OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A sign telling about the gray whales, sea otters and orcas that frequent the North Olympic Peninsula’s Pacific coast was dedicated at Kalaloch Lodge last week.
The Whale Trail sign is the first installed on the state’s outer coast as well as the first within Olympic National Park, organizers said.
It was dedicated at the lodge, which is on U.S. Highway 101 some 35 miles south of Forks, on Thursday.
The ceremony featured speeches by Jefferson County Commissioner Phil Johnson, representatives of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Olympic National Park and The Whale Trail, and Hoh tribal storyteller Viola Riebe, director of cultural resources.
Whale Trail signs help visitors understand the diversity of life in the oceans, said Donna Sandstrom, executive director of The Whale Trail.
The national marine sanctuary provided funding and staff support for producing signs at Kalaloch, Snow Creek and Port Angeles in partnership with The Whale Trail and Olympic National Park, said Carol Bernthal, superintendent.
For more information, visit www.thewhaletrail.org.