The Coastal America partnership brings together people and resources from federal agencies, state and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to collaboratively address our nation's coastal environmental challenges.
The Alaska SeaLife Center is one of 24 Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers (CELCs) who parter with government agencies, the community and the private sector on science programs and who provide education, outreach and community engagement opportunities. CELCs are located throughout the US and in Canada and Mexico, thus enabling a continental approach to coastal and marine programs.
The beautiful Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan waterfront from the Shedd Aquarium
The Coastal America partnership celebrated its 20th anniversary last week in conjunction with the biennial Coastal Zone 2011 Conference in Chicago. I had the privilege to represent the ASLC and participated in several partnership discussions, culminating in a family day and conference dinner at the magnificent Shedd aquarium (another CELC). One of the highlights of the day was a live broadcast by the Jason Project who bought together various Coastal America partners as well as three student groups who participated in last years National Student Summit in DC. You can catch a replay of the broadcast on the Jason project website (which is also linked with another CELC, the Mystic Aquarium):
http://www.jason.org/science/Live/coastal2/jason/event.aspx.
Despite the oppressive heat in Chicago, it was truly inspirational to spend time with other CELC colleagues and partners in this very successful venture and reflect both on where we have been over the past 20 years and, more importantly, to consider where we are going. Not surprisingly, the new National Ocean Policy was dominant theme of those discussions. Clearly CELCs can and should play a key role in helping the public at large to understand and contribute to new oceans initiatives and to the implementation of new policy and science activities. Already, the Centers are proposing to initiate a series of quarterly national coastal conversations around key issues such as ocean acidification... those efforts will be key to improving ocean literacy and developing a stronger national oceans constituency.
As I flew back to Alaska, and reflected on the conference, I wondered what the 2031 Coastal America video might look like. The answer to that question seems to depend pretty much on our ability to inspire the interest of the American people in our oceans... the good news is that we at the Alaska SeaLife Center are uniquely placed to do that and our efforts are strengthened by linking arms with our peers and partners through ventures such as Coastal America!
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