Corky II — From Orcapedia by Paul Watson & Tiffany Humphrey

By Paul Watson & Tiffany Humphrey

1966 est Born

December 11, 1969
Captured in Pender Harbor, BC

1969
Sent to Marineland of Pacific

1987
Sent to SeaWorld San Diego

Species: Orcinus orca Breed: Northern Resident
Meaning of name: Irish for “hill hollow”
Captivity History: Captured at around age 4 from A5 pod in Pender Harbor, BC
Mother: Stripe (died in the wild in 2000)
Full Siblings: A21, A29, Okisollo, Ripple, FifeOffspring: Calf (1977) first Orca ever born in captivity but died after 16 days, Spooky (1978), Stillbirth (1980), Kive (1982), Calf (1985), Miscarriage (1986), Miscarriage (1987)
Sex: Female
Weight: 8,335 lbs.
Length: 20 ft.

Corky II has been in captivity longer than any other Orca. She is about the same age as Lolita, both with estimated birth years of 1966. She has had seven offspring with Orky II, none of which lived past 46 days.
Corky II is the largest female Orca in captivity. On August 21, 1989 Kandu V collided with Corky II, which caused Kandu V to fracture her upper jaw and bleed to death.

Corky II became a surrogate mother to Kandu V’s orphaned calf, Orkid after this incident. In 1990, Corky II pushed the mid-section of her trainer and again pushed a trainer in 1994, however, she is known to be a very sweet and gentle Orca.

Orcas: Our Shared Future at the Royal BC Museum (Victoria, Canada)

Rhapsody Orca Breaching

Exhibition on now

BUY TICKETS: https://sales.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/DateSelection.aspx?item=35

Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, spirit of BC’s wild coast and apex predator of all oceans. Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “killer whales.” Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity.

The Salish Sea, over which the Royal BC Museum peers, is the historical “coast zero” for both the market in captive orcas and the surge in scientific research about orcas.

Learn which orca populations are thriving and which are at risk, and surface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected: we are all part of nature, not apart from nature.

Discussing the “Charming” Psychopathy of Corporations with Filmmaker Joel Bakan

By Izzy Almasi 

What do you think of when you hear the word “psychopath?” Is it Norman Bates dressed in his darling mother’s clothes? Perhaps it’s Christian Bale’s handsome face spattered with blood in American Psycho. I’m sure the logo of a large corporation like Nike or Apple wasn’t the first image to pop into your head.

Joel Bakan, the world-famous filmmaker, lawyer, author and esteemed jazz guitarist, has made it his mission to reveal the true psychopathy and dangers of large corporations fed by capitalist pursuits in his latest film The New Corporation.

“We were learning about corporations and we were learning that they were persons, that the law sort of created them, constituted them, recognized them as these artificial beings,” says Bakan in a recent Zoom interview with Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young. “We create this person. And then we imbue it with a personality that says it can only act in its own self-interest. It can’t act in ways that care for others, or for the environment, or for nature, or nonhuman animals, or any of that. It always has to act in its own self-interest. And what is that self-interest, basically? The collective financial interests of the shareholders that constitute the corporation.”

Bakan’s 2003 documentary The Corporation, which won 26 international awards including an Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival, and was based on his book The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power, reveals the corruption, exploitation, and interference in democracy that came as a result of the rise of the contemporary corporation.

Now at the start of 2021, not only is the film more relevant than ever, but the events of the last decade have unfortunately warranted a documentary sequel, The New Corporation, based on his 2020 book The New Corporation: How “Good” Corporations are Bad for Democracy.

“Here we are, ten years out from [The Corporation] and every single thing that the film addressed — climate change, species extinction, the rise of anti-democratic movements. I mean, everything — inequality, racial, economic inequality, colonialism. Every single issue has gotten worse,” says Bakan.

Bakan identifies a variety of issues that give corporations the power to get away with various crimes, misdemeanors and violations of democracy. It is not only the sheer magnitude of these companies that imbue them with such power, but the recognition of their “personhood” within the eyes of the law.

“The law says what a human being is, all that we recognize [the human being] as a subject of law,” says Bakan. “Sometimes we take large groups of human beings and say, ‘They’re not human beings for the purpose of law.’ And then sometimes we take non-human beings and say, ‘They are persons for the purpose of law.’ And that’s what we do with corporations. And the reason we do that is because capitalism requires that.”

But Bakan maintains hope for the future. The continued efforts of climate strikes, social justice movements, and the presence of progressive politicians in positions of power, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, and Senator Bernie Sanders, signals a shift from grassroots activism to exercises in democracy that can wield real change.

“What we’re seeing, I think, is a rediscovery of democratic ‘large P’ politics as something that activists should be doing and need to be doing,” says Bakan. “Not just occupying the streets, not just occupying the squares of cities, but actually occupying the institutions of government and bringing into those institutions values that belie the sort of hegemony of economic and corporate values that have built up and deepened over the last 40 years.”

To listen to the full interview, head to Spotify, www.skaana.org, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. For more information about The New Corporation, Bakan’s books and his work, check out his website. Be sure to read his 2020 article in The Globe and Mail, and follow him on Twitter (@joelbakan).

World Whale Day- Online Event

Feb 21, 2021 – 2 pm PST

Skaana podcast host, Mark Leiren-Young, shares stories about orca history, orca language and orca love from his award-winning book, the story of Moby Doll – The Killer Whale Who Changed the World.

Join the pod as Mark streams stories from the coast of the Salish Sea – home of the amazing and endangered southern resident orcas – on Facebook live.

To attend this online event, register on Eventbrite using this link bit.ly/world-whale-day 

Carl Safina Talks Critter Culture, Communication and Complexity of Animal Emotions on Skaana

Written by Izzy Almasi 

Have you ever watched an animal in the wild or, perhaps, in a nature documentary and wondered what their life is like? Sure, they live on the same planet as us, breathe the same air, exist under the same sky. But it can feel like they live in another world.

