The Observer, May 2005

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From the Executive Director

Summer’s coming – let’s relax and enjoy the Sound!

by John Devens

Here at the citizens’ council, we spend a lot of time worrying about Prince William Sound and trying to keep it safe from oil pollution.

That’s our job, of course, but sometimes we get so caught up in it that we’re at risk of forgetting we should also get out and enjoy this great gift nature has bestowed upon us.

That’s the purpose of the Valdez Marine Expo, held every year over Memorial Day Weekend.

The central event is a boat show at the Valdez Convention Center. This year, it’s anticipated more than 50 vendors will show up. Last year’s show drew around 2,000 people, and this one looks to be even bigger.

Besides the boat show, the program includes survival demonstrations by the Coast Guard, a ducky derby, a fish fry, an ice cream social and dance, ice carving, canoe jousting, and a water show by Alyeska’s famous tanker escort tugs.

Local tour companies are offering discounts on excursions to nearby attractions like Shoup Bay and Columbia Glacier, and Valdez hotels are making rooms available for well under $100 a night.

The council is one of several organizations that will have display booths at the convention center, and I’m one of the co-chairs for planning the Expo. (The other is Connie Stephens, a member of both our board and the Valdez city council.)

Besides being just plain fun, the Expo is a chance for the major players in the crude oil transportation system to come together. The Coast Guard and Alyeska are already supporting it, and the tanker companies that operate in the Sound have been invited to join in as well.

Despite our group’s relatively modest involvement, I regard events like this as a big part of getting out our message on the importance of preventing spills and the other forms of pollution that can come with crude oil transportation.

Sure, it’s important to review contingency plans and help plan oil-spill drills, but it’s work. Fun is also important. And it’s just plain fun to eyeball a gorgeous new boat, take a Columbia Glacier cruise, or watch people try to knock each other out of canoes.

So, come on down to Valdez, enjoy yourself, and be reminded of the stake we all have in keeping Prince William Sound safe. The dates are May 28-30. You can get more information on the Expo at www.valdezalaska.org on the Internet, or by contacting the Valdez Convention and Visitors Bureau at 907-835-4981 or marineexpo@valdezalaska.org.

• John Devens is executive director of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Coucil