November
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In late November, the council held a Volunteer Workshop and Appreciation Party. This year's guest speaker was Dr. Peter Rona, marine geologist and deep sea explorer.
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October
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The council occasionally publishes a brief account of its activities. Read recent highlights here.
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June
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 On Saturday, June 16, council staffers Linda Robinson, Lisa Ka’aihue and John Devens traveled to Cordova to attend the Eighth Annual Copper River Nouveau, an annual event which benefits the Prince William Sound Science Center (PWSSC). Council board President Patience Andersen Faulkner joined them for the five-course dinner in celebration of science, Cordova, and wild Alaska salmon. The event was directed by council board member Nancy Bird, who is the president and CEO of PWSSC. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was on hand to host the event again this year.
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May
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Executive Director John Devens traveled at the invitation of the U.S. State Dept. to Finland and Estonia to discuss citizen involvement in oil spill prevention and resposne. Interest was intense; he gave four major speeches and about 15 news interviews.
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April
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 Outreach Coordinator Linda Robinson got a first-hand demonstration of the simulator at Seward's Alaska Vocational Technical Center (AVTEC). The sensation of being on rough water was so real she had to steady herself against a wall. The simulator is used as part of AVTEC's Alaska Maritime Training Center.
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February
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The council's new educational DVD called “Where Do I Go From Here” was shown to two science classes at Cordova High School. It was also shown as part of the Alaska Forum on the Environment’s film festival.
The fourth edition of the Prince William Sound coloring book has been printed and is being distributed to all of the artists, and several communities. The Marine Highway system has requested copies for use on the Chenega ferry, between Whittier, Cordova, and Valdez, and the Campbell Creek Science Center has also requested copies.
Staff met with Cordova teachers and the Prince William Sound Science Center to discuss updating the Oil Spill Curriculum and it was decided that we will continue updating it and convert it to a format that can easily be edited in the future. It will be provided to any interested teachers, and we will be prepared to assist teachers with using it.
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January
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The council's new educational DVD called “Where Do I Go From Here” was shown to the high school science class in Valdez.
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December
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The council's new educational DVD called “Where Do I Go From Here” was shown to about 90 students at Kodiak High School. The purpose of the DVD is to teach teens and young adults adults about career opportunities in Alaska's maritime industries. One of our outreach goals is to involve more young poeple in council activities and help them understand the importance of our mission.
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November
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The council booth was set up at the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry conference in Montreal, as well as the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle.
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October
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Linda Robinson attended the Shipping Safety Partnership meeting in Anchorage, which focused on an update of the Selandang Ayu grounding in the Aleutians. The Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation provides information on an Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment of maritime transportation in the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Archipelago, similar to one that was done in Prince William Sound in recent years.
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September
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Russian delegates from the Open World Program visited Anchorage, Seward, and Valdez, with Outreach Coordinator Linda Robinson as their host. They met with members of the sound's communities and industry representatives. The council also hosted receptions for the group in Anchorage and Valdez.
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August
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 Linda Robinson, Joe Banta, Stan Jones, and John Devens, along with a couple of staff from NOAA, traveled to Chenega Bay to meet with Pete Kompkoff and Darrell Totemoff. They discussed ongoing and upcoming projects of interest to both the council and Chenega Corp. and enjoyed a beautiful day in Prince William Sound. The community honored their visit with a potlatch, and the camera crew for Dan Rather, also due into Chenega that day, interviewed the council's executive director.
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Outreach Coordinator Linda Robinson and Director of Administration Lisa Ka’aihue visited the Alaska Wildlands Lodge in Cooper Landing to give a presentation on PWSRCAC and its success, an overview of our communities and member organizations, and a discussion on invasive species.
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Council staffer Dan Gilson traveled to Dutch Harbor to present at the Aleutian Life Forum, a conference designed to assist in developing and implementing a community-based coastal observation system that can be used for rural Alaskan communities. While there, Dan worked with the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program to establish an intertidal monitoring site in Dutch Harbor for invasive species including the European green crab and Chinese mitten crab.
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July
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Staff attended the 2006 Annual Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force meeting in San Diego, California. The focus of this year’s conference was "Improving Response Coordination: Transferring Lessons from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast."
