The Lagoon
Encounters with the Whales of San Ignacio
James Michael Dorsey
- A
- voyage
- to
- a
- magical
- marine
- haven,
- the
- San
- Ignacio
- Lagoon
- in
- Baja,
- Mexico,
- where
- the
- connection
- between
- man
- and
- beast
- is
- like
- no
- other
- on
- Earth.
- Once
- a
- killing
- ground
- for
- whalers
- hunting
- a
- leviathan
- they
- called
- the
- “devilfish,”
- the
- San
- Ignacio
- Lagoon
- in
- Baja,
- Mexico,
- is
- now
- an
- environmental
- and
- spiritual
- sanctuary—the
- only
- place
- in
- the
- world
- where
- animals
- in
- their
- natural
- aquatic
- environment
- routinely
- seek
- out
- human
- contact.
- A
- nursery
- for
- the
- gray
- whale
- since
- before
- recorded
- history,
- the
- lagoon
- and
- its
- stories,
- told
- here
- by
- resident
- naturalist
- James
- Michael
- Dorsey,
- illuminate
- the
- magic
- of
- human
- connection
- to
- animals,
- and
- what
- those
- bonds
- teach
- us
- about
- ourselves
- and
- our
- purpose
- on
- this
- shared
- planet.
- Weaving
- two
- decades
- of
- San
- Ignacio
- adventures
- in
- the
- company
- of
- his
- wife
- Irene
- with
- the
- fascinating
- history
- of
- the
- lagoon,
- Dorsey
- vividly
- captures
- the
- lively
- people
- of
- Baja,
- like
- the
- mystical
- godfather
- of
- whale-watching,
- Pachico
- Mayoral,
- as
- well
- as
- the
- whales
- he’s
- bonded
- with
- over
- the
- years,
- like
- Slackjaw,
- Patch,
- and
- Dervish—their
- individual
- personalities,
- their
- epic
- migration
- to
- and
- from
- the
- Pacific
- Northwest,
- and
- the
- science
- behind
- their
- behavior.
- Looming
- over
- his
- journeys
- are
- the
- many
- dangers
- to
- the
- area,
- from
- the
- Mitsubishi
- Corporation’s
- attempts
- to
- build
- salt
- works
- to
- plans
- for
- resort
- development
- on
- the
- Baja
- coast,
- to
- pollution
- and
- climate
- change,
- and
- even
- to
- the
- orcas
- who
- hunt
- the
- gray
- whales.
- The
- future
- of
- this
- refuge
- has
- never
- looked
- more
- threatened.
- A
- tale
- of
- wondrous
- bonds
- between
- the
- intelligent,
- spirited
- gray
- whales
- and
- the
- men,
- women,
- and
- children
- from
- around
- the
- world
- who
- come
- to
- this
- place
- to
- touch,
- kiss,
- and
- play
- with
- them—The
- Lagoon
- is
- a
- testament
- to
- the
- importance
- of
- preserving
- these
- animals
- and
- their
- natural habitats.
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