Spring has Sprung!

Don't you just love spring?! Clear sunny skies, long daylight hours and a warm sun really do change your view of the magnificent scenery of South Central Alaska. Sure winter can be wonderful... soft snow blanketing the mountains and occasional blue skies, but the short days and freezing ice and snow storms challenge us more than we care to admit!

I have the privilege of driving the most scenic highway I have ever traveled anywhere in the world at least twice a week... and WOW - it just keeps getting better as winter gives way to spring!

On the way home last Friday night I snapped a few pix to send to colleagues around the world trying to generate some extra visitors to Alaska this summer. The photos don't really do justice to the amazing views as they change constantly from mountain pass to sea level and even from corner to corner... but they are a great reminder of the privilege we all share living in the Great Land!









I encourage us all to take time to enjoy the changing of the seasons...

Going Places with SFOS

I was recently invited to join the Advisory Council for the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (SFOS). The School is a world-class marine research and teaching institute with strengths in marine and freshwater fisheries, oceanography, marine biology, seafood technology and community outreach.

The SFOS Council is a most distinguished group comprising 14 members representing industry, government, non-profit, research and academic organizations. The Council is chaired by Dr David Policansky from the National Research Council and reports directly to UAF Chancelor Brian Rogers. Our meeting in Juneau focused on the recent remarkable accomplishments of the SFOS - from securing funding for construction of the new $190m+ Alaska Region Research Vessel (ARRV) that will be based out of Seward, to completion of the new $20m+ UAF Lena Point Fisheries facility in Juneau to expansion of the fisheries degree with significant ($5m) Rasmuson Foundation support and State government match.

The turnaround in SFOS funding and rapid program development is a testament to the outstanding leadership of SFOS Dean, Denis Wiesenburg. It is evident that since Denis came on board 5 years ago, the School has undergone a significant improvement in financial management and gained a wider support base within the UA system. I have particularly appreciated his support for the ASLC and willingness to work closely with us since I came on board.

The Advisory Council reviewed the draft strategic and development plans for SFOS and toured the new Lena Point building. We also had a chance to meet the new faculty in both Juneau and Fairbanks - SFOS has really expanded the range of marine science disciplines represented in the Faculty over the past year. I was particularly pleased to finally meet Institute of Marine Science Director, Terry Whitledge and begin to coordinate some joint fundraising efforts with SFOS Development Manager, Theresa Thompson.

SFOS-ASLC MoA

An important highlight of the meeting for me was the opportunity to work with Assistant Dean (and former ASLC Science Director) Mike Castellini to engage the Advisory Council on our new Memorandum of Agreement - the Council has been concerned about SFOS-ASLC interactions over the past few years and a perceived decline in our ability to work together.

In presenting our analysis of what the current MoA has achieved over the past 13 years, we were reminded of the amazing synergy between the ASLC and UAF, but also of the challenges of findings ways to partner that add value to both institutions. Like any relationship, our partnership with UAF has evolved from that envisaged by the Exxon Valdez Trust Council who required UAF to be the science lead for the ASLC when the SeaLife Center was established. We are now looking to craft an MoA that will be time bound (5 year increments), have specific performance benchmarks and clearer benefits sharing around specific joint research and education activities. Tara and I have begun to work on a new draft MoA and hope to have that signed of by September, 2009 (subject to EVOSTC concurrence). We will head up to Fairbanks in May to meet with Denis, Mike and other faculty to flesh out a draft set of partnership principles and activities.

What thoughts do you have on partnering more effectively with UAF?

Be Careful Out There!

Some of you will remember the classic television series "Hill St Blues" which always started with an admonition from the Sergeant at the end of the daily briefing to "be careful out there". That was a nice gesture given that the assembled officers were about to head out into an uncertain environment...

I was reminded of that uncertainty today on during my drive down to Seward - as I slowed for the bridge reconstruction works between Moose Pass and Seward, I paused to think about just how significant those works will be for us in the year(s) ahead. Clearly the work has to be done , although I wondered how such seriously maintenance could have been deferred on three bridges for so long. The fact that the maintenance can only be done in summer is particularly challenging for tourism-dependent businesses in Seward such as ours.

I must admit that I have been disappointed by the lack of prior consultation about road closures and the lack of integration of closures with key business activities such cruise vessel schedules.

However, today, I was struck by yet another challenge - 4 different speed zones within one mile!

The average person is exposed to more than 1,600 images per day according to market research experts. That number may be a little lower in Alaska where there is not the proliferation of advertizing that one sees in the lower 48... but still, there are a lot of things to pay attention to when driving. And so I was struck by how challenging it will be for drivers to meet such rapidly changing road use rules. Yes, we all have to be careful around construction sites, but is such signage really workable? I'll pose that question to the relevant authorities.

In the meantime... be careful out there.