SeaLife Ships Blog

Bon Voyage and Thank You

2011-11-02T16:17:00.000-08:00

At the end of October I passed the baton of leadership of the Alaska SeaLife Center to Dr Tara Riemer Jones, the Chief Operating Officer of the Center for the past 18 months. Tara was formally appointed interim President and CEO by the ASLC Board after I announced my retirement in September. I could not be more pleased to see Tara take on this new role as she is of the most outstanding professionals I have had the pleasure to work with - I know that she will do a tremendous job.

As I noted in my speech at the annual staff awards dinner, we have come along way as an organization in the past three years. We made major gains improving our relationship with such key partners as the State of Alaska, the City of Seward and urban and rural coastal communities throughout Alaska. We established one of the premier fundraising events on the Anchorage social calendar in the Alaska Marine Gala. We significantly diversified our funding base and created many new opportunities for more effective partnership with industry. Our Board diversity and network grew dramatically, and our Board is now more engaged than ever in linking our programs to the many stakeholders in Alaska's oceans. We have a roadmap for organizational development through 2020 (Deep Blue) with much sharper mission focus and tighter integration between science, education and stewardship. We achieved the gold standard in professional accreditation under the AZA umbrella. We have also installed some of Alaska's most energy efficient renewable energy systems and made major gains in upgraded building infrastructure such as the newly pigged saltwater intake system. We have installed world class exhibitry and have firm plans for systematic upgrades to our visitor experience each year. Membership doubled and our Facebook following went from 0 to more than 5,000!! All those achievements are more fully described in the 136 blogs preceding this last post...

But all those achievements pale when one considers the amazing staff and volunteer capacity that we developed, maintained and mentored in both Seward and Anchorage during the toughest economic conditions since the great depression. As most who know me appreciate, I'm a big fan of Peter Drucker whose definition of management is "the art of getting things done with and through people". Ultimately any non-profit organization depends on people who are committeed to the mission. I could not be more proud of the people who make the SeaLife Center tick each and every day - their depth of character and resilience shine through as they overcome the diverse challenges imposed by our rural Alaskan location.

I am moving on to a new role with the Rasmuson Foundation based in Anchorage. Going forward, I shall continue to serve on the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Center and the Annual Gala Committee. Please join me in continuing to support North America's northern most aquarium, Alaska's premier non-profit marine research and education organization and the Arctic Coastal Ecosystem and Learning Center... tickets for the 2012 Gala are already on sale at http://www.alaskasealife.org/.

Thanks again to everyone who helped us during these past three years.

Please note that this blog will now be "on hold" until the new ASLC website is launched in 2012.

Alaska SeaLife Center Awards 2011: Recognizing our Exceptional Staff, Partners and Volunteers

2011-10-24T15:54:00.001-08:00

Rocky Coast Gallery looking elegantly casual thanks to some amazing decorating by

our talented volunteer team who put together another fantastic event!

(photo = Monica Cooper)

Last Thursday we held our annual staff and community awards event. Each year we bring together our Board members, members of our Scientific Advisory Committee, staff, volunteers and community partners to celebrate their outstanding service and provide the all too rare opportunity for volunteers and staff to chat informally over dinner.

This year was another wonderful event, with more than 70 attendees. The program provided an opportunity for ASLC Board Chair, Stephen Grabacki, to farewell outgoing CEO, Ian Dutton and for Ian to provide an overview of the current status and trajectory of Center operations.
But most of all, the evening was all about our remarkable staff, volunters and partners.

Awards were presented to:
5 Year Anniversary:

Ann Riddle
Brett Long
10 Year Anniversary:

Chip Arnold

JoAnn Mellish

Tim Lebling

15 Year Anniversary:

Darryl Schaefermeyer

ASLC “Planet Blue” Award(s) for Exceptional Staff Contribution to science, education or stewardship of Alaska’s marine ecosystems:

Dr Lori Polasek

ASLC “Planet Blue” Award for Outstanding Partner Contribution(s):

Dr Dirk Derksen USGS

ASLC “Volunteer of the Year” Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service

Kendra Bauer

ASLC “Unsung Hero” Award for making a consistently important contribution to our day-to-day operational effectiveness

Dustin Phillips

Ned Smith Award for Outstanding Team Work – successfully completed a task that is a mission critical priority for the Alaska SeaLife Center

Life Support and Facilities Team

President’s Award for Outstanding Individual Staff Contribution to the Mission of the ASLC

Lisa Hartman

Laurie Morrow

Congratulations to all our awardees and thank you again to everyone who contributed to a most enjoyable and memorable evening!

Alaska SeaLife Center Makes the Global Top 10 Virtual Field Trips List!!

2011-10-19T11:53:00.001-08:00

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Holocaust Museum

OK... so what does the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio and the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington DC have to do with the Alaska SeaLife Center??

We were all just listed on the Core BTS, top 10 virtual must see list! (see http://www.itnewsonline.com/news/--------Top-10-Virtual-Field-Trips-for-the-2011-School-Year/25035/8/3 for full details of this listing). Core BTS is a leading administrator for Cisco TelePresence equipment.

"A virtual field trip is an innovative way for educators to broaden horizons and introduce students to completely new experiences," says Andrea Moreland, an education focused Account Manager with Core BTS. "Perhaps the biggest advantage is not only seeing these incredible places, but it may be the interaction with the experts." Moreland adds that high quality virtual experiences are not meant to completely replace outside learning opportunities, but rather supplement that curriculum. With more and more engaging content available, students can dramatically expand their knowledge and experiences without leaving the classroom, which provides a huge monetary and logistical incentive to teachers and administrations.

The Core BTS 2011 virtual field trip "must see" list includes:
-- Ellis Island Immigration Museum (New Jersey)

-- Museum of Television and Radio (New York, New York)

-- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, D.C.)

-- Globe Theatre (London, England)

-- Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum (New York, New York)

-- NASA Glenn Research Center (Cleveland, Ohio)

-- Alaska SeaLife Center (Seward, Alaska)

-- Pro Football Hall of Fame (Canton, Ohio)

-- Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland, Ohio)

-- Great Barrier Reef HQ Aquarium ( Townsville- Queensland, Australia)

Interestingly, my first experience working with aquaria was to serve as project manager for the design of the Great Barrier Reef HQ Aquarium - to see two of my professional passions listed in this top 10 is very satisfying....but even more satisfying is the recognition that this listing confers our amazing Distance Education learning team led by Laurie Morrow Stuart, our Education Manager. You may note that we are relative minnows in this growing pond and yet our distance learning programs rank at the highest level with these national/international whales!!!

Way to go team....

Thank you to everyone who contributes "Behind the Scenes"

2011-10-18T09:44:00.001-08:00

As we prepare for our annual Scientific Advisory Committee and Board meetings later this week, I have been working with our COO Dr Tara Riemer Jones, Board Treasurer, Tom Tougas and Board Chair, Stephen Grabacki on an analysis of what we are doing well and where we need to increase focus. One conclusion that will not surprise anyone is the incredible amount of work done by staff and volunteers "behind the scenes".
From staff who help prepare for visitor and staff events to volunteers who help make sure that fundraising events like our Annual Marine Gala (next is set for February 18th, 2012) run smoothly, there is a constant need to set up and support events, activities and projects in ways that the public rarely sees and yet which are critical to the successful delivery of those programs. Our analysis suggests that we could significantly expand volunteer efforts if we can make it easier for volunteers to join us from Anchorage and other communities outside Seward -- one of our legislative priorities this year will be to seek support to build dedicated volunteer accommodation.

In honor of all who contribute to our work behind the scenes, now and in the future, I have copied a poem from my favorite antipodean poet, A.B. "Banjo" Paterson. Banjo is best known for another of his poems that was set to music... I hope you agree with me that his words below still resonate today.

"Behind the Scenes"

The actor struts his little hour,

Between the limelight and the band;

The public feel the actor’s power,

Yet nothing do they understand

Of all the touches here and there

That make or mar the actor’s part,

They never see, beneath the glare,

The artist striving after art.

To them it seems a labour slight

Where nought of study intervenes;

You see it in another light

When once you’ve been behind the scenes.

For though the actor at his best

Is, like a poet, born not made,

He still must study with a zest

And practise hard to learn his trade.

So, whether on the actor’s form

The stately robes of Hamlet sit,

Or as Macbeth he rave and storm,

Or plays burlesque to please the pit,

‘Tis each and all a work of art,

That constant care and practice means–

The actor who creates a part

Has done his work behind the scenes.

Somewhat remarkably, this poem first appeared in The Bulletin on April 8, 1893

Turnagain Turns on Another Spectacular Sunrise!

2011-10-18T09:15:00.000-08:00

There is an old saying about weather in coastal Alaska -- if you don't like the weather, just wait 20 minutes... That same philosophy could be applied to a morning drive south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm. With later and slower dawns at this time of the year, fall season visitors have the chance to truly appreciate one of the greatest drives in North America in a very different light.

I have found that the most spectacular vistas are often associated with changing seasonal light and changing weather fronts. Both can cause the view around each bend to change in the 20 minutes time frame referenced above... perhaps even faster...yesterday morning was a great example... halfway to Girdwood, almost none of the Arm was visible. Within the next 20 minutes light began to flood the upper Arm, causing the most amazing interplay of light and cloud.

I hope that one day a photographer with equipment a little more capable than my "digital box brownie" will capture the many moods of Turnagain Arm throughout the year, highlighting the incredible vistas that are normally reserved for year round travelers... such a book might convince more folks to make the trip south along the Seward Highway in all seasons and not try to pack their sightseeing into the 100 days a year when everyone else is on the road!

Witnesses to History - Documenting the Amazing Stories of Beluga and Human Interactions in Cook Inlet over the Last 100 Years

2011-10-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

A beluga whale swimming in the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta

Last month during a visit to the Georgia aquarium I joined hundreds of visitors pressed up against the acrylic windows to watch belugas play with their food. They would take their fish morsels and play with them much the same way a cat plays with a mouse - constantly in control but delighting in being able to place the food in novel situations so it could be regurgitated and regathered. It was a captivating spectacle, particularly as the GA aquarium provides such an amazing viewpoint - only rarely do humans get to see what happens underwater - much of our inferences about marine animal behavior are made from vantage points above the waterline...

Last week we met with some folks who have lived with belugas all of their lives in the Cook Inlet region of Alaska. Some had memories of belugas dating back 50 years; other were more recent. As we described in a subsequent interview with the Peninsula Clarion (see http://peninsulaclarion.com/news/2011-10-01/beluga-dialogue), every person we met with demonstrated the same remarkable level of curiosity about belugas as the visitors to the Georgia aquarium - they really are compelling creatures!

Cook Inlet Beluga Whales in Kenai Waters Oral History Project Team

(l-r. Ian Dutton, Janet Klein, Karen Cain, Ricky Deel, Casey Schulke, Hillary Lebail, Joseph Hunt, Rebekka Federer)

Over the past 4 months, our team has been gathering stories about human interactions with, and observations of, belugas in the Waters of Cook Inlet contained wthin the Kenai Peninsula Borough. The Borough is the sponsor of the project and covers the majority of Cook Inlet waters.

Map showing Kenai Peninsula Borough boundaries

Our project seeks to address a critical gap in knowledge about the historical distribution and use of habitat by Cook Inlet Beluga Whales (CIBW) in waters of the Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB). The project involves obtaining the best available historical information on CIBW range and habitat use from “eye witnesses.” Very little is known about historical patterns of habitat use by CIBW since settlement of the Inlet, particularly in waters of the Kenai Peninsula Borough prior to 1994 when systematic scientific surveys began. Because there are few alternate ways to obtain such historical data, oral history projects provide important insights.

The rapid decline in Cook Inlet Beluga Population over the past 20 years

(Source: National Marine Fisheries Service)

As the graph above indicates, the rapid decline in beluga populations and their lack of recovery since protection measures have been put in place may result in the loss of this charismatic species from Cook Inlet within our lifetime. Our project will provide both information that may be otherwise unavailable to those involved in planning for CIBW recovery that may help identify factors involved in population decline, as well as insights into habitat use and human interactions that may help with conservation and education efforts. Results will be shared online (via a report) and through an exhibit at the SeaLife Center by early 2012.

To date we have interviewed more than 100 residents and visitors who have observations of CIBW from before 1994. If you know anyone who might have information or stories to share, please ask them to contact Casey Schulke at the Alaska SeaLife Center on (907) 224-7903 or by email caseys@alaskasealife.org.

If you would prefer to provide information via an online survey, please log onto http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BelugaSightingsinKenaiWaters

Winter driving demands extra care... but is well worth the effort!

2011-10-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

First snowfall of winter on the Seward Hwy near Canyon Creek this week

The late fall is one of Alaska's best kept secrets. Beautiful weather, long daylight and uncrowded roads and restaurants make for some local magic. This week in Seward has been particularly beautiful, with warm sunny days and bright white capped mountains appearing each morning with a few more inches of "termination dust" somehow deposited invisbly overnight.

The slow, almost languid, shift from summer to winter tends to lull one into a false sense of comfort. As the frenetic pace of the summer tourism season eases off, its easy to lose sight of the need for ongoing vigilance on, off and near the road. While there are nowhere near as many RVs and cars to contend with at this time of the year, the nature of road use changes dramatically with the seasons. Many late season photographers seem to think nothing of pulling up without warning to get that once in a lifetime shot of a sleeping trumpeter swan or wandering across the road laden down with a massive SLR and tripod that somehow makes them oblivious to traffic...
Equally importantly, the nature of the road itself is changing. Rain is now ice and slush, snow is beginning to creep down to the road verge and mornings are darker... soon we'll be in full winter driving mode.
In preparation for that transition, the center requires all staff to undertake a winter driving course and test. Over the past two years that has had the very positive effect of promoting safer winter driving of ASLC and personal vehicles. For any staff members who have not yet undertaken the test, please check in with Jon Gage. For our volunteers and visitors, the Alaska Department of Public safety (see http://www.dps.alaska.gov/PIO/TrooperTimes/ArchiveStories/12.06.07%20Winter%20Driving.pdf) and the Municipality of Anchorage offers some great guidance (see http://www.muni.org/Departments/police/traffic/Pages/WinterSafeDriving.aspx).

