By Mary O’KEEFE

First, before I get into the whale tale, I want to remind people to go to the polls and vote. I was taught voting is not just a right – it is a responsibility. My dad and uncles all served in the military. My dad and his brother were very active in the American Legion, my dad was commander at our local post and my uncle was an Iowa State commander. My dad also served as commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and was a member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).

At a very early age I remember talking to veterans, hearing their stories of war and of getting back to civilian life. For some, it was not an easy transition from soldier to civilian; for others what was seen in war was something they would rather bury and just keep moving forward.

My dad always reminded my brother and me that these men and women fought for American ideals and one of those ideals was the right to vote. So being an educated voter and making sure that we did vote in every election were the best ways we could show our respect to the veterans who fought and for those who had sacrificed their lives. So this is what I ask of all of you: If you haven’t voted yet, vote. You can find the time. And make sure you are an educated voter. Get more than one source of information on candidates; there is so much information that is available. Just vote and let your kids know that you voted. Talk to them about the election; let them know that when they are old enough this responsibility will fall to them. Don’t take for granted the simple act of voting.

And now: whales. Recently, “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper: What Whales Tell Us” was aired on CNN. Bill Weir, CNN’s chief Climate correspondent, took the audience on an odyssey around the world that showed us how important whales are to our climate and our future.

For Trekkies, the importance to the Earth of whales comes as no surprise. “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” way back in 1986, showed us all how delicate life on Earth is and when one part of the circle of life is affected it can have a devastating effect. Credited writers are Gene Roddenberry, Harve Bennett and Leonard Nimoy –who also directed the film. The crew of the Star Trek Enterprise, even though they were not on the Enterprise at the time, had to save the world after an alien probe began sending a message to Earth that could not be answered. By not answering the probe, the Earth was doomed to destruction. Humans couldn’t answer the call because it was specifically for humpback whales, which humans had hunted to extinction.

So Capt. James Kirk and his crew had to travel to the past to capture a whale and bring it back to answer the probe.

This was during the time of “Save the Whales” and the two Voyager satellites, which were literally going where no one had gone before, carried a golden record that included greetings to the universe from those on Earth including the song of a humpback whale.

The comeback of the baleen whale, which includes the humpback, is one of those amazing stories that prove if we as humans want to we can save the planet – albeit one species at a time.

Before a final moratorium on commercial whaling in 1985, all populations of humpback whales were greatly reduced, most by more than 95%, according to NOAA. The humpback population has increased significantly over the years; however, it is now facing other threats including entanglement in fishing gear, vessel strikes, vessel-based harassment and underwater noise, according to NOAA.

As everyone should know by now, we do live in a delicate balance on Earth. The whale is not just this big fish in the sea; the humpback whales are actually farmers of the ocean.

“They’re literally seeding the upper parts of the ocean with the opportunity for plant life to grow,” said veteran marine ecologist Ari Friedlaender while bobbing on a Zodiac raft off the Antarctic Peninsula. “And that’s what feeds the food for whales, birds, seals – everything. They’re basically farmers recycling nutrients and there’s more food available to them the more they’re around,” as stated in CNN’s “Whole Story” episode.

Weir spoke with Friedlaender who is part of a team of whale experts from the University of California Santa Cruz. They have studied the humpback’s feeding grounds, collecting whale data for 25 years.

And although not as romantic as a whale song, whale poo is very important.

“When baleen whales gulp vital nutrients, like iron and nitrogen, from the depths of the sea and defecate at the surface, they serve as the ocean’s biggest fertilizer pumps – feeding the tiny phytoplankton, which produces half the world’s oxygen and captures as much planet-warming CO2 as four Amazon rainforests while holding up the bottom of the food chain,” according to Weir as reported on CNN’s “The Whole Story.”

So how does climate change play into this threat to whales? According to Weir’s reporting, a young whale will spend the winter under the sea ice and feed on the microbial and algal communities.

“We have a very good understanding that when you have a poor sea ice year, the following year you’re going to have lower [whale] reproductive rates. In good ice years, the reproductive rates are very high,” stated Friedlaender.

To note, the last two years have been the lowest levels on record of sea ice around Antarctica … this trend is expected to continue as our planet warms.

It looks like I may have to dust off my old “Save the Whales” T-shirt because although the threats from hunters/harpooners may be fewer there are more threats, including from fisheries and plastic pollutants in the ocean. And, believe it or not, the whales have to compete with humans due to the market for omega-3 krill oil supplements and nutraceutical feed for pets and fish farms. (Krill are small marine crustaceans. Whales eat up to four tons of krill every day).

This episode of “The Whole Story: What Whales Tell Us” is really worth the watch. Weir has a way of making this information easy to understand and his wonder of the Earth is contagious.

For our local weather, there is another weak storm expected with clouds in advance of the storm beginning today with light rain on Friday into Saturday. The rain may linger into Sunday. We will see a break Sunday to Monday then another weak system will make its way Tuesday through Thursday, according to Ryan Kittel, meteorologist with NOAA.

Snowfall is expected in the Sierra. Our local mountains will also see some snowfall with five to 10 inches in the higher elevations and two to five inches on some mountain roads.