According to renowned ecologist and author, Carl Safina, animals and humans have much in common. It’s actually cultural differences between humans that makes the animal world so similar to our own. “There are a lot of animals that have culture,” Safina told Skaana host, Mark Leiren-Young in a recent Zoom interview. “Culture is the behaviors, the traditions, the habits, the practices, and even the attractions that flow socially. They don’t come purely instinctively. You learn them from a social group.”

Carl Safina is the New York Times bestselling author of Beyond Words, which was adapted into two celebrated children’s books, Song for the Blue Ocean, and, most recently, Becoming Wild. Safina has been featured on NPR, The Colbert Report, and even The Martha Stewart Show. He is the founder of the Safina Centre whose mission is “fusing scientific understanding, emotional connection, and a moral call to action”.

Carl Safina writing underwater in Bonaire

An animal lover from a young age, Safina continues to study- and be astounded by — the complexity of animal culture and communication. When discussing the communication patterns of whales and dolphins Safina said, “It’s a pretty mind boggling thing. If [communication] really happened the way as we observed and described, it means that [whales and dolphins] have a way of saying a lot to each other that we totally don’t understand… They do something that requires detailed communication and we have no idea right now how they’re doing it.”

Not only do animals and people share a reliance on communication to survive, but animals also have ‘careers,’ in order to survive. “I know animals do make a living. What else do they do besides make a living?” says Safina. “Most of the animals we’re talking about are very mobile and they have to go and get their food. So they are making a living.”

Safina is concerned about the scientific community’s resistance to anthropomorphism and how it affects the treatment of free-living animals and conservation. “A rule that says you can’t attribute human thoughts and emotions to non-humans is not scientific. Science is supposed to look at evidence first and then believe what the evidence says. It’s not supposed to tell you ahead of time what you’re allowed to believe,” says Safina. “It’s not a scientific thing to say, ‘You are not allowed to anthropomorphize. You’re not allowed to attribute human thoughts and emotions to other animals.’ Some other animals have thoughts and emotions that are quite similar to ours for reasons that are quite similar to why we have them and how we use them.”

Carl Safina working in Setauket

Above all else, Safina asks people to care about the world around them and to take active steps to make a difference. “The first step is to care, but then you have to translate some caring into some action. Everybody who cares should do something,” he says. “You can’t do everything. You can’t save the world, you can’t solve all the problems. But everybody can do something. Figure out what suits you, what seems amenable to your personality. or your budget, or whatever it is. Everybody can do something.”

To listen to the full interview please visit Skaana at Spotify, www.skaana.org, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher and visit Carl Safina’s website and the Safina Centre’s website for more information about his work and mission and check out Becoming Wild.

2020 Ten Squared Exhibition

Check out Skaana Producer, Rayne Ellycrys Benu’s, art in the 2020 Ten Squared Exhibition at the Federation Gallery! Dec 14-23 2020

“Make memorable moments this season with over 300 original artworks from over 100 Canadian artists. Do you have something for everyone your list? This exhibition has a variety of styles, colours and subjects for everyone – naughty or nice! You know, you should secure a little something for yourself after all these family meals and work parties.

 So what can you expect to see in the gallery? All the paintings in this exhibition are hand-made, original works of art. Each piece is exactly 10″ x 10″ – there is always a little wall space left for a small painting!”

Click this link to check out a preview of the exhibition online!

 

Fish — Friends or Food? Discussing Fisheries and Conservation with Legendary Fisheries Expert Daniel Pauly

Image credit: Ms. Valentina Ruiz-Leotaud

By Izzy Almasi

When you’re eating spicy tuna rolls or fish and chips, do you ever wonder where the fish came from? Do you know if it’s Canadian, Chinese, or Spanish? Daniel Pauly, one of the world’s foremost fisheries experts, wants us to take a minute to consider how well-travelled the fish on our plates may be and how ethically it was sourced.

“Fish consumption has increased globally. It is now 20 kilos per person, per year of fish. It was half of that just a few decades ago. And it is mainly in the developed world,” Pauly said in a recent interview on the Skaana podcast with Mark Leiren-Young. “We don’t produce the fish. We just collect the fish that nature produces. We cannot make fish that we need. We have to take it from somebody else’s stock.”

Pauly is responsible for coining the hugely influential term “shifting baselines,” that is used to describe the slow and subtle degradation of an ecosystem people may not immediately notice, but that can result in catastrophic long-term effects. The UBC Killam professor for the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries has done extensive research on the impacts overfishing and poor regulation has on fish populations around the world. He is author and co-author numerous influential books, including his latest, Vanishing Fish, and over 1000 academic articles.

As an expert who has been profiled by The New York Times, Science Magazine and media around the world, Pauly warns that as we become a more globalized community, these problems need to be considered beyond country borders.

“The main reason why we need to study fisheries globally is because studying them at a local level doesn’t capture the dynamics,” says Pauly. “[Fish] know borders of temperatures, borders of depth. They don’t wander just anywhere. But fishing fleets don’t know borders. They go everywhere legally or illegally.”

The issues surrounding fisheries around the world are complex, and Pauly shares his insight into some of the flaws and challenges Canada’s fisheries face, including the treatment of fellow expert and activist Alexandra Morton who was gaslit by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) after expressing concerns about parasites in farmed fish. “I invested myself in the defense of Alexandra… There were several meetings where I criticized the DFO for the lies that they were spreading,” says Pauly. “Having seen the regular [parasite] infestation of young fish, and then listening to the head of research saying that Alexandra spiked the fish, it makes your blood boil.”

Even though the situation surrounding fisheries looks grim, Pauly believes that by educating ourselves and voicing our concerns to the government, we can create the change we need to see. “The next step is getting organized with people and to be politically active,” says Pauly. “Because at the end of the day, if the stuff that we do is not directed at government and picked up by governments, they will never become effective for the population as a whole. So one has to direct one’s activities at government.”

Learn more about Pauly’s work and the world of ichthyology by visiting www.fishbase.org to explore the vast catalogue of fish species that have been collected by Pauly and many others throughout the years.

