The Observer newsletter – May 2013
Articles from the May issue of The Observer newsletter are now online.
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Valdez students make adjustments to a remotely operated vehicle they designed and built during a recent program by the Prince William Sound Science Center. The students used the vehicles to respond to a mock oil spill. Photo by Kara Johnson.
Council and partners work to permit oil spill simulant for response training
Because evaluating the effectiveness of oil recovery efforts during trainings and drills can be difficult, the council has been working to find an appropriate oil simulant. A simulant would mimic oil on water and provide responders with a practice target and help to increase proficiency with response gear and tactics.
Read more: Council and partners work to permit oil spill simulant for response training - Review of proposed contingency plan shows some areas improved, others need more detail
The council has been analyzing proposed changes to the Valdez Marine Terminal Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plan during a recent public review.
Read more: Review of proposed contingency plan shows some areas improved, others need more detail - Colder and saltier water increases toxic effects of dispersed oil
Temperature and salinity of water can have an effect on how toxic dispersed oil is to organisms in the environment, a council study has found.
Read more: Colder and saltier water increases toxic effects of dispersed oil
Teachers, students, educational groups: Are you looking for a partner in a new or ongoing educational program?
The council is inviting proposals for projects to educate students and the general public in the Exxon Valdez oil spill region about the council and topics relating to its mission.
Proposed topics could include, but are not limited to: citizens’ oversight; environmental impacts of the operation of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company terminal in Valdez and the oil tankers that call there; oil spill prevention and response planning; or other topics related to the mission.
Past and ongoing projects have included: Recovering the Sound and Sound Stories (Alaska Geographic), Ocean Science and Learning Expedition (Prince William Sound Science Center), Green Crab Monitoring (invasive species), travel funding for students to Kasitsna Bay Lab in Kachemak Bay, travel funding for students to present at the council’s annual Science Night, funding travel for students to attend the polar region Eco Forum and Classrooms for Climate symposium, and the Copper River Stewardship program.
Final agenda for board meeting now online
The next meeting of the council’s board of directors will be taking place at the Valdez Convention and Civic Center on Thursday and Friday, May 2 and 3.
The tentative times for public sessions are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, and from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday. The meeting is open to the public, except for executive sessions. Public comments are scheduled for Thursday starting at 8:55 a.m.
The council will be conducting regular business during the meeting including the election of officers, orientation of new volunteers and seating the established committees.
Next council board of directors meeting to be held in Valdez
The council’s next board of directors meeting is scheduled for May 2 and 3, 2013 at the Valdez Convention and Civic Center in Valdez, Alaska.
The draft meeting agenda and documents supporting this meeting have been posted online: May 2013 Meeting of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council.
There are a number of important items requiring board action and attention at this meeting. Board members should receive copies of the meeting notebook in the mail. To complete council business efficiently, board members are asked to review meeting materials prior to the meeting.
Board meetings are open to the public, and an opportunity for the public to provide comments is provided at the beginning of each meeting.