Snowmobile skiing on Summit Lake - Winter 2011

Few people I talk with in Anchorage seem to appreciate just how beautiful the drive down to Seward in winter can be or even the amazing recreation opportunities available along the way. I strongly encourage visitors to make the trip down and experience a journey that is so very different to the summer drive.... but I also urge all winter travelers to take the time to prepare for the trip and drive carefully as the above websites recommend. Safe travels!

NPRBs Historic Arctic Meeting in Barrow

2011-09-29T15:54:00.000-08:00

Dr Glenn Sheehan (Senior Scientist, Barrow Arctic Science Consortium, BASC) showing NPRB members around the excellent new science facilities at BASC (photo courtesy of Eric Olsen)

Last week, I participated in an historic meeting of the North Pacific Research Board in Barrow. This was the first time that the Board has meet in a rural location in Alaska and only the second time the Board had met outside Anchorage. Barrow was an ideal location for the meeting as one of the key topics discussed during the meeting was the development of a new Arctic research initiative in partnership with Arctic industries, communities and other research organizations such as the National Science Foundation.

Dr Cynthia Suchman, NPRB Executive Director, welcoming community participants in an evening meeting with the NPRB

(photo courtesy of Eric Olsen)

In addition to the usual Board business, we were also able to engage with a diverse group of stakeholders in Arctic research and education. One of the most memorable presentations we received was from the North Slope Borough School District Superintendent, Peggy Cowan, who outlined the remarkable steps the District is taking to link science literacy with Inupiat culture. While in Barrow, NPRB staff also presented a series of lessons to local students.

Board members inspecting coastal erosion at Point Barrow - the rate of change in the Barrow coastline is accelerating (photo courtesy of Eric Olsen)

Overall, Board members greatly appreciated the opportunity to learn from Barrow residents and to assess first hand what is happening in the Arctic - it was pleasing to see how that meeting immediately informed Board decisions on Arctic research (see http://www.nprb.org/). It will be fascinating to observe the impact of NPRB research on Arctic science and on resource use in the Arctic in the decades ahead.

Alaska SeaLife Center Accredited by AZA - We're In!

2011-09-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

Once again I'm being a tad lazy by just reposting a press release that we issued today - couldn't share this news any better by rewriting... this was a TERRIFIC week for the Center and we are now very proud to be part of the AZA communty of practice...

With Brett Long and Lisa Hartman outside the AZA Accreditation Hearing in the CNN complex in Atlanta, GA - as you can tell, we were pretty happy with the outcome!!

Seward, AK – September 16, 2011 – The Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) this week was granted accreditation by AZA’s independent Accreditation Commission. “By meeting the high accreditation standards of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Alaska SeaLife Center has demonstrated its national leadership among zoos and aquariums,” said AZA President and CEO Jim Maddy. “Only the best of the best rise to this level, and we congratulate the professionals at ASLC for their hard work.”

To be accredited, the Alaska SeaLife Center underwent a thorough two year process to ensure it meets ever-rising standards, which include animal care, veterinary programs, conservation, education, and safety. AZA requires zoos and aquariums to successfully complete this rigorous accreditation process every five years in order to be members of the Association. Less than 5% of the nation’s 6,000 zoos and aquaria currently have this gold standard certification.

“The Alaska SeaLife Center is a great place for people to connect with the natural world and each other,” Maddy added. “Members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, including ASLC, support their communities with affordable family recreation and science-based education programs.”

The accreditation process includes a detailed application and a meticulous on-site inspection by a team of trained zoo and aquarium professionals. The inspecting team observes all aspects of the institution’s operation in areas such as animal care; keeper training; safety for visitors, staff, and animals; educational programs; conservation efforts; veterinary programs; financial stability; risk management; visitor services; and other areas. The inspection team prepares an extensive written report for AZA’s independent Accreditation Commission. Finally, top officials are interviewed at a formal Commission hearing, after which accreditation is granted, tabled, or denied.

Alaska SeaLife Center CEO, Dr. Ian Dutton was in Atlanta this week to attend the AZA accreditation hearing and is delighted that the Center has received this level of formal recognition. “AZA accreditation means three things to the Center. Firstly it helps us ensure that we are meeting industry benchmarks and so enables our government, industry and community partners to be sure that that we are capable of providing the best in animal care and public education. Secondly, it provides our staff and volunteers with access to the knowledge and training in this sector. Thirdly it opens up a whole new array of funding and partnership possibilities – many zoos and aquaria now look to the SeaLife Center as their primary Arctic marine life partner.” Dutton paid credit to ASLC staff and Board members who have worked so hard to ensure we meet AZA and maintain standards. “Like all nonprofits, our staff and volunteers are our greatest asset, and this accreditation is a wonderful recognition of their professionalism.”
About AZA

Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting an institution dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation, and your link to helping animals in their native habitats. For more information, please visit http://www.aza.org/.

A Whale of a View!

2011-09-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

Opening of the new whale mural opposite ASLC on August 26th

Just last week, artists Justine Pechuzal and Liza McElroy completed the magnificent new whale mural on once drab walls opposite the Alaska SeaLife Center... and as these photos attest, the instant improvement in visual amenity was stunning!
Many thanks to these wonderfully talented artists for their hard work, to the City of Seward (particularly Assistant City Manager, Michelle Weston) for supporting the project, to the landowners who granted permission for the mural and to all those staff and visitors who have encouraged us to keep improving the Seward waterfront through this kind of community art!

One of my favorite images of Seward's newest resident whales -

many thanks to our photographer Chip Arnold

Lost and Muddy for a Great Cause!

2011-08-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

The hauntingly beautiful Lost Lake alpine area

OK, so I'm the first to admit I'm no longer much of a runner. But I am a glutton for good causes and always up for a challenge... and so this year when Karla and I saw the Lost Lake run for Cystic Fibrosis advertized (http://www.lostlakerun.org/), and we saw that it was possible to join the event as walkers, it seemed only logical that we would enter a 16 mile race and pay for the privilege! That was back in April and we had all summer to train for the event... plenty of time... we'll start next week...

We were ruminating about our lack of training as the bus conveyed us from the Bear Creek Fire Station to the starting line at Primrose campground at 0630 Saturday morning in a light drizzle... as we descended from the bus to join 175 other walkers, I had a sinking feeling that weather conditions would only get worse. As it turned out, that was remarkably prescient...

Lost Lake is one of those legendary alpine walks that we had managed to avoid doing for too many years and so it as with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension that we set off up the trail 2 hours ahead of the main pack of runners.

Enjoying a stroll across the alpine meadows of Lost Lake - what race?

After a long gradual ascent, it was wonderful to be above it all, walking through the Lilliputian plant meadows around Lost Lake... this truly is one of the most serene and spectacular vistas in Alaska. And it was (mostly) flat!

One of the great features of the Lost Lake Run is the regular reminder of why you are there - each half mile there is a poster reminding you of the personal challenges posed by Cystic Fibrosis and inspiring you to reflect on what you can do to help with research and treatment

Just as we passed the half way point (feeling great), two things changed. The weather quickly deteriorated (i.e. gusting sleet) and there was an increasing onslaught of runners who has started 2 hours behind us, but who now seemed to be somehow "motor powered" as the gunned their way across the moors. How else can you explain people running uphill at 10mph+? I did make a mental note that they did not stop to take any photographs...

Needless to say it was all downhill from there - old mud and new mud, getting off the trail to allow more and more of the 500+ runners to pass, and yet more rain... and yes, the lack of training was starting to become evident, with increasingly heavy legs...

But as we crossed the line back at Bear Creek to the encouragement of a great group of race supporters, it was uplifting to realize that we were now enmeshed in the fellowship of a unique event. Now in its 20th year, the Lost Lake run has become an Alaskan tradition -- inspiring, rewarding and tanatalizing --and it soon dawned on us that we now have a full 12 months to train for next years race!

Center’s Distance Learning Program Wins National Education Award

2011-08-26T14:32:00.000-08:00

ASLC acting Education Director and Distance Learning guru, Laurie Stuart-Morrow doing what she does so very well - sharing knowledge about Alaska's marine ecosystems with the world!

I don't normally post our press releases verbatim, but this one says it all!! What a tremendous accomplishment by our Distance Learning team - this award again demonstrates the power and quality of the education programs delivered by ASLC staff - we are actively building new parrtnerships with industry and communities in Alaska and globally to share these great programs even further!

Please contact the ASLC education team to learn more about these amazing programs - or go one better and buy one for a school near you - they are terrific value and highly ranked by our peers!

For immediate release

Seward, AK – August 26, 2011 – The Alaska SeaLife Center has just received a 2010-2011 CILC National Pinnacle Award from the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC). The award is presented annually to organizations posting outstanding K-12 standards-based interactive videoconferencing education programs.
To qualify for the award the provider must receive a minimum 2.85 average score out of a possible 3 on their program evaluations from educators during the school year. The evaluation assesses seven areas: two related to the effectiveness of the presenter and five related to the educational content of the program.

This is the second time in four years that the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) has received the CILC Pinnacle Award. ASLC Education Manager and leader of the distance learning unit, Laurie Stuart-Morrow said she was delighted to again receive this high level recognition. “Each year the Center provides more than 300 distance education programs to students throughout Alaska, across the lower 48 and increasingly around the world – this past year the Center has begun a major partnership with Australian schools. We are very pleased to be formally recognized by industry leaders for our high education standards and to be able to promote improved understanding of Alaska’s marine ecosystems to such a vast and engaging audience”.

About CILC
The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC), established in 1994, is a not-for-profit specializing in access to applications and the utilization of videoconferencing for live interactive content and professional development, as well as web-based collaborative learning environments for K-12.

About ASLC
The Alaska SeaLife Center is a private non-profit research institution and visitor attraction which generates and shares scientific knowledge to promote understanding and stewardship of Alaska’s marine ecosystems. For more information regarding the Distance Learning program or other ASLC information please reference the Alaska SeaLife Center website at www.alaskasealife.org.

Fish On - another wonderful ASLC Invitational

2011-08-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

Our catch after an action-filled day of fishing out of Seward on the F/V Huntress

The 12th Alaska SeaLife Center Invitational lived up to all expectations, with a sensational day of fishing and a throroughly entertaining and enjoyable evening banquet. While it is always fun to go fishing with friends, this years event was notable for three reasons. Firstly, our patron, Alaska's Lt Governor Mead Treadwell, bought his family to Seward and as the photo above attests, they all share his great fishing talent! It was great to out on a boat with the Lt Governor, and to see the next generation of Alaskans appreciate first hand the amazing richness and diversity of marine life that Seward has to offer. Our organizational vision is for future generations of Alaskans to continue to enjoy the bounty of Alaska's oceans - there is no better way to invest them in that vision that to engage the next generation in understanding what we have and what it takes to sustain that fishery.

ASLC Board member Jason Brune demonstrating the strong competition between tables that was a fun feature of the SeaLife Trivia game!

Secondly, we had a very enthusiastic group of sponsors and supporters this year who really went the extra yard to make the event fun. One example of that was the SeaLife trivia game during the banquet that was designed and led in their inimitable manner by ASLC Educators Darin Trobaugh and Laurie Morrow. The game provided a unique opportunity to feature ASLC distance education programs that we now deliver more than 300 times each year globally! The general level of knowledge of our oceans among guests was impressive and ultimately the winning table made a "well educated" guess to secure the prize!

Banquet guests enjoying the opportunity to catch up and share some wonderful desserts courtesy of our multi-talented staff and volunteer chefs!

Thanks again to all of our sponsors, guests, staff and volunteers who helped make this such a wonderful event. We raised nearly $20,000 for the Center's research and education programs and equally importantly strengthened many longstanding friendships!...
Oh, and in case you didn't get the chance to go fishing with us, make sure you get out there during the Seward Silver Salmon Derby - there is a very strong run of silvers this year!

A beaming Mrs Dutton showing off her first silver of the day!

Time for Greater Attention to Alaska's Islands??

2011-08-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

Much of my career has involved working on islands systems. From my early work on islands and cays of the Great Barrier Reef to my later research in Japan, various Pacific islands and Indonesia, islands have long held a special fascination for me. That may be due to their unique characateristsics (e.g. many islands such as Sulawesi have high levels of endemicity). It may be due to their often convenient scale - you can usually observe ecological and social processes more easily at island scale, particularly in isolated islands. It may also be due to their pressing management needs - for example, islands are particularly vulnerable to change as a result of introduced species - Guam and other islands affected by introduced wildlife are poster childs for those types of impacts. Those effects are not just confined to ecological impacts - consider, for example, the catastrophic losses and ongoing social disruption caused by the introduction of diseases to many Pacific islands by early explorers.
Maybe my fascination with islands is simply because they are typically beautful and unique places to work! There are often a few perks involved in being one of the first researchers able to access remote islands and survey their ecology or cultures! There are also a few down sides - in the mid 90s, I was part of a small team to undertake the first comprehensive survey of the reefs around the Karimunjawa islands (just off the coast of central Java in Indonesia) - about 6 hours into our overnight small boat trip out there, the crew lost the boat propeller in about 40 feet of muddy water... fortunately they found it after just a few hours of diving...

Photo of one of the Karimunjawa Islands courtesy of Central Java Tourism Office - more details available from

http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/central-java/karimunjawa.html

Even in the face of those types of tribulations, islands have proven to be rich natural laboratories - consider their influence on the work of Darwin, Wallace and other bio-geographers from the 19th century...

We have learned so much from islands and yet there is still so much to learn.