To listen to the full interview, please visit Spotify, www.skaana.org, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher . Be sure to tune in to Skaana for upcoming episodes with guests like author and environmentalist Isabelle Groc and renowned anthropologist Wade Davis. To read more about Daniel Pauly’s work, check out his profile on the UBC website and his TED Talk.

Wade Davis’s Thoughts on the Future of America and a Country Divided

By Izzy Almasi

The United States is a country divided into Republicans and Democrats, haves and have nots, Biden and Trump supporters. But what does this mean for the future of America? According to world-renowned anthropologist and best-selling author Wade Davis, it means the American people have some work to do if they want to maintain their country’s status and legacy.

“Whatever happens in November, it won’t mean the end of this incredible schism between the two halves of the American reality,” says Davis in the second part of his interview with Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young. “Even if Trump is resoundingly defeated, there still will be the desperate need to heal the two halves of the American reality.”

As a distinguished professor of anthropology at UBC, National Geographic explorer, and most recently the author of the viral Rolling Stone article titled “How COVID-19 Signals the End of the American Era,” Wade Davis wants the American people to know that this election is about more than which side of the political spectrum you fall on. It is about upholding the democracy that the country was built on.

“I think it’ll be a profound lesson for America that you don’t take your democracy lightly. You don’t vote your grievances, indulging your own indignations. The vote is something more serious than that. It’s a vote as to the destiny of your country,” says Davis. “I think mercifully the vast majority of Americans, good and decent people, recognize that Trump has been a disaster for the reputation of America as a global power and as inspiration to the world.”

Though Davis is clear in his concern for the American legacy and what lies ahead, he calls on people to maintain hope. The country can repair itself to create a positive vision for the future.

“I’m always optimistic because I think pessimism is an indulgence and despair is an insult to the imagination, just like orthodoxy is the enemy of invention,” says Davis. “If Americans don’t find, as Lincoln said ‘the better angels of nature’, if they’re not able to find some path of forgiveness to embrace people of other backgrounds, and if they don’t have any sense of a greater common good, a nation to serve and not just with flag wrap patriotism, but with something far more important — loving, compassionate, and kind acts that resonate through eternity as good. If [the American people] can’t find their way back to that, then this really will be the end of the American era.”

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TO VOTE

Visit the USAGov website to learn more about how to register to vote and how to prepare for the November 4th election to ensure that your voice is heard.

TO LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH WADE DAVIS

Visit Spotify, www.skaana.org, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Skaana’s interview with Wade Davis is a two-part special focusing on America under Trump. Be sure to check out the Rolling Stone article. Click here for books by Wade Davis — including Magdalena: River of Dreams.

FOR MORE SKAANA

If you’d like to hear more from the Skaana Pod, tune in to Orca Bites every Monday! And share your stories of the first time you ever saw a whale on our Anchor platform.

Discussing the Symptoms of COVID Culture, Donald Trump, and the American “Empire” with Wade Davis

By Izzy Almasi & Mark Leiren-Young

Does Donald Trump’s irresponsible response to COVID mean the American Era is over? Wade Davis, the best-selling author and world-renowned anthropologist, thinks America’s response to COVID is a symptom that the country is diseased.

“America was the land of Walt Whitman, the Grateful Dead. Abraham Lincoln couldn’t tell a lie. The current president cannot recognize the truth,” David told the Skaana podcast. “If Lincoln called for charity for all and malice toward none, this dark troll of a buffoon, advocates for malice towards all and charity for none.”

Best known for his books like One River and the 2012 Samuel Johnson Prize Winner Into the Silence, Davis made international headlines when he published an article in Rolling Stone titled “How Covid-19 Signals the End of the American Era” that went viral. According to the CBC, the article made nearly 10 million impressions on social media within a week of publication.

“COVID reveals what has been lost. In the same way that Donald Trump didn’t cause any of this, he’s a symptom of the decline… When you look at Americans who deny the science, who deliberately ignore the advice of the medical authorities, who in masses go to beaches and conventions and bars, they think they’re flaunting their strength in their freedom. They’re actually showing the weakness of a people that lack the stoicism to endure the pandemic or the fortitude to defeat it.”

As someone who specializes in the study of human culture, Davis knows that the types of challenges we are facing are not uncommon or unheard of in humanity’s history. In fact, humans tend to repeat ourselves. “The fluidity of memory and our capacity to forget is the most haunting trait of our species,” says Davis. “That’s how we’re able to adapt to almost any degree of environmental or even moral degradation.”

Although his latest book, Magdalena, is about the Magdalena river in Colombia and its ties to Colombian culture, history and ecology, Davis felt he had to share his thoughts on America before the US election on November 4th. “I travel always in pursuit of stories. I’m a storyteller. And, for me, research in the field has always been wondrous, but so too has been research in libraries and archives,” says Davis. “COVID is not a story of medicine. It’s not a story of morbidity and mortality. It’s a story of culture.”

And, in America, it’s also a horror story.

TO VOTE

Visit the USAGov website to learn more about how to register to vote and how to prepare for the November 4th election to ensure that your voice is heard.

TO LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH WADE DAVIS

Visit Spotify, www.skaana.org, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Skaana’s interview with Wade Davis will be a two-part special focusing on America under Trump. Be sure to check out the Rolling Stone article. Click here for books by Wade Davis – including Magdalena: River of Dreams.

FOR MORE SKAANA

If you’d like to hear more from the Skaana Pod, tune in to Orca Bites every Monday! And share your favourite whale memories or your stories of the first time you ever saw a whale on our Anchor platform.

 

Join Skaana Host Mark Leiren-Young for the 2020 Victoria Book Prizes Gala!

Mark has been nominated for a City of Victoria Children’s Book Prize and would like to invite you all to join in the online gala happening this year to celebrate!

“Join us for a free online event celebrating our region’s finest authors. CBC Radio’s Gregor Craigie will host the gala in a new format, but it will still include readings by shortlisted authors and the awarding of the Victoria Book Prizes. Please register to attend using the link below.”

