NEWPORT BEACH : A Whale of a Lesson in Ecology

“Please don’t kill the whales. I think the ocean looks pretty with the whales in it. Please save our whales. Sincerely, Brooke.”

The 9-year-old’s letter to governmental leaders in Denmark was one of dozens written by third-grade students from Mariners Elementary School and given to the founder of the Save the Whales foundation Friday to protest whale hunting off the shores of the Scandinavian nation.

During a program at the school, the youngsters also launched a big, blue fiberglass whale into the lagoon at Newport Dunes--the traditional signal of the start of summer in Newport Beach for the last 34 years--and heard a science and sociology lesson about the big mammals.

“It makes a difference. If people would just take a few minutes and write a letter, it would make a big difference,” Maris Sidenstecker, a marine biologist and founder of the Save the Whales group, told the students.

She explained that some whales, such as the pilot whale found off the coast of Denmark, are not protected under national or international guidelines, and hunters can catch them for food or to use in making products.

Sidenstecker brought huge whale-skeleton bones and jaws, as well as otter and seal furs, to show the children the enormity of the animals, how their bodies work and which parts are used for food and products.

“It was big as a house,” said Peter Belden, 9, about the whale skeleton.

“Yeah, huge,” added friend John Sruggs, “as big as a supermarket.”

The boys’ comments seemed to reflect those of their classmates, and proved Sidenstecker’s point that showing the students the skeletons will make an impression on their young minds that “they’ll never forget.”

The children, who have been studying whales for the past month in Mary Roberts’ class, seemed to take to heart Sidenstecker’s suggestions that they could help protect the whales and other animals often threatened by pollution in the ocean environment.

She told them about the need to recycle, why they should snip the plastic rings off six-pack holders--to prevent birds and other animals from getting tangled in the material--and not release balloons into the air. She explained that the balloons could eventually land and be consumed by sea life. Some sea turtles, for example, have died after eating balloons that appear to be jellyfish, Sidenstecker told the class.

“I liked the idea she said, that we’re just children but we can make a difference,” said student Sarah Greene, 9.

“I thought it was really neat and fun, but it was also educational,” added Elyse Poppers, also 9. “But I think they should have had models of the whale and seal fur and otter fur. . . . I mean if they died naturally, that’s OK, but if they killed them just to show us, that’s pretty cruel.”

In all, most students agreed that the talks were informative, but the fun of the day was pushing the big, blue fake whale--dubbed Moe B. Dunes--into the water, where it will sit all summer as a marker for swimmers as part of a longstanding Dunes tradition.

The students said they were glad they had been studying whales so that their class was chosen for the day’s events. But even the fun part of the day wasn’t without its educational value.

Looking out at the comical fake whale that the children heaved into the lagoon, Elyse said it resembled one of the many species of whales that the children studied in class--in this case, one characterized by a mouth that seems to be in a perpetual grin.

“I know it’s a cartoon whale, but it looks like a Right Whale, you can tell by the wide smile,” she said.