KIHEI – Join Whale Trust on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019, at Sugar Beach Events in Kihei for a memorable evening. In partnership with Sugar Beach Events and Kihei Canoe Club, Whale Trust will host Songs of the Pacific, a benefit celebrating the enchanting humpback whale song that captured our hearts and helped save a species.

Guests will enjoy an exclusive beachfront sunset dinner by Chef Lee and a private concert by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter John Cruz.

Shore-based outrigger canoe trips hosted by Whale Trust researchers and Kihei Canoe Club, a special presentation from whale song expert Dr. Jim Darling and unforgettable video footage captured by the Whale Trust research team will make this a unique evening you won’t want to miss.

All proceeds from the event will help support Whale Trust’s humpback whale studies, including Whale Trust’s ongoing research into the function of humpback whale song.

Humpback song, among other things, can help inform the protection of whales by providing clues of where the whales congregate – a looming question for researchers right now as they seek to understand potential shifts in humpback whale distribution patterns over the last few years.

The event begins at 5 p.m. with optional canoe trips (weather permitting) and passed hors d’oeuvres, followed by dinner and Cruz in concert.

Live and silent auctions will feature ocean experiences and local marine artists.

Individual tickets are $175 per person and can be purchased online at songs.whaletrust.org. Table and event sponsorship are also available.

For more information and tickets, visit songs.whaletrust.org.

Whale Trust is a Maui-based non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, support and conduct scientific research on whales and the marine environment, and broadly communicate the findings to the public.

Its founders are passionate scientists and explorers who believe that science – the quest for answers to the most intriguing questions about our natural world – lies at the heart of environmental education and conservation.

Whale Trust’s research programs have investigated whale song through intensive study of the behavior of singers and their interactions with other whales, in addition to research addressing the natural behavior patterns associated with reproduction.

Integrated studies of population biology, genetics, ecology and behavior, and the dissemination of this critical information to policy makers and the public, informs meaningful management and conservation programs.