WE HIT 1,500.

In just over 48 hours, more than fifteen hundred Oregonians (and beyond) stood up and said enough. Hope’s story is moving people because it exposed something undeniable:

Oregon does not have the marine response system it needs and people want that fixed.

I want to update you on where things stand tonight:

1️⃣ Formal outreach has begun.

Today I submitted written requests to NOAA and ODFW requesting:

• clarification of what failed

• discussion of Oregon’s current limitations 

• and a meeting to talk about what coordinated improvement actually looks like.

This is not adversarial, this is the start of a solutions-focused conversation.

2️⃣ Professional groundwork is underway.

I am now in contact with a nonprofit professional to begin laying the legal and structural foundation for a fully compliant, federally aligned Marine Rapid Response organization here in Oregon.

This won’t be a Facebook sign-up list.

This will be a real, legally structured response organization built the correct way from the ground up.

3️⃣ I have seen your comments. Every single one.

I can’t reply individually on this platform, but I want you to know:

I hear you.

I feel the heartbreak in your words.

And the concerns you’re raising are exactly why this work is moving forward.

4️⃣ Why “one whale” matters.

Some people have asked why Hope’s case struck such a nerve.

Here’s the truth:

• The entire North Pacific humpback population is only approximately 6,000–7,000 whales total.

• Along the whole West Coast, estimates are around 2,900–3,000 depending on the group.

• And entanglement is now their number one human-caused killer.

• Rescue crews in British Columbia reported an average of two entangled whales per week during a recent 10-week stretch.

• Just last month, responders freed a humpback named Fader from over 500 feet of wrapped line/fishing equipment.

• And two days ago, another entangled humpback was spotted just north of our waters, this one dragging an orange buoy.

This isn’t “one whale.”

This is a growing regional crisis, and Oregon is one of the states that still lacks a fully coordinated, fast-moving response system.

Tonight’s update is simple:

We are moving forward, legally, structurally, seriously.

Not with shouting, but with action.

Not with chaos, but with organization.

Not with blame, but with solutions.

Thank you for giving Hope’s story the power to spark change.

More soon.

🐋💙