About Us

When the Southern Resident Killer Whales swam south past Admiralty Head Lighthouse in the 1990s, Susan Berta would call a few volunteers to let them know it was time to go look. Little did she know that she was laying the foundation for Orca Network, an organization celebrating 25 years of connecting people with whales of the Pacific Northwest.

Susan met and began working with Howard Garrett, a former researcher with the Center for Whale Research and a frequent speaker on orca natural history who was working to free Lolita/Tokitae. The two joined forces, and in 2001, Orca Network was born.

“We used to do it all ourselves,” says Garrett, “but in a sign of heightened interest in orcas overall, we’re working at a greater scale now and things are done more collaboratively because more people are connecting with whales in the Pacific Northwest.”

Part of working more collaboratively is an organizational transition to a new joint leadership model. As of July 1, 2026, the staff and board of Orca Network welcomes new Co-Executive Directors Joy Brungardt (Operations) and Stephanie Raymond (Programs).

 Orca Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the whales of the Pacific Northwest, and the importance of providing them with healthy and safe habitats. Since 2001, Orca Network has been finding ways for people to work together to protect the rich, beautiful, diverse habitats and inhabitants of the Salish Sea. We raise awareness and inspire action through several key programs:

• Whale Sighting Network: Collects citizen sightings, providing data for research and information back to the public.
• Marine Mammal Stranding Network: Responds to strandings in Island, Skagit, and Snohomish counties.
• Education & Advocacy: Engages the community via the Langley Whale Center, online platforms, alerts, and outreach to highlight impacts and solutions for protecting species like Southern Resident orcas and Chinook salmon.

Based on Whidbey Island, Orca Network uses a grass-roots, collaborative approach to connect people with whales and motivate the protection of the Salish Sea ecosystem.

We acknowledge with respect that we are on the traditional lands and waters of the Coast Salish Peoples. We are grateful for their ancestral and continued stewardship of these land and waters and their traditional ecological knowledge. Through reciprocity, we show gratitude for the many tribal friends and elders we have had the pleasure to work with, who guide us as we work together in our shared commitment to orca and salmon recovery. We respect the rights of federally recognized and unrecognized Coast Salish peoples’ to sovereignty and self-determination.  We will continue to uplift Indigenous voices and initiatives as we become better listeners and learners as an organization and community.