07-24-2018, 01:57 AM
What better way to honor...? When a dead gray whale was reported floating in Puget Sound, then washed up on Whidbey Island, the environmental group I belonged to decided that flensing the whale and displaying the skeleton would be a great thing to do. It was a messy, smelly job even in the middle of winter. (In Oregon, a rotting whale on a beach was blown up, throwing blubber everywhere). Today, "Rosie's" skeleton is mounted in the Coupeville, WA wharf, and it is a treat to watch visitors, especially kids, begin what I suspect is a lifelong appreciation for whales. We did a great job, even recovering the vestigial "leg" bones. Different strokes, I guess. I understand sharks recycle whales as well...