Oregon City Sea Lions

One of our stops this summer was the Sea Lion Caves. That will be a later post, but it is a really long drive. If you are in the PDX area, you can find sea lions closer to home for at least part of the year.

Several sea lions hang out on the docks on the Willamette River in Oregon City. Park near the KFC; we found a parking lot on Main Street. Walk toward the river and look through the trees, and there they are.

It seems like a fairly easy existence: some swimming, but mainly snoozing in the sun.

The one at the upper right appears to be doing a dolphin impression.

Or maybe an orca, but a sea lion's side flipper is so much smaller than an orca dorsal.

Anyway, we thought they were cute, and enjoyed spending some time watching them.

The Oregon City sea lions hang out there in the spring and summer, then head down to California for the other part of the year. You can find information at https://www.facebook.com/orcitysealions/.

One thing that the Facebook page acknowledges is that the sea lions are controversial. While their page is for appreciation, they know that not everyone feels that way.

I am fine with the appreciation, and there is no need to read beyond this unless you have a burning desire to know how I feel about the controversy.

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I had thought about ignoring the ignorance of those who complain without any sense of irony that these are sea lions so they should be in the sea, not here upriver. It sounds too stupid to take seriously, but actually the idea that wild animals should conform to the names that we give them - regardless of how much the person who named the species knew about them - goes well with the attitude.

So yes, if humans dam up rivers and impede the flow of salmon, and then if they over fish what is left, and if rising sea levels and temperatures disrupt food sources in the oceans, to where you have malnourished and underweight pups coming inland all the time - and none of this is even addressing the impact on indigenous peoples, which should be addressed - yes, the animals have a right to continue to try and feed themselves. The humans interfered first. We can make some allowances.

Beyond that, if you feel fine ignoring the impact of these disruptive actions, you may be surprised to learn that eventually it isn't just the indigenous people and the native animals that start having trouble finding food, but that ultimately it starts to affect us too. There are many reasons to consider our impact, and they include self-interest, but if we were humble enough and not rotten enough that we would consider the interests of others first, our own interests would not get so threatened.

That will be all.