With increasing globalization, islands have come under severe pressure - there are many islands in the world where resources and cultures have been destroyed or severely degraded as a consequence of unsustainable exploitation of their resources. Jared Diamond's book "Collapse" contains numerous examples of catastrophic change when resources and society are not 'in balance' - his work suggests that islands provide great insights into the the indivisibility of cultural and ecological sustainability. Marcus Stepehen, the president of Nauru (an 8 square mile island in the Pacific) recently published an equally eloquent tale about what has happened to his country as a result of that lack of balance - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/opinion/19stephen.html.

There are several global efforts underway to promote a greater understanding of islands and the challenges they face as well as to promote a more sustainable approach to island development. Notable among those is the Global Islands Partnership (GLISPA) that was launched in 2006. GLISPA seeks to conserve and sustainably utilize the invaluable island natural resources that support people, cultures, and livelihoods in their island homes around the world. It brings together island nations and nations with islands — small and large, developing and developed — to mobilize leadership, increase resources and share skills, knowledge, technologies and innovations in a cost-effective and sustainable way that will catalyze action for conservation and sustainable livelihoods on islands. (see http://www.cbd.int/island/glispa.shtml).

Analysis of Mexico's islands in the Gulf of California - details available at

http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/islandsmexico/documents/islas-de-mexico-un-recurso-estrategico/view.html

Among the many exciting GLISPA initiatives underway globally, I was particularly impressed with a recent publication on the islands of Mexico. The book (in spanish only) is beautifully produced and systematically evaluates threats to islands as well as priorities for action. It is the sort of book that decision makers can easily understand...

I began searching for a comparable book about Alaska's islands. Sure there are a lot of books and reports about various islands and island groups within Alaska, but nothing that systematically addresses the status and needs of our islands - that is pretty surprising given that Alaska is the most island rich state in the USA. Alaska has 38 islands larger than 100 square miles (see http://www.worldislandinfo.com/US/AK/AKlargest.htm for the list - it would make a great local geography quiz question!).

As far as I can tell, there is no complete inventory of Alaska's islands and no "big picture" assessment of their status, threats or management needs.

A book like the Mexican islands report could play a valuable role in promoting awareness of Alaska's islands and would draw attention to the many key "known unknowns" that researchers and others might begin to focus on. Anyone interested in working on this?

ASLC Interns Rock!

2011-08-03T18:11:00.000-08:00

ASLC-NPS Interns Abe Hartsell (l.) and Ninan Rosen (r.) with Cindy Ecklund (ASLC HR Manager) and Seasonal Interpreter Ben Gilles sharing novel approaches to marine interpretation

Many science institutions tend to think of Interns as young professionals in training. While that may be true in a strictly HR development sense, at the Alaska SeaLife Center, we have learned that Internships are actually one of our most powerful ways to generate innovation!

ASLC Avian Intern Ali Rinaldi (r.) shares the results of her experiments on habitat structure with ASLC staff and volunteers

Aquarium intern, Anna Hildebrandt with her new photo database of microscopic animal and plant life that is such a key part of the marine food chains!

With more than 300 Internships now completed at the Alaska SeaLife Center over the past 13 years, we have come to appreciate the tremendous value of "learning by doing". This year was no exception. Our 2011 Intern Fair - held earlier this week - provided the opportunity for our incredibly talented interns to share their work with staff, volunteers, visitors and their peers.

Marine mammal interns Courtney Schuert (l.) and Kelsey Thompson (back r. facing) sharing results of their projects on Steller Sea Lions

Each intern provided both an overview of that they have been doing and how that work will contribute to the longer term effectiveness of ASLC research, education and stewardship programs. Many projects generated materials that visitors wills ee in the 2012 ASLC exhibit and education programs. All projects have generated new data and tools that will enhance our existing science and outreach programs, and many of them will also be featured in upcoming presentations at the 2012 Alaska Marine Science Symposium and similar scientific meetings.

ASLC Intern of the year Krystal Fales explaining her work on DNA of Eider Eggs

This year some 27 interns from around the country are engaged in a diverse range of science and education projects - as the 2011 Intern Fair demonstrated, there was a remarkable level of innovation evident in their work. Walking around the Fair reminded all staff of the value that these young scientists and educators bring to our mission - each of them found creative ways to demonstrate often complex scientific and education concepts and so enable us to promote ocean literacy among our visitors.

Intern Jo-Anne Siskidis sharing her project on Harbor Seals with ASLC Internship Program Coordinator, Daniel Barth

Climate change interns Hillary LeBail (r.) and Joseph Hunt (l.) conducting climate change jeopardy - a game to evaluate understanding of climate change attitudes.

Not only did the interns demonstrate their scientific and communication abilities, they also helped inspire ASLC staff to think about our work differently! Thanks again to all of our interns and their partners/supervisors for the great work underway this summer.
I encourage you all to keep an eye out for these future rock stars of global marine science and education!
We are planning to seek further corporate support in the coming year to expand this program - having been involved in marine science and education for some 30 years, I have not seen any better program to build the vital science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) capability that sustainable use and management of our global oceans demands.

Your Invite to the 2011 Invitational!

2011-07-28T12:09:00.000-08:00

On 13th of August we will again host the Alaska SeaLife Center Invitational - the event is now well established as a feature of the Seward social calendar and coincides with the first day of the famous Seward Silver Salmon Derby - this is our 12th successive invitational!! You can obtain full details and register directly on the ASLC website - http://www.alasksealife.org/.

So whats new and different this year?
First up, the event has a new patron. Alaska's Lt. Governor, Mead Treadwell has kindly agreed to serve as the event patron and will be bringing several family members with him this year to help us sample the first day of the famous Silver Silver Salmon Derby!
Next up, we have arranged a bountiful banquet and several fun activities (no boring speeches - promise) - similar to the Fish for the Future dinner in 2009, but with a greater family emphasis. This year we will also feature some very engaging entertainment, including well known Alaskan singer and songwriter, Amy Hettinger (see http://www.amyloumusic.com/) and have planned various facility tours and interactive dinner activities that should prove entertaining for all ages!
Finally, we have an amazing array of auction items and prizes that highlight the unique role that the Alaska SeaLife Center plays in helping Alaskans understand the marine ecosystems of the North Pacific.
To secure your sponsorship, your fishing spot or your table please contact Lexie Mizeras at (907) 644-6717 or lexiem@alaskasealife.org.

I really hope you can join us for this premier event.

Highlights of Coastal America's 20th Anniversary in Chicago

2011-07-25T15:02:00.001-08:00

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!

A New World Arctic

2011-06-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure to join one of those meetings that makes you pause and rethink your view of the world. The Arctic Imperative Summit, held in Girdwood attracted an amazing array of political military, science, financial, indigenous, industrial, academic and community leaders. Organized by Alice Rogoff from the Alaska Dispatch with support from industry, native corporations and non profit think tanks, the event attracted more than 200 Arctic experts.

The event was a timely opportunity to reconsider the special role of Alaska in the Arctic. Many speakers described Alaska as the last US emerging market, but also lamented how little known the US Arctic is and how poorly prepared we are as a nation to take advantage of development opportunities in the Arctic. Much of the conference focused on oil and gas, transportation and infrastructure and related development issues, but there was substantial discussion in every session about common issues such as impacts of development on native subsistence, about climate change impacts (notably ice retreat), about the importance of science and research to development and about increasing opportunities, conflicts and risks associated with the "high arctic" (above the Bering Strait) opening up.

There was also much discussion about the importance of international collaboration, with the Arctic Council emerging as an increasingly significant forum for collaboration – the active engagement of Sec. Clinton in the most recent Council meeting has raised expectations for a stronger US presence.
Perhaps the most surprising piece of information came from Maersk Shipping who stated categorically that there will not be a transit shipping route developing in the Arctic this century – even though the great polar route is about half the distance from Asia to Europe through Panama, it is not commercially viable and thus is not likely to be exploited by the big shippers.

Four high priority needs identified included:
o Ratification of Law of the Sea (which would provide the US with a legal basis to extend its offshore jurisdiction to cover significant OCS resources)
o Establishment of an increased Arctic icebreaker capacity – State Senator Lesil McGuire went as far as to suggest in her summation speech that the State of AK should invest in its own icebreaker ship to support Arctic research and development
o Development of a “proven” arctic oil spill response capacity – many presenters emphasized the challenges of arctic spill response and the importance of being prepared for the many potential scenarios that entails (ship and platform based)
o The importance of promoting a greater understanding of what it means to be an arctic nation both in Alaska and in the US generally – there was a strong undercurrent of sentiment that most Americans are not sufficiently aware of what it means to be an Arctic nation.
Understanding how the Arctic is changing, developing wildlife response protocols and promoting "Arctic literacy" are increasingly imporant roles that the Alaska SeaLife Center can and will play going forward. I encourage all with an interest in the Arctic to visit the Arctic Imperative Summit website to review the presentations and reports made - http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/live-arctic-imperative-summit.

Celebrating World Oceans Day 2011 in Seward

2011-06-09T17:41:00.002-08:00

Seward Artist, Dot Bardarson introducing the Homer-based artist Brad Hughes' powerful Sculpture "Salmon"

In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to formally establish June 8th as World Oceans Day. Last year we held a small staff BBQ to mark the day, but, given the significance of oceans to Alaska, we began to plan a much bigger event this year!

Juneau-based Artist Lisa Ricky unveiling her kinetic creation "Bull Kelp"

That planning began with a Statewide art contest in 2010 that led to the commissioning of two sculptures. The Art Jury for that contest comprised Dot Bardarson (ASLC Community Relations Board member + Seward Artist), Christy Terry (former City Community Development Director), Annette Bellamy (Alaska Artist – Halibut Cove, Justine Pechusal (Seward Community & Mural Artist), Joseph Abegg (Livingston Slone, AIA, Associate), Howard Ferren (ASLC Director of Conservation), Steve Carrick (former ASLC Director of Operations and Facilities) and Laura Tauke (former ASLC Graphic Designer). Both sculptures were installed on June 6th after much great work by our facilities team and now occupy prominent knolls outside the front door of the Center. They have already received much critical acclaim and form a stunning addition to the ocean art precinct now developing in the downtown area!

Tyson Fick from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute with ASLC CEO Ian Dutton (l) and ASLC Board Chair Steve Grabacki (r) opening the new seafood exhibit.

We then opened two new exhibits inside the Center. The new Alaska Sustainable Seafood exhibit supported by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute provides a stunning reminder of just how important seafood is to the State economy and provides visitors with information on how to make wise seafood choices.

Seward Mayor, Willard Dunham congratulating Bret Chambers from BP Alaska on the opening of the new North to the Future Theater.

The second exhibit is the new “North to the Future Theater” sponsored by BP Alaska. Located on the lower level at the end of the visitor path, the theater provides an opportunity to learn about the US Arctic, the changes being experienced there and some of the science work underway to better understand Arctic resources.

The final part of the evening's program was our first great culinary challenge – an amazing array of appetizers courtesy of talented local chefs Monica Cooper (Alaskan Dermish Deserts), Kevin Lane (AVTEC), Erik Slater (Resurrection Roadhouse). Kevin’s creations were voted most popular by participants in a photo-finish and he received a prize donated by the Inn at Tern Lake.
However, the real winners on the evening were our 80 guests who not only got to learn a little more about Alaska’s oceans, but also had fun being serenaded by Marian Call (http://www.mariancall.com/), the incredibly talented Alaskan singer and song writer.

Mark your calendars – we have already begun planning for World Oceans Day on June 8th, 2012… and June 8th, 2013 and…. You get the idea!

Seward - the BEST Fishing Town in the Pacific!!

2011-06-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

Well, the results are in and... Seward was voted the best Fishing Town in the Pacific and 6th best overall in the nation!!

Both are amazing achievements and well deserved recognition of the amazing attraction that Seward has for anglers and others who appreciate seeing marine wildlife in a spectacular natural setting!

Full results of the WFN poll can been accessed at:
http://www.wfnfishingtown.com/leaderboard.php

Thanks again to everyone who supported Seward - 5,000+ votes from a town the size of Seward with limited internet access for many of the population is probably comparable to the winner (Roscoe NY) on a per capita adjusted basis.

Please pass on this news to anyone thinking of a fishing trip to Alaska... even if you don't fish, you may care to come and enjoy the incredible diversity and abundance of marine wildlife that the fish attract each summer.

Having a Whale of a Time at UBC!

2011-05-19T14:06:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, en route back to Alaska from the International Marine Conservation Congress in Victoria, I stopped by the University of British Columbia to meet with Dr Andrew Trites and his colleagues in Marine Mammal Research Unit at the Fisheries Centre at UBC.
Andrew is a member of the ASLC Scientific Advisory Committee and very active in marine mammal research in Alaska and globally. During our meeting we had the opportunity to view one of his better known projects in Canada - the restoration and public display of a 25m blue whale skeleton that was buried on Prince Edward Island in 1987.
The blue whale is the centerpiece of the Djavad Mowafaghian Atrium, a two-storey glass gallery in the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. Articulated in the species’ signature lunge-feeding pose, the UBC blue whale is the largest skeleton exhibit in the world suspended without external armature.

Dr Andrew Trites with the blue whale skeleton at UBC

There was a recent article on the first anniversary of the whale exhibit (see

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/city/2011/05/17/one-year-anniversary-blue-whale-specimen-beaty-bidioversity-museum-ubc). It is also the subject of an upcoming documentary on the complex process undertaken to clean and prepare the skeleton for public display that promises to be a fascinating tale... but there is no subsitute for seeing the amazing power of this exhibit in person!

encourage anyone with an interest in marine life to visit the UBC Beaty Biodiversity Museum and see one of the world's more remarkable collections of the diversity and scale of life on earth!

