The Observer, January 2006
Community Corner
With new year comes a new job title
By Linda Robinson, Outreach Coordinator
Happy New Year everyone! This greeting is now coming from the Outreach Coordinator rather than the Community Liaison. I feel the new title better explains what I do (and it’s easier to say.) And I wanted to tell you a little about it.
The Outreach Coordinator position provides a tool (currently me) for sharing information between the council and the communities affected by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. I represent the council at conferences, trade shows and activities sponsored by member organizations. Other responsibilities include assisting with outreach for council projects (such as geographic response strategies and aquatic invasive species), recruiting and orienting volunteers, and coordinating the participation of council volunteers and staff at public events.
A birthday in France
Last fall was an especially busy time. Board member Patience Andersen Faulkner, who represents Cordova District Fishermen United, and I were invited to make presentations at the planetarium in Pleumeur-Bodou, France on the 25th anniversary of Vigipol. Vigipol (formerly Syndicat Mixte) was established following the 1978 Amoco Cadiz spill, when approximately 1,589,000 barrels damaged 224 miles of coast in Northern Brittany. After fighting for 14 years to receive compensation, the citizens won a court case against Amoco and were paid more than $42 million. This penalty was used to fund Syndicat Mixte, the Center for Documentation, Research and Experiments on Accidental Water Pollution (CEDRE) in Brest and the Regional Operation Center for Surveillance and Rescue, based in Paris. In 2000, Syndicat Mixte was renamed Vigipol.
Other presenters at the anniversary event came from the Shetland Islands, Finland, Corsica and many dignitaries represented Brittany. It was a true honor to visit with many people so dedicated to the protection of coastlines. One speaker noted that lands may be privately owned, but the ocean belongs to everyone.
Following the anniversary event for Vigipol, we traveled to Brest to visit CEDRE, a large non-profit facility that warehouses response equipment. CEDRE tests equipment in three ponds on-site, conducts scientific testing, and conducts practical training with its artificial beaches and equipment. They also collect documents on spills and research. During the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup, CEDRE sent power washers to be used on the oiled beaches.
On the road again
In November, the council sponsored a reception for the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly. Staff members John Devens, Susan Sommer and Mary Schonberger attended as well as board member Blake Johnson, committee volunteer Jerry Brookman and representatives from the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council.
The council’s information booth was set up at the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry’s annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland in mid-November. Former staff member Tony Parkin presented a poster, and volunteers John French and Dick Tremaine participated in sessions. November 17-19 found the booth at the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle. Board member Nancy Bird assisted staff members John Devens, Marilyn Leland and me in tending the booth.
And on December 2, the council held its annual Volunteer Appreciation Party. Guest speaker was Sylvia Earle, renowned marine biologist and currently “Explorer in Residence” for the National Geographic Society, and music was provided by Flutissimo and Melissa Bledsoe Fischer.
In mid-December, staff member Lisa Ka’aihue and I visited Steller school in Anchorage to give a presentation on invasive species with Denny Lassuy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Anyone interested in a school presentation on invasive species or any of our other projects should contact me.
The council will be participating in several conferences in the new year: January 23-26, the Marine Science Symposium in Anchorage; February 6-10, the Alaska Forum on the Environment in Anchorage; March 1-3, the Alaska Wilderness, Recreation and Tourism Association Conference in Seward; March 9-11, the Alaska Natural Resource and Outdoor Education Conference in Anchorage; and March 24-26, the Kachemak Bay Science Conference in Homer.
Again, I wish you all a happy and safe new year.