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June
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 Council staff had the opportunity to enjoy sea kayaking along the shores of Vancouver, British Columbia during the Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP) conference.
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 The council shared a booth at the annual Alaska Oceans Festival in Anchorage with Cook Inlet RCAC, a similar citizens' organization based in Kenai.
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May
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 Council staffer Tamara Byrnes tends the organization's information booth at the SeaSide Expo in Valdez.
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At the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival in Homer, staff gave away Prince William Sound coloring books. We also had many kids color bird pictures, which we made into buttons for them to wear.
From top: Constantine Bambakidis and Charity Nauman show off their buttons; a colorful crane; Eli Knapp decides on purple; Liam Houlihan with his button; and Kendall, Maya, and Laurel choose colors.
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April
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2006 Kodiak Whalefest Poetry Contest: The council sponsored a poetry contest as part of Kodiak Whalefest 2006. We received nearly 200 entries and lots of community support and enthusiasm. Winning poems and others were read Sunday, April 23rd, in Kodiak. Prizes were also awarded to winning poets.
Read the winning poems, or all submissions (pdf/806KB).
Poets read, from top: Indigo Pruitt, grade 4 North Star Elementary; Wyatt Biessel, grade 12, Kodiak High School; Christy Lyle of Kodiak; and Elisalyn Gardner, volunteer judge reading poems by winners who weren't able to attend the reading.
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March
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PWSRCAC Project Manager and Drill Monitor Roy Robertson attended the Interspill 2006 oil spill conference in London. This conference is held every three years; this year was the largest ever with over 500 delegates from around the world. Many topics were covered including dispersants, wildlife, marine spill preparedness, and oil spill response to Hurricane Katrina. There was also an oil spill equipment exhibition.
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 Outreach Coordinator Linda Robinson traveled to Homer for the annual Kachemak Bay Science Conference in late March, where she tended the PWSRCAC booth. This Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies conference highlights local scientific research relevant to the people who live, work, and recreate in the area. She also visited the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory near Seldovia.
 
Kasitsna Bay Laboratory is a research facility hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Courses such as Scientific Diving (supported by an active cold water diving facility), Marine Biology, and Ecology and Kelp Forest Ecology are offered.
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On March 29, Executive Director John Devens was a guest on public radio KCHU to discuss the 17th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He addressed many questions about citizens' groups, working with industry, and where we are today as far as oil transportation safety in Prince William Sound.
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By invitation, the executive director and a staff member attended an Exxon Valdez oil spill remembrance hosted by Chugach Alaska Corp. The event was very well attended and included a performance by both Tatitlek and Chugach Native dancers. There was also a very informative presentation on NOAA’s mussel watch project, the longest continuous contaminant monitoring program in U.S. coastal waters.
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Students from around Prince William Sound spoke with PWSRCAC's Valdez office March 15 as part of their field trip (pdf/30KB) to learn what they can about the oil industry, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and changes in response and technology since the spill. The students will share what they’ve learned with their local communities, schools, and other public presentations that are set up during their trip to Washington, D.C. The students earned this trip, sponsored by the Prince William Sound Science Center, by writing award-winning essays describing their impressions of continuing impacts affecting their families or communities as a result of the 1989 oil spill.
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 PWSRCAC Project Manager Dan Gilson attended the 8th Annual Spirit of Youth Awards dinner in Anchorage. During summer, Dan leads green crab watch expeditions with these and other students. From left to right: Teacher Jenny Heckathorn, Kelly Walker, Michelle Beyer, Courtney Byrum, and Sheristan Cullen.
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February
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Linda Robinson, PWSRCAC Outreach Coordinator, was invited by Steve Howell, Director of Public Outreach for CIRCAC, to participate in a Shorezone Mapping Lab sponsored by the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve (KBRR) in Homer. Eight tables were set up to teach various aspects of the mapping project. Labs are held about every two weeks at the Islands and Oceans Center and are open to the public. For more information on shorezone mapping, visit the Web site for Coastal and Ocean Resources, Inc. Linda Robinson will also be meeting with Terry Thompson of the KBRR to talk about additional labs in which PWSRCAC might participate to increase our outreach effort on the Kenai Peninsula.
