The Observer, May, 2009

Community Corner:
20th anniversary events connect communities in the oil-spill region

By LINDA ROBINSON
Outreach Coordinator
Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council

I wish to thank everyone involved in the events marking the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on March 24. We successfully video-conferenced among five communities.

In Anchorage, there were presentations on the original Alaska Sea Grant Legal Research Team, and the Partners in Prevention and Response panel discussion. Presentations on herring restoration and the Alaska Ocean Observing System took place in Cordova. Valdez events included a presentation on Alyeska’s Ship Escort/Response Vessel System. Seward featured a presentation on animal rehabilitation and a message from a former city manager. Kenai was the site of a presentation from the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council. Council staff assisted in each community.

On March 23 in Anchorage, a panel organized by board member Walt Parker discussed oil spills in the North Pacific and the Arctic from 1989 to 2008. It was followed by an Alaska Sea Grant reception at the Anchorage Sheraton Hotel.

Following the multi-community videoconferencing on the 24th, Walt Parker and board President Patience Andersen Faulkner accompanied council staff to the University of Alaska where the council’s video, “Then and Now,” was shown, followed by a discussion on current and future safety measures in oil transportation.

“Spill”, an art show co-sponsored by the council, opened in Homer on March 6 with a second reception on March 24. The show traveled from there to Kodiak’s Baranov Museum. From Kodiak it will go to Cordova, then Anchorage. The council will sponsor a reception for the Anchorage opening in July or August.

Other anniversary-related events took place in Kodiak a few days before March 24. On March 20, an exhibition of photographs and videos of the Exxon Valdez spill taken by the people of Kodiak Island in the summer of 1989 went on display at Kodiak College.

On March 21 at the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, council staffer Stan Jones made a presentation on changes in oil transportation safety in Prince William Sound since 1989, followed by a presentation from author Sharon Bushell on the council’s new book, “The Spill: Personal Stories from the Exxon Valdez Disaster.”

The Alaska Wilderness Recreation and Tourism Association, whose seat on the board is held by Cathy Hart, held its 16th Annual Ecotourism Conference March 4-6 at Girdwood. Lisa Ka’aihue’s presentation “20 years of Protecting Prince William Sound: What Needs to be Done in the Future to Keep it Safe,” and her presentation on invasive species were very well received.

In April, Lisa presented on invasive species to the 16th International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species in Montreal. Her presentation was “Aquatic Nuisance Species Monitoring in Alaska,” and it was on behalf of the Prince William Sound citizens’ council, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration co-sponsored a reception at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington DC on March 13th to mark the 20th anniversary of the Exxon spill. Board President Patience Andersen Faulkner and three council staff attended the reception. This provided opportunities to meet with legislators, agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard and other staff to discuss the future of the Prince William Sound tug escort system, among other things.

Some of the speeches made at the reception are available at www.tinyurl.com/evos20-obs

Michael Crouse, director of the Executive Seminar Program at Portland State University is leading a group of mid-career managers and staff to Alaska for a retrospective look at the Exxon Valdez oil spill. They planned to visit Anchorage and Valdez, where they were to meet with council and community members and attend a council reception at the Valdez Museum. The group is studying a number of topics, such as incident response and clean up efforts, damage claims settlement, origin of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, socio-economic impacts of the spill, the role of citizens’ advisory councils, lingering ecological and social impacts, and progress towards community sustainability.

In June the council information booth will go to the Arctic Marine Oilspill Program Technical Seminar in Vancouver BC. The seminar is an international forum on preventing, assessing, containing, and cleaning up spills of hazardous materials in every type of environment.

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