Making Marine Science Matter - Impressions from International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC2)

2011-05-17T17:23:00.001-08:00

I had the pleasure this week to join some 1300 marine scientists, educators and conservationists at the second dedicated marine conservation congress organized under the auspices of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB). There have been several past efforts to establish an international flagship conference for marine conservation and it really looks like the IMCC concept has lots of "stickiness"! This is likely a result of the rapidly growing global investments in marine research, education and conservation. The Convention on Biodiversity target to establish 10% of the world's oceans in MPAs by 2012 is not likely to be met... but it has stimulated an incredible global marine conservation effort over the past 5 years especially.

IMCC2 was a veritable banquet of knowledge sharing - there were literally dozens of difficult menu choices to make every day. From light appertisers to full meals, it really was tough to select from the range of offerings - the program is available on the congress website - http://www.conbio.org/imcc2011/.
Three highlights for me were:
1. Our Pre-congress full day session on citizen science in support of marine conservation - last Friday we held a workshop featuring some 14 different global citizen science projects that was a follow up to the Coastal America Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers meeting with the North American Protected Areas Network initiative - we have further follow up planned for the Coastal America meeting in July and have identified several areas of potential cooperation between West Coast aquaria;

2. Seeing the dramatic advances in global marine planning - these ranged from various updates on key software such as Marxan to many novel applications of marine planning to promote both conservation and livelihood objectives - there is an amazing amount of innovation underway that has great relevance to the North Pacific and to the research, education and steweardship mission of the Alaska SeaLife Center;

3. The increasing role of social sciences in marine conservation and research - there were numerous sessions that demonstrated unequivocally that all marine initiatives need to incorporate appropriate consideration of the human dimensions of ocean use, particularly governance arrangements. One particular session on the future of Arctic fisheries bought into sharp focus the relevance of the increasing arctic research of the ASLC (and the need to expand our research efforts in the Arctic) and the need for new partnerships to provide that science.

IMCC2 was also a wonderful opportunity to network with colleagues who I have worked with over the past 25 years - from my Great Barrier Reef Days to Indonesia and Pacific partners to my current role in Arctic research and education, an event like IMCC2 is a great way to draw together the many threads of knowledge that I have contributed to and learned from! I especially enjoyed the various synthesis sessions where we sought to distil trends and set agendas for future research...

Like all large conferences, IMCC2 suffered from some limitations - there was perhaps an over emphasis on "academic" presentations and an under-representation of field practitioner knowledge. There was also an inherent bias towards knowledge generated in developed countries and by researchers from developed countries (perhaps understandable given the venue in Canada). However, these were fairly minor criticisms given the overall emphasis on advancing science that matters.
I would encourage all ASLC staff and partners to have a look through the congress proceedings and to join me in thinking about what our contribution will be to IMCC3... above all, IMCC2 reinforced in my mind that the science being undertaken at the ASLC does matter and is very relevant to the future diversity and quality of life on earth!

Oh... and I should acknowledge the value of holding a conference in a setting that underscores the relevance of the topics discussed and inspires further inquiry - places matter and Victoria in BC was a wonderful setting for this event!

Go GYREx!

2011-05-11T09:05:00.001-08:00

Gyrex participants sharing ideas in the setting in which the work will be conducted

Marine debris is a major threat to the integrity and heath of marine ecosystems in the North pacific. Over the past two years, ASLC Director of Conservation, Howard Ferren has been working on a concept (GYREx) to bring together scientists and artists to promote greater public understanding of this issue and to generate a greater collective effort to reduce the amount of debris entering our oceans.

Last night, on one of those glorious Seward spring evenings, we bought together some 20 partners in GYREx to further discussion of the project concept and strengthen our commitment to the ambitious 2012 timeline for the project. Committed partners to date include, the Anchorage Museum, Dr Carl Safina from the Blue Ocean Institute, US Fish and Wildlife Service and US National Parks Service, National Geographic film maker JJ Kelly, Photographer, Kip Evans, Multimedia artists artists including Pam Longobardi and Sonja Kelliher-Combs and the Marine Conservatuion Alliance Foundation.

With support from Major Marine Tours, the group made the short hop over to Thumb Cove where we anchored and spent a very pleasant evening discussing how best to bring art and science together to reduce marine debris... I can truly say that the conversations were some of the best I have ever had on this subject!

Howard and Dave Gaudet explaining the expedition concept with a map provided by the Marine Conservation Alliance Foundation

Expedition planning and fundraising will now accelerate over the summer - if you'd like to know more about how to get involved or otherwise contribute, please contact Howard Ferren (howardf@alaskasealife.org).

Vale Brent Whitmore

2011-05-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

A photo of Brent from his memorial program

Last Saturday we joined the Whitmore family and many friends from the Seward community in a celebration of Brent Whitmore's life and amazing service to community and country. The celebration was fittingly held in the Center in front of our Touch Tank where Brent has worked for the past seven years as one of our senior interpreters. Brent passed away on April 24th after a brave fight to beat cancer.
The following is an excerpt from my remarks at the service. We share these so that people who could not join us for the service can gain a sense of the great regard that all staff and volunteers at the Center held for Brent and a sense of how we will continue to honor and preserve his extraordinary legacy.

It is very fitting that we gather here this evening in the very location that Brent made his professional home since April 2nd 2004 and where he bravely continued to work right up until he was admitted to hospital. It feels eerily quiet to walk past this touch tank and not see his ever present smile or hear him call out a greeting. Brent worked at the SeaLife Center for just over seven years, although he would be the first to correct me and say that this was not really a job… such was his passion for our institution and for our mission!

That passion was most evident when Brent had the opportunity to share his exceptional knowledge about the Center. On busy summer days, he had the opportunity to do that hundreds of times each day. But it didn’t matter of you were the first or the 100th visitor he spoke with that day – Brent always tailored his message to his audience. Young or old, Alaskan, or outsider, English native or foreign language speaker, Brent made them all feel as if they were the center of his world for the time he was with them. And we believe that to a person, everyone he met over the past seven years was richer for having known Brent.

That is especially true for his fellow workmates. I know that every one of us delighted in his enthusiasm and every one of us learned about how to better relate to the public because of Brent’s mentorship.
Nikki Nelson, his boss, sums that up very well… and I quote…
“He understood the wonder of this place to children of all ages – those who met him were guaranteed a better visit than those who didn’t”.

I really like that quote because Brent truly understood that the child in all of us needs to be nurtured when it comes to trying to understand the marine environment that we share here at the Center. Many visitors often feel “out of their depth” and naturally look for guidance. Brent was an amazing interpreter because of his ability to sum up each visitor and to very quickly work out how best to relate to them. The first principle of interpretation is to get the visitor’s attention and Brent was superb at doing that! He was even better at the second principle which is the more difficult task of holding their attention!
I believe that Brent’s innate interpretive ability stemmed from the combination of his amazing life experience and his desire to make the world a better place. He knew that people really can make a difference when they are inspired and so he set about inspiring them, one conversation at a time.

Brent was a very accomplished person with a fascinating life journey. Others will talk about his career achievements and contributions to the community, but I want to especially acknowledge his tremendous intellect. From Weber State to Oregon to UAF and finally at the University of Hawaii, Brent had an incredible appetite for learning. Those studies provided the perfect foil for his inquisitive nature and nurtured his talent for sharing knowledge with others. He was deservedly proud of those academic accomplishments and I think we all share a great debt of gratitude to his teachers… each and every day he paid back that debt by passing on what he knew to others.

I want to let you all know how much I appreciated him taking me under his wing early in my tenure here as CEO and helping me settle in to this complex organization. I could always rely on Brent to both give good feedback to me when I bounced ideas off him and to not be backward in telling me how and what we need to improve. There was one particular day, just after I started, when Brent bought in a pile of articles he had been reading from the Economist to improve my education about some aspects of climate change! I appreciated them so much that I invited Brent to share similar information – none of you will be surprised that I subsequently had trouble keeping up with the pile of homework that Brent would put on my desk each week! I guess he really did learn a lot from his Mother about being an effective educator!!

And that brings me to how best to honor his legacy of learning. From 2011, I am pleased to share with you all that the Alaska SeaLife Center will be providing our annual award to the Seward High School in his name. The Brent L. Whitmore SeaLife Center Scholarship will be made available annually to the student who has excelled in a field related to marine science. We believe that would be the kind of legacy that Brent would most appreciate and we hope that those future scholars will continue the great work that Brent has begun in inspiring us all to care more for our ocean planet.

I’d like to close, by offering Brent’s family and friends here tonight a quote from Helen Keller that I hope offers you all some solace. She said:
"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us."

We at the Alaska SeaLife Center are eternally thankful for all that Brent provided to us – as Ms Keller’s observation promises, his interpretive legacy will forever endure in the programs of the Center, in all of us and in the lives of all whose lives he touched.
Thank you again Brent for all that you shared with us. Thank you for all that you did for the Alaska SeaLife Center and the community of Seward and thank you for being our friend.

May you Rest in Peace.

Celebrating our 13th Anniversary

2011-05-03T14:13:00.001-08:00

Today marks the 13th anniversary of our opening. Our journey has been a remarkable story of perseverance - there are many times, especially in the early years, when our future was uncertain and yet we continued to prevail and become ever more significant in this great State! We have a souvenir book in production which will describe key milestones and share the stories of the people involved (should be in the print by June).

On anniversaries, I find it worthwhile to pause to reflect for a moment on where we have been and where we are going. Last year, we assembled a few key statistics for one of our inaugural sponsors, the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trust Council (EVOSTC). The initial capital investment of $26.2m by EVOSTC in 1994 has:

leveraged nearly $200m of additional capital investment and ongoing research and education funding
resulted in 220 peer reviewed publications and over 600 other publications and provided education about the marine ecosystem of Alaska to more than 2 million visitors and some 200,000 school children
employed over 900 people (current staff of 95 FTE), 300 interns and more than 1,000 volunteers, and trained 36 postgraduate students (24 MSc/12 PhD) as well as a generation of schoolchildren through the world of work program, Sea Train and other nationally recognized education activities
rescued, treated or rehabilitated some 250 marine mammals and over 600 seabirds through our strandings program

These extraordinary accomplishments are due to an inspired and ever growing army of SeaLife supporters. From political champions such as the late Senator Ted Stevens to our brilliant Board and Scientific Advisory Committee members, from our standout staff to our inquistive interns and vivacious volunteers, and from our many magnificent members to our fabulous Facebook followers, literally tens of thousands of people have come together to enable us to realize the vision of the pioneers of this institution.

Many of those pioneers have made the SeaLife Center a central part of their life's work. That is especially true of current Seward Mayor Willard Dunham who recalls the importance of the SeaLife Center to rebuilding the waterfront of Seward after the devastaion of the 1964 earthquake. Other supporters such as the late Governor Wally Hickel were instrumental in securing political support for the Center at the highest levels. It was especially timely today that we hosted a visit by Mrs Ermaleee Hickel who toured the Center and, at every exhibit, fondly recalled Wally's passion for our work. Governor and Mrs Hickel were foundation supporters of the Center and so it was wonderful to show Mrs Hickel just what we continue to accomplish as a consequence of their vision.

Mrs Ermalee Hickel with Nancy Anderson on the soon to be opened Walter and Ermalee Hickel Overlook.

We thank all of you for your generosity and support. But we know that we cannot rest on our laurels. With rapidly declining Federal marine science funding, constantly evolving species management and climate change-related issues and in the face of a challenging national economy, we are continuing to sharpen our mission focus to ensure that all we do is directly relevant to stewardship of the North Pacific. Just over a year ago, the Board adopted our 2020 strategic plan (Deep Blue), which will guide our next decade of development. I encourage you all to read the plan and to continue to help us reach the six priority goals that will sustain our work long into the future.

Again, happy anniversary!

Happy Feet at the Melbourne Aquarium

2011-04-26T13:01:00.001-08:00

Melbourne Aquarium on the banks of the Yarra River

I had the pleasure of visiting the newly upgraded Melbourne Aquarium while on vacation in Australia last week. The privately-run aquarium was opened in 2000 and has recently been expanded with the construction of a new $30m Antarctic penguin exhibit - http://www.melbourneaquarium.com.au/home - perfect timing given the recent release of the Happy Feet movie which is a big hit with visitors!

A penguin orienting visitors to the new exhibit.

The cleverly coordinated approach to the gallery - a fun mix of facts and features

The new penguin exhibit gallery, complete with the bow of legendary Antarctic supply ship, the icebreaker "Nella Dan" in corner of exhibit.

Penguins feeding

As I explained to Melbourne aquarium staff, while we occasionally receive feedback about why we don't have penguins on exhibit (most visitors realize they do not naturally occur in the North Pacific!), our visitors are similarly delighted to be able to have the same kinds of up close interactions with puffins!
...still, as these images attest, penguins are pretty cute - may be we need to work on a good script for a puffin movie?

PS - and now for the interactive bit... Anyone want to identify what kinds of penguins these are?

Buy4 Alaska Sealife Center (please)

2011-03-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

I'm delighted to announce that the Alaska SeaLife Center is now an official partner with Buy4.com - an internet shopping portal that enables participating retailers to rebate a portion of each dollar spent to the charity of your choice... which we hope will be the Alaska SeaLife Center!

You can make a major difference to our research, wildlife rescue and education programs by supporting us with your online purchases - at no extra cost to you!

Some key FAQs from Buy4.com

What is Buy4.com?
Buy4 has a relationship with hundreds of online vendors who have agreed to give back a portion of their sales so you can support your favorite cause (us).

Do I need to register to use Buy4.com?
No. Registration is optional, but encouraged. It allows for enhanced features, including tracking your donations, saving your preferences, and receiving optional Buy4 newsletters.

What types of causes can be supported through Buy4.com?
Buy4.com works with nonprofits, schools, and associations. The Alaska SeaLife Center has a dedicated page and partnership with Buy4.com - check us out!

What can I purchase through Buy4.com?
Almost everything. You can buy books, DVDs, furniture and household items, send gifts, plan travel, choose a cell phone, sign up for a credit card, apply for a mortage, etc.

