

Sierra Club today posted an article about my images and Mama, The Klamath River Whale.  See the link below.

http://www.sierraclub.org/portfolio/whales/

To use or purchase  images, please go to web page at:  www.ashalaTylor.com and http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashala

A Lesson From the Gentle Giant – Stay True to Your Path

Many times in life what we do has far-reaching effects that we may never know.   Here is something written for the internet in regard to Mama, the Klamath River whale, and staying true to oneself.  It is used by permission of the author, Andee Allen, from California, written for morningcoach.com/blog.   Here is a direct link to the article which is reproduced here on this blog: http://blog.morningcoach.com/2011/08/12/journey-distractions/

“JOURNEY DISTRACTIONS

Okay, Morning Coach people, you think you have issues meeting your goals?  Check out the saga of the Klamath River whales.  Here is this mother and baby Pacific gray whale gently swimming in the Klamath River, minding their own business, doing their own thing.  After about a month, the baby heads back to the open ocean.  The mother, content on her own journey, continues to leisurely swim around in circles in the river.

Then out of no-where come these smart, super-intelligent, caring citizens who decide that the mother should not be in the river, that what she is doing is not right and that she has to go back to the ocean right now.   So in their infinite, all-knowing wisdom, they shoot her with water, bang on pipes, pound on drums, etc. in an effort to change her course and send her back to where they think she should be.

The gentle giant calmly ignores them and goes on about her own personal development and goals.  She does not let them divert her focus or attention.  She continues to swim in the river – up the river, under the bridge, and back down the river.  Every day, consistently.  Not once does she lash out at the people that think they know what is best for her. No angry splashing, no overturning their boats, just a gentle steady progress on her route.  In fact, mostly she ignores them.   She doesn’t try to argue with them or dissuade them from their goals of diverting her.  Instead she let’s them do what they are doing and gracefully continues on her own personal journey.

Now I don’t pretend to understand what she is doing in that river anymore than I understand what you are doing in your own personal river.  But this I do know, whatever she is doing or whatever you are doing, it’s because it is the right journey for your own personal growth and development.  It doesn’t really matter if others understand or embrace your personal goals.  What matters is that you – like the whale – understand your journey  and consistently work towards it.

Next time you have friends, family, acquaintances, or even strangers trying to divert you from your journey, think of the whale – stay the course, be consistent, be gentle and courteous, and stay focused on your own personal goal.  Let nothing distract you.

To follow more of this beautiful whale’s journey and/or purchase images go to  www.ashalatylor.com or http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashala

Andee is a business consultant whose passion is helping business owners strategically market and brand their companies using social media tools coupled with traditional business tactics.  Her clients range from small independent companies to large multi-national organizations.  She has an MBA but owes her success to personal coaching by JB Glossinger and morningcoach.com.  She can be reached at andeeallen@gmail.com.

Tags: Focus, journey, MorningCoach, morningcoach.com, Personal Development

This entry was posted on Friday, August 12th, 2011 at 7:32 pm and is filed under Goal Setting, Personal Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through theRSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

A Tribute Through Music and Poem To Mama, The Klamath River Whale. August 22, 2011

MG_7694 A Flute Song for Mama, the Klamath River

This is a beautiful tribute written by my friend, Mihael Kavanaugh (pictured), in a farewell poem he wrote for  Mama.   Mihael played the flute to Mama on two occasions while canoeing on the Klamath River, one of which I was honored to accompany him on the canoe.

_MG_9647 A Flute Song for Mama, The Klamath River Whale

Mihael Kavanaugh

Peaceful Rest

She has laid down to rest
Her journey home now complete
Her story known by many
Her message, a mystery …
A sigh of sadness
For she touched many a heart

Her dance
Was with such grace
The mist of her spout
Still refreshes my face
Such a friend …
One can’t replace
Though in story and song
She’ll echo her grace
Mama whale ~~~
Peace be with you …
As you go
From this worldly place

©2011 Mihael Kavanaugh

_MG_9483 Yurok Indian Tribe Members Drumming and Singing for Mama

_MG_9490 Yurok Indian Tribe Members Drumming and Singing to Mama

 

 

 

 

 

MG_8404c Stand Up Paddler Bids Farewell to Mama, The Klamath River Whale

_MG_0163A A Ukelele Song for Mama, The Klamath River Whale

Seth Altamus, a stand-up paddler, had hopes Mama would follow him out to the ocean.  She followed him to the Klamath River RV Park, a short way from the bridge, but then she turned and swam back to her spot by the bridge and continued her circles.    Here Seth is waving a bittersweet farewell to Mama when he realized she did not want to leave.   In the other image, he was serenading her with his ukelele from his paddle board.

All of the above images were what I would term a “holistic” approach in an attempt to soothe Mama or an attempt to convince her to head back to the ocean.  Music has the capability to touch all beings, but Mama had her own path to follow, a reason for which we do not know, and she seemed content to stay near the bridge and make her continual circles mesmerizing all who watched this beautiful creature.

For any purchases or use of images, please email ashala7@gmail.com

Many more images can be seen at AshalaTylor.com and http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashala

RIP Mama, the Klamath River Whale. Day 54 in the River, 8-16-11

As many of you might know, Mama, our Klamath River Whale, passed away at 4:19 a.m. this morning.  Those with her said she went very peacefully and beautifully and were by her side in a boat when she drew her last breath.

