We are delighted to announce the publication of The Whale Trail’s 2025 Impact Report. Click on the image below to view or download. (You can also send an email info@thewhaletrail.org to request a printed copy.)
The Whale Trail turns 18 in January! We’ve come a long way since our founding in 2008.
- The Whale Trail now extends from California to British Columbia. Our signs reach a broad and diverse general public—people out for a walk, or on a bike ride, or waiting for a ferry.
- We’ve pioneered a new way of watching marine mammals without disturbing them, and encouraged travel to coastal communities. Every moment of every day, someone is reading a Whale Trail sign, learning more about the place they are at, and the animals they might see.
- And we’ve created meaningful change for the endangered southern resident orcas. We’ve championed laws to license commercial whale-watching, and increase acoustic buffers.
- Today all boaters are required to stay 1,000 yards away from southern residents in Washington state waters. When the orcas return to the Salish Sea it is quieter, and they have the space they need to forage, rest and tend their young. A sea change is underway, against great odds.
Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. Whale-sized thanks to the site hosts, partners, donors and volunteers who have shared our vision, and made it come true.
In a fractious time, The Whale Trail has created a powerful piece of common ground. We are more than ever committed to our mission and goals, and to meet the challenges of this era with resilience and resolve.