Whale Rocks

Whale Rocks, Cattle Pass

Donated to the Preservation Trust in 1992 by Richard and Juanita Mulvey, Whale Rocks are a unique collection of rocky islets that — while not habitable by humans — attract a variety of seabirds and serve as a popular haul-out area for a number of marine mammals, including threatened Steller’s sea lions.

Disruptions to wildlife caused by tour boats making close approaches to the rocks led the Preservation Trust, with support of the San Juan County Marine Resources Committee, to establish a voluntary 200-yard no-entry buffer zone in 2005.

Watch: Frances Robertson on the “Steller” Stars of Whale Rocks