You can help expand our research and support our students by making a gift to the Marine Mammal Institute via the OSU Foundation. Private funds support about half of our research.
To ensure that your estate gift to Marine Mammal Institute is carried out as you wish, please see our sample Bequest Language.
A “life-income gift” guarantees an income stream for life. To learn more, please contact the OSU Foundation Office of Gift Planning, (800) 336-8217.
A few years ago, a 70-foot blue whale carcass washed up on an Oregon beach. Recognizing the extraordinary educational opportunity this presented, we went to work to save the skeleton. Once finished, the articulated skeleton will be on permanent display at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. Your gift will help us save this rare specimen for the future of marine science education.
For more about this special project, please visit beav.es/bones.
To make a gift, please go to the MMI online giving form and select Whale Skeleton Preservation & Articulation Fund from the drop-down menu.
Each year, the MMI takes 20 guests to Baja California Sur to experience the ecology and marine wildlife of the Gulf of California and the gray whale sanctuary of San Ignacio Lagoon. The trip cost includes a tax-deductible donation to the MMI Graduate Student Fellowship Fund.
For more about this extraordinary adventure, visit beav.es/baja.
The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles offers a special license plate that benefits the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University. The Coastal Playground plate features an image of a gray whale mother and calf on a background showing a coastal lighthouse. Each sale and renewal of this special plate directly supports marine mammal research, public outreach, and educational opportunities for students.
For more information about the gray whale license plate, please visit whaleplate.com.
The Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network relies on the involvement of local Oregonian volunteers, who serve as its eyes and ears on the beaches. For more information, please contact Jim Rice, Stranding Program Manager, at (541) 867-0446 or jim.rice@oregonstate.edu.
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Each winter, MMI instructors introduce gray whale biology and behavior to volunteers of Oregon Whale Watch, a program of Oregon State Parks. These volunteers help guide thousands of Oregon Coast visitors during peak gray whale migrations. For information about becoming an Oregon Whale Watch volunteer, visit the Oregon Whale Watch website.
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For other marine science volunteer opportunities, please visit the Hatfield Marine Science Center Undergrad Scholarships and Internships webpage (scroll to the bottom for Volunteer Opportunities).
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Subscribe to the MARMAM listserv for global marine mammal–related research announcements and opportunities.
