Puget Sound’s Southern Resident orcas have come to be recognized as a group of rare and intelligent beings not to be taken for granted.

That’s why the events that wiped out a third to a half of the population are not easily forgotten.

Every year, the Orca Network holds its annual commemoration for the 58 Southern Resident orcas that were captured or killed in Washington between 1965 and 1976.

“The captures are a big part of why our Southern Resident Orcas are now at this point,” said Susan Berta of the Orca Network.

“We want to bring attention to all of the things that are endangering our orcas, to realize how lucky we are to have them as our neighbors and learn the things we need to take care of them so our future generations can see them swim by,” she said.

The orca commemoration falls on the anniversary of the Penn Cove orca capture. It is a reminder of the Orca Network’s dedication to free Lolita, the sole survivor of all of the orca captures in Washington.

“When our organization originally began, our whole focus was on Lolita and trying to bring her home,” Berta said.

“This was a way for us to both bring up the fact that she is still in a small tank in Miami, and to honor the memory of the orcas who died in the captures, or died in captivity afterward,” she explained.

Berta said this year’s commemoration of the endangered orcas is special for a number of reasons.

One is the tribute to a Southern Resident whale the community lost more recently.

“The loss of Luna, or L98, in March will be remembered with a touching presentation by Suzanne Chisholm, of Mountainside Films,” Berta said.

Chisholm and her husband, Michael Parfit, have spent more than two years working with Luna in Nootka Sound.

They started sharing their experiences about Luna in an article that appeared in The Smithsonian.

“We now have a book contract in the U.S. and Canada,” Chisholm said. “And we’ve also been working on the documentary.”

Chisholm will share some of her Luna footage at the orca commemoration.

Although she isn’t giving away any specifics about the footage, she said one of the things people will get to a chance to see is the extraordinary relationship Luna had with people.

“It is very seldom that the wall between wild animals and humans is broken,” Chisholm said. “And that happened with Luna.”

Chisholm said she hopes her footage of Luna will deepen the public’s understanding of whales as a whole.

“One of the bigger things we hope people will walk away with is the greater appreciation for these animals, for these orcas,” she said.

Another pair dedicated to orcas will be at the commemoration to share what they’ve learned about the endangered animals. Coupeville High School students Connor Tasoff and Megan Smith will present their award-winning

documentary about the Penn Cove Orca Captures.

Berta said it’s heartening to see young kids looking back at the Northwest’s history — even if it is not a part of history people are proud of — and learning from it.

“That gives me hope that our future generations are learning from our past mistakes,” she said.