Does it cost any more to shop through Buy4.com?
No. You can even save money with special deals and coupons from participating merchants.

Do you charge organizations to participate?
No. Buy4 is a free service for organizations like us.

How does Buy4 make money?
Buy4 are paid by merchants when you make a purchase on their site. So, they are only successful when your cause (us) receives support.

We are pleased to be able to offer this option for your support and respectfully request you to select the Alaska SeaLife Center as your charity of choice at Buy4.com. Go to http://buy4.com/causes to start!

Congratulations to Dr Mike Castellini - new Dean School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, UAF

2011-03-23T12:54:00.000-08:00

Dr Mike Castellini (front row 2nd from left) with the UAF SFOS Advisory Council

(photo by Carin Bailey Stephens)

We were delighted to receive the news earlier this month that Dr Mike Castellini has been appointed as Dean of the School of Fisheries and Ocean Science (SFOS) at UAF. Mike is the third Dean in the history of the school and has been interim Dean since mid 2010. Full details of Mike's background and service at UAF can be found on the SFOS website - http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/news/story/?ni=375. The Alaska SeaLife Center has a close relationship with Mike - he served as our foundation Director of Science and maintains a strong working relationship with staff here.

I had the pleasure to spend last weekend with Dean Castellini and other SFOS faculty. The School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Advisory Council met in Anchorage to provide input on a range of issues facing the School as well as to hear about recent developments and progress with various initiatives such as the new Artctic Research Vessel, Sikuliaq. It was terrific to be able to work with the Dean so early in his tenure to learn more of his vision and identify areas where we could jointly help maintain the tremendous momentum that the school has generated over the past decade and so realize the enormous potential of the School. Given the increasing significance of fisheries and ocean sciences in Alaska and the Arctic generally it is evident that the School will continue to play a major role in the Alaskan economy and education system.

As a long term partner of the School, we look forward to working with Mike in his new role. We are very fortunate in having Dr Tuula Hollmen (our interim Director of Science and a UAF Faculty member) working with him and other SFOS and UAF faculty to develop a new framework for our collaboration that we hope to finalize by mid 2011 - stay tuned!

Helping Our Aquarium and Zoo Friends in Japan

2011-03-16T10:13:00.000-08:00

I was a Matsumae Fellow at Nihon University in Japan in 1990 and had the great pleasure to get to know Japan from an insiders perspective. It is truly beautiful country with a fascinating history and an enchanting culture. My host at Nihon U, Dr. Kenji Hotta and his wife Hirome, visited us in Alaska just two weeks ago and came down to Seward with me – along the way we stopped to kenbutsu (sightsee) the amazing scenery of Turnagain Arm and inevitably found ourselves talking about the 1964 Alaskan earthquake that changed so many lives and landscapes here.

It was hard to believe that just a few days later, the same type of devastation was unleashed by an earthquake of similar magnitude (9.0) in Japan. Fortunately Kenji and Hirome and their families are safe, but our deepest sympathy goes out to the hundreds of Japanese communities who have been impacted by the quake, the tsunamis and now radiation leaks.

Devastation of the Seward waterfront after the 1964 tsunami

As Seward residents know all too well, natural disasters have both immediate and a longer term impacts that literally can take decades to recover from. From my office window at low tide I can still see the jagged foundations of the old rail dock that was ripped apart by the tsunami and the subsequent fires that destroyed Seward’s waterfront in 1964. For many years the dock wreckage and empty waterfront symbolized the terrible human toll and economic loss that the 64 earthquake and tsunami wreaked upon Seward. Many residents tell me that it was not until the SeaLife Center opened in 1998 that they felt a sense of peace had been restored and that there was scope for optimism about the future of the City. However, I also appreciate that for many folks the healing process is never complete.

Aerial view of Seward after the 1964 tsunami (photo from USGS)

Watching the media coverage of the Japan tsunami aftermath, I get a strong sense that the people there are still living through the worst of that disaster and so have been wondering how best to help them to recover from this disaster. But like many of you, I am unsure of how best to help. We have made donations to Red Cross through their tremendous SMS facility, but I wanted to do more. I was therefore delighted today to receive news from the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquaria (of which ASLC is a new member) about a new World Association of Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA) initiative to help three Japanese zoos and aquaria that have been destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami.

The impressive Fukushima aquarium on the coast of Japan, in Iwaki city (the 10th largest city in Japan and is about 100 miles north east of Tokyo) - now largely wrecked...
WAZA mentions that Mr. Kazutoshi Takami of Osaka Municipal Tennoji Zoological Gardens informed them of the following facilities affected:

“Fukushima aquarium flooded to the second floor. All the staff were evacuated at third floor. Life support system was broken down, and fishes died off. But marine mammals are still alive.
Sendai Marinpia Matsushima aquarium was completely-flooded but miraculously no human damage. We do not have any updated information about them.
Sendai Yagiyama Zoo estimates a shortage of feeding stuff. The power is out in Sendai city. JAZA office is trying to coordinate suitable arrangements.”
"Some affected zoos and aquariums are suffering from shortage of gas, fuel for heater, food and drinking water for both humans and animals. JAZA is considering concrete measures to send feeding stuff to Sendai Yagiyama Zoo. Fukushima aquarium will move their sea mammals and birds to Kamogawa Sea World. Kamogawa will send some vehicles to Fukushima tomorrow. After completion of shipping, staff of Fukushima aquarium will get out of the facility, because they can nothing to do without any feeding stuff and fuel, in addition they have to be concerned about radiation from the atomic power plant. It is most important for us to secure the adequate means of transport.”

WAZA has created a donate function on its Web site: www.waza.org/en/site/get-involved/donate-for-japan. Funds will be used to feed and care for animals as well as transport them to other aquariums as needed. Donations are made in Swiss francs; note the acronym CHF in the box. For example, if you are in the U.S. and put $50 as the amount you wish to give, you will be charged $53 on your credit cards at today’s (3/16/11) exchange rate.

I encourage all ASLC members and partners to support our Japanese friends via this WAZA initiative.

Volunteering for Oiled Wildlife Response

2011-03-01T15:36:00.000-09:00

Mrs Dutton being assisted to put on her protective equipment as part of the

Hazwoper component of the Annual IWR training

Ever wanted to be one of those folks who helps with wildlife response in the event of an oil spill? Seems simple, eh?
Well, like a lot of things in life, what began for many of us as something we would just jump in and do because it was the right thing to do has become a bit more complicated over the years. The example I am most familiar with was in my youth as a boy scout where we'd do all sorts of community service projects (usually the gross litter pick up work that adults seemed averse to) unsupervised. Nowdays, its rare to see scouts doing anything without lots of supervision and protection. And that seems a pretty good analogy for the training I went through with my wife and about 40 other keen volunteers at the BP Center at the weekend - we joined the International Wildlife Research/Alyeska/SERVS training program on care and rehabilitation of oiled sea otters.
Both Karla and I had been involved in oil spill incident responses many years ago, but under OSHA and Alaskan protocols for spill response were not qualified to be able to join any such response here.
The IWR team comprises scientists, veterinarians and wildlife specialists with expertise and experience in the care and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife. For more than 15 years, IWR has provided expertise for preparing and executing oil spill response operations for sea otters and other marine and terrestrial mammals - see http://www.wildliferesearch.com/.
Working with Drs Randy Davis and Terrie Williams from IWR, ASLCs Dr Pam Tuomi, Dr Catherine Berg from USFWS and Paul McDonald from Alyeska/SERVS, we completed a very intense, but immensely interesting, day of training and are now all set to be first responders at the basic operational level. This is the kind of training one hopes to never have to use, but as the boy scout motto cautions, and the Exxon Valez spill reminds us, it really is better to "be prepared!"
It was wonderful to see such strong community interest in being first responders. I'd encourage anyone with an interest in Alaska's amazing marine wildlife to consider undertaking the training (course details are on the IWR site). For anyone wanting to get some hands on experience with wildlife rehabilitation, you are also most welcome to come down to Seward anytime and be a strandings program volunteer at the Center - I know Tim Lebling and our other husbandry staff would really appreciate your help!

Heat From Cold, Fuel from Food and Other Amazing Alternative Energy!

2011-02-23T15:31:00.000-09:00

As I drove down to Seward on Monday enjoying one of those glorious Seward Highway drives that all too few Alaskans and even fewer tourists get to enjoy, I paused again to contemplate the amazing paradox of Arctic heat and cold. It was chilly out (22F), but inside my car it was so toasty that I turned the heater off and rolled up my shirt sleeves!

Looking out over an ice covered Turnagain Arm, I was reminded of just how lucky we are in Seward to have an ice free bay on our doorstep. I recalled my conversations back in early 2009 with our facilities team leads, Steve Carrick and Darryl Schaefermeyer and consulting engineer, Andy Baker about how we might begin to capture some of that energy. That was ther genesis of the seawater heat pump project that we are now busily implementing and which will be a transformational emerging energy technology for South Central Alaska... oh, and did I mention the fuel it will save us?

Last week Andy and I were invited by the Alaska Energy Authority and the Alaska Center for Energy and Power to join five other emerging energy technology projects to share our initial experience with project implementation. It was really informative to sit back and listen to renewable energy pioneers speak about their work. In my mind, it was analagous to listening to the early farmers in the Palmer area in the 1930s speak about how they learned to make a living off the land in a brand new climate for American farmers.

I was literally energized by both their "can do" approach to solving wickedly challenging problems (e.g. trying to keep an instream kinetic energy unit free of river debris) and the sheer audacity of their vision for affordable and practical energy solutions in a State where energy costs can determine the fate of communities. It was particularly pleasing to see how a group of High School students from Cordova is using methane from food scraps in the school kitchen to power a lawn mower!

All of those presentations and the subsequent Q+A session will soon be uploaded to the ACEP emerging energy website - http://energy-alaska.wikidot.com/eet. You can also learn more about the seawater heat pump project there... we are on track to be operational by early summer and so stay tuned for future posts!

Bringing Alaska's Oceans to DC

2011-02-16T11:32:00.000-09:00

Seward High School students Brianna Honebein, Jacob Marshall, Maggie Herbert and Rain Becker who are representing Alaska at the National Student Summit. More information about the group and their project can be found on their wikipage: http://alaskasealifecentersummitdelegation.wikispaces.com/.

This week 4 students from Alaska accompanied by two Alaska SeaLife Center educators (Adrienne Moretti and Laurie Stuart Morrow) are in Washington D.C. participating in the 3rd National Student Summit on the Ocean and Coasts which is organized through ther Coastal America partnership (see http://www.coastalamerica.gov/). The summit is focused on the Third Principle of Ocean Literacy which addresses the influence of the ocean on weather and climate.
This summit is being held at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. The purpose of this summit is to inspire students to protect, preserve, and restore coastal ecosystems through community involvement and encourage them to pursue future academic and career paths in the marine and environmental sciences. The Alaska students are one of twenty student delegations from Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers around the United States and Mexico.
This is the second time that the Coastal America and Alaska SeaLife Center’s Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center Partnership has supported Alaskan high school students to visit D.C. This will be a tremendous learning opportunity for these students as well as a chance to share their knowledge about Alaska’s oceans.
The summit has some exciting keynote speakers including: Jean-Michel Cousteau, Ocean Explorer and Film Producer; Dr. Sylvia Earle, Marine Biologist and National Geographic Explorer in Residence; Jack Hanna, Zookeeper and Wildlife expert; Dr. Nancy Knowlton, Smithsonian Institution’s Sant Chair for Marine Science; and Jim Toomey, Cartoonist and Creator of Sherman’s Lagoon.
When not presenting or attending workshops, the students will also have the opportunity to participate in educational opportunities such as visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Air & Space Museum, Memorials, visiting Capitol Hill and congressional offices.

For more details see:
The JASON Project Interactive Broadcast with students, 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. EST, February 16, 2011 - http://www.jason.org/science/live/coastal_america/jason/event.aspx

Student Summit presentations and overview - http://studentsummit.wikispaces.com/

Share the Warmth: help us secure funding from Winter 2011 GuideStar-KIMBIA Nonprofit Giveaway

2011-02-11T12:56:00.000-09:00

You know what I think:
....I could not be more proud of what we accomplish – often under very challenging conditions – here on the frontlines of arctic marine research.

But what do you think?
Tell the world what you think of THE ALASKA SEALIFE CENTER and help us receive $5,000 to toward our mission!

The ASLC has an opportunity to receive $5,000 from GuideStar USA, Inc., a leading source of nonprofit information, and KIMBIA, a group that empowers nonprofits and other organizations to increase giving; a gift that they are making available through their Winter 2011 GuideStar-KIMBIA Nonprofit Giveaway. This generous gift could help us accomplish our mission of generating and sharing scientific knowledge to promote understanding and stewardship of Alaska’s marine ecosystem - we have many deserving small projects that we could accomplish for $5k, including:
* installation of new television monitors to better show visitors our animals in quarantine
* construction of a new marine literature display featuring the publications of great Alaskan writers
* development of a new interpretive panel to describe our research on Cook Inlet belugas
* funding a summer intern to gain experience in marine education

Your reviews will help document how we are "making an impact". Anyone with firsthand knowledge about us who is not a paid employee of the Alaska SeaLife Center — visitors, donors, community members, research and education partners and supporters of our cause generally — can write a review about us on GuideStar. All reviews will appear in our profile on both GuideStar and GreatNonProfits, GuideStar’s partner that makes it possible to write and post reviews. You are limited to posting only one review.

To write a review, please click on http://www2.guidestar.org/organizations/92-0132479/seward-association-advancement-marine-science.aspx. You will see the Seward Association for the Advancement of Marine Science, aka, the Alaska SeaLife Center “Write a Review” link on the left side of the page.

We thank you in advance for taking the time to support the ASLC.