After my post last nite requesting prayers for her as she was stranded in the sand, I was amazed when I heard her  by the bridge spouting and not in front of the Klamath River RV Park where I last saw her  stranded.   According to sources there, she was freed from the sand when the tide came up  and, with a little help, was able to swim freely again.  I made my way  to an area past the bridge about 1:30 a.m. and found her swimming in the area she liked past the bridge upriver.  She swam there for a long time.  In retrospect, it was my opportunity to say my last goodbye to her.  I then made my way back to Klamath River RV Park and found she had returned there.  After listening to her and seeing spouts, I was going to post at 3 a.m. that she was back swimming and doing fine.   Thinking it was late and I would post in the morning, I went to bed.  I was shocked this morning when I awoke to see her lifeless body in the river.

Today was a very long and sad day as this beautiful being I had come to know and love has left us.  What her message was, we may never know.  Why she was here, we may never know.  There are so many things we don’t know and are not meant to know.  But what I do know is she was truly a “gentle” giant, a loving creature who charmed and mesmerized the throngs of  people, young and old, who came to watch her from atop the bridge, from the water, from the shoreline.

Mama, the gentle Klamath River Whale, we will so miss you and we thank you for gracing our lives with your presence.

RIP, MAMA.

Many more images of these beautiful mammals can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashala
For purchase or use of any photos:  ashala7@gmail.com

MG_0843 Mama, the Klamath River Whale, at 8 pm Last Night

_MG_0909 Mama, the Klamath River Whale, This Morning

_MG_0862 Mama, the Klamath River Whale, This Morning

PRAY FOR MAMA, THE KLAMATH RIVER WHALE. Day 53 in Klamath River, 08-15-11

Please send love and light or prayers, or just plain good energy, to our beautiful whale, Mama.  Tonight she floated down the river towards the ocean and is now caught on a sand bar and low tide.  This occurred about 6:30 by my best guess.  I just got back and have lost track of time.  Please send good energy and prayers that this wonderful being will either pass on easily or somehow make it out to the ocean.  She has graced our river with nothing short of love and dignity and brought thousands of people together to share in her magnificence.

6196 - Prayer for Mama, the Klamath River Whale

Mama, the Klamath River Whale, Follow-up on Pectoral Fin

Many more images of these beautiful mammals can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashala.
For purchase or use of any photos:  ashala7@gmail.com

I just wanted to clear up any misconception that yesterday in my blog I was equating any boat incident with a pectoral fin injury.  According to Dawn Goley, Professor of zoology at Humboldt State University, they have been monitoring the pectoral fin since the whales arrived and what I saw yesterday was not something new.  I was told there was a television report saying that her fin injury was from a boat accident – NOT SO.   The fin has been watched and monitored from the time she arrived to the river.

Today Dawn Goley and her students were monitoring her by boat so they could get a closer look at her and take algae samples.

Mama, The Klamath River Whale

Klamath River Whale at the Klamath Salmon Festival

Come see (and purchase) the photographs of the Klamath River Whale this weekend at the Klamath Salmon Festival. I have a booth displaying the pictures. I have been following both the mother and the baby since they entered the Klamath River back in June. Come by – I’d love to meet you, answer your questions, and send you home with a wonderful momento.

We’ll even have free coffee samples for you to enjoy!

Lots of fun for the whole family.

Mama, the Klamath River Whale – Day 52 in River. 08/14/11

Mama's - the Klamath River Whale - pectoral fin

 

Mama appears to have injured her left pectoral fin.  She did not appear to be using it, as it was stationary against her side, while swimming.

She put on quite a show near sunset tonight with rainbow colors appearing whenever she would spout.

_MG_0459 Mama, the Klamath River Whale, Spouting Rainbows

MG_0460 Mama, the Klamath River Whale, Spouting Rainbows

Mama Hit by Boat – Or Boat Hit by Mama, Klamath River Whale. Day 51 in River. 08/13/11

A boat has finally come to close to Mama.  I was wondering how long it would take for this incident to occur.  The boat got too close and when Mama came up she hit the boat.  Fortunately, none of the dogs on the boat were injured – innocent bystanders.  No, it was fortunate no one was injured, including the dogs.   Mama is 40 some feet long and who knows how many tons.  Gray whales weight 30-40 tons with a fluke of 10-12 feet across.  That can cause a lot of damage to boaters who do not adhere to the Federal regulations stating that a distance of 100 yards needs to be kept from a marine mammal.  Now, that is the length of a football field.   These people and other boaters and kayakers I witnessed today were way too close.   Someone is going to be injured if this keeps up.  Today the boaters were extremely lucky.  Yes, everyone wants close-up shots, but  the federal regulations are for the protection of both whales and humans.  By the way, there are stiff sanctions if prosecuted.

There were plenty of video cameras on the Klamath River Bridge today to record the incident.

Phone number to call to report incidents of harassment is NOAA:   800 853-1964.

_MG_9970- Boaters hit by Mama, the Klamath River Whale

 

 

 

On a lighter side, Mama was full of energy today and swimming around and rolling to the delight of all the onlookers on the bridge.

 

_MG_0027 - Mama, the Klamath River Whale, Spouting

Mamma headed for her favorite rolling and/or eating place

Many more images of these beautiful mammals can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashala
For purchase or use of any photos:  ashala7@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grind TV Outdoor Blog Klamath Whale Article

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/29520/hospitality+not+lacking+as+whales+klamath+river+stay+reaches+50+days/

Great article on the Klamath River whale from Outdoor blog.    Check it out!