2025 Whale Festival Events
Join the Noyo Center for Marine Science in February and March for a variety of special events and exhibits to celebrate Whale Festival and the annual gray whale migration.
Full Listing of Events and Activities
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6-7:30 PM
Noyo Center Marine Field Station
$10 Requested Donation
In this program we will explore how to interpret the natural history of the Eastern Pacific Gray Whale including adaptations for the aquatic habitat, current estimates of the population and how to help visitors see them from land.
Following the presentation there will be an opportunity to ask questions. -
Open Daily from 11 am – 3 pm
Extended hours March 15, 16, 22 & 23 (10 am – 4 pm)
Crow’s Nest Interpretive Center, Noyo Headlands South Trail
Free
Visit our headlands facility to view special marine mammal specimens, in addition to the tidepool aquarium, marine mammal exhibits, and a deck from which to watch for passing whales.
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6 – 8 PM
Crow’s Nest. Ft Bragg Headlands. Ft BraggCommunity members, whale scientists, ocean enthusiasts will unite to greet and thank the whales for being our neighbors and recommit to being good neighbors to the whales and stewards of the ocean. Expect musical offerings, a meaningful sunset ceremony, and words of gratitude from a variety of community members to kick off the whale season in our region.
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Co-hosted event between Noyo Center and the Kelley House
Kelley House
45007 Albion Street, Mendocino, CA 954604-5:30 PM
$7 Members; $10 Non-MembersEvent Information and Tickets: https://www.kelleyhousemuseum.org/event/whale-war-panel/
A panel and temporary exhibition at the Kelley House featuring some of the people who were instrumental in the Mendocino Whale War of 1976. During the Q&A portion of the panel, Noyo staff will be available to help answer questions about the state of whaling today, how whale populations have rebounded off the US West Coast after marine mammal protection act came into law in 1972 and how whale recovery has helped our fisheries to recover. Also, a great opportunity to snag your vintage design Save the Whales t-shirt!
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12 PM – 1 PM
Free (Suggested donation $10)
South Coastal Trail. Start at the parking lot of the South Coastal Trail on the Noyo Headlands and end at the Crow’s Nest Interpretive Center
Join Noyo Center docents for this one-hour walk along the Coastal Trail and learn about the gray whale migration and local marine life.
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Crow’s Nest Interpretive Center, Noyo Headlands South Trail
March 16
10 am – 2 pm
Free
More informationJoin Scott and Tree Mercer, founders of Mendonoma Whale and Seal Study, for gray whale counting from the deck of the Crow’s Nest and learn more about their important research.
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Zoom program
March 18
6-8 PMDr. Trites oversees the Marine Mammal Research Unit and a research program that involves captive and field studies of seals, sea lions, whales and dolphins.
His research is primarily focused on pinnipeds (Steller sea lions, northern fur seals, and harbor seals) and involves captive studies, field studies and simulation models that range from single species to whole ecosystems. His research spans the fields of ecology, nutrition, physiology, and animal behavior—and is designed to further the conservation of marine mammals. It is also designed to further the conservation and understanding of marine mammals and resolve conflicts between people and marine mammals. The research program includes researchers, students, technicians, and support staff. The training of students, and the collaboration between researchers specializing in other disciplines (such as nutrition, ecology, physiology and oceanography) is central to the success of his research program.