Please feel free to pass this message along!
_________________________________________________________________

About the Winter 2011 GuideStar-KIMBIA Nonprofit Giveaway
The giveaway begins on February 1, 2011, and ends at 11:59 p.m. EDT February 28, 2011. The organization that has received the most number of reviews on www.guidestar.org and www.greatnonprofits.org during this period will recieve $5,000. For more information go to http://www2.guidestar.org/rxg/update-nonprofit-report/sweepstakes-official-rules.aspx.

Connecting with our Oceans via NOSB Artwork

2011-02-11T12:39:00.000-09:00

Some years ago, I helped organize an art competition in Indonesia that asked students to describe what aspect of their "natural world" was important to them. After reviewing hundreds of entries, the then Minister of Fisheries and Marine Affairs lamented that nearly all entries depicted forests and land animals - less than 10% of entries focused on marine life which was pretty surprising for a country that has more sea than land.
That caused me to ponder how artists select subjects and how they express their values through art.

I have been really impressed with the vibrant "marine art" scene in Alaska - there are clearly many amazingly talented and concerned artists who bring Alaska's seas to life. But I wondered if that same sense of passion was nurtured in younger artists?

Imagine then my delight in viewing entries in the 2011 National Ocean Science Bowl (NOSB) Art Show, "Ocean Connection" which are currently on display in the Alaska SeaLife Center atrium. As these photos indicate, they feature a diverse array of sculptures, paintings and drawings representing many facets of marine life. While this is clearly a different context than the Indonesian contest, walking around these painting evokes a strong sense of optimism about how the next generation sees their future interwoven with the future of our oceans.

I encourage anyone visiting Seward in the next week or so to come in and have a look at these as they give a fascinating insight into how people view and feel about our amazing marine ecosystems and the diversity of life in those systems.

14th National Ocean Science Bowl in Seward - thank you teachers and students!

2011-02-07T15:09:00.000-09:00

I had the privilege to be invited to join UAF Faculty to judge the oral presentations at the the 14th annual Alaska Region National Ocean Sciences Bowl, also called the Tsunami Bowl, which was held in Seward Feb. 4-6. The competition was hosted by the UAF Seward Marine Center and some 17 teams from 15 high schools across Alaska, from Unalaska to Scammon Bay to Ketchikan, competed.

The competition consists of two equally weighted parts: a tournament-style academic competition designed to challenge students' knowledge of ocean sciences; and a research project that has both written and public speaking components. This year, the research project focused on human responses to oceanic events.

I was simply blown away by the quality and creativity of the research presented -projects ranged from pressing issues in local communities (e.g. paralytical shellfish poisoning research undertaken by Ketchikan High students) to insights in to the challenges facing our oceans globally (e.g. students from Wasilla Career and Tech High presenting an analysis of cyanide fishing in Wakatobi national park in Indonesia).

This was my first NOSB and I left impressed with the exceptional organization of the event by UAF staff, with the enthusiasm of the coaches and mentors for each student team and by the obvious commitment of the students to excellence in marine science. As Seward High Principal, Trevan Walker noted in his welcome... "it is great to see an academic competition gain such a high level of student and community participation as all too often we see that in sporting competitions only".

I hoped that all the talent scouts in the audience were paying attention as there was clearly some great talent on offer in the competition. I also hope that all participants are able to realize their potential as they move into higher education! The world needs more students like these...

2011 Alaska Marine Gala: Bringing SeaLife to Anchorage!

2011-01-20T12:02:00.000-09:00

The lights dim and slowly a diver (ASLC Dive Officer, Chip Arnold) descends into the audience to welcome more than 570 guests... the crowd hushes repectfully to hear his welcome while taking in the amazing underwater scenery all around them... belugas, orcas, octopii, jellyfish...

This dream script quickly became real as once again the Anchorage Dena’ina Center was magically transformed into an underwater garden for the 2011 Alaska Marine Gala on Sunday 16th January.

Board Vice Chair, Steve Grabacki with ASLC Dive team members, Chip Arnold, Jen Curl and Jared Guthridge

This year we sought to bring the SeaLife Center to Anchorage in ways that enabled our research, education and stewardship work to be easily understood. From the moment guests arrived in the reception area they were greeted by SeaLife on display!

Emcees Maria Downey and Dave Karp amidst some amazing sealife!

Alaska SeaLife Center staff worked closely with Alaska Destination Specialists (http://www.alaskadestinations.com/) and the ever accommodating venue staff to transform the upper level of Dena’ina into a stunning visual celebration of Alaska's oceans. The evening featured many highlights, but the presentation by our guest speaker, Joel Sartore stood out for his ability to help us understand the diverse world we share and the challenges we face in maintaining the remarkable and little known diversity of biological life and human culture on earth...

Award winning National Geographic photographer, Joel Sartore recounting some of his amazing experiences in producing his new book "Rare" (see also http://www.joelsartore.com/)

Ocean Leadership Awards Committee Chair, Arliss Sturgulewski with Dr Clarence Pautzke, retiring NPRB Director and winner of the Walter and Ermalee Hickel Award for Lifetime Achievement

Senator Mark Begich hard at work helping our auction spotters

The multi talented H3 band made sure we closed the gala in style!

The evening provided a wonderful opportunity for the Center to develop many new friends and renew old friendships. I was particularly struck by a comment from our close colleague, Alaska SeaGrant Director Dr Dave Christie, who noted that this was one of the few marine gatherings he had been to in Alaska where he didn't recognize many of the participants! We agreed that was a good thing as it helped us to better understand and acknowledge the increasing value that society at large places on our amazing oceans.

Clearly we achieved our goal of bringing more people into the Alaska Ocean community and the feedback we received at the event and subsequently suggests that they are now advocates for our work!

We again thank all our sponsors and guests for their support - they make these events possible and we were delighted by the enthusiastic turn out. I'd also like to acknowledge the tremendous work done by our Gala team under the leadership of our Director of Education and Outreach Nikki Nelson; more than 40 staff were present on the evening sharing their work and helping make sure things went smoothly.

Stephen Marquis, our Social Media specialist making sure that all the technology worked and modeling the now famous "blue tie" -- the staff of most retail clothing stores in Anchorage now know what that dress standard actually means - there will be a contest for the best blue tie at AMG3!

Overall, this evening was the most successful single fundraising event in ASLC history! We look forward to bringing you AMG3 in January 2012 - dates will be announced soon...

(Special thanks to our event photographer, Glenn Aronwits - all gala photos will be available shortly on his website - www.ga-digitalphotos.com)

2011 Alaska Ocean Leadership Awards Announced

2011-01-18T09:20:00.000-09:00

Sunday evening, before an enthusiastic audience of nearly 600 guests at the second annual Alaska Marine Gala at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, the Alaska Ocean Leadership Awards Committee presented awards to five organizations and individuals who have made significant contributions to awareness and sustainability of the state’s marine resources.

Alaska’s Oceans are some of the most important and productive in the world. Our marine environments supply us with year round recreation, research and revenue opportunities. Recognizing the vital importance of our oceans, these awards were created to honor the individuals, institutes and groups that strive to understand them and are dedicated to sustaining them. Committee Chair Mrs. Arliss Sturgulewski presented the awards to:

• Elizabeth Trowbridge of the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies won the award for Ocean Literacy, sponsored by COSEE (Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence, an NSF-funded program). Elizabeth has been designing and delivering outstanding educational curriculum since 1995. Her work has influenced hundreds of thousands of students understanding of ocean literacy and has no doubt made a difference in the future of our seas. We are grateful for all of their work spreading knowledge about Alaska’s oceans.

• The Ocean Media Award, for excellence in journalism that has raised public awareness of Alaska’s oceans, went to The Marine Conservation Alliance. The UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences sponsored the award. The Marine Conservation Alliance, and their new social media campaign – “SeaAlliance” has already achieved over 15 million on-line impressions. This campaign builds an online community to promote and defend Alaska’s sustainable fisheries and coastal communities.

• Dr. Jeremy Mathis of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries & Ocean Sciences was awarded the Ocean Research Award for his work conducting research in high latitude carbon cycling and ocean acidification in the Arctic. His groundbreaking contributions to marine research and communication about Ocean Acidification are remarkable. His credentials and commitment to research have greatly enhanced the profile of ocean acidification research in Alaska. This award was sponsored by Dr. Clarence Pautzke and his wife Dr. Maureen McCrae.

• Shell Alaska Venture was recognized with the Ocean Stewardship and Sustainability Award, sponsored by Mr. Jason Brune. Since returning to Alaska in 2005, Shell has engaged in an aggressive environmental studies program in the Arctic offshore. Shell has worked in a collaborative manner with stakeholders from industry, local, state and federal governments, universities and non-government organizations to share resources and facilitate the development of an understanding of the Arctic marine ecosystem. Shell’s efforts are resulting in a better understanding of the Alaskan Arctic offshore, enabling responsible management and decision making about this critical resource.

• The late Governor Walter J. Hickel and his wife Ermalee have endowed the Lifetime Achievement Award for the next 10 years, and the committee decided to recognize an individual who has made an exceptional contributions to management of Alaska’s coastal and ocean resources over a period 25 years or more. This award went to Dr. Clarence Pautze, Executive Director of the North Pacific Research Board who made landmark contributions to the management of Alaska’s coastal and ocean resources. Throughout his career he has been a champion of marine research and science-based fisheries management. His work with both the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council and the North Pacific Research Board has generated an immense contribution to science, provided invaluable research data and provided mentoring for hundreds of young scientists.

These awards again demonstrate the remarkable contribution being made by Alaskan business, scientific, media and education leaders to sustaining the benefit and services that all Alaskans enjoy from our marine ecosystems, The Alaska SeaLife Center is most appreciative of the support provided by the sponsors of these awards and thanks the Awards Committee, Arliss Sturgulewski, Molly McCammon, Nancy Lord, Dr. Doug Woodby and Jason Brune for their assistance in selecting the awardees in each category.
Nominations for the 2012 awards will be advertized in December 2011 - please keep an eye out for them and help us recognize leaders you believe are making a difference.

Pick Click Give - a Wonderful Way to Contribute to Alaska's Non Profits

2011-01-14T15:23:00.000-09:00

For those who live in Alaska, it has been virtually impossible to ignore the buzz that has built around our newest philanthropy opportunity over the past two years - Pick.Click.Give. While this opportunity is not available outside Alaska, this is still an inspiring story of how to promote greater support for the non profit sector...

What Is Pick. Click.Give?

In May 2008, the Alaska Legislature passed legislation that sets up the Permanent Fund Dividend Charitable Contributions Program, or Pick.Click.Give. (sometimes known as PCG). The law allows Alaskans filing for their Permanent Fund Dividend online to donate all or part of their dividend to enrolled non profit organizations, community foundations and educational organizations. See http://www.pickclickgive.org/ for full details of the program. The genesis and current status of the Permanent Fund is described at http://www.apfc.org/home/Content/aboutFund/aboutPermFund.cfm.

How Does PCG Work?
The program allows Alaskans to pick recipients from the list of approved organizations as they enrol online for their PFD each year and click to define which organizations they will give some portion of their PFD to. Donations begin at $25 and can be flexibly allocated to multiple charities. Thanks to the generous support of the Rasmuson Foundation, no administrative overhead is deducted - the full amount of each donation is sent to the designated charity! Pretty simple, but incredibly powerful - last year the program raised nearly $1million for Alaskan non profits; the 2011 goal is $1.5million.

Our Goal for the 2011 PCG Program

We have been actively promoting this oportunity to Alaskans since January - see http://www.alaskasealife.org/New/documents/PCG%20at%20ASLC.pdf.

Our goal for PCG this year is $10,000. This is equal to just 400 $25 donations or 100 $100 donations...

Thank You

Thank you to each of you who help spread the word about this wonderful program and a special thank you to those of you who are considering making a PCG donation to the Alaska SeaLife Center this year!

ASLC - one of Frommer's 500 places to make a difference globally!

2011-01-13T15:51:00.000-09:00

I love surprises.

This week I was delighted to learn that we are in the 2010 Frommer book of 500 places globally where people can make a difference! The Alaska SeaLife Center is featured as a place where people can contribute to globally significant scientific research and is one of only a handful of science centers featured in North America.

The discovery of our listing was made, not surprisingly, by Cindy Ecklund, our Senior HR Manager who is one of those remarkable people who constantly seeks out opportunities to make a difference in every aspect of her life. She is a multi-talented producer of plays, an active fundraiser for local food banks, an avid community government volunteer and someone who is always available to help with great community causes!

As she explained at our staff meeting today, by helping others make a difference here, we can perhaps "pay forward" opportunities to help others globally... and that may inspire others globally to contribute to causes that we are concerned with here locally...

It really is wonderful to be part of that virtuous "cycle of causes" that make a difference in a world where all too often the only news we hear about relates to the worst side of human nature...
Please join us in encouraging Frommers to keep encouraging people to make a positive difference! We'll be celebrating some of those causes and the people who have been contributing to them at this weekend's Alaska Marine Gala - stay tuned for details of the 2011 Alaska Ocean Leadership Awards!

Joel Sartore to Headline Alaska Marine Gala

2011-01-10T15:21:00.000-09:00

The Alaska SeaLife Center will welcome world famous wildlife photographer and conservation spokesperson, Joel Sartore to the 2nd Annual Alaska Marine Gala on January 16th at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage. Joel Sartore, a life-long Nebraskan, has traveled the globe to capture on film everything from endangered species to the wonders of nature around the world. He has been published in National Geographic, Time, Life, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated and many others. His presentation will include wonderful stories, amazing images and is sure to inspire and entertain. For more on his amazing work go to http://www.joelsartore.com/.

We are delighted to be able to bring Joel to Anchorage. I have been privileged to previously hear his amazing stories of how he captured some of the greatest photos ever taken. I know Alaskans, and especially those of us who enjoy nature photography, will enjoy his presentation...

...and the gala program we have prepared this year is sensational!

