Central PugetSound Marine Mammal Stranding Network

Between January 1st and August 6th the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network has answered and/or responded to these calls: 97 Harbor seal pups, 11 California Sea Lions, 1 Steller Sea Lion, an Elephant seal, 7 Gray whales, 2 Fin whales, 1 Humpback whale, 1 orca whale, 7 Harbor Porpoise, 2 Dall's Porpoise, and 10 "other" calls, including river otters, octopus, dolphin, and sea turtle. This year we are receiving many out-of-area calls, as NOAA Fisheries National hotline number has been transferred out of state, and we are somehow receiving calls from Alabama, Hawaii, California, and more - which we then work to find the appropriate stranding network to relay the reports to.

The funding situation for marine mammal stranding networks across the country is in jeopardy as the Prescott Marine Mammal Stranding Grant Fund has been severely cut from the 2013 budget, and at this time is not in the 2014 federal budget. Our Stranding Network has not received a Prescott Grant since 2010, and now must rely TOTALLY on funds from supporters like you.

Given the reduction in funds to support the work we do, we have had to prioritize our responses and cut back on the number of necropsies performed on dead stranded animals, and the sampling, testing of samples and research that helps us understand what is taking place in our ocean ecosystem. We have been doing a lot of education about seal pups on the beach, but can no longer respond to all the calls we get on seal deaths, trying to focus on priority species like porpise and whales.

We TRULY appreciate your past support, and now there is a NEW WAY YOU CAN HELP, by getting others to help support us during Global Giving's September Fundraiser Campaign, where our supporters can campaign and recruit additional donations for our project!

Global Giving's Fundraiser Campaign, September 1 through September 30, 2013, helps supporters like you create fundraising pages to share with friends, family, co-workers, and via social media, to join you in supporting the work of Orca Network's Projects  through the Global Giving website.

And if gathering more support for a cause you are supporting isn't enough to make you want to give this a try, they sweeten the deal by offering awesome prizes (JetBlue tickets, a flip cam, and more!) to those who raise the most funds, and offer matching donations and bonuses to those raising $500 or more for a project.

Global Giving has a simple website tool http://www.globalgiving.org/dy/v2/fundraiser-new/type that enables you to easily create and share your fundraising page (and Orca Network will happily share the link to your fundraising page as well, if you wish), so you can raise additional funds for Orca Network's Stranding Network without having to donate more yourself, and in the process, will be helping to spread the word about the good work we do.

Below is more information on how the Global Giving September Fundraiser works, and you can get started by visiting one of the links below to help you set up your fundraising page.

We urge you to take a few moments of your time to set up a September Fundraising page for Orca Network's Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and encourage others to help support the work we do. Thank you for your consideration, and for your past support - we couldn't do it without YOU!
Susan Berta and Howard Garrett, Orca Network
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/central-pugetsound-marine-mammal-stranding-network/

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How to start a Global Giving Fundraiser:
http://help.globalgiving.org/s/how-to/m/donate/l/131862-how-to-start-a-globalgiving-fundraiser
 
How does it work?

1. You identify supporters in your network who are passionate about your cause and ask them to create a fundraiser page.
2. Your supporters create a fundraiser page on GlobalGiving.
3. Fundraisers that raise at least $500 from at least 10 donors receive an additional $50 match for the project from GlobalGiving and become eligible for prizes­JetBlue tickets, flip cam, and more!
4. The top three organizations with the most fundraisers that raise at least $500 from 10 donors will win bonus awards of $2,000, $1,000, and $500 respectively.

Terms and Conditions

• The Fundraiser Campaign begins on September 1, 2013 at 12:01 am EDT ( This time in your time zone) and ends on September 30, 2013 at 11:59 pm EDT ( This time in your time zone).
• Fundraisers must raise at least $500 from at least 10 unique donors in order to qualify for the $50 match, donor prizes, and financial bonus awards.
• JetBlue tickets are for domestic travel only. Tickets are subject to fare restrictions and must be used by November 30, 2013.
• Limit one fundraiser per person. If a user creates multiple fundraisers, only one of the fundraisers will be eligible for matching prizes.
• Only online donations (credit card, PayPal, or gift card) are eligible for this campaign. Donations made by check or text-to-give are not eligible.
• Only donations made on www.globalgiving.org are eligible. Donations made on www.globalgiving.co.uk or any GlobalGiving cobrands (Nike, Eli Lilly, Give for Youth, among others) are not eligible.
• Unique donors are determined using numerous criteria, including name, email address, credit card number, mailing address, and IP address. We are monitoring these and other parameters in our system to ensure that only unique, distinct donors are counted towards the donor bonus award.
• Please note that GlobalGiving maintains the right to make a final decision on all matters concerning bonus awards and prizes.

Fundraisers are a great way to raise money for the causes you care about. You could set one up to commemorate your birthday, your wedding, the marathon you're about to run, to remember a loved one, or for any other reason you can think of!
http://www.globalgiving.org/dy/v2/fundraiser-new/type

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP & SUPPORT!
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Links:

• Sharing the Shore with Seal Pups Info. from NOAA Fisheries