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2020-victoria-book-prizes-tickets-119106748491

For more information go to the the Victoria Book Prize website http://victoriabookprizes.ca/

or the Facebook event HERE

Skaana Talks Animals and Emotions with The Hidden Life of Trees Author Peter Wohlleben

By Izzy Almasi

“We have brothers and sisters in nature,” says German author Peter Wohlleben in a recent interview with Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young. “For many people, that’s a problem because it disturbs business. It disturbs daily life because you have to look at what you have on your plate, you have to look at what you buy and so on.”

Wohlleben is the author of multiple best-selling books documenting the rich inner lives of plants and animals, including 2016’s The Hidden Life of Trees. Through his work, he has become an advocate for recognizing the rights of the natural world. He urges people to look at animals and plants as more than a collection of specimens and potential products.

“I’m hungry and I’m a living being. I also have rights and that’s exactly what it is about. I can also regard my rights. I can enjoy life. But in every case, where it is possible, I take care of other creatures,” says Wohlleben. “I think that’s the fear when we give all those creatures rights, then we have to starve to death. No, that’s not what it is about. It’s about being respectful.”

Wohlleben believes that in order to effectively engage the public in conversations about animal rights and environmentalism, there needs to be an emotional component to remind people that humans and nature are deeply interconnected.

“We have to bring more emotions into the process and the discussions about environmental things and climate change. Because when we just discuss the numbers, it’s emotionally so far away. It doesn’t touch your heart, just your mind.”

As an enthusiastic observer of the natural world, Wohlleben continues to be amazed by the complexity of plants and animals, some of which may be beyond human understanding. He believes that these unsolvable mysteries are what makes nature so wonderful and worth our respect.

“I think animals have abilities that we don’t have, and which can be explained in easy technical terms. And there are wonderful things, like the goats which are able to forecast [volcanic eruptions] … But I think we don’t need to explain everything,” he says.

To listen to the full interview, head to Spotify, www.skaana.org, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Be sure to tune in to Skaana for upcoming episodes with guests like renowned ichthyologist Daniel Pauly, and author and environmentalist Isabelle Groc. To read more about Wohlleben’s work, check out his books The Hidden Life of Trees, The Inner Life of Animals, The Secret Wisdom of Nature, Can You Hear the Trees Talking?, and Peter and the Tree Children. And follow Peter on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram for more information.

Real-Life Eco-Superhero Robbie Bond Talks Saving Parks with Skaana

Article by Izzy Almasi

Alberni Valley Words On Fire Open Mic Event

August 26 at 7pm

Come and join Skaana Host Mark Leiren-Young for:

Char’s landing & Federation of British Columbia Writers present via Zoom

Alberni Valley Words On Fire Open Mic Event 

The Greater B.C.-Yukon Eco-Friendly Live Online Quite Determined (video conference) Literary Road Trip 2020

www.charslanding.com Follow the link to the zoom session. Doors at 6:30pm. Sign up ahead of time for the open mic spot (up to 5 minutes). Listeners welcome!

Exploring Animal Emotions with Marc Bekoff

By Izzy Almasi

“It’s not about how smart animals are. It’s about whether they can feel,” says author and animal-rights advocate Marc Bekoff in a recent interview with Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young. “It’s not whether they can talk or think, it’s whether they can suffer.”

A professor emeritus at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Fellow of the Animal Behaviour Society, Bekoff has published 31 books exploring the inner lives of animals. He has worked closely with Jane Goodall and the two co-authored the book, The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for The Animals We Love.

He told Leiren-Young that he’s always been interested in the lives and emotions of wildlife and domestic pets or, as he refers to them, “non-human animals.” Throughout his career, Bekoff has become a champion for recognizing the rights and personhood of animals.

“Across the world, animals are not seen as subjects of life. They’re seen as objects… For example, legal systems say the word ‘person’ only applies to human individuals. So you’re trying to dismantle long-lasting and well-accepted legal standards if you will,” he says. “I tell people ‘don’t give up.’ The minute you give up, you’re feeding into the people who want you to give up.”

One of Bekoff’s key arguments for recognizing the rights and individuality of animals is to change the language we use when discussing them. By using a discourse that is similar to the way we talk about people, we acknowledge animals as living, feeling, sentient beings. “It’s a matter of who we eat, not what we eat. Who’s for dinner, not what’s for dinner,” says Bekoff. “It’s the animals who eat the animals, who we keep in cages, who we keep in aquariums… Words matter.”

Bekoff maintains that change is always possible if we remain hopeful and diligent. “I just am a glass half full person. I know some people think I’m crazy, but that’s just who I am… What gives me hope is that there are good things happening,” says Bekoff. “And I always say, ‘without hope you’re screwed.’ If you believe that everything you’re doing has no potential benefits or means that things are hopeless, then they will be hopeless.”

To listen to the full interview, visit www.skaana.org, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Be sure to tune in to Skaana for upcoming episodes with guests like renowned ichthyologist Daniel Pauly, author and environmentalist Isabelle Groc and inspiring young eco-hero, Robbie Bond. To read more about Bekoff’s work and essays, check out his website and his stories in Psychology Today.

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SRC Virtual Visit: Author Mark Leiren-Young

Explore our Universe this summer with North Vancouver District Public Library and North Vancouver City Library!

Join us for a virtual visit with author Mark Leiren-Young. Mark is the author of Orcas Everywhere: The Mystery and History of Killer Whales, Orcas of the Salish Sea and Big Whales Small World. Tune in to learn about Mark’s books, and of course, orcas!

This program is offered in partnership with North Vancouver City Library.

Registration required as space is limited.

We’re hosting this virtual program on Zoom. An email address is required for registration. We will email you the Zoom link in advance of the program.

What you’ll need to attend: a computer with microphone (or headphones) and webcam OR your smartphone/tablet.

Location:

  • Zoom

Time:

  • Tuesday, August 18, 2020 – 10:30am

Audience:

  • Children

Click HERE to register

Discussing Grief, the Environment, and COVID-19 with Thanatologist Kriss Kevorkian

By Izzy Almasi

“I had this overwhelming sense of grief as I was reading about the destruction of the environment, more whale species just beaching themselves and so on. As I was reading all of this, this grief just kept coming up. And I’m like, I have environmental grief,” says Kriss Kevorkian. Kevorkian is a thanatologist, someone who studies death, dying and bereavement. Despite the last name and area of expertise, she is no relation to Dr. Jack Kevorkian — who became famous in the US for his work on assisted dying.

