Nearly two years after her death, the lingering memory of Tokitae is still managing to make a splash.

Known as Toki’s Legacy, a new project aims to honor her with an event this weekend aboard the state ferry that bears her name on the Mukilteo-Clinton route.

Few can forget the impact of the captive orca, who was captured in 1970 in Penn Cove and lived out the rest of her life in the Miami Seaquarium. Advocates fought for her release for decades, which was forthcoming when she passed away from renal failure in August 2023. During her life she was known by many names, including Tokitae, Lolita and Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut.

Since then, the Whidbey-based Orca Network has turned its focus toward educating citizens on the plight of the southern resident orcas, which are decreasing in numbers because of a lack of salmon to eat. Eleven years ago, when the ferry Tokitae entered service, there were 89 southern residents. Today, there are only 74 left.

“The campaign has always been equal parts about her and about her family,” Orca Network co-founder Howard Garrett said. “You can’t really talk about her and her importance and her personhood without talking about her family connections, and that’s to her southern resident family, her L pod family.”

This Sunday, June 29, join the Orca Network and Washington State Ferries staff aboard the Tokitae ferry noon to 4 p.m. as they unveil a new mural located in the passenger cabin celebrating the famous orca.

Garrett said the new tribute to Tokitae, which includes graceful graphics, captures her personality well. He recalled the documentary “Lolita: Spirit in the Water” that features the killer whale’s trainer at the time, Marcia Henton Davis. The former trainer said getting to see Toki every day was like visiting her best friend. When Henton Davis was going through difficult times, she got the feeling that she understood.

“It really convinced me a lot about orcas and about Toki, of course,” Garrett said. “It just showed that she had this depth of empathy. That gives us some insight into all orcas, especially southern residents. They are so inherently social, they feel the emotions of all the other family members and really almost beyond that.”

Kaarina Makowski, Orca Network’s communications and media spokesperson, designed the new mural on the ferry.

“That’s what this graphic depicts, is the way she reached out with her eyes and body language,” Garrett said. “Kaarina was very sensitive to all that.”

The mural also includes updated educational panels. In fact, more volunteers are needed this summer to share information about the southern residents and other marine animals of the Salish Sea. Garrett said the volunteer program, which has been popular in the past and something he participated in 20 years ago, is now being revitalized.

Members of L pod have not been spotted since last November, when they paid an extraordinary visit to Penn Cove, the site of Tokitae’s capture. According to Garrett, their absence is fairly consistent with the last 12 to 15 years, as they don’t have enough salmon in the Salish Sea to consume.

A new study from the Center for Whale Research reported that the southern residents have been participating in grooming behaviors. Known as “allokelping,” the orcas bite off links of bull kelp and take it over to another member, rolling it between their bodies. The behavior was captured by drones that flew above J, K and L pods.

After the mural unveiling, people can walk up the hill to Clinton Community Hall, which will host a community gathering and fundraiser 4-8 p.m. The event includes educational displays, light refreshments and speakers; Garrett and fellow Orca Network co-founder and spouse, Susan Berta, plan to be two of the speakers.

Registration is free but required, and participants can sign up and find more information at givebutter.com/4O9hzJ.

In August, the Langley Whale Center will roll out a new exhibit. The interactive display explores the aspects of Tokitae’s life, as well as that of the southern residents and orcas in general.

“It will just be a wealth of information and beautiful graphics,” Garrett said.

The Toki’s Legacy project is funded by the Maritime Washington Grant Program.

For more information, visit orcanetwork.org.