The Observer, May, 2009

Vivid memories of Exxon spill captured in print

The council’s oral history of the Exxon Valdez oil spill was published in March, on the 20th anniversary of the 1989 grounding on Bligh Reef, and is now generally available from bookstores and from online retailers.

The 288-page volume includes interviews with some 62 people who had direct experience with the spill and its aftermath. The book also offers an insert of color photographs dating from the spill era, and introductory sections on the spill, the cleanup effort, and the effects on people, communities and the environment.

The introductory material was written by Stan Jones, director of external affairs for the council, while the interviews were conducted and written by Sharon Bushell, an oral historian from Homer.

Reviews of the book, titled “The Spill: Personal Stories from the Exxon Valdez Disaster,” have been highly favorable inside Alaska and out.

“The real stories live on with the people who experienced the spill in their neighborhoods and communities,” wrote Cynthia Ritchie in the Cordova Times. “Most of the stories are sad. Some are angry; others are bittersweet. All carry the weight of the grief that continues to alter lives 20 years later.”

“These oral histories represent a valuable new addition to the oil-spill literature,” wrote Hal Bernton in the Seattle Times.

The spill book came of a suggestion offered in 2003 at a council board meeting in Seldovia and thus was over five years in the making.

“It was a long road, but we at the council believe it was worthwhile,” said Acting Executive Director Donna Schantz. “We thought it was important to capture these lessons from the Exxon spill before they were lost with the passage of time, and the interviews in this book achieve that in an unforgettable way. They underscore the importance of the council’s mission of preventing oil spills where possible, and promoting the most effective cleanup when they occur.”

The book, a paperback, has a cover price of $17.95, though it is sometimes available at a discount. It can be ordered from Amazon.Com at www.tinyurl.com/evosoh-amz or from the publisher, Epicenter Press, at www.tinyurl.com/evosoh-ep.

More information on the book is available on the council website at www.tinyurl.com/evosoh.

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