Recently the Muskwa Club and the Toberman Neighborhood Center celebrated the unveiling of Project Proteus, a high-endurance unmanned air vehicle which was designed to help save the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. Project Proteus was the result of a STEM education program that put early-career aerospace industry professionals together with local middle, high school, and college students from diverse backgrounds to create an aircraft that will assist with a conservation program for the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. The unveiling of Air Vehicle 001 christened the Don Eichhorn, took place on March 16, 2024 and was a capstone project for this STEM group. The inspiration for the name comes from long time PV resident Don Eichhorn who was an early mentor for the Muskwa Club and they wanted to honor his lifetime of service to the ocean and community.
PV Magazine had the opportunity to speak with founding Muskwa Club member William Whittenbury, now an aerospace professional who has been volunteering and mentoring students involved in the Project Proteus. William explains that Muskwa Club started on the Peninsula in 2003 when a group of elementary school students formed the club during their lunch break, in 2010 the same kids re-started the club in middle school. Early on the group began to be drawn to environmental advocacy and after learning about the endangered vaquita, in 2012 they decided to make that their focus. The Muskwa Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and their mission is to advance technological, environmental, and social progress while supporting each other.
William explains that it was daunting when the group first started working towards saving the vaquita over 10 years ago, at the time there were only 250 vaquitas left and the outlook was that they would go extinct by 2015. The group began an awareness campaign and in 2013 they started the International Save the Vaquita Day in partnership with the American Cetacean Society. They also shared about the vaquita online and on social media, participated in lectures, and in-person awareness booths. Over the last decade over 200 student volunteers have been involved, and members participate from around the country and even internationally. The Muskwa Club will participate in this year’s Whale of a Day celebration and William says the event will be the 78th in-person awareness booth for the organization since 2012. It is inspiring that some of the original club members continue to be involved mentoring students, and some have even pursued careers in environmental law. William explained for many they continue because they believe in the cause and “because it is the right thing to do.”
William stresses “it is easy to feel you cannot make a difference and say, ‘nothing I can do about it’, but a small group can make a big difference.” Although the vaquita is down to just 10 to 15 left in the wild, that is up from just 8 in 2020, and the numbers are trending up for 2024. Now Project Proteus air vehicle will monitor for illegal fishing and search for vaquita porpoises which will further help with conservation. William concludes about the Muskwa Club and its young members, “we actually did make a difference!”
