I'm a longtime lurker here at SR although I rarely post. The organization I work with, The Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, is having a whale watch fund raising trip on October 2nd. I thought some of you might be interested in it. We are asking for $175 donation per person, which is higher than a normal trip but the entire donation is tax-deductible and supports the Sanctuary's programs.

Australia's worst oil slick since the mid-1980s is now tainting Indonesian waters. Fishermen in West Timor say contaminated fish are making villagers ill.

Oil began leaking two months ago, following an accident on the West Atlas drilling platform, which lies about 200 kilometers off the coast of Western Australia.