Online Observer Archives | Page 73 of 82

Community Corner – Conferences help keep the council on the cutting edge

September 20, 2013September 19, 2013 by Amanda Johnson

By LISA MATLOCK
Outreach Coordinator

Each year the council exhibits its booth and presents its citizen-driven research and information on technological advances at conferences, both in Alaska and outside, making contact with thousands of individuals from all over the world. Have you ever wondered why the council asks its staff and volunteers to participate in these conferences?

The value of the council contributing at conferences lies in our need to constantly expand our knowledge about cutting edge oil spill prevention and response strategies from all over the world. It is also vital for the council to share its story of citizens’ oversight of Prince William Sound’s oil industry. Each of the regular conferences the council attends is unique in its audience and focus.

For instance, the Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program was initiated by Environment Canada in 1978 to “improve the knowledge base and technology for combatting Arctic and marine oil spills.” Its technical seminar has expanded and now includes a wider range of oil spill-related sessions. However, according to the council’s project manager for environmental monitoring, Joe Banta, “its technical content and cold waters focus” make it an important conference for the council to attend since it addresses the environment in which we do all of our work. My predecessor Linda Robinson attended this conference in Nova Scotia in June.

Then there is the International Oil Spill Conference, which has more of a focus on the international oil spill response community and its technology and techniques for response. Many participants are from the U.S. Coast Guard, private sector companies, and non-governmental organizations who “come together to tackle the greatest challenges facing us with sound science, practical innovation, social engineering and imagination,” according to the conference’s website. The council absorbs important lessons in logistical planning for oil spill response and technical advances at this conference. This conference will be held in Savannah, Georgia next spring, and council staff will be in attendance.

More locally, the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle and Kodiak ComFish expositions help the council to gain insight into the needs of some of its most interested citizens, the maritime community in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. At both of these conferences the council exhibits its booth and presents the fishing and boating public with an opportunity to voice their interest in safe oil shipping in the Exxon Valdez region.

If you find the council booth at any of these events, or at others, in the coming months and years, please stop by and give us your input. We can only choose the best paths forward in helping to prevent future oil spills in our region with your help and interest.

Upcoming outreach events

We share our oil spill research and educational resources with the public at a variety of conferences. In the next few months, we’ll be at the following conferences and events:

Where can you connect with K-12 teachers from all over the state to share the best new ideas in math and science education? The bi-annual Alaska Math and Science Conference is that place, and it will be held at East High School in Anchorage on October 18-20. For more information, visit: 2013 Alaska Math and Science Conference.

The City and Port of Valdez will host the 34th annual Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators conference October 21-24. Harbormasters from all over the state will gather to discuss how to keep Alaska’s harbors safe and productive for our coastal communities. Find out more: Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators.

The council will again be exhibiting at the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle November 20-22. The Expo brings together maritime industries and communities from all over Alaska and the Pacific Northwest under one roof each year. More information: Pacific Marine Expo.

Every winter, the Alaska Marine Science Symposium proves that it is one of the best places to learn about cutting edge Alaska fisheries and ecosystem research and technological advances in the state. This year, the symposium will be held January 20-24 in Anchorage. Find out more: Alaska Marine Science Symposium.

Industry and council test spill response plans during drill

July 19, 2013 by Amanda Johnson

A fishing vessel pulls oil spill boom during a recent drill.

On June 12 and 13, an oil spill drill conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard and hosted by Alyeska tested oil spill contingency plans for the Valdez Marine Terminal. During the drill, the council put aspects of its own internal spill readiness plan to the test.

The fictional drill scenario involved a power outage at the Valdez Marine Terminal, a ruptured line leading to one of the loading berths, and a spill of 90,000 barrels of Alaska North Slope crude oil from the rupture into the Port of Valdez. The spill’s trajectory, or the direction of movement of the oil, was deliberately routed towards the city of Valdez so that the city could participate. This allowed drill participants to exercise aspects of the contingency plans related to crude oil vapors and air monitoring, staffing of the city emergency operation center, and a simulated evacuation of the city.

The first day’s activities were centered in the command post in Valdez and were entirely tabletop, meaning no equipment was deployed. The second day of the exercise consisted of field deployments with open water and nearshore oil recovery efforts, as well as protection of two nearby “sensitive areas”; the Solomon Gulch Hatchery and Duck Flats area in Valdez. Sensitive areas are locations that have been pre-identified as particularly sensitive to an oil spill due to their biological or cultural importance, or areas that would be difficult to clean up or remediate.

In addition to observing the drill, the council took the opportunity to conduct an internal exercise to test communications between the staff, the board of directors and committee volunteers. Along with spill response monitoring, communication with local stakeholders and parties of interest would be a key duty for the council during a real event.

Through the years, council has developed an internal response plan which gives staff guidance on what to do in case of a large spill or incident. This plan includes detailed job descriptions and task checklists. By working aspects of this plan, staff was able to practice, document lessons learned, note necessary updates and make changes. The last time the plan was revised was 2010.

The council also simulated launching its science response plan. This science plan, developed by the council’s science committee, is a pre-established guide for quickly increasing environmental monitoring after a large oil spill.

