Introducing our climate keynoter: Lynda Mapes of The Seattle Times

Lynda Mapes, author of “Witness Tree” and an environmental reporter for The Seattle Times, will kick off our climate science journalism strand this summer.

Mapes led the team that produced “Hostile Waters: Orcas in Peril,” an award-winning series sparked by Tahlequah, an orca who carried her dead calf for more than 1,000 miles through the Salish Sea during the summer of 2018.  Millions of people followed that sad journey.

But “Hostile Waters” went beyond the headlines to explore the life and history of the orca in the Pacific Northwest, including the human interactions and decisions that jeopardize its future. From the decline of salmon runs to pollution and vessel noise and disturbance,  “Hostile Waters” is a multimedia tour-de-force that shows in words, images, video, graphics and even sound how humans are driving the ocean’s top predator to extinction.

Lynda’s keynote will take place on Wednesday, July 1, by Zoom webinar. Parents/guardians and families of enrolled students are welcome to attend. We’ll have a question-and-answer period for students only.