Peninsula Citizens for the Protection of Whales
_____Peninsula Citizens for the Protection of Whales (PCPW) came together in 1998 as a concerned group of individuals, all shocked at the realization that gray whales were actually going to be hunted down right here where we live.
_____Our ages and backgrounds were quite diverse but there was a common realization that if a we were to "speak up for the whales," we would have to be prepared to openly oppose the Makah Tribal government and the U.S. Federal Government.
_____ Seven years have passed; over the years we have:
* Held two "Support the Gray Whale" rallies at the City Pier (1998 and 1999)
* Had informational booths at the County Fair (1999 and 2000)
* Conducted numerous peaceful protests at various locations in Clallam County (1998 - 2001)
* Collected around 4000 local signatures on petitions against the hunt (in one 3-month period in 1999)
* Communicated our concerns to every level of government; city, county, state, national. In the winter of 1999 we requested and were granted a meeting with the Makah Whaling Commission.
* Been plaintiffs on two lawsuits against the hunt, including the case decided by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in our favor in 2002
* Compiled a vast archive of information on gray whales and the Makah Hunt
_____In addition to Makah whaling, our group has also opposed:
* Japanese "scientific whaling"
* The Navy's Low Frequency Sonar
* The development of the Revised Management Scheme (RMS) which will regulate a return of commercial whaling
* WALMART's involvement in the sale of whale and dolphin meat in Japan
Our attention is now focused on alerting our community at large to the importance of giving comments to NOAA. It was a hard fought court battle supported by concerned organizations such as The Humane Society of the United States, Fund for Animals, Australians for Animals, and Cetacean Society International, that has resulted in NOAA being ordered to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (E.I.S.) and obtain a waiver for the Makah Tribe from the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This process requires a voice for the affected area. That's us.
It has been said of whales
"They are not brethren;
They are not underlings;
They are other nations..."Our request of the Makah People remains this:
Let the Gray Whale Nation pass in peace...