Council staff contacted volunteers and science contractors by phone and used a blog and email to disseminate information during the drill. Costs for travel, contractor service fees, and other expenses were estimated to help validate how much funding the council needs in reserve to cover initial expenses during a spill.

The council plans to practice this internal response plan on a yearly basis as a training opportunity, and also to further fine tune the plan.

Citizens’ advisory council for Gulf of Mexico holds first meeting

February 22, 2016July 19, 2013 by Amanda Johnson

Representatives from U.S. states bordering the Gulf of Mexico met May 30 in New Orleans to “move forward with the establishment of a Gulf of Mexico Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council,” according to a press release from the group.

The group says they are modeling themselves after the councils in Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet, formed after the Exxon Valdez oil disaster in 1989.

Similar to the Valdez spill, oil industry and government complacency has been cited as underlying causes of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010.

“Our goal is to learn from lessons of the past and prepare for the future,” said Drew Landry, a native of Louisiana and one of the coordinators of the meeting.

Community Corner: Looking back at a productive 23 years at the council

July 19, 2013 by Amanda Johnson

By LINDA ROBINSON
Former Outreach Coordinator

In August of 1990, shortly after moving to Anchorage from Dillingham in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, I was hired part time to assist the one employee that worked for then Executive Director, Sheila Gottehrer.

When Linda started working for the council, the first logo was an eye overseeing a tanker.

My duties were mainly administrative tasks, such as answering the phone, organizing meetings and taking notes. I also ordered furniture and portable computers (called “luggables” at that time), trained volunteers how to use the computers and handled the finances, among other duties.

We started out in the Key Bank building on 5th Avenue in Anchorage but later moved to 2nd Avenue, across from the start of the Coastal Trail. Now, of course, our office is located in beautiful downtown Spenard.

After working as the financial manager for a few years, I became the council’s outreach coordinator. This position allowed me to spread the word about citizen oversight not only in our region and at conferences all over the U.S., but also in the form of presentations in Murmansk, Russia; at the Arctic Marine Oilspill Program conference in Canada; and for Vigipol, a French citizen oversight organization created after the Amoco Cadiz oil spill, at an event commemorating the 25th anniversary of that spill. Our Vigipol friends have visited Alaska twice and we are still in communication with them.

In 2010, Linda Robinson, standing, helped facilitate meetings between citizens who had been affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and Alaskans who were impacted by the Exxon Valdez spill.

After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, three groups of citizens from the Gulf of Mexico region visited Alaska to acquire information on forming its own citizen oversight group. I had the pleasure of being their guide while they were in Alaska. In turn, I volunteered to spend time in the Gulf of Mexico talking about citizen oversight. We also hosted a group from Kazakstan, who had been provided with funding for a citizen oversight group.

We also produced a film called “Then and Now,” which highlights major improvements in oil spill response in Prince William Sound since the Exxon Valdez spill. The DVD has been widely distributed and was shown at the International Oil Spill Conference.

We had an education committee for a time in the early 1990’s, which dissolved in 1993. I helped reinstate the Information and Education committee after I became full time outreach coordinator. This committee is comprised of teachers, artists, scientists and a couple of techies – a wonderful assortment of enthusiastic and creative people. It has evolved into a very dynamic and productive group.

One goal of the council for many years was to involve youth in our mission. With the support of the Information and Education committee, we now have a strong program that provides funding for projects that support our mission and encourage stewardship of the Prince William Sound environment. The funding has enabled students from Exxon Valdez spill-affected communities to participate in expeditions, field trips, chum salmon incubation projects, and other educational activities. Numerous partnerships with other organizations have been formed through this project.

One successful youth involvement project has taken teachers on expeditions into Prince William Sound. Their experiences enabled them to bring back new information to their students. Our first teacher’s expedition was taught by our own board member Jane Eisemann from Kodiak.

I am very proud of the youth involvement program and am very appreciative to the committee for its support as it has developed.

In 2012, with the help of friends across the U.S., I was honored to nominate Patience Andersen Faulkner who represents Cordova District Fishermen United for the national Ecotrust Indigenous Leadership Award. She was one of five awardees. As a volunteer, I was able to attend this celebration with her.

At a 2012 conference, Linda shows a poster about the council’s science projects to Sue Saupe, Director of Science and Research at Cook Inlet Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council.

In 2009, for the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, we organized a video conference that connected five communities to share in panel discussions in Anchorage and presentations from the other four communities. This event also included an art show titled “Spill: Alaskan Artists Remember” in collaboration with Bunnell Street Gallery in Homer. The theme of the show was the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. After the opening reception, citizens formed a candlelight vigil.

As I leave the council staff, I will take with me many valuable experiences and treasured memories. I have made many great friendships over the years with my coworkers and peers and have been most fortunate to be able to visit and get to know people in all of the communities that are a part of this organization. But what I will perhaps remember and miss most will be the relationships that I have built with volunteers and community members as I represented the council locally, regionally, nationally, and occasionally even internationally.

It has been a remarkable experience. I want to thank past and present volunteers, administrators, and staff for the opportunities you have given me for growth and service. I can only hope my efforts over the past twenty-three years have matched those opportunities.