Whale Watch Week returns in-person in Oregon after pandemic

By CLAIRE RUSH
Associated Press/Report for America

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Whale Watch Week in Oregon is returning in-person for the first time since the pandemic. The event, organized by Oregon State Parks, runs Wednesday through Sunday. Thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the coast to spot gray whales during their annual migration south. Volunteers will be at 17 state parks along the coast to help visitors spot the nearly 20,000 whales that make the southward journey to Mexico every year. State park officials said that one of the watching sites, Cape Meares, was closed Wednesday because of fallen trees. The trees were knocked down by high winds during a storm Tuesday.