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Left and center: Children and their parents color pages in the Prince William Sound coloring book at the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve’s Shorezone Mapping lab in Homer. Right: Steve Howell (second from right) of Cook Inlet Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council shows participants how to access the Shorezone Mapping Site.
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December
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 PWSRCAC Project Manager Lisa Ka’aihue, Outreach Coordinator Linda Robinson, and Denny Lassuy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife gave a presentation on non-indigenous and invasive species to science students at Stellar School in Anchorage. The presentation began with a brief introduction about the council; then Lisa talked about ballast water, what it is, how it’s treated (or not) and how invasive species can be carried in it. Denny Lassuy discussed invasive species using a game with numbered poker chips to illustrate how invasive species can disrupt the life and health of native species.
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PWSRCAC hosted a Volunteer Workshop and Appreciation Party in Anchorage, with renowned oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle presenting slides and insight into environmental stewardship. Volunteers, board members, and staff exchanged thoughts and ideas about programs and process. Students from Kodiak also attended as part of a larger effort by the council to involve youth in learning about PWSRCAC’s mission. See photos from the workshop and party.
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November
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 Staff and a board member represented PWSRCAC for this year's Pacific Marine Expo (formerly Fish Expo) at the Qwest Field Event Center in Seattle.
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The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) conference was held in Baltimore, MD. The council provided a booth attended by staff and committee volunteers. PWSRCAC has attended this conference for the past several years, and it has proven to be an excellent place to network with scientists and regulators involved in projects and issues of interest to the council.
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Executive Director John Devens traveled to Mumansk, Russia, to talk to a group interested in learning more about PWSRCAC and how to form a similar council in that region.
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PWSRCAC had an information booth at the 55th Annual Alaska Municipal League Local Government Conference, held in Anchorage. It was a good opportunity to talk with mayors and other officials from all over the state.
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October
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The council hosted members of Living Earth Foundation, an international NGO based in London that encourages people to learn and work together to resolve environmental issues. The organization is currently working in Sakhalin alongside the oil sector. The purpose of their trip is to see what they can learn and develop with regard to their programs in Sakhalin and elsewhere. PWSRCAC staff arranged for them to meet with the USCG, Alyeska, ADEC and Stan Stephens. For more information, visit their Web site.
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September
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8th World Wilderness Congress (WWC): This gathering was launched in 1997 and is now the longest-running public environmental forum. It was held in Anchorage this year.
The council had an information booth and sponsored a panel on citizens' oversight as a valuable tool in promoting environmentally sound practices in the technical and industrial world. Read our resolution regarding citizens groups (pdf/52KB) or read the all of the resolutions (8WWC Web site).
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Presentations in France: Outreach Coordinator Linda Robinson and board member Patience Andersen Faulkner traveled to France in September, where they presented council background, goals, and projects to two interested groups: Vigipol (a group similar to PWSRCAC), and the Centre for Study and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollutions (CEDRE).
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August
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Kenai Industry Appreciation Day: Outreach Coordinator Linda Robinson and Project Manager Lisa Ka’aihue tended the PWSRCAC booth in Kenai in late August for the community's annual Industry Appreciation Day celebration. The event includes a community picnic and recognizes the industries that keep Kenai Peninsula residents working, including petroleum, commercial fishing, and tourism.
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Presentation in Cordova: Deputy Director Marilyn Leland and Project Manager Dan Gilson presented information on non-indigenous species to Cordova organizations. They focused on the European green crab and the effects that species could have on Prince William Sound's ecosystem. So far, no green crabs have been detected in the sound. With help and support from the Prince William Sound Science Center, traps will be set and managed in the Cordova area to monitor any occurrences of the crab.
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July
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The 2005 Annual Gold Rush Celebration was a great success in Valdez. We set up the PWSRCAC booth at the festival's Open Air Market and attracted a lot of interest. Visitors inquired about the double escort issue, LTEMP sediments sampling, and the threat of non-indigenous species in ships’ ballast water.