The evening will include a festive and interactive reception, a gourmet dinner and then transition to the program for the evening. The Gala also hosts the Alaska Ocean Leadership Awards recognizing the leaders in Alaska marine research, ocean education, environmental media, corporate stewardship, and lifetime achievement for their contributions to the future of Alaska’s oceans. The silent and live auctions will provide guests access to exciting and unique action packages. Finally, guests will be treated to the music of H3, a popular band here in Anchorage. Additional information and a complete sponsor list can be found at www.alaskasealife.org/alaskamarinegala/.

As of Monday 10th, we have less than 60 Individual tickets still available and so I hope that anyone hoping to join us will complete their bookings by our cut off date of c.o.b. 12th January. Gala registration is available via the website or by calling Susheela Roach at (907) 224-6890.

See you there!

Happy New Year!.. and a plug for "The Kings Speech"

2011-01-07T19:31:00.000-09:00

Seems like quite a while since I blogged and so I thought I'd simply open the new year by wishing all of you a prosperous and peaceful year ahead.

Like most Alaskans, I was delighted to get through the shortest day of the year and am now enjoying the slow return of longer days. During my holidays I made sure to get outside to enjoy as much daylight as much as I could. Despite the colder than usual temperatures we experienced towards the end of the year it was great to be a "staycationer" in winter!

In addition to getting through as much as I could of my overly ambitious reading list (see December 2010 blogs) and skiiing whenever I could, I also managed to catch a couple of great movies. One of which -- "The Kings Speech" (http://www.kingsspeech.com/) -- made an indelible impression on me. Not only is the story absolutely compelling, there is a remarkable chemistry between the cast. I can't recall a movie that so profoundly engaged me in the two lead characters. I have found that I am already using the movie as a learning and motivational tool for some of our work here at the SeaLife Center as we prepare for the Alaska Marine Gala on 16th January -- there are some remarkable lessons and ideas in great stories such as this!

I encourage you all to see the movie and will be interested to learn your reaction... Oh, and rest assured in case you don't find the movie as motivating as I did - our Director of Education Nikki Nelson has already encouraged me to not practice any newly learned speech therapy techniques during my speech at the Gala!

Alaska SeaLife Center Joins Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA)

2010-12-20T17:10:00.000-09:00

We were advised last Friday by the Accreditation Committee and the Alliance Board of Directors of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA) that Alaska SeaLife Center has been awarded full accreditation. AMMPA was founded in 1987. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and is an international association representing more than 50 marine research and education facilities and professional associations. The Alliance is dedicated to the highest standards of care for marine mammals (see http://www.ammpa.org/).

Following evaluation of our history, governance and programs and an on-site review of our facilities by independent AMMPA accreditation inspectors in November, the ASLC received word that the evaluation report was exceptional and that we have been formally accepted. The ASLC is the only permanent marine mammal rehabilitation facility and the only public aquarium in Alaska housing marine mammals. This accreditation demonstrates the significance of the work being done by our husbandry and education staff, and reflects the high standards of animal care and research practice at the Alaska SeaLife Center.

Accreditation by AMMPA is also a major step on our path to better integrate and share knowledge with our global peers. It is one of our key action steps under our 2020 strategic plan, and represents the culmination of more than a year of effort by many staff, particularly our Director of Husbandry Brett Long, Mammal Coordinator Lisa Hartman, Senior Veterinarian, Carrie Goertz, Education Director Nikki Nelson and our expanded husbandry, life support and education teams.
We are looking forward to working closely with our peers in AMMPA accredited institutions to promote sharing of specialized husbandry knowledge and promote joint education programs.

Holiday Bliss: Reading for Relaxation

2010-12-14T14:42:00.000-09:00

I have decided to allow myself he luxury of a week off to do nothing but read and take walks/ski with my wife (and dog) between Christmas and New Year. Those who know me will appreciate that such relaxation is a rare allocation of time. From my perspective, it’ll be great to be at home in Alaska enjoying winter, but also enjoying being away from the constant distraction and demands of emails, meetings and telephone calls. In some ways this break is a regression to my early student days when I would finish an exam, rush to the airport to fly somewhere and en route buy a book to enrich my journey. Of course I did lots of reading (maybe not enough) for my courses, and still do in my professional life, but there is something very different about recreational reading.

There are, in my mind, few things as satisfying or stimulating as reading. The ideas and images that great (and even not so great) writers convey, the illusions that they conjure up and the sheer immersiveness of being in a new places with a bunch of new characters and events to discover creates an amazing sense of adventure.

After many years of reading vociferously I have become more and more selective about what I choose to become immersed in. As Karla will attest, watching me skim the usual airport book selection for an hour only to select nothing is thus increasingly common. I justify that selectivity by not wanting to be disappointed. I mean, how frustrating is to begin a promising “new” novel and then discover you have read that plot (or one just like it) 3x previously? There is increasingly little fiction written these days that does not disappoint me because of that lack of originality. Hence my first scan now is usually of the nonfiction book selection – I have increasingly begun to appreciate the truth of Mark Twain’s comment that “truth stranger than fiction, because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn't”.

So what am I going to read in that week? I have 2.5 books picked out (this is not a Santa wishlist):

First on my list is Nancy’ Lord’s new book Early Warming – see http://www.nancylord.alaskawriters.com/. Nancy has just concluded her term as Alaska State Laureate and is an author whose work I seek out because of her great Alaskan experiences and ability to describe nature with the unique insight of someone who has both been a keen observer of ecosystems (as a commercial fisher) and someone who understands the craft of nature writing.

Second is perhaps a surprise pick – I was recently doing some research on the famous Dutch naturalist Rumphius (whose amazing beach walks in Indonesia in the 1600s helped frame modern taxonomy – long story!) and rediscovered his classic “Ambonese Curiosity Cabinet”. I also found out that Yale Press are bringing out some of his other works in March 2011 and so wanted to reconnect with the writer – colonial Dutch nature writing is unusual genre, but offers some amazing insights into modern science!

Finally, the half choice. I’m mulling over reading on a topic that I have not read much about to date but which would help me to better understand Alaskan native culture and traditional use of resources in South Central Alaska.
Any recommendations?

Alaska Marine Gala 2011 - Register Early and Often!

2010-12-02T18:06:00.000-09:00

http://www.alaskasealife.org/alaskamarinegala/

Thought I should open with a screen shot of the Alaska Marine gala website as its a true one stop shop - you can find out about the program, register and pay for your tickets, learn about our incredible guest speaker, track and support our generous sponsors, nominate candidates for Alaska Ocean Leadership awards, anticipate the amazing array of auction items and even arrange your dance card! ...well maybe the latter is a bit of stretch, but you get the idea!

After months of great lead up work by a very dedicated team led by Nikki Nelson, our Director of Education, we are now in the final stages of preparations for the 2011 Alaska Marine Gala. The event will again be held at the Dena'ina Center in downtown Anchorage on the 16th of January which is the Sunday night immediately before the 2011 Alaska Marine Science Symposium. We were a little nervous about whether a Sunday night event works in the middle of winter in Alaska, but our very positive experience with the 2010 gala (see http://sealifeceo.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html) indicated that time works well. It seems that there was a pent up demand for such an event among the Alaskan marine community - we continue to be asked about future events and we have been overwhelmed by the support of our donors, members and friends to this event!

Initial response to opening the 2011 gala site for registrations has already been phenomenol - we have sold some 200 seats within the first 2 weeks and so once again expect a sold out event! hence my suggestion to register early...

Our special guest for 2011 is one of the world's leading photographers, Joel Sartore (read his bio on the gala website). I have been a fan of his photography for many years (mostly via his National Geographic assignments), and first met Joel in person at a similar event in Vancouver a few years ago. I was struck by the thoughtful approach he brings to his work - his planning for assignments is meticulous. I was also struck by his great humility - after accomplishing so much, he is still keen to learn more about the natural world and to do more to engender in others the same sense of awe about that world. I am truly delighted that he accepted our invitation to come up to Alaska for this event and can't wait to see what he has in his presentation!

This year we have re-arranged the ballroom and auction spaces and have added another big screen to ensure everyone has a better view of Joel's images. We have also added a few very very cool exhibits from the Center to amuse everyone before dinner... and did I mention the auction items?? I could go on and on about what a fantastic night we have planned for our guests but that would spoil the surprise(s) that Nikki and team have in store for you.

So I encourage you to look at the website, organize your table, polish those dance shoes and register soon - we really hated having to turn folks away last year...

Conservation Action Planning - Tool Bridging Science and Stewardship

2010-11-23T18:02:00.000-09:00

Conservation Action Planning Cycle

(courtesy D. Salzer, TNC)

Last week I joined more than 150 conservation coaches from around the world to share knowledge and discuss the current state of practice of conservation planning at the 2010 Conservation Coaches Rally in Santa Cruz, CA. The 2010 rally was the fourth gathering of coaches. I had the privilege to join the previous two in 2006 and 2008. This year was the first since the conservation coaches network strategic plan was completed – it was great to see a process that I had been so actively involved in just two short years earlier flourish and take shape!

The Conservation Coaches Network is an organized and supported network of peers that spans six continents and 25 organizations. The mission of the network is to catalyze effective conservation across lands and waters worldwide through supporting sound action planning, coaching, knowledge sharing and innovation. (see http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/cbdgateway/cap/efroymson_network/index_html)

While much of my experience with the network was based on my previous experience leading and coaching Conservation Action Planning teams in The Nature Conservancy, since assuming my new role at the Alaska SeaLife Center in late 2008, I have also been involved in teaching Federal, University, industry and fellow non profit partners in Alaska about this process. Conservation Action Planning (and its related parallel systems such as the “Open Standards for Conservation”) are now widely used as the basis for species and area management and have even gained widespread use for cultural heritage conservation.
One of the most widely appreciated features of conservation action planning (CAP) is the systematic approach it provides. CAP enables scientists, communities, academics, resources managers, industry and business stakeholders to share their vision and work on strategies in a transparent manner. The knowledge generated can then be used to develop a project management plan that enables not only process milestones to be tracked, but which ultimately enables outcomes to be measured and strategies to be adapted/adjusted as the project team gains experience.

CAP has now evolved to a point where there are both “basic” and more sophisticated planning tools available and there are even common methodologies (see http://www.conservationmeasures.org/) and reporting systems (see http://conpro.tnc.org/) to enable organizations to share knowledge and experience easily. One of the most exciting developments in recent years has been the establishment of a dedicated new CAP software known as Miradi® which enables users to rapidly move between the various stages of CAP whilst using a common visual tool for framing strategies (see https://miradi.org/) .

CAP has many potential applications in the work we do here at the Alaska SeaLife Center and is increasingly of interest to our many research, education and stewardship partners. For that reason, I’ll be conducting a CAP orientation training here at the Center on Monday 13th December at 4pm as part of our monthly science lecture series – all are welcome to join! I’d be happy to repeat this workshop for our partners in other centers in Alaska also if there is demand.

Giving Blood - Giving Back

2010-11-19T14:25:00.000-09:00

Last week our amazing AmeriCorps volunteers, Minna Abassi and Hannah Feltes worked with the Blood Bank of Alaska to coordinate a successful community blood drive. The Bear Mountain conference room of the Alaska SeaLife Center was temporarily comverted into a blood handling center and we had a steady stream of staff and community volunteers. There is no permanent venue or system for blood donation in Seward and so the Blood Bank folks were delighted to once again travel down to secure these critical supplies.

Minna (l) and Hannah (r) - organizers and donors extraordinaire!

In all some 28 pints of blood were collected, which the Blood Bank calculates as having the potential to save up to 84 lives! I was so moved by their efforts that I also stepped up... it has been a long time since I gave blood. Back in October 2002, we were living in Indonesia and were asked to be emergency blood donors for victims of the Bali bombing. I recall giving blood every 7-10 days for about three months as there was an acute shortage of my negative blood type.

Jen Curl - another satisfied donor!

I had forgotten how important those supplies are, but the Blood Bank of Alaska (a fellow charity organization) reminded us of the challenges of meeting demands for blood in Alaska and so I have now committed to joining many staff at the Center in offering to become a more regular donor... its great to give back! And its great to see the Alaska SeaLife Center serve as a true community resource for a great cause.

I encourage all of you to do check out how you can support organizatons such as the Blood Bank of Alaska to continue their vital work in our community.

De-Oiling Marine Mammals - Improving the State of Practice

2010-11-05T15:25:00.000-08:00

How does one de-oil a marine mammal? That is more than just a fascinating animal husbandry question. As we learned from the Exxon Valdez oil spill incident, when some 2,500 sea otters were affected by oil, it is critical for all involved in oil spill response to be prepared and know what to do when the animal “patients” start being admitted for cleaning and care.

Workshop participants discussing priorities for increasing response effectiveness

Using experience gathered from the Exxon Valdez spill, other global oil spill incidents and research and from experience gleaned in our ongoing marine mammal and seabird strandings program, the Alaska SeaLife Center is uniquely positioned to provide guidance on how to de-oil and rehabilitate marine mammals. However, our experience with some marine mammals is limited (e.g. there have only been a few instances of polar bear treatment after oiling) and there are still key gaps in our knowledge of best treatment protocols (e.g. which method of de-oiling is most efficient in various treatment stages).

Pat Lampi (AK Zoo), Brett Long (ASLC and Pam Yochem (SeaWorld) reviewing the finer points of sea otter treatment

Last week, with the support of Alaska Clean Seas, WWF and BP and with the assistance of experts, Dr Pam Yochem and Bill Winhall from SeaWorld, ASLC Vets Drs Pam Tuomi and Carrie Goertz and Catherine Berg and Susan Miller from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, we convened a workshop of more than 30 first responders to share knowledge about de-oiling practice. Over two days we evaluated current practice standards and protocols, gained hand on experience in de-oiling marine mammals (our sea otter model has never been cleaner!) and evaluated what more we need to do to both build response capacity and address knowledge gaps.

