He is set to embark on an adventure of a lifetime in his quest to save whales. Henry will be traveling with his father, Patrick Ramage, head of IFAW's (International Fund for Animal Welfare -- http://www.ifaw.org) global whale campaign, on a coast-to-coast tour of America collecting "save the whale" artwork and messages from American 4th and 5th graders along the way. The team is in Washington, D.C. today.

The father-son whale conservation team has embarked on their national tour in a Cape Air owned and operated Cessna 402, dubbed the "whale plane" for the humpback whales painted on it courtesy of famed airbrush artist Jurek, renowned for his Grateful Dead artwork.

Councilmember Kwame Brown (At-Large) welcomed the team to D.C. saying, "IFAW is doing what we all should be doing: standing up for the welfare of whales and other animals around the world. I think it's wonderful that Patrick and Henry Ramage are traveling around the country to spread this message, and carrying with them messages from children across the countries who value the same ideals."

Henry and Patrick began their voyage from Hyannis, MA on Cape Cod and flew into Boston and New York City, before continuing on to Washington D.C., Chicago, Des Moines, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Santa Monica (California), San Francisco, Newport (Oregon), and Vancouver. Their final destination will be Anchorage, Alaska, where they will deliver the artwork to delegates from more than 70 nations who will be attending the 2007 meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

"We need to do whatever we can to save whales and stop commercial whaling," said 12-year-old Henry Ramage. "I am very excited to be able to take this trip with my dad and to tell government leaders how much American kids love whales. Whales should be seen and not hurt."

America's children aren't the only ones eager to save whales. In an April 2007 nationwide poll carried out by Market Strategies, Inc., more than 75% of American voters said they were opposed to commercial hunting of whales, and want the U.S. government to take strong action against whaling and whaling nations.

"Saving whales has never been more urgent," said Patrick Ramage, head of IFAW's Global Whale Campaign. "Whales face more threats than ever before and now Japan -- which hunts more than 1,200 whales a year -- is trying to revive the international commercial whaling industry that once threatened to wipe out the world's whales. We need to act now to end commercial whaling once and for all." -International Fund for Animal Welfare