In a recent interview with Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young, Kevorkian offered advice on how to cope with a world being rocked by COVID-19. “It’s not an easy time for anybody, but if you can find that something just within a moment where you can see any glimmer of hope, build on that and that will hopefully help you keep going… The lessons that I find from grief and from death are appreciating what we have in the now.”

Kevorkian’s key advice for anyone struggling to process the whirlwind world we live in, is to savour the details of our lives.

“Every moment, every person, every loved one, whether it’s nature, humans, whatever,” says Kevorkian. “Appreciate it all, because you never know when it’s going to be gone.”

Kevorkian’s own experiences led her to coin the term “environmental grief” and brought a new perspective to the field by recognizing the similarities between people’s reactions to the death of a loved one, and to the degradation of the environment.

“The way that I defined [environmental grief] was that it’s the grief reaction stemming from the environmental loss of ecosystems caused by natural or man-made events,” she says. “Ecological grief is the grief reaction stemming from the disconnection and relational loss from our natural world.”

Kevorkian is resistant to making these definitions clinical. She wants people to know that the emotional responses they are having to our ever-changing world is normal and takes time to process.

“I don’t want [environmental grief] to be medicalized. I don’t see grief as a disorder. I see it as a life issue and so I wish people would stop trying to medicalize it because I don’t see my environmental grief or ecological grief as a disorder. I see it as a proper reaction to what’s happening on the planet and to species,” says Kevorkian. “It’s part of the anticipatory grief that people have as our roles are changing. Everything that we’re seeing is changing. It’s all different. What is our future going to be? How is it going to change?”

To listen to the full interview visit www.skaana.org, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Be sure to tune in to Skaana for upcoming episodes with guests like renowned ichthyologist Daniel Pauly and Paul Wohlleben, author of The Secret Life of Trees, and inspiring young eco-hero, Robbie Bond. For more information on Kriss Kevorkian’s work, visit https://drkkevorkian.com .

Orcas: Love at First Splash

Writing Orca Books for Young Readers

Everybody knows orcas are awesome and they will steal your heart. They are part of the logo of the Vancouver Canucks and the Royal British Columbia Museum will be launching a major exhibit about orcas almost as soon as they’re allowed to open their doors post-Covid.

They are so important that I think it’s now illegal to create a tourism ad for B.C. (or Washington State) that doesn’t feature an orca spy-hopping or soaring above the water in a mind-blowing breach.

The orcas we know best are the “southern residents.” These were the first orcas that humans met in captivity… the orcas that the Canadian government once plotted to exterminate so we wouldn’t have to share salmon with them…

Orcas used to spend all summer long in the Salish Sea. When I discovered that some people believed that “Granny,” the matriarch of the southern residents, might be over a hundred years-old, I set out to make a movie about her.

The southern residents were in the middle of a baby boom. The population wasn’t thriving, but it was recovering from the era when we’d wiped them out by shooting them and taken a generation of their children to perform in marine parks.

Granny had just been elected honorary Mayor of Orcas Island. Almost everyone I interviewed was upbeat, hopeful, optimistic. The moment I saw Granny fly through the air — like she was ready for her close-up — the matriarch and her pod owned me.

Those were ancient times. Justin Trudeau was Canada’s shiny new Prime Minister. Barack Obama was president of the United States. The iPhone seven had just been released. The year was 2016.

That January, the southern residents lost J55 — an orca who died so soon after birth that researchers never confirmed the young whale’s gender or mother. Six more southern residents were gone before the end of the year. The Center for Whale Researchers waited until the start of 2017 to announce the death of Granny.

That’s when we realized these orcas were in trouble. I wanted to do what I could to inspire people to fight for them. So, I was thrilled when Ruth Linka, the editorial director at Orca Book Publishers asked if I’d be interested in writing about her company’s namesake for young readers.

I wanted to share how and why I fell for these whales. I wanted to share stories about how intelligent they are, how they look after each other and what humans can do to help them. I also wanted to write about what humans have done — and are still doing — to destroy them.

I wanted to write a book that would not only surprise and excite readers who were already into whales, but also inspire readers who’d never really thought about them. Equally important, I wanted to let young readers know what they could do to make a difference.

One of the most compelling speakers fighting for the southern resident orcas in Washington State is London Fletcher. For the last few years she’s been battling to breach dams in the U.S. to help save the Chinook salmon — the primary food source for the southern residents.

London is a member of the Society of Marine Mammology and the Acoustical Society of America. She’s twelve and she has told politicians, the media and the public, “We just can’t let them go without a fight.”

But she’s hardly alone.

Ella Grace from Ontario was eight when she was inspired by eco-warrior Rob Stewart to fight for sharks and the oceans.

Powell River’s Ta’Kaiya Blaney from Sliammon First Nation was eight when she started speaking out — and singing — about the dangers of a spill from the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline.

I’ve always enjoyed writing theatre for young audiences because they’re engaged. They don’t just ask questions, they want and, sometimes demand, answers. So, doing Orcas Everywhere was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

In a lot of ways, this book was created as Orcas 101 — for adults, too — as an all-purpose introduction to these magnificent beings. I want to inspire readers of all ages to join with leaders like London, Ta’Kaiya and Ella to fight on behalf of another species.

It all starts with love.

All of my new orca books are available at bookstores and online everywhere or at orcaseverywhere.com

London Fletcher — fighting for orcas

July Book Launch from Playwrights Canada Press

Join Skaana host Mark Leiren-Young for a very exciting launch event on July 9 2020 (9 PM – 10 PM EDT)!

Join Playwrights Canada Press in celebrating the launch of five new plays with a live virtual group author reading from across the country!

IN ORDER TO ATTEND, YOU MUST REGISTER (FOR FREE) AT THIS LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/5415931097353/WN_Mm5eNvYPRJm6CZ1Deho5mw

Starts promptly at 9pm EDT, 7pm MDT, 6pm PDT.

