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I came to visit Nantucket to see the ocean and learn about it. I’ve been helping to save the Maui’s dolphins in New Zealand. But I’ve never seen the ocean before. When I first saw the ocean, I felt happy, excited, and bubbly inside. The waves were huge and the sand was warm. They were so powerful! They made me feel small. The people I met on Nantucket see the world in a different way. The ocean is a part of them. They understand how people are destroying this Earth. If everyone cared for ocean life as much as the people I met did, it would make the world a better place. The New Zealand Maui's dolphins are dying because fishing nets are killing them. They can only hold their breath for 2 1/2 minutes. They are the smallest dolphin on Earth. Their dorsal fin is shaped like a Mickey Mouse ear and their noses are rounded. Now there are only 43-47 left. The New Zealand government is not protecting them. Help me save them. Help me fight for them. Make the New Zealand government make better laws that fully protects where the Maui's dolphins live. I want to help so I spread the word and donate money. I’m only one person but I’m not going to stop trying. The money that I’m raising goes to NABU International and challenges the New Zealand government’s decisions in court. I’m just like you. I care about the ocean like you do. The ocean is a part of me too. I wish the New Zealand government was more like the people of Nantucket. 
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I just finished reading this book, In The Heart Of the Sea.  AND OMgosh it's a signed copy from the author himself! Nathaniel Philbrick!!!! He calls me, "A Lover of the Sea!" Yay! (Thanks also to a Nantucket friend, Scott Leonard! We met this summer, a blog post on that trip and how I felt about the people of Nantucket coming soon.)  I thought the book was a tragic story with a lot of scary and sad parts. To me, the whale represented revenge against the people that have destroyed them and their journey. In his way, the whale was fighting back.
Ever since I started fighting for the Maui's dolphins, this journey has taken me really far. I've met a lot of amazing people and learned a lot of amazing things. I'm thankful and I continue to wish that people wouldn't destroy helpless animals. They didn't do anything to us but people still continue to destroy them. There's even a movie coming out in December - I hope my mom lets me see it. :) This summer in Provincetown, I met a woman named Palermo. She was the hostess at a restaurant we ate at and I was telling her about the Maui dolphins. She gave me money to donate towards my mission! She also told me about how her and her daughter spend their time off to clean up and pick up trash on the Provincetown Beaches. Thank you Palermo!    I saw that The Andersons in Maumee (Ohio) carries fish from New Zealand. It made me upset. I talked to the lady at the counter and then I talked to the front desk. I've just written them this letter too. I hope they stop carrying it and support me in saving the Maui dolphins. You can get help too! You can write a letter to your grocery store (or to Andersons too!) to make sure they do not have fish from New Zealand. You can just copy my letter and use it! "Did you know that the fisheries in New Zealand fish in and near the protected Maui's dolphin habitat? The Mauis dolphins are critically endangered. They are the smallest cetacean on earth and will be the first to go extinct from humans. There are only about 40 left. The Maui dolphins are dying because fishing nets are killing them. They eat the fish you carry and are getting caught in the nets. They can only hold their breath for 2 and a half minutes. I’ve dedicated myself to spreading the word about this problem. I ask that you stop carrying fish from New Zealand in support of saving the Maui's dolphins."  I want to donate $1,000 to help save the Maui Dolphins. I've dedicated myself to save them because I want to help. It's important that people like me help. It's up to us to help them now because time is running out. The New Zealand government won't save them. I just donated another $120 with the help of new friends we made on vacation in Massachussetts.... Nantucket Island and Provincetown. Thank you for your support! Altogether I've now donated $819! My goal is to get to $1,000. I'm almost there! You can help me reach my goal. Donate online here. Help me save them!   I just got back from visiting the East coast. I saw the ocean for the first time. I got to see whales on the whale watch. The whale boat was called Dolphin IX. We saw 2 species of whales: Fin whales and Humpback whales. It was very exciting to see whales. It was cool when they flipped their fluke up to go for a dive! I met a naturalist named Carolyn O'Connor. She studies whales with the Center for Coastal Studies out of Provincetown, Massachusetts. A naturalist identifies whales by the scratches or markings on their backs and flukes. They record data about each whale sighting. The Fin whale we saw was named Loon. His name is Loon because of the marking on his back that looks like a bird holding a fish in its beak. I talked to her about the Maui Dolphins. She already knew they were close to extinction. I told her more about it. She gave me money to donate towards saving them. (THANK YOU CAROLYN!!) Here are the things you can do to help the Maui dolphins too! 1) Spread the word. Sign the petition. 2) Donate here. 3) Don't eat seafood from New Zealand.   I saved up $36 and donated it HERE to help save the Maui's dolphins. My goal is $1,000 and I am almost there! I need to raise another $301.
