Dr. Jason Wood will give a free public talk entitled “Whales, Echolocation and Noise” on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m. at Camp Orkila.

Dr. Wood is the Research Curator at The Whale Museum and an instructor for Beam Reach Marine Science and Sustainability School. He holds a PhD from the University of California at Davis and has studied vocalizations in animals as diverse as whales and elephants.

“From the pleasures of listening to music to the necessity of detecting danger, sound is an important part of our lives,” Joe Gaydos of The SeaDoc Society said. “It’s even more important to whales and dolphins.”

Wood’s lecture will explain the intricacies of how whales produce and use sound and how human generated noise can impact them.

“This is the second lecture of the 2009/10 Marine Science Lecture Series, created to inspire the general public about the amazing fish and wildlife of our region,” Gaydos said.

The marine science lectures are free to attend. Participants are asked to park in the upper parking lot at Camp Orkila. Shuttle service from the parking lot to the talk is available before and after the lecture.