Where did the summer go?
By: LINDA ROBINSON, Outreach Coordinator
In August, Dan Gilson and I attended the Sixth International Conference on Marine Bio-invasions. It was held at Portland State University in Oregon. The conference focused on marine bio-invasions around the world. I noticed, while driving from Oregon into Washington State, there was a sign warning drivers about the dangers of transporting invasive species across the border on boats or trailers.
The conference’s numerous sessions provided very interesting information on species that are migrating to areas where they can have harmful effects on local environments. Marine species, transferred by recreational boats, ballast water, and live bait, can cause significant problems. One presenter stated that the Alaska red king crab had been introduced into the White Sea of Russia and is expanding.
According to one speaker, informed citizens with the ability to recognize the out-of-place species are the key to mitigation.
On September 2, I attended the Anchorage School District’s community information sharing event. At the council’s booth, we provided information on our projects of interest to students, teachers, and administrators. Several participants expressed interest in the Oil Spill Curriculum, invasive species, and the council’s student grant opportunities. I received several requests for presentations at after school programs. The school district has added our information to the Science Department’s newsletter, “Science Bytes,” which provides weekly information on student opportunities in science.
Clean Pacific, a bi-annual conference which focuses on oil spill response, emergency planning, port security, and marine fire fighting and salvage, was held in Portland Oregon, September 14-16. Linda Swiss, Walt Parker and I attended. Linda Swiss chaired a session on citizen advisory council accomplishments. She discussed the council’s part in the reduction of emissions from the operating processes at Alyeska’s Ballast Water Treatment Facility. Cook Inlet Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council discussed its new geographic resource information network, and shorezone mapping.
The Information and Education committee will be holding an in-person meeting on Friday and Saturday, September 25-26, in Anchorage. Friday evening, committee members and staff will be attending the Chugach Children’s Forest event. Included in the event are projects completed by youth while working with National Geographic Explorers, biologists and Alaska teachers to study river otters, black oystercatchers, subsistence and fisheries in the Sound. The council co-sponsored the youth participation in the study program.
A key part of this meeting will be focused on long range planning, looking at ways to improve or expand our existing outreach and education programs.
Recently, the council was invited to make presentations at a conference in Murmansk, Russia. The conference’s focus is on “Fisheries in the Context of Hydrocarbon Resource Development on the Continental Shelf.”
As oil and gas fields on land become depleted, the role of hydrocarbon resources on the continental shelf has increased. The Barants Sea (south of the Arctic Ocean) is a valuable marine fisheries area and there is concern about endangering the resources by increased shipping and drilling.
One of the council’s mandates is to increase public awareness of Alyeska's current capabilities and spill prevention and response. Part of the presentations will include discussion of the improvements which have been made since the spill.
Organizers of the conference include the Knipovich Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography, the Federal Agency for Fisheries of the Russian Federation and the Administration of the Murmansk Region. I have been asked to present on the Exxon Valdez oil spill and its effects on resources and human impacts, followed by a presentation on the effectiveness of citizen involvement.
Look for more information on Murmansk and the conference in the January edition of the Observer.