The Observer, July 2005

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Community Corner

Conferences provide opportunities for spreading the council message

By Linda Robinson, Community Liaison

Council staff and volunteers attended the International Oil Spill Conference May 16-19 in Miami. This show covered a multitude of oil-spill related issues including cold region response, spill modeling, mechanical response, and dispersants effectiveness. Marilyn Leland co-chaired a session on net environmental benefit analysis. Among the approximately 150 exhibitors were several vendors for spill response equipment, as well as the two citizens’ councils for Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet. This has been a biennial event but will now be held every three years.

Staff members Tom Kuckertz, Linda Swiss and Linda Robinson participated in the annual Arctic Marine Oilspill Program conference this year in Calgary, Canada. Contractor Jim Payne presented a paper co-authored by Lisa Ka’aihue and Tom Kuckertz, among others, titled “Tankers to Tissues – Tracking the Biodegradation of Oil Discharges in Port Valdez”. And a poster co-authored by Merv Fingas of Environment Canada and Lisa Ka’aihue titled “Literature Review of Dispersant Effectiveness and Salinity” was presented. The conference included sessions on physical and chemical properties and behavior of spilled oil and spill modeling, contingency planning and oil spill response methods, and shoreline protection. Copies of the proceedings are available at each of the council offices, and information can be obtained on-line at www.amop.com.

Alaskan Events

John Devens, Tamara Byrnes, Jennifer Fleming, Roy Robertson, and Rhonda Williams worked the booth at the annual Valdez Marine Expo held over Memorial Day.
Committee members Joe Jabas and Agota Horel also donated their time. This is the second year Valdez has hosted this event, and both Jennifer and John are on the committee that sponsored it. Over 2,000 people were in attendance.

Marilyn Leland, Lisa Ka’aihue and Patience Andersen Faulkner (board member representing Cordova District Fishermen United) represented the council at the Copper River Nouveau in Cordova on June 11. This event is a fundraiser for the Prince William Sound Science Center and this year’s guest host was Senator Lisa Murkowski. The Prince William Sound Science Center was founded to facilitate and conduct research that will increase understanding of the ecosystems in both Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta.

The third annual Alaska Oceans Festival was held July 16 on the Park Strip in Anchorage. The council was represented by a booth and sponsored activities for children, including coloring and origami. This well attended festival provides an opportunity to distribute information on the council to residents of Anchorage and visitors. The festival provides information booths on Alaska’s oceans, food and art vendors and free music.

World Wilderness Congress

The 8th World Wilderness Congress is being held September 30-October 6 in Anchorage. The congress – comprised of governments, the private sector, native peoples, non-governmental organizations and academia – is held every three to four years around the world. The council will have an information booth, and is facilitating a panel discussion on citizen oversight. The theme is “Wilderness, Wildlands and People – A Partnership for the Planet.” There will be a special focus on Alaska, the Russian Far East, Canada, and the North Pacific. For more information on this event, go to www.8wwc.org.

Coloring Book

A third edition of the Prince William Sound coloring book will be published this summer. Watch our web site, www.pwsrcac.org, for an announcement.