We are so incredibly excited to announce our partnership with Lib Tech and professional snowboarder Travis Rice around the T. Rice Orca snowboard. A portion of proceeds from each Orca board sold go back to the recovery efforts of the endangered Southern Resident killer whales and support our work in legislation, research, community outreach and education.
Based out of Sequim, Washington, Lib Tech snowboards is owned and operated by Mervin Manufacturing, the world's most environMENTAL factory. Mervin and Lib Tech create high performance "dream boards" utilizing recycled materials and environmentally friendly processes like turning sawdust into topsoil and using eco sublimated graphics that produce ZERO HAZARDOUS WASTE preventing toxic chemicals from entering local waterways. So when Lib Tech reached out to us wanting to get involved and help the Southern Resident killer whales it was a no brainer.
We were already excited for the opportunity to work with such an established brand and one of the most iconic names in snowboarding, but as we got to know the people at Lib Tech a connection was formed not just over snowboarding but also our shared love and wonder for the natural world and how important it is to protect it.
The T. Rice Orca board itself needs no introduction in the snowboarding community, it has garnished a name that has become synonymous with being an apex predator on the mountains. So much thought and detail went into the design of this board, from the cutting edge technology that makes the Orca board so popular all the way down to the graphics.
T. Rice Orca board!!! 2020 | Made in the USA with ZERO Hazardous Waste
The graphic art was done by artist Mike Parillo and is modeled after one of the Southern Resident killer whales K37 "Rainshadow" (below). We learned from Lib Tech co-founder Pete Saari the significance behind the selection of K37 which is the name Rainshadow and the ties to the Olympic Peninsula with the rainshadow effect but also the mother of K37, K12 "Sequim", the hometown of Mervin MFG.
K37, Rainshadow | Photo Credit: Brooke Mckinley/Outer Island Excursions
When people think about snowboarding, orcas may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but snowboarders and orcas both share a common interest and that is the dependence on a healthy climate and ample snow pack. One of the major factors impacting the SRKWs is their declining food source Chinook salmon which is being threatened due to pollution, degraded habitat, dams and rising water temperatures. The orcas and salmon are already fighting an uphill battle, but with the increased threat of global warming and rising water temperatures that threat becomes even more imminent. Those big winter storms that snowboarders hope for are an important piece to river health and salmon survival. In the Spring the snow pack accumulated from the winter begins to melt feeding the rivers which helps salmon travel upstream to spawn. The snow pack also helps to keep rivers cool which salmon need to survive. The problem that is beginning to happen more frequently is those warm winters that produce little snowfall keeps rivers shallow causing the already warm water temperatures to heat up faster while also making travel in the rivers more difficult with lower water levels and causing salmon to be more susceptible to prey decreasing their chances of spawning.
Our partnership started off with a shared interest in protecting the endangered orcas, but through it's growth it has taught us how we are all connected, from the snowboarders counting the days to their next run to the orcas in the Salish Sea following the salmon runs and everything in between. We at Orca Conservancy have so much gratitude to be able to work with Travis and all of the incredible people at Lib Tech, because they are not only donating money for orca recovery, they are also giving us a platform to share the story of the Southern Residents. We are so excited for this partnership and the impact it will have in helping these orcas and inspiring people to get involved and take action.
