Council toasts 20 years of citizen oversight with special tradition
Community Corner
By: LINDA ROBINSON, Outreach Coordinator
To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the citizens’ council, an evening reception was held in coordination with the January board meeting in Anchorage. The contract between the council and Alyeska was signed in February of 1990.
Three of the original signers of the contract were in attendance: Ann Rothe, who represented the National Wildlife Federation on the council board of directors; Chris Gates, from the city of Seward; and Bill Walker, from the city of Valdez. Scott Sterling, who also once represented Cordova, proposed a toast using milk similar to the original toast done in 1990. Sterling then presented the council with his framed copy of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
See photos from the council's reception for the 20th annivsersary of citizen oversight.
The Marine Science Symposium was held January 18-21 in Anchorage. It opened with a workshop on communicating ocean science to formal and informal audiences, which was followed by sessions related to the Bering Sea, Arctic Ocean and Gulf of Alaska. Council staff also attended an informative session on exploring the Google Ocean layer in Google Earth.
The Alaska Forum on the Environment, held February 8-11, included a session on youth involvement. Students from the Chugach Children’s Forest project showed a YouTube video they made about their adventures near Whittier, and the Girl Scouts modeled eco-friendly garments made from recycled materials such as juice cartons and magazine pages. Other presenters were from the Copper River Watershed project, Wrangell St. Elias Youth Conservation/Youth Partnership Program, Ground Zero Russian Green Exchange, and ATV-Education group.
The forum’s annual Outstanding Performance Award went to former council staff member Lisa Ka’aihue for her work on invasive species.
Photo, right: Lisa Ka’aihue, formerly the council’s director of administration, recently received the Alaska Forum on the Environment’s 2010 Outstanding Achievement Award for her work fighting marine non-indigenous species in Alaska. Ka’aihue was nominated by Peter Armato of the Kenai Fjords National Park, and Linda Robinson, the council’s outreach coordinator. Photo by Linda Robinson.
The Alaska Invasive Species Working Group gathered at Seward’s Alaska SeaLife Center in March to focus on marine invasive species. Fifteen non-native species have been found in Prince William Sound, and several in Kachemak Bay. This group, which includes people from around Alaska, is working on state legislation to create an Alaska Council on Invasive Species.
The Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association held its annual meeting in Palmer in March. It included excellent presentations on social media. The association, represented on the council board by Cathy Hart, has developed a new website to promote Alaska tourism.
The National Weather Service recently partnered with the Valdez School District and other agencies in the area to create the First Annual Science and Technology Symposium for local elementary students. The inaugural symposium was held on March 6. The symposium is designed to expose elementary students to science and technology professions that exist in Valdez and Prince William Sound. Council staff participated in this year’s symposium, presenting information about Columbia Glacier, green crab monitoring, and the lingering presence of Exxon Valdez oil in the Sound. There was a significant turnout for the inaugural symposium and the children in attendance were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Staff plans to participate in future symposiums.
In April, I worked with Alaska Geographic on their “Sound Stories” project, helping interview local people about their lives and activities in the Chugach region. Interviews included Rochelle van den Broek, executive director of Cordova District Fishermen United, Cece Wiese from Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation, Dave Janka (left), LaRue Barnes of the Ilanka Center; and elder Virginia Lacy.
These interviews will be viewable through an interactive map on the Alaska Geographic website where anyone can access them.
Several council projects will be highlighted on this map, including the recently installed weather monitoring station and invasive species monitoring.
Kodiak Comfish was held April 15-17 at the Kodiak Harbor Convention Center, council board members Jane Eisemann and Iver Malutin helped distribute information at the council’s information booth during the event.
Photos from 20th Anniversary Reception
L to R: Current board member Stan Stephens stands next to former board members and original contract signers, Ann Rothe and Chris Gates.
L to R: Committee volunteers Cliff Chambers and George Skladal (back), board member Nancy Bird, staffer Gregory Dixon, committee chair Bob Jaynes (back), and staffer Donna Schantz.
George Skladal, committee member, reaches for a glass of milk.
Board member Cathy Hart and her husband toast 20 years of citizen oversight.
Board Member Al Burch poses next to the Observer timeline display.