Featuring:
It's All Tru by Sky Gilbert
Speed Dating for Sperm Donors by Natalie Meisner
Bar Mitzvah Boy by Mark Leiren-Young
Quick Bright Things by Christopher Cook
Sequence by Arun Lakra

Want to purchase the books before the event? All print and ebooks are currently 25% off at playwrightscanada.com!

It's All Tru
Love, sex, and pharmaceuticals are put to the test when a gay couple’s open relationship is threatened with dangerous consequences.

Speed Dating for Sperm Donors
Can a lesbian couple find Mr. Right? When Helen and Paige set out to find a sperm donor who can be known to their future child but not involved their upbringing, the normally anonymous challenge becomes even more intimate than expected.

Bar Mitzvah Boy
When a sixty-something divorce lawyer convinces a young rabbi to help him get a quickie Bar Mitzvah, the pair embark on a hilarious crash course that leads them into sentimental reflections on their faith and family.

Quick Bright Things
When a father and son set out for a quick visit with family for dinner, their pit stop turns into a tense weekend-long event when nobody around them understands or knows how to deal with the son’s schizophrenia diagnosis.

Sequence
In a scintillating back-and-forth puzzle of “what if,” the foundations of what we know and how we know them come into question through two interwoven narratives.

Orcas: Love at First Splash

Writing Orca Books for Young Readers

Everybody knows orcas are awesome and they will steal your heart. They are part of the logo of the Vancouver Canucks and the Royal British Columbia Museum will be launching a major exhibit about orcas almost as soon as they’re allowed to open their doors post-Covid.

They are so important that I think it’s now illegal to create a tourism ad for B.C. (or Washington State) that doesn’t feature an orca spy-hopping or soaring above the water in a mind-blowing breach.

The orcas we know best are the “southern residents.” These were the first orcas that humans met in captivity… the orcas that the Canadian government once plotted to exterminate so we wouldn’t have to share salmon with them…

Orcas used to spend all summer long in the Salish Sea. When I discovered that some people believed that “Granny,” the matriarch of the southern residents, might be over a hundred years-old, I set out to make a movie about her.

The southern residents were in the middle of a baby boom. The population wasn’t thriving, but it was recovering from the era when we’d wiped them out by shooting them and taken a generation of their children to perform in marine parks.

Granny had just been elected honorary Mayor of Orcas Island. Almost everyone I interviewed was upbeat, hopeful, optimistic. The moment I saw Granny fly through the air — like she was ready for her close-up — the matriarch and her pod owned me.

Those were ancient times. Justin Trudeau was Canada’s shiny new Prime Minister. Barack Obama was president of the United States. The iPhone seven had just been released. The year was 2016.

That January, the southern residents lost J55 — an orca who died so soon after birth that researchers never confirmed the young whale’s gender or mother. Six more southern residents were gone before the end of the year. The Center for Whale Researchers waited until the start of 2017 to announce the death of Granny.

That’s when we realized these orcas were in trouble. I wanted to do what I could to inspire people to fight for them. So, I was thrilled when Ruth Linka, the editorial director at Orca Book Publishers asked if I’d be interested in writing about her company’s namesake for young readers.

I wanted to share how and why I fell for these whales. I wanted to share stories about how intelligent they are, how they look after each other and what humans can do to help them. I also wanted to write about what humans have done — and are still doing — to destroy them.

I wanted to write a book that would not only surprise and excite readers who were already into whales, but also inspire readers who’d never really thought about them. Equally important, I wanted to let young readers know what they could do to make a difference.

One of the most compelling speakers fighting for the southern resident orcas in Washington State is London Fletcher. For the last few years she’s been battling to breach dams in the U.S. to help save the Chinook salmon — the primary food source for the southern residents.

London is a member of the Society of Marine Mammology and the Acoustical Society of America. She’s twelve and she has told politicians, the media and the public, “We just can’t let them go without a fight.”

But she’s hardly alone.

Ella Grace from Ontario was eight when she was inspired by eco-warrior Rob Stewart to fight for sharks and the oceans.

Powell River’s Ta’Kaiya Blaney from Sliammon First Nation was eight when she started speaking out — and singing — about the dangers of a spill from the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline.

I’ve always enjoyed writing theatre for young audiences because they’re engaged. They don’t just ask questions, they want and, sometimes demand, answers. So, doing Orcas Everywhere was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

In a lot of ways, this book was created as Orcas 101 — for adults, too — as an all-purpose introduction to these magnificent beings. I want to inspire readers of all ages to join with leaders like London, Ta’Kaiya and Ella to fight on behalf of another species.

It all starts with love.

All of my new orca books are available at bookstores and online everywhere or at orcaseverywhere.com

London Fletcher — fighting for orcas

Painter Robert Bateman Makes Waves and Creates Cranes in His Interview with the Skaana Podcast

Written by Izzy Almasi

“My whole life story has been planned around having adventures in nature,” artist Robert Bateman told Mark Leiren-Young, in an interview that was just released on the Skaana podcast.

The iconic Canadian painter met Leiren-Young virtually to talk about his views on the importance of staying connected with the natural world and to share how his passions led him to a career in art.

“All little kids like art and nature. I’ve never met a little kid who doesn’t like art and nature. But most normal human beings grow up around the age of twelve and go on to more grown-up things and I just have not grown up yet,” says Bateman.

Taking a strong interest in art from a young age, Bateman saw painting as an opportunity to capture the beauty of the world around him, leading him to create stunning works of art that capture scenes of wildlife from every corner of the globe. In the interview, he discusses his experiences watching wildebeest in the Serengeti, penguins in the Antarctic and whales in the waters of BC.

“When you look at a piece [of art], it may be thought-provoking, but mostly I just paint what I love and that’s what all artists have done.”

Having recently celebrated his 90th birthday, Bateman continues to paint and create at his home on Salt Spring Island on Canada’s west coast.

As he talked with Leiren-Young, he was working on his latest project: an epic 4-foot by 12-foot scene of cranes at the Platte River in Nebraska — one of the biggest paintings he’s ever created.

