Giving Compass' Take:

• After the recent death of young orcas, Washington state is trying to save the region's killer whales through various measures, but some fear it may be too late, as this Guardian article details.

• How can donors help fund this fight to save our orcas population? Which efforts show the most promise?

• Here's more on how dying orca whales unveil issues of climate change and conservation.

Five months after twin tragedies cast a spotlight on the state’s ailing orcas, Washington plans to spend more than $1 billion to stave off extinction.

If enacted, a proposal from the governor, Jay Inslee, would knock down two dams, repair habitat and place a three-year ban on orca watching. Crucially, Inslee hopes to shore up salmon runs that feed the orca while cleaning and quieting the waters in which they live.

When we save the orcas from toxins, when we save the orcas from pollution, we save ourselves. Extinction is not an option.

The deaths of two young orca this summer transfixed the nation and inspired a desperate push to save the black-and-white creatures, also called killer whales, who are treasured regional symbols. A shortage of Chinook salmon, pollution, and marine noise caused by boats — which blinds their echolocation — has led to diminishing numbers of orcas. Three years have passed since an orca calf born in the region has survived.

Read the full article on saving Orca whales by Levi Pulkkinen at The Guardian.