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Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force Meeting: Council Deputy Director Marilyn Leland and Project Manager Lisa Ka'aihue presented information on non-indigenous species (NIS) in Prince William Sound to those gathered for this annual meeting, which took place in Anchorage this year.
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Arctic Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP): Tom Kuckertz, Linda Robinson, and Linda Swiss of PWSRCAC staff attended this conference in Calgary. From the council's booth, staff distributed copies of The Observer, PWSRCAC reports, and other promotional literature to AMOP attendees, and visited with people interested in learning more about the council. The AMOP conference is organized by Dr. Merv Fingas from Environment Canada. Dr. Fingas is an author/coauthor on many papers at AMOP, including several having PWSRCAC staff member Lisa Ka’aihue as coauthor. This year's highlights included a paper titled “From Tankers to Tissues–Tracking the Degradations and Fate of Oil Discharges in Port Valdez, Alaska,” presented by Dr. James Payne; the report is a scholarly study about tracking oil in ballast water offloaded at the Valdez Marine Terminal to mussel tissue throughout Port Valdez. Tom Kuckertz and Lisa Ka’aihue are among the coauthors for this paper. Other presentations covered topics such as technological advances in the behavior of oil in water, "fingerprinting" methods for identifying the source of spilled oil, tanker traffic systems, counterterrorism, shorezone mapping, permitting, and recent oil spills.
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Booth at Alaska Oceans Festival: The third annual Alaska Oceans Festival was held on July 16 at the Delaney Park Strip in Anchorage. For the third year in a row, Outreach Coordinator Linda Robinson tended the council's booth, which sponsored activities for children, including coloring and origami. This well-attended festival provides an opportunity to distribute information on the council to residents of Anchorage and visitors. The festival provides information booths on Alaska's oceans, as well as food, art vendors, speakers, and free music.
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June
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Kodiak, GRS research: PWSRCAC Outreach Coordinator Linda Robinson, Steve Howell of CIRCAC, Iver Malutin of the Kodiak Area Native Association, Jim Showalter from the CIRCAC Board and Mark Janes of Nuka Research, traveled to Ouzinke, Port Lions, and Larsen Bay on Kodiak Island to discuss local Geographic Response Strategies (GRS) sites. Several recommendations for additions were made and later presented to the GRS working group. GRS are map-based oil spill response plans tailored to protect specific environmentally sensitive areas. The GRS project covers Prince William Sound as well as nearby regions such as Kodiak. Choosing which areas are high priority involves community input, so the working group gathers valuable knowledge from people who live and work in or near each area. Locals express appreciation at being consulted during the decision-making process.
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May |
International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC): Members of the PWSRCAC staff attended the triennial International Oil Spill Conference, a gathering of companies, regulators, and vendors focused on preventing and responding to oil spills. This year’s theme was “Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Restoration: Raising Global Standards,” was held in Miami, Florida. Experts presented papers and poster sessions on oilspill issues, including cold-region response, spill modeling, mechanical response, dispersants effectiveness, and net environmental benefit analysis. About 150 exhibitors set up at the Miami Beach Convention Center to show products and provide information related to oil spill prevention and response. Several companies involved in the Valdez oil trade participated, including ConocoPhillips, Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., and ExxonMobil. Some council members participated in panel discussions or presentations, while others staffed our information booth in the exhibit hall.
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Cordova, Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival: In early May, up to five million shorebirds rest and feed on the Copper River Delta during spring migration. Birders can witness this epic migration and take part in activities, workshops, and community events held throughout the festival. At the 2004 festival, PWSRCAC sponsored a children’s table with coloring and origami birds. Visit the Cordova Chamber of Commerce Web site for more information on this event.
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April |
Presentation at Kodiak High School: Outreach Coordinator Linda Robinson and Project Manager Lisa Ka’aihue flew to Kodiak to talk to students about non-indigenous species (NIS) in Prince William Sound. Specimens of actual NIS—a frog, a worm, crabs, yellow perch, and crawfish—fascinated the teens, while the informative presentation taught them about how some NIS have harmed other regions in the U.S., how NIS arrive in the sound, and what to do if they think they’ve found an alien species in Kodiak. Blythe Brown, the Kodiak invasive plants coordinator, also helped lead the discussion.
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