If would be great if you could donate too! Here is the link: http://www.gofundme.com/Mauis-Dolphin-LDF Your donation goes toward challenging the New Zealand government in court! Long Distance Call for Maui's Dolphins ... Today I talked to New Zealand's Minister of Conservation's private secretary, Shanna, on the phone. I asked if Nick Smith cared about saving the Maui's dolphins. You can call him too. Let him know how you feel or ask him questions about why he's not protecting Maui's dolphins. His number is: +64-4-817 6805 Here is how it went: "I'm Calista, I just turned 8 years old, and I live in Ohio... I wanted to ask a few questions... Does he care about saving the Maui's Dolphins?" "Yes, yes he does." "What about the IWC?" "... they've done exactly what the scientistific advice has been which was last year that they extend the set net ban." (This isn't true though! Because they aren't taking the advice from the IWC - a big group of scientists and experts.) "But what about the IWC and all those scientists?" "Yeah, well the minister's just received the advice from the IWC so... he'll be considering that." "Well Liz Slooten has a lot of information. Why don't you just ask her? She already has a lot of information.... Why don't you use Liz Slooten's research and expand the fishing sanctuary?" That's not up to me, that's up to the Minister, and I can't really speak on his behalf... What I Learned I watched some videos before I called. One was where PM John Key called scientists research about the Maui's dolphins a bunch of "mumbo jumbo." Video here. Another video I watched was with Jane Goodall and she was not happy that the NZ government was letting exploration in where the Maui's dolphins live. Video here. Another video I watched was Leonardo DiCaprio pledging $7 million dollars for the Oceans. Video here. I learned a lot today. There are good people in the world really trying to help make things better. I want to be one of them. It makes me sad when the New Zealand government doesn't listen and doesn't answer the questions about the Maui's Dolphins -- they are dying and the government doesn't think they are important enough. Even though a huge group of scientists called the IWC Scientific Committee is telling New Zealand to helpt he dolphins and stop allowing them to die! After watching the videos, I was ready to call Nick Smith. I wrote a script before I called so I knew what to say if I got nervous. At the end I didn't use it because I don't understand why Liz Slooten (Her blog here. She's an expert!) isn't someone their government listens to. She already knows exactly what needs to be done. I am sad because Shanna from the Minister's office didn't tell me the truth, when she said that "they've done exactly what the scientific advice has been" from the IWC last year. My friend Barbara (Dr Barbara Maas from NABU International) was there and told me that the IWC experts wanted New Zealand to protect all the dolphins' habitat, not just a little bit. This year the scientists told New Zealand again to protect the dolphins properly. Create a larger Maui Dolphin sanctuary that saves them from dying from fishing nets, oil drilling. Today, I learned that adults make things more complicated than they need to be! God created the ocean to be enjoyed not destroyed! Can you join me and help me fight to save the Maui dolphins? They don't have a voice. But we do!
For my 8th birthday I asked for money for the dolphins instead of presents. I got a lot of money. I raised $394! I'm really excited to donate this to the Maui dolphins. Altogether I've now donated $662! My goal is to get to $1,000. I'm almost there! You can help me get to my goal. Donate online here. Help me save them!  Look - it's me! I'm so excited I'm spreading the word to people.  I thought it was nice that somebody wrote to me about the dolphins and commented on the newspaper. Thank you! |
Calista W.
Calista is a wee dolphin champion who opened her heart to the plight of New Zealand's Maui’s dolphins in a big way. Archives
June 2016
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Hector's and Maui's Dolphin SOS
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