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| | Chronology of Events
Sun. 7/9/00:
Tues. 7/11/00:
- Orca seen cruising around Orca Cannery, about 2 miles north of Cordova;
reported by two observers (Steve Ranney and Debi Olzenak) to be breathing
laboriously. Photos taken.
- Orca seen feeding at Hartney Bay around 11 am. (Mimi Rothchild)
- Seen to beach itself around 11:30 am. (Rothchild)
- Mimi placed call to PWSSC 12:30 pm regarding beached whale.
- Heather Maxcy of USFS goes out to Hartney Bay to observe whale ~ 1 pm.
- Mike Mahoney, Katie Olson of PWSSC, and Mike's friend go to keep Orca wet
3 pm - 4 pm.
- Kendra Zamzow of PWSSC joins Mike and friend in keeping whale damp 3:30
pm.
- Mike takes some of the skin that is peeling from the whale as a sample.
- Whale dies about 4:15 pm.
- Heather and Nancy Bird (PWSSC) take blubber sample for Craig Matkin's
genetic research project (5 pm).
- Evening: Heather Maxcy and Pat Kearney use a Zodiac to tow the whale as
far up the beach as possible and anchor it so it won't wash out to sea.
Wed. 7/12/00:
- 9:30 pm - Mark King (Native Village of Eyak) uses his jet boat to tow
whale into creek near Hartney Bay bridge.
- 10:00 pm - 10:30 pm Mark King and others use pickup to pull whale up above
cutbank at top of the high tide.
- 10:30 - 11:30 pm Dan Monson (of USGS Biological Research Station), Lianna
Jack and Donna Willoya (of The Alaska Sea Otter and Sea Lion Commission),
Heather Maxcy (USFS), Mark King (NVE), Kendra Zamzow (PWSSC) take
measurements for the Marine Mammal Stranding Network forms.
Thur. 7/13/00:
- Midnight - 4 am Kendra baby-sits whale carcass.
- 4 am - 5 am Dan Monson and Heather Maxcy begin necropsy.
- 5 am Kendra joins them.
- 8 am - 4 pm Mark King, Lianna, Donna, and Mike Mahoney join in the
necropsy and bone salvage - John and Kate Williams (NVE) bring lunches and,
along with Nancy Bird, do various errands throughout the day.
Fri. 7/14/00:
- 8 am - 4 pm salvage work continues. Aaron Lang (PWSSC) and Pam Van Den
Broek (USFS) join in the work.
- John and Kate Williams bring lunch for the crew. Nancy Bird brings morning
snacks for the crew.
- All bones are salvaged except one floating pelvic bone.
- Bones are loaded into fish totes in trucks.
Sat. 7/15/00:
- 1 pm - 5 pm: Shelley Cox, of Cordova Community Hospital, X-rays flipper.
- Volunteers in this project: John Booren (truck with boom), Karl Becker,
Nancy Bird, Kendra Zamzow, Walter Cox, and Mike Mahoney.
Sun. 7/16/00:
- 1 pm - 5 pm: Totes with bones loaded onto Snug Harbor. Howard Johnson's
boom truck was used for this.
- Bones are put into crab pots and dropped into ocean.
- Volunteers in this project: Jim Aguiar (donated pots), Greg Meyers (owner,
Snug Harbor), Don Sheffield (captain, Snug Harbor), 3 Snug Harbor crew,
Heather Maxcy, Nancy Bird, Kendra Zamzow, Molly (USFS).
Sat. 7/22/00:
- First check-up on bones in crab pots. It is decided that they need
more time soaking in the ocean.
Mid-September:
-
Crab pots pulled out of the
water. The Montague (ADF&G boat) is used for this, skippered by
Dave Branshaw.
-
Volunteers in this project: Mike Mahoney,
Kendra Zamzow, and several local Youth Area Watch students.
9/22/00:
-
Orca bones are transported to
city-owned T-dock. They are placed in burlap bags, then boiled in
crab cookers to get the excess meat off. In addition to boiling, the ribs, the bones of one flipper, and a majority of the vertebrae
are also
scrubbed and scraped to further remove meat and cartilage.
-
Volunteers involved: Mike Mahoney,
Kendra Zamzow, Roger Trani, Randy Fleharty, and several Youth Area Watch
students.
9/30/00:
-
Another boiling and scrubbing session
takes place. Volunteers present are Mike Mahoney, Kendra Zamzow, YAW
students.
-
The skull is too large to fit into
the crab cooker. It's placed back into a tote, with the second
flipper and some vertebrae, then it is transported back to the USFS compound
for storage. Volunteers: Mike Mahoney (PWSSC), Dave Engen, Robbie
Piehl, Shawn (all from USFS).
-
Clean vertebrae, ribs, and
flipper bones are taken to the Native Village of Eyak Arts Center to air
out.
Mid-Oct 2000:
Early-Nov 2000:
-
The skull, flipper, and vertebrae are
retrieved from the USFS compound to be cleaned. Totes are taken to
Ocean Beauty to use their steam cleaner.
-
All teeth are extracted from the
skull. They are placed in labeled Ziploc bags, then left to soak in
a five-gallon bucket filled with sea water.
-
Several hours are spent cleaning and
scraping the skull. It is decided that
it would be worthwhile to place the skull back in the ocean to let the sea
creatures work on it some more. It is placed in a tote and taken to
the USFS, until it could be sunk.
-
The flipper, still intact, is
measured and sketched. Then the bones are all cut apart, placed back
into burlap sacks, and returned to USFS compound.
-
Volunteers involved: Mike Mahoney,
Cristal Czarnacki (USFS), Signe Baumann, and the Cordova High School Science
Club.
Late-Jan 2001:
-
The skull is sunk in the harbor by
Aaron Lang and Mike Mahoney.
-
Flipper bones and vertebrae are
boiled in crab cooker (donated by Bruce Cain, NVE) at the USFS compound.
-
Volunteers: Mike Mahoney, Aaron
Lang, Signe Baumann, and Bree Murphey (PWSSC)
Late Spring 2001:
-
Skull is pulled out of the harbor by Aaron Lang and Mike
Mahoney
-
It is put back into a tote and taken back to the USFS
compound, along with a few vertebrae
Oct 2001:
Feb 2002:
-
Bones at NVE continue to air out
-
Skull and bones retrieved from USFS compound by Mark King
-
Bones, except skull and some flipper bones, are soaked in
gas for seven days to degrease.
4/12/02:
-
Mark King makes a cast copy of one tooth. The process
is observed
by the high school's Native Culture class. It is hoped that they will
be able to participate in making casts of the remaining teeth.
-
Flipper bones are still being soaked in sea water.
-
Remainder of bones will soon be soaked in hydrogen peroxide
to whiten them.
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