Be Among the First to Receive an Official Oregon Gray Whale License Plate!

(Draft illustration by Pieter Folkens. Plate image not yet approved by ODOT.)

 

The Marine Mammal Institute (MMI) at Oregon State University is moving forward with plans to qualify a new Oregon Gray Whale license plate. To do so, the Oregon Department of Transportation requires that we receive a commitment from at least 3,000 Oregon vehicle owners who will purchase this special plate. 

The special plate will cost $40 more than regular plates initially and at renewal. The MMI will receive $35 of every $40 for each plate issued. These funds will support whale research, student training, and public education. Plus, the new plate will help celebrate gray whales and coastal tourism by both whales and humans!

Once endangered from whaling, the gray whale population is now fully recovered. Each year the gray population migrates south to Baja, Mexico, to breed and then back north to feeding grounds in Alaska. A few hundred gray whales spend summers feeding here in the Pacific Northwest. We have gray whales off Oregon every month of the year!

If you would like to see this new plate issued and be among the first to get one, please complete and submit the short Expression of Interest webform below. No money is required at this time. When 3,000 commitments are received, we will forward to you an ODOT payment request for a plate voucher.

Thank you so much for helping us celebrate the coast and whales! 

 

Bruce Mate, Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center
David Gomberg, State Representative, Central Oregon Coast

Gray Whale License Plate Expression of Interest

I am interested in obtaining State of Oregon gray whale license plates that promote whales, the Oregon coast, and our State’s rich marine resources. 

Please provide your mailing address and/or email address so that you can be sent a voucher to purchase the plates when they are ready. Without an address, we cannot count your commitment.

Notes:

  1. This is a non-binding commitment, but we would like your interest to be serious as we initiate this process.
  2. Your personal information will not be shared or used for any other purpose without your permission.
  3. At the present time it appears you will be able to replace your plates without paying for a new registration cycle. So if you have plates that are good for 2–24 months, your new tags will reflect that valid registration period (and your old plates will no longer be valid).
  4. When it is time to fund the new plates, we will need 3,000 firm orders. You will then pay $40 for a voucher for the future plates. Getting these commitments will dictate how soon DMV can start making the plates.

We are very excited about this project and glad you share our enthusiasm. Thank you for your support!

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