Prince of Whales

Waverly Community House day campers made recycling containers for old fishing line last week with an international eco-hero during Comm Camp's Wild Seas and Oceans week.

Willy Jones, 11, Waverly, talked to his peers about whales and how litter can kill them and other marine life.

Earlier, for a school science fair, he had made a blue papier-mâché whale head. It shows how litter gets caught in its broom-stick baleen strainer and enters the whale's stomach. He brought that with him to the Comm.

For spreading awareness about whales, Willy received an honorable mention in the 9-13 age group in the 2011 International Young Eco-Hero Awards, sponsored by Action For Nature, an international non-profit organization based in San Francisco, Calif.

Maria Wilson, the Comm's executive director, said by email: "We were so thrilled with Willy's presentation! He prepared a wonderful program for each age level. The campers were extremely engaged and curious about how litter ultimately endangers the whales. What a unique experience for the kids. They had tons of fun and learned something new. This was a great program for a community that is not near the ocean! There is so much to learn."

* * *

Willy's mom, Pam Jones, said he had broken his wrist the summer before first grade. He was 7. He couldn't go swimming and was limited with other activities. So on a whim, they got in the car and traveled five and a half hours to the Newburyport, Mass., Whale Watch.

At first, she said Willy was nervous that the whales would tip the boat over. But when he looked into the eye of a dozing humpback whale, "It was a life-changing moment for him."

When they returned home, he was crying. He said he missed the whales. They went back to Newburyport that same week.

They have returned many times since. "The people Willy has encountered have made the difference. They have empowered him. They've taken his feelings seriously," Pam said.

He has read every book he can get his hands on about whales, she said. Willy became friends with the captain of the whale-watching boat and his family. He became close with a naturalist with Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation who helps collect data on whales aboard the boat. Last year she asked if he wanted to be a junior intern on the boat. "Willy became the baleen expert," Pam said.

"That's how this (litter collecting) started," she said. Willy would see trash floating near where the whales were feeding "and he was heartbroken about that. Whatever's in the way is going in" to the whales' stomachs.

She said when he was younger, he used to release helium-filled balloons. Now he's more conscious about the impact that balloon releases and discarded items have on ocean-going animals, as well as those close to home.

During the Family Fun Day at Abington Area Community Park, Willy enlisted other children and collected bags full of trash, including lots of monofilament fishing line around Eston Wilson Lake, which was the site of a children's fishing derby that morning.

He and his mother learned that the University of New Hampshire makes energy from trash. So he went to Birchwood Tennis & Fitness Club and the Scranton Tennis Club and asked to collect tennis ball containers.

At Comm Camp last week, Willy and the other youngsters converted the containers into receptacles for old fishing line that will be placed at New Hampshire bait shops for use by people who fish. The children included drawings and notes about recycling. (Pam said she wanted to offer the fishing line containers in this state but said the local office of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission didn't return her calls.)

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In 2008, Willy campaigned for Barack Obama. He wanted Obama to save the whales. "Willy knocked on doors for three solid months," said Pam, his driver. He was such a good campaigner, he trained adults. "He could talk to voters," she said.

For Obama's inauguration, Willy held a handmade sign: "Obama, Save the Whales." He had a silver ticket to inaugural festivities.

In Scranton, he went to private meetings with former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden.

"I'm really proud of him," Pam said. "I get him to the places but he does it."

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For his birthday parties, Willy regularly asks his friend to bring wish-list items for the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter. His dog, Skip, is a rescue dog.

He also helps humans. He set up a food donation box at Waverly Elementary School for the St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton. Pam said they wound up taking a carload of food to the kitchen. She said "people who are down on their luck" helped unload the car and thanked them, rubbing Willy's head. She called it one of Willy's "little lessons in life."

* * *

"He draws whales and feels like he's with them," Pam said.

He received a 2010-2011 Waverly PTA Reflections' visual arts awards. The theme was "Together we can." He drew a child holding a pyramid of whales with the saying "Together we can keep our litter out of their home."

Willy got in touch with the American Cetacean Society, the oldest whale-protection society in the country. It suggested he apply for the eco-hero award.

* * *

In announcing the awards, Action For Nature said:

"When Willy was 7, he got to look a whale directly in the eye on a whale on a watch trip and has felt deeply connected to these wonderful creatures ever since. He wants to make sure they are protected from human activities such as littering and hunting.

"Willy wrote a letter to President (George W.) Bush protesting the use of underwater sonar signals. He influenced the curriculum of his first-grade class (at Our Lady of Peace School) and got his classmates involved by making origami whales to inspire other kids to help protect them.

"Because of Willy's growing knowledge of whales, he was asked to be the whale intern on a whale-watch boat where he explained and answered whale questions from passengers. He wrote a column in the newsletter for Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation and later entered this into a (his) school writing contest and won first place. He also volunteered at the University of New Hampshire's "Know the Coast Day," where he informed the public of the plight of whales and ways to help.

"Willy has been featured in many newspaper articles and his passionate commitment to whales has inspired countless people to care about protecting the oceans as well."

* * *

Willy will be entering fifth grade this fall at Waverly. He is an intern for the Blue Ocean Society, and has written for its newsletter. His "Why Do I Love Whales" won first place in the Young Authors program at Waverly Elementary.

* * *

Why Do I Love Whales

by Willy Jones

To me, whales are angels.

The first time I saw a whale, I got to look into its eye, and I saw a sparkle.

Then I thought to myself, "Wow, this is really important."

I remember exactly how I felt. I held my breath, and everything around me just stopped. The people talking, the noise of the boat, it all stopped. It was just me and the whale looking at each other.

I felt like me and that whale were part of each other. We were each other. That connection has been there forever. Whenever I see a whale, I remember that connection."

* * *

Willy was 10 when he wrote that.

John (no last name), in the online Natural Contemplative, wrote: "Willy is not alone. Many of us have had exactly this same experience on our first meeting with a whale. I've written about it extensively, but never with his simple elegance. I have read eco-philosophers and spiritual teachers, but Willy says all that needs to be said. We are each other. Thank you, Willy."

* * *

Action For Nature's International Young Eco-Hero Awards recognize young people 8 to 16 for their environmental achievements.

"We hope the accomplishments of these outstanding young people will inspire many others to preserve and protect the Earth, upon which all life depends," it said in its online announcement.

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