Living hours away from the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean doesn't stop Plumas County from getting involved in ocean ecology and conservation efforts. 

In April, 15 students from Plumas Charter School traveled to Fort Bragg for a scientific field trip to study whales and ocean ecology thanks to adults with ties to Plumas County. 

Naked Whale Research of Mendocino County is a killer whale research organization founded in 2010 by Jodi Smith, who is originally from Indian Valley. She invited the students to participate in a four-day, three-night trip funded by a grant obtained by the organization. Portola resident Bill Powers is a board member of Naked Whale Research and helped facilitate the trip with his daughter Becky Powers who is the school counselor at PCS. 

Activities for the students and chaperones included a whale-watching and research boat tour, a bluff hike and a nature-center tour. The young scientists also met with representatives from the Noyo Center for Marine Science who spoke to them about the importance of maintaining and caring for coastal waters and the animals that inhabit them.

By Rachel Goings, Public Relations Specialist [email protected]