On Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m., Woodmen Hall, Dr. James Sumich, of OSU Fisheries and Wildlife Courtesy Faculty, will lead a discussion on a favorite cetacean, the north pacific gray whales.

Gray whales are the most- observed and best-studied type of whale along the Oregon coast.

They are legally protected under several statutes as two separate populations; a large eastern population of about 20,000 whales and a critically endangered western population of less than 150.

Through discussion and images Sumich will describe some exciting current research that is helping to clarify the evolving status and related management issues of these populations.

He has conducted research on gray whales from Baja California to British Columbia and has just published a new book, “E. robustus: The Biology and Human History of Gray Whales,” that addresses this new research and everything else you ever wanted to know about gray whales. Available at the Lopez Library and the Lopez Bookshop. He is also the author of a best-selling textbook on marine biology (now in its 10th edition) and co-author of the widely adopted “Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology” with Annalisa Berta and Kit Kovacs.

Don’t miss this beautiful program. For more info, visit lopezlibrary.org or telephone the Lopez Library, 468-2265.