Gabe Newton is an artist and Orca advocate. He first grew up on the rim of Rock Creek Canyon, a tributary of the Snake River in Idaho and has now lived by the Salish Sea, home of the Southern Resident Orcas for over 20 years. He has an intimate connection to the rivers of the Northwest and is a world class kayaker, having run numerous first descents and competing for the US Freestyle Kayak Team in 1997, placing 18th at the World Championships.

He had some very inspiring encounters with Orcas on a 6 week long solo sea kayak trip in 2004, and has been enchanted by them ever since. His love for paddling on the sea deepened when he discovered downwind surfski paddling (ocean kayak racing) and went on to race in the 2012 World Series, placing 19th at the World Championships.
He feels a great kinship with the Orcas, and recently completed paintings of all 74 of the remaining Southern Resident Orcas.

Having to watch the mother Orca Tahlequah (J35) push her dead calf through the water for 17 days and over 1000 miles in 2018 broke his heart. Watching the emaciated Cappuccino (K21), a 35-year old male Orca in his prime swim his last days in 2021 deepened his grief. He holds the deepest respect for the Lummi, Samish, Suquamish, Duwamish and other local tribes that have been stewarding these waters for millennia. For many of them refer to Orcas as “our relations below the waves.”

Please join him in contacting the elected officials of the northwest, watching the film Dammed to Extinction, and refraining from eating farmed Salmon, which are hugely detrimental to Wild Salmon.