Orca Network partners with Orca Wine

News Release - for IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2007
Orca Network
Susan Berta/Howard Garrett
info@orcanetwork.org
360-678-3451
www.orcanetwork.org

Enjoy Orca Wine & Help the Whales! Hoodsport Winery and the Washington Wine and Beverage Company, home of Silver Lake and Glen Fiona Wineries, have partnered with Orca Network and Haggen/Top Foods to promote awareness of the Puget Sound Orca population and educate people about what can be done to help insure their survival.

During the month of October, Haggen/Top Food stores in Washington and Oregon are featuring special displays of Hoodsport's Orca Series wines, including beautiful posters of Southern Resident orcas and information on what people can do to help this endangered orca community. They are also sponsoring a kayak give-away during the October promotion. For store locations go to: http://www.haggen.com/Locations.aspx and http://www.top-foods.com/Locations.aspx . For information on the kayak give-away, go to: http://www.haggen.com/Contest/Events.aspx and http://www.top-foods.com/Contest/Events.aspx .

Washington Wine and Beverage Company has been donating a portion of the proceeds from all sales of Hoodsport's Orca Series wines to Orca Network for over a year, providing important financial support for Orca Network's popular Whale Sighting Network and Education programs. The award winning Orca Series wines are: 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 Sauvignon Blanc, 2005 Cabernet Merlot, 2005 Chardonnay and 2005 Merlot. More information on the Orca Series wines can be found at: http://www.hoodsport.com/wines/orca_series.html. This partnership not only provides much-needed funding for Orca Network, but through the efforts of businesses such as Washington Wine and Beverage and Top/Haggen Foods, awareness about this region's orcas is shared with a wide sector of the public on a daily basis.

The Southern Resident community of orcas was recently listed as Endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The causes of this orca population decline reflect the same problems and issues facing most of the greater Puget Sound marine and watershed ecosystems: declining salmon runs, PCB contamination and other pollutants, and effects of a rapidly increasing human population such as habitat loss, vessel noise, and resource depletion.

Orca Network, located near Greenbank, Whidbey Island, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, dedicated to raising awareness about the whales of the Pacific Northwest, and the importance of providing them healthy and safe habitats. Projects include the popular Whale Sighting Network and website, Educational Programs and the "Free Lolita" campaign. For more information, contact Orca Network at: 1-866-ORCANET (672-2638) or info@orcanetwork.org, or visit their website at www.orcanetwork.org.

If you have a business that serves or sells wine and are interested in carrying Hoodsport Orca Wine and supporting Orca Network's programs to help the whales, contact Washington Wine & Beverage: Kirk Kauhane - 425-485-2437 extension 104 or kkauhane@washingtonwine.com or Dan Scott - 206-920-9404 or dscott@washingtonwine.com.

###