This year's Belugas Count! event has been cancelled due to the global pandemic. Belugas Count! is a citizen science opportunity and festival event usually held in September, when viewing of endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales near Anchorage and Kenai is optimal. Alaska Wildlife Alliance (AWA) is a partner in this event.

To help fill the information pause caused by the cancellation, NOAA Fisheries will hold a NOAA Live! Alaska online webinar focused on Cook Inlet beluga whales on Friday, September 10th at 1:00pm AK Time. The event will include: how you can help NOAA scientists look for Cook Inlet belugas around the inlet, on your own or through programs like the Alaska Beluga Monitoring Partnership (AKBMP); how beluga sightings from the public can help with the recovery of the population; and how new technology can help us learn about a beluga's age and relatives. While look forward to having a much-awaited event next year, we are excited about what this webinar will bring!

AWA is partner of AKBMP. AKBMP is a collaboration between several organizations that offer opportunities for volunteer citizen scientists to contribute to endangered beluga monitoring efforts in Alaska’s Cook Inlet. Together, we design standardized scientific monitoring protocols, train volunteers to support monitoring efforts, and coordinate shore-based beluga monitoring activities at various sites throughout Cook Inlet. If interested in learning more and volunteering to become a citizen scientist, visit this website.

To watch the recorded webinar event, visit here.