“A lot of doing art and, I guess anything, is perspiration rather than inspiration. And not that this is perspiration. I’m just kind of sitting here dabbing away with gray paint on the wings of all these cranes,” he muses while continuing to paint.

The artist also discussed the work and origins of the Bateman Foundation, as well as how the Bateman Centre found its home overlooking Victoria’s inner harbour.

“Our mission is to promote the preservation and sustainability of the environment,” reads the opening statement on the Bateman Foundation’s website. “To achieve this goal, we maintain an art gallery to perpetuate, protect, enhance and promote the artistic and cultural legacy of nature-inspired artists, including Robert Bateman. We also support and develop educational programs relating to the environment and nature-inspired artists.”

For more information about the program and resources offered at the Bateman Centre and through the Foundation, be sure to check out their website at https://batemanfoundation.org.

To listen to the full interview visit www.skaana.org, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. Be sure to tune in to Skaana for upcoming episodes featuring interviews with renowned ichthyologist Daniel Pauly, Paul Wohlleben, author of The Secret Life of Trees, animal rights expert and advocate, Marc Bekoff and more.

Orca Procession — by Robert Bateman (featured in Mark Leiren-Young’s book Orcas Everywhere)

Orca Storytime with Mark Leiren-Young on July 8

Orca Storytime with Mark Leiren-Young
Join Skaana podcast host Mark Leiren-Young and the Royal BC Museum on July 8th at 11am for a reading of Mark’s new books!

Author and filmmaker Mark Leiren-Young will read from his new books for younger readers – Orcas of the Salish Sea and Orcas Everywhere, sharing stories about the endangered southern residents and answering questions about orcas everywhere and anywhere.

RBCM @ Home (Kids) is hosted by Chris O’Connor.

What you’ll need:

  • Just a comfy spot to listen. As this is a storytime, there will not be a making component to this session

Stay tuned for the Zoom link.

The Zoom Room has a capacity of 500 spots. If you are not able to access through Zoom, we will also be streaming on Facebook Live. Please visit the Royal BC Museum Facebook page.

If you missed past sessions, check out our RBCM @ Home (Kids) YouTube page.

RBCM @ Home (Kids) is like a museum playdate online. Visit with members of the museum staff who are working from home, along with families from across BC, as we make and learn together. Each session will have some kind of making activity, so get your paper and pencil crayons ready. RBCM @ Home(Kids) takes place on Wednesdays at 11 am, visit our calendar for topics, presenters and a list of materials so you can join in with hands-on activities at home.

For adults and youth, check out RBCM @ Home. This program takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12pm and highlights members of the curatorial and collections staff who are working from home during the pandemic and discover how they do their work, how their work is reflected in their homes and what they’re working on now.

Ta’Kaiya Blaney

“Activism doesn’t have to just look like one thing. It can be art, it can be creative resistance, it can be social-media-based. Do what you love to protect what you love.”

“Activism doesn’t have to just look like one thing. It can be art, it can be creative resistance, it can be social-media-based. Do what you love to protect what you love.”

 “I grew up around elders and relatives in my family who made an effort to instill cultural senses of value and what is sacred with our waters and our lands. So the work I’ve done in regards to land defense and advocacy and activism, has really been a result of them.”

“I grew up with people who tried to instill that sense of responsibility to land and to water and to future generations. And so it was never like one moment or something that I read. It was a lifetime of community that led me to care in that way about environment.”

“Commanding action that’s always a very powerful thing, but I think that it’s the work that follows those meetings, that is really the most crucial, you know, when we get together and we’re demanding justice for demanding action how do we carry that momentum forward? And what are the actions to follow?”

“Young people’s voices have such a powerful role in climate justice. It’s our generation that will witness and experience the repercussions of industrial activity, of environmental, the secretion of pollution, of climate change. So putting ourselves out there speaking to our concerns and speaking for our future and our right to live in a world with clean water and clean air and healthy lands.”

Virtual screening of “The Hundred-Year-Old Whale”

Join us on Sunday June 14th at 4:00 pm PDT for a live online viewing of “The Hundred-Year-Old Whale” as a part of oceans week!

To RSVP to the event on facebook click Here!

This event is being held on zoom so to get your link to access the event email skaanapod@gmail.com

For more information visit the oceans week website
https://www.oceansweekvictoria.ca/sunday-14th-salish-sea

“Born in an era when whales were on everyone’s menu and her family members were being harpooned, then shot, then captured and put on display, Granny (J2) miraculously survived in the west coast waters for over a century as the world – and the world of whales – has changed completely. We meet the world’s oldest killer whale and explore her past and her family’s future.”

Robert Bateman
“A lot of doing art, and I guess anything, is perspiration rather than inspiration.”

“All little kids like art and nature. I’ve never met a little kid who doesn’t like art and nature. But most normal human beings grow up around the age of 12 and go on to more grown up things. And I just have not grown up yet.”

“If you’ve got an eye for it, nature is everywhere.”

“One of my missions in life is to get more kids out into nature.”

“A lot of doing art, and I guess anything, is perspiration rather than inspiration.”

“Mostly I just paint things that I love.”

“It’s a great benefit to be out into nature and paying attention to, well, one of the ways I put it, it’s kind of an unselfishness. Becoming involved and very interested in lives that are nothing to do with your life, but you become absorbed by these other lives and maybe you get into conservation and helping them and that sort of thing.”

“I would do an abstract painting and I would look at it and it was fun doing it. And then I would say is that all there is, was not very challenging, just slapping on paint.”

“I think fossil fuels should be left in the ground and we should be putting our money and our interests into an alternative power, wind and water.”

“I think fossil fuels should be left in the ground and we should be putting our. Our money and our interests into a alternative power, wind and water.”

Kriss Kevorkian
The lessons I find from grief – and from death – are appreciating what we have in the now.

“The lessons I find from grief – and from death – are appreciating what we have in the now.”

“What is environmental grief? …It’s the grief reaction stemming from the environmental loss of ecosystems caused by natural or man-made events.”

