The Observer, January 2007
Community Corner: Video focuses on career options in fields of seafaring, marine sciences
By Linda Robinson, Outreach Coordinator
I want to begin this column by wishing a very happy 2007 to all of our extraordinary volunteers, and to all of our Observer readers.
I’m pleased to say the year begins with two new tools I’ll use while visiting the region’s communities. The first is “Where Do I Go From Here,” a half-hour video aimed primarily at high-school students. It focuses on career opportunities in the fields of marine sciences and seafaring. We hope it will encourage students to look into careers that will allow them to remain in, or return to, their home communities. Some of these careers require college, and some require vocational training in the field of the students’ interest.
At the invitation of board member Jane Eisemann, staff member Jessica Cler and I visited high school classes in Kodiak on December 11 and presented the video to over 90 students. It was well received and, I hope, provided food for thought to the students. If you would like a presentation of this video for students in your local school, please let me know. Copies are available on DVD at no cost to you from our Anchorage office.
The second new tool is the fourth edition of the Prince William Sound coloring book, which has just been published.
There are more student drawings than in the past and a couple of new adult artists are featured as well. Contact us if you need any of these books. We will continue to collect new artwork in hopes of publishing a new edition next year. You can download all of the drawings from our website at www.pwsrcac.org/outreach/index.html.
September community activities started with a public reception held at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Center in Homer. We had a great turnout, and, if you haven’t had the opportunity to visit the center, it’s well worth the stop. It houses the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, as well as a public information center with displays depicting wildlife of the region.
In September, Executive Director John Devens and I visited Seldovia. Director Steve Lewis’ wife, Savannah, and I visited with students to talk about oil: what it is, how it’s found, how it’s transported, what’s made from it, and what happens if it’s spilled. We hope to put together a more permanent traveling information display on this topic to use in classrooms.
John Devens gave a presentation to the Seldovia City Council and commended Steve Lewis for the job he’s doing for the council.
Outreach Coordinator Linda Robinson talks to students about the council’s work during a September visit to Seldovia. Photo by Savannah Lewis.
The booth was set up at three events in the fall: the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce convention and trade show in Anchorage; the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry’s 27th annual meeting in Montreal; and the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle. Volunteers Roger Green and John French assisted staff member Tom Kuckertz and me at the Montreal meeting, and Director Blake Johnson worked the booth at Pacific Marine Expo with staff members John Devens, Lisa Ka’aihue and me. Consultant Bill Driskell also pitched in.
Upcoming Events
Upcoming events include the Alaska Forum on the Environment, February 12-16 in Anchorage. The council is assisting the forum with its first film festival as part of the week’s events. Films will be shown February 12-14 on topics such as climate change, invasive species, emergency response, fish and wildlife populations, rural issues, energy resources and conservation. For more information, visit www.akforum.com.