Maris Sidenstecker I
Co-Founder of Save The Whales 1977-2023
Save the Whales began when her daughter, Maris II, designed a t-shirt to promote the cause of saving whales at the age of 14. Maris I supported her daughter’s interest in whales. She was a single working mom, and devoted her weekends to selling t-shirts with her daughter at community fairs in Los Angeles, California. Soon, her daughter began doing TV appearances and radio interviews to educate the public about commercial whaling.
In 1977, Save the Whales was incorporated as a nonprofit organization. During that summer, they took a boat trip to Puget Sound, Washington to observe orcas in the wild and assist Ken Balcomb’s organization by photo documenting them in the wild. This solidified for Maris II that she would become a marine biologist and set the trajectory for their life-long mother and daughter commitment to the whales and to the organization.
In the 1980’s-1990’s, Save the Whales had a small office in Venice, California. They began their unique hands-on bilingual educational outreach program to schools, spoke to the public about dolphins dying in tuna nets and dolphin safe tuna, organized beach cleanups, community activities, and in an unprecedented case saved 10,000 marine animals from Ship Shock underwater testing. See Accomplishments.
Maris Sidenstecker I
