Courtesy photo.
OXNARD — The Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) is pleased to announce that Charles Vinick, the Executive Director of The Whale Sanctuary Project, will be its featured speaker in August. Mr. Vinick will speak about the Project and its work to establish a coastal sanctuary where cetaceans (whales and dolphins) can live in an environment that maximizes well-being and autonomy and is as close as possible to their natural habitat.
A member of the Whale Sanctuary Project Board of Directors since 2016, Mr. Vinick brings a unique blend of leadership and experience to the Project. For 25 years, he worked closely with Jean-Michel and Jacques Cousteau (during his lifetime), helping the ocean explorers establish, grow and sustain multiple initiatives. Mr. Vinick shepherded the growth of the Cousteau Society and, from 1993 through 2003 and served as Executive Vice President of the Jean-Michel Cousteau Institute and Ocean Futures Society. During that time, he was privileged to serve as director of the highly-publicized Keiko Project, a pioneering effort that marshaled public and media support to reintroduce to the wild the captive orca made famous through the Free Willy films.
The award-winning short film “Whales Without Walls,” co-directed by Mr. Vinick, will also be shown.
The CIMM Speaker Series will be presented on August 17, 2022. Doors open at 6:30 pm, with the program beginning at 7:00 pm. Ticket Prices are $7 for adults, $5.00 for seniors and active military, and $3.00 for youths aged 6-17. Museum members receive free entrance to the event. Tickets are available through the Museum website at cimmvc.org.
About The Whale Sanctuary Project: The Whale Sanctuary Project is working to establish a gold-standard coastal sanctuary where cetaceans (whales and dolphins) can live in an environment that maximizes well-being and autonomy and is as close as possible to their natural habitat. Public opinion has turned against keeping whales and dolphins in captivity. The creation of this sanctuary is the first step toward the Project’s vision of a world in which all cetaceans are treated with respect and are no longer confined to concrete tanks in entertainment parks and aquariums. There are sanctuaries for many land animals being retired from zoos and circuses, and now is the time to provide them for whales and dolphins. This first-of-its-kind sanctuary is being created in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia, and it is being designed to serve as a model for many more that can then be built all over the world in the coming years. As part of its overall mission, its team of global experts also assists in the rescue, rehabilitation, and care of cetaceans in the wild.
About Channel Islands Maritime Museum: Founded in 1991 and located in Oxnard’s Channel Islands Harbor, the Museum’s galleries feature rare and beautiful maritime paintings dating back to the 1600s, more than sixty world-class models of historic ships, rotating thematic fine arts exhibitions, and interactive exhibits that encourage visitors to expand their horizons about everything maritime. The Museum is open to the public Thursday through Monday, Noon until 4:00 pm.