The Observer, September 2006

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Community Corner: Council participates in East Coast conference on human dimensions

By Linda Robinson, Outreach Coordinator

The Coastal Response Research Center at the University of New Hampshire in Durham invited the council to participate in a Human Dimensions Workshop in June. Participants included social scientists, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, industry, agencies, students, and I was there to represent the public for the council. The goal was to develop research projects that might provide information to improve spill response and restoration decisions. Topics included valuing natural resources, coordination in response and restoration, social impacts, risk communication, subsistence, and environmental ethics.

I felt that it was beneficial that the council was included in this workshop to ensure that public input was part of the process.

In July, Lisa Ka’aihue and I gave a presentation to guests at the Alaska Wildlands Adventure resort in Cooper Landing. They were all from outside of Alaska, and we gave them an overview of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the formation of the council, some of the council’s successes, a slide-show tour of a few of the communities that are members of the council, and invasive species. Be sure to contact us if you would like a presentation on any of these topics in your school or community.

In September, the council hosted five Russian delegates from the Open World Program. The theme of their trip was environmental education, and their interests range from environmental and wildlife protection and the national park service, to access to resources. We hosted a public reception at the American Russian Center at the University of Alaska, visited the Anchorage Museum, and drove to Seward for a visit with Peter Armato, a volunteer on our council’s Scientific Advisory Committee and head of the National Park Service’s Ocean Alaska Science and Learning Center. We also took the behind-the-scenes tour of the Alaska SeaLife Center.

We spent time in the Anchorage School District’s Russian Immersion Class at Turnagain Elementary school, conversing with the students in Russian (not me!), before driving to Valdez. In Valdez we met with a number of industry and agency folks and toured the Whitney Museum as well as the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive. We also enjoyed a tour on Stan Stephens’ cruise boat on Prince William Sound. This is the third year a delegation of Russians has visited our region.

A trip to Chenega Bay on August 29 turned into a very pleasant visit with board member Pete Kompkoff, Darrell Totemoff, and other community members. John Devens, Joe Banta, Stan Jones, and I made the trip. John was interviewed by a television crew about oil-spill issues and I spent time with the school students discussing the Exxon Valdez oil spill, invasive species, and other topics.
One student wondered whether, if double-hull tankers are better than single-hulls, we should have triple-hulls.

The weather was spectacular and we spent time on the dock watching purse seiners catch pink salmon. The day ended at a community potlatch featuring wonderful dishes of fresh salmon, halibut, moose, and delicious desserts such as wild berry cobbler and aqutak, a Native treat made of shortening, sugar, and wild berries.

Upcoming Events

September 27-28 the council will have a booth at the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce convention and trade show in Anchorage. In late October, John Devens and I plan to visit Seldovia to make presentations at the school and to the city council.

The council’s information booth will be at the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry’s 27th Annual meeting in Montreal From November 5-9, and at the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle from November 16-18. And our annual volunteer workshop and appreciation party takes place in Anchorage on December 8.