“Ecological grief is the grief reaction stemming from the disconnection and relational loss from our natural world.”

“I don’t see grief as a disorder. I see it as a life issue. And I wish people would stop trying to medicalize it, or put it as some sort of mental illness because I don’t see my environmental grief or ecological grief as a disorder. I see it as a proper reaction to what’s happening on the planet.”

“Laughter is just one of those things that’s helped us get through dark times.”

“This pandemic is also teaching us that mother nature has a way of managing without us.”

“If Jane Goodall can maintain a sense of hope, then who am I not to?”

“I look at the rights of nature as helping… If a corporation can have rights. I think mother nature should.”

“We need to start putting nature first.”

“When we get rights for the Southern residents, they will be the first species to have rights of nature”

Erich Hoyt
 “If you get to know them as individuals, you get this attachment and it’s beautiful.”


“If you get to know them as individuals, you get this attachment and it’s beautiful.” 


“You walk in to these places and, and maybe you were interested in dinosaurs before because you’ve heard of them, and then suddenly you look up. If you see them in the of natural history and New York or, or you find the room in Edinburgh, Scotland or Toronto, you find the room where there’s a blue whale. And you look at it and you realize it’s a lot bigger than dinosaurs, you know, and it’s alive today.”


“You know, in terms of climate change and everything else there, there isn’t a movement that I know of that’s anywhere near, I mean, there certainly isn’t a movement like what Greta has done with the climate emergency.”


“You know, to be honest, I realized this in redoing my book, you know, we have this sort of natural human desire to get closer and closer. You know, we’re. Visual creatures largely, and we want to fill our frames with, you know, what we see in a way.”


“I think more and more the older I get, the more I’m thinking about, the best way to observe wildlife is to stand off a bit.”


“[in regards to whale watching] the best thing you could do is just kind of stand back in awe and let it happen and try and take notes in your head. About what’s happening.”


“We really need to pay attention to that if we’re going to have these whales and other species around in the future.”

Leah Abramson
“I started researching orcas and was just sort of fascinated by them and their whole social structure and everything. Everything that I researched, I just kept going down rabbit holes until I knew that I had to make some kind of project.”

“When I was really little I had these recurring dreams about a pink beluga whale in a swimming pool, and I don’t know why or how, or it was a very lonely whale and it was pink and I was its only friend, and this was like recurring dreams that I had around the age of, I don’t know, four or five.”


“I started researching orcas and was just sort of fascinated by them and their whole social structure and everything. Everything that I researched, I just kept going down rabbit holes until I knew that I had to make some kind of project.”


“People seem to really respond to it. I mean, I think we’re at a time where people are really waking up to the environment”


“Whales are such a iconic set of animals, especially on the West coast, because, you know, we sort of have this idea of ourselves as wild and, you know, the orcas are jumping and it’s all happy and, you know, we’re obviously in a bit of a, um, crisis with the orcas right now.”


“I know a lot of people have found it quite sad to the project and I don’t know if there’s any way around that, you know, and I think that’s a grief that we have to feel and that it’s important to feel because otherwise we don’t do anything about it. So there’s that as well, you know, like allowing people space and time to feel those feelings of environmental grief, which, you know, you sort of have to slow down a little bit to do sometimes.”

Camille Labchuck
“We’ve got this obligation to animals as a society to try to help them if we can.”

“Canada hadn’t passed any serious new animal protection legislation since the eighteen hundreds. That’s pretty shocking to most people.”

“We’ve got this obligation to animals as a society to try to help them if we can.”

“We never would have come this far, and people never would have known about the industry, if not for Rob Stewart’s Sharkwater film in the first place. I mean, I don’t know about you, but that was definitely the first time that I was exposed to the idea that shark finning existed, and I think it’s what mobilized a lot of people to take action.”

“The problem Mark, is that animals are victims of crime. They can’t report abuse themselves. They can’t speak up for themselves if there’s no one around to listen. And they’re often isolated and kept behind closed doors by abusers and it’s very, very difficult for anyone to know or detect what’s going on.”

“I think the problem is that governments seem to think these days that their role is to protect businesses, their roles are to protect industry — and if some other aspect of our laws, including endangered species laws, it’s inconvenient. To that end, they’re happy just to disregard it.”

“It’s in the economic interests of many humans to keep animals in the position that they are right now and not elevate them to some other sort of status that has rights. So there’s no moral argument for it, and there’s no scientific argument. There really is only an economic argument and I don’t think that’s good enough to deny an entire class of billions and trillions of beings  basic fundamental rights and freedoms, like living in appropriate social groups, like having access to fresh air and water and life.”

“A lot of people say that we need to protect animals because they’re voiceless and we need to speak for them, and I think that’s a mistake too. I think it’s really clear that animals do have voices and they use them. They use them to tell us that they don’t like what they’re doing to us. Every time we see a calf escape a slaughter truck, every time we see a coyote try to gnaw his or her paw off to escape a leg hold trap, when they yell and they scream when they’re being sent to slaughter, they’re telling us that they don’t like what we’re doing to them. So I think it’s important to grant them that agency and recognize that they have voices. We just ignore it and silence those voices.”  

Dr. Jason Colby
Author
“The region that loves them is poisoning them and starving them.”

“In some ways it’s the book I was meant to write and need to write.”

“I wanted this to be an academic book masquerading as a great beach read… I thought about titling this book .“Crazy Shit That Really Happened.”

“I refer to this sometimes as the unthinkable history of the Pacific North West.”

“We have very generational memories about our local ecologies.”

“Ted Griffin is one of the most controversial, fascinating characters in the history of the Northwest.”

“I had to reckon with my family’s responsibility in what is now a northwest tragedy.”

“I don’t think I’ll do anything as meaningful or as personal again in my writing.”

“I want people to understand that everyone lives in their own context and they live their lives forward . . . we don’t know how people are going to view our actions . . . I can imagine fifty years from now when we have an ocean without any fish . . . people will look back on us and say, “How could you have eaten salmon? . . . How could you have killed so many tuna for your sushi? What were you thinking? How could you do that?”

“The region that loves them is poisoning them and starving them.”