The Observer, May 2007
Community Corner: Poets participate in council contest
By Linda Robinson, Outreach Coordinator
The council sponsored a Shorebird Poetry contest in Cordova, similar to the Whalefest Poetry contest last year in Kodiak. Poems are being printed in a book, and the winners will receive a ticket to the boat cruise during the Shorebird Festival, where they will read their poems. The festival is May 3-6 this year, and celebrates the arrival of millions of shorebirds passing through during their annual spring migration. Festivities include bird viewing, presentations, family activities and an evening cruise. For more information, visit www.cordovachamber.com.
Seward ship simulator
Peter Armato of the council’s Scientific Advisory Committee, Capt. Mark Devries of the Coast Guard’s Anchorage office, and I had the opportunity to tour the full mission bridge simulator at the Alaska Vocational Technical Center in Seward in early April with Curt O’Halloran, head of the simulator program. This simulator, designed with some of the programming used in computer games, provides ship simulation for training in a number of maritime fields and U.S. Coast Guard approved courses.
REAL OR VIRTUAL? The ship simulator at the Alaska Vocational Technical Center in Seward creates a convincing illusion of actually being at sea. Photo by Linda Robinson.
Training capabilities include ship maneuvering and tactics, collision avoidance, docking, undocking, transiting shallow waters, and ship handling in various sea and weather conditions.
This $2 million piece of equipment has a solid concrete foundation that holds bridge equipment for ship control, navigation, communications, and emergencies. It has windows as seen on a ship bridge, with the bow of the vessel in front. Screens behind the windows are used to project high-resolution video of actual locations, such as Resurrection Bay and Prince William Sound. The simulator can be set up to replicate any number of vessels from tankers to cruise ships to tug boats. Any number of weather conditions and sea heights up to 20 feet can be input.
About 500 students per year participate in classes at the simulator. It’s a very interesting experience. The simulator doesn’t move, but it seems like a moving boat. The illusion can cause dizziness, and, as in my case, the need to grab a wall!
For more information, see avtec.labor.state.ak.us
Conferences
In February, the council participated in the Alaska Forum on the Environment in Anchorage as a Leadership Partner. For the first time, the Forum included a film festival organized by Lisa Ka’aihue, the council’s Director of Administration. It was very successful. Over 50 films were shown, highlighting environmental topics such as non-indigenous species, Alaska Native diet, and recycling. Lisa plans to issue a call for films for the 2008 Forum this summer. Contact her at kaaihue@pwsrcac.org for more information.
Speaking of film, the council will begin work in July on a film on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, including historical footage and interviews. We hope to show this film at the International Oil Spill Conference in 2008 and the Forum on the Environment in 2009, the 20th anniversary of the spill.
The council took the booth to the Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association Conference in Anchorage in early March. The theme this year was Sustainability: Banking on Nature. Presentations were given on global warming, eco tourism, the cruise ship industry and the pebble mine. Stan Stephens represents the tourism group on the council.
The next conference the council will attend is the 30th Arctic Marine Oilspill Program, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The conference in early June provides a chance for oil spill researchers, regulators and responders to present up-to-date information on topics such as oil spill treating agents, contingency planning and containment and recovery. For more information, or to obtain proceedings, visit www.etc-cte.ec.gc.ca/news/conferences_e.html