After a two-year hiatus, crowds of wildlife lovers will be back this weekend at designated observation points to count beluga whales swimming in Cook Inlet. (via AlaskaBeacon)
A gray beluga whale calf and three adults swim together in Cook Inlet. The annual Belugas Count! event scheduled for Saturday seeks to enlist citizens to monitor the endangered whales and help in their recovery.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will be staging a citizen-science event on Saturday called The annual event was put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has returned this fall. The main goal is to increase awareness about endangered populations and help build support for recovery efforts, said Jill Seymour, a marine mammal specialist and the Cook Inlet beluga recovery coordinator for NOAA Fisheries.