Breakout group defining future training needs

The workshop was judged an outstanding success by all participants – not only did all involved gain new knowledge, they also built a network of contacts who will prove helpful in further response planning and/or in the event of an oil spill involving marine mammals in Alaskan waters. ASLC Husbandry Director, Brett Long is currently developing a workshop summary report and we shall be convening further trainings of this type in conjunction with our strandings meetings and our ongoing work with the oil industry. Please contact Brett if you would like further details (brettl@alaskasealife.org).

Ocean Zoning - a Useful New Book

2010-11-01T16:13:00.000-08:00

I just acquired a copy of Dr Tundi Agardy's new book "Ocean Zoning: Making Marine Management More Effective". This is a very timely publication given the new US National Ocean Policy (see http://sealifeceo.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-national-ocean-policy-perfect.html) and given the initiative to establish a series of Regional Ocean Partnerships in nine regions of the USA (Alaska is one region) that will give effect to that policy (see http://www.csc.noaa.gov/funding/PDFs/noaa-nos-csc-2011-2002721-ffo-report.pdf).
Under the new National Ocean Policy, Coastal and Marine Spatial planning (CMSP) has been emphasized as "an important planning tool for regional ocean governance. CMSP is a comprehensive, adaptive, integrated, ecosystem-based, and transparent spatial planning process, based on sound science, for analyzing current and anticipated uses of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes areas".

Agardy's book begins with an interesting discourse on how CMSP and ocean zoning differ (they are often confused by critics of ocean governance). She uses her extensive knowledge of global marine planning to tap into a network of experts and experiences to describe why a big picture approach to ocean management is needed. She then systematically examines global experience with the application of zoning and CMSP from the small scale (e.g. Asinara Marine Park in Italy) to the large scale (e.g. the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park).
Having spent several years in the early part of may career working on planning of the Great Barrier Reef and then tracked the evolution of governance there, it has proven to be a great case study of how the competing demands of different industries (tourism, fishing, shipping and conservation) can be met, whilst still protecting the ecological resources and services on which those industries depend.
I commend this book to anyone who would like to know more about CMSP and ocean zoning - it serves as a great primer to the types of governance innovations that the new National Ocean Policy should generate and could be used to "jump start" new CMSP initiatives - there is, after all, little point reinventing a wheel that has been around for more than three decades!

2010 - the International Year of Biodiversity - how are we doing?

2010-10-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

This week, some 16,000 scientists, natural resource managers, advocates and politicians are gathered in Nagoya, Japan for the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the Convention on Biodiversity (see http://www.cbd.int/cop10/). This is a particularly auspicious meeting in many respects.
Some of you may recall from my blog last February (see http://sealifeceo.blogspot.com/2010/02/2010-international-biodiversity-year.html), that 2010 was declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Biodiversity. As such it is the culimination of many years of global programs designed to accelerate the rate of biodiversity conservation and/or reduce threats to biodiversity. I was involved in the design of several of those initiatives over the preceding decade (see http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/307/5707/212) and so am particularly interested in checking in on the outcomes of that work.

To help with that assessment, a paper was published in Science yesterday by dozens of leading biologists - see www.sciencexpress.org / 26 October 2010 / Page 1 / 10.1126/science.1194442. The paper draws largely from the increasingly comprehensive IUCN Red List which now has data on nearly 28,000 species. The results show a continuing downward trend in the diversity of life on earth. For example, nearly one fifth of all vertebrate species are threatened ranging from 13% of birds to 41% of amphibians. One mammal is thought to have gone extinct (the Yangtze River dolphin) in the past 10 years, making it the first such megafauna species loss since the Caribbean monk seal in the 1950s.

Not surprisingly, conservation programs have clearly been most effective in developed countries, but are still barely adequate to keep pace with major threats such as habitat loss, invasive species and climate change. Of particular interest to programs at the Alaska SeaLife Center have been global efforts to reduce some fishing impacts on marine mammals and seabirds. The recovery of the humpback whale is cited as a particularly successful, but rare, example of effective international efforts.

Reading this paper and the daily reports from Nagoya, it is clear that much needs to be done if our children are to enjoy the same diversity of life on earth that we have experienced. I welcome your thoughts on what more the Alaska SeaLife Center might do to promote greater stewardship of species under immediate threat as well as those species that we all depend on for our long term well being.

To See Ourselves as Others Might: Snapshot of 2010 Visitor Survey

2010-10-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

This year we again took the pulse of our summer visitors to explore what they liked or disliked and to learn a little more about their expectations and experience. Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey! Of the 144 visitors randomly surveyed, 90% were from the USA with 10% international. The most common States of visitor origin were Alaska, followed by California, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Ohio and Texas. Unlike 2009,when 30% of our participants in the survey were repeat visitors, this year 88% of our visitors were first time visitors... we believe that reflects the strong growth in independent travel to Alaska this summer as well as the inclement weather that was experienced throughout the summer (causing more visitors to seek "all weather" experiences). Our summer overall visitation was up nearly 16% over 2009 (but still down some 15% from 2008 numbers).

Some key findings about our visitors:

Evidently our tourism brochures and "word of mouth" advertizing (through hotel and tourism networks or friends and relatives) are key to atracting new visitors to the center. With Lexie Mizeras as our new VP or Marketing and Philanthropy, we'll continue to further evaluate additional marketing options in the year ahead - for example, our social media membership increased by >300% in 2010... how might that help visitor marketing in 2011?

It is always interesting to assess what role a major destination such as the Alaska SeaLife Center plays in the regional tourism economy.

These data reaffirm the economic significance of the SeaLife Center to Seward and the South Central Alaska tourism industry generally and reinforce casual feedback from guests about the value of having the Center so conveniently located to the majority of Alaska's population and visitor pathways.

Most Enjoyed:

This graph shows the most popular exhibits and reinforces the importance of live animals to the visitor experience. Interestingly, visitors this year also mentioned more than 25 other elements of their experience specifically (from Puffin encounters to OTK Exhibit) which gives a good sense of the diversity of attractions that the Center has for different audiences. Equally significantly 82% of visitors did not identify anything about their experience that they disliked! The only aspect of visitor experience that was mentioned more than once as a 'dislike" was the early closure of our cafe! We are currently evaluating how we might expand that service in 2012.

Want to See

We again asked visitors what they would most like to see in future visits to the SeaLife Center. Not surprisingly, sea otters were most frequently mentioned, followed by whales and interactive exhibits. That feedback continues to guide medium term exhibit and capital development planning - stay tuned!

Visitor Perception of the Condition of Alaska's Seas

This year we also sought to assess the impact of our exhibits on visitors. While the data are only preliminary, it was interesting to see, how people perceive the condition of Alaska's marine ecosystems before and after their visit. Clearly our messages about Alaska's sustainable fisheries management programs and other aspects of marine stewardship have an impact on their perception! At the same time, 75% of visitors expressed concern for the (current and potential) impacts of climate change on Alaska's seas so there is evidently a strong undercurrent of concern for the future condition of Alaska's seas. Equally interesting was their feedback about specific new knowledge they had obtained as a result of their visit - respondents cited more than 30 new "factoids" ranging from biology (how to distinguish puffin species) to behavior (how sea urchins "give hugs").

Finally, we asked visitors to sum up the 'value for money' of their experience at the Center - the results were a very encouraging reinforcement of our mission efforts to "generate and share scientific knowledge to promote understanding and stewardship of Alaska’s marine ecosystems".

In the year ahead we will continue customer surveys to better understand our visitors (and non visitors) and what more we might do to broaden our visitor base and ensure the effectiveness of our messaging - those results will be used to guide marketing, education and stewardship programs - we welcome your ongoing feedback.

Getting Ready for A Whale's Tale

2010-10-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

The movie "Everybody Loves Whales" is currently being filmed in Alaska (see http://www.adn.com/2010/06/11/1319289/hollywood-comes-to-alaska-to-shoot.html). Filming moves down to the Alaska SeaLife Center later this week and so as part of our annual maintenance cycle and in preparation for the film crew, we have temporarily drained our large sea lion exhibit and are working on cleaning the acrylic windows and some minor renovations to the rock work.

It is a rare sight to see Woody temporarily displaced from this window by our hardworking facilities and husbandry team and so I thought you'd enjoy seeing just what it takes to maintain our exhibits from the inside perspective! We completed the same task last year in the harbor seal exhibit and the results were outstanding. I'm looking forward to seeing how this exhibit appears once it receives "the Hollywood treatment"!

For anyone planning a visit to Seward this week, please note that all galleries will be closed on Friday 8th October, however the gift shop will remain open and we'll be open as usual on Saturday at 10 am - we regret any inconvenience.

Keefer Brown - Making a Difference

2010-09-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

Keefer Brown preparing to handover his gift

(pictured here with his mother, Kim Brown and Seward City manager, Dr Phillip Oates).

Today we had the privilege to host a remarkable young Alaskan. Twelve year old Keefer Brown, of Wasilla, Alaska presented the Alaska SeaLife Center with a donation of $1,300 which he has raised over the past summer to promote harbor seal research and rehabilitation. Keefer was accompanied by his parents and grandparents who helped him to design and market a range of candles which he had decorated with items he found on the beaches of Seldovia, such as shells and seaweed. Keefer spent much of this summer chatting with visitors and tourists alike at the Herring Bay Mercantile in Seldovia and at the Seldovia Harbor ramp selling his candle creations.

Keefer's Candles (photo courtesy Kim Brown)

Initially, Keefer’s goal was to raise $50 to “adopt” a harbor seal through the ASLC SeaStars program. However, once he discovered the interest of visitors and the community in marine issues, he quickly raised his fundraising target by several orders of magnitude. Such was his success in fundraising that he also managed to convince visitors to also donate to marine research and education! He recounts with his wry sense of humor how he had to explain to one visitor just what a donation actually means…. clearly he is an amazing communicator, an exceptional entrepreneur and a practicing philanthropist.

Keefer learning the tricks of the trade - a budding mammalogist in the making?

Keefer’s is most passionate about protecting the environment and its wildlife. He walks the talk in the way he lives his life – he makes healthy food choices, practices recycling and uses strict criteria to determine what he purchases so as to avoid over consumption. His absolute favorite animals are harbor seals, although he also learned today, while visiting with Maxwell and Mocha, that spotted seals can also be pretty cute.

Keefer, his parents and our talented Mammal staff learning about harbor seals

His mother, Kim Brown describes Keefer as a “wonderful young man who is always ready with a smile and possesses an unfailing kindness that touches everyone he meets.” Those qualities were evident in abundance as we spent the day wending our way around the SeaLife Center – he was enthralled by everything that we do and has endless enthusiasm to learn more. He faces a tough choice as he moves forward with his career education – paleontology or marine biology or both?

Keefer enjoying the antics of our harbor seals in their main exhibit

Words cannot adequately express just how moving it was to receive this generous gift from Keefer – the closest analog to how I think we all felt during this morning’s ceremony was that we were witnessing a true environmental hero emerging just like being ringside at the annual CNN heroes program – Keefer is an inspiration to us all. Perhaps Mayor Willard Dunham, who has been a driving force in establishing the Center, summed it up best when he noted with just a hint of a proud tear in the corner of his eye, that “seeing Keefer’s commitment today reminds us all of why the SeaLife center was built and of how inspirational it has become to young Alaskans”.

Keefer with Seward Mayor and long serving ASLC Board Member, Willard Dunham

I have asked Keefer and his parents to be our guests at the 2011 Alaska Marine Gala – I hope you have the chance to meet him there.

Ocean Today Kiosk at ASLC to Develop Local Content

2010-09-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

Describing OTK design and development to Coastal America Partners

(all photos by Nate Chambers who was also a member of the OTK design team)

Yesterday, Alaska region representatives of the 16 Federal agencies who comprise the Coastal America partnership (see http://www.coastalamerica.gov/) met at the Alaska SeaLife Center to review the new Ocean Today Kiosk (OTK). Installed in the early summer, the ASLC OTK is the latest addition to the national OTK network. The OTK network began with a major installation on the floor of the Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian Institutions’ National Museum of Natural History in 1998 and now comprises some 17 aquaria who are designated by Coastal America as Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers.
The kiosk provides informative, entertaining and up-to-date short videos from researchers, managers and educators under the four main headings of:
• Ocean news

• Ocean Life

• Ocean Science and Technology

• Recent Discoveries

Smithsonian staff work closely with NOAA staff to generate content for the kiosk and content and updates are then ‘pushed’ out to each OTK daily.

OTK Installation features two display screens and is located on the core visitor traffic route at the ASLC

Technology for the OTKs is sponsored by Panasonic. Funding for the OTK was provided by Coastal America partners, with additional installation support provided the National Parks Service Ocean Alaska Science and Learning Center. The ASLC OTK has greatly enriched visitor understanding of national ocean issues – we estimate that between 15-20% of our visitors pause to interact with the exhibit. Interaction time varies from 1-20 minutes.

Network members are now exploring how to upload local content to share with other network members – the Alaska Coastal America team yesterday approved a proposal to generate one video in each of the four core menu areas ready to share nationally by May 2011.
We welcome your suggestions – what Alaska content do you believe is most likely to have national interest?

And the winner is...

2010-09-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

Events Coordinator Julie Jokinen and Aviculturists Heidi Cline and Seth Wagner pictured with Princess Cruise staff and Ididaride tour staff

Photo courtesy of Princess Tours

We were delighted to receive news this week that the Alaska SeaLife Center & Puffin Experience has been selected as the shore excursion of the season in the Port of Seward in 2010. Awarded by one of our leading tourism partners, Princess Tours, this prestigious award is fitting recognition for the extraordinary efforts of our marketing, education, exhibits and husbandry staff. Our behind the scenes (BTS) encounters have proven exceptionally popular this summer and so it is gratifying for all staff involved to know that their hard work and expertise is appreciated by our visitors and partners.

For anyone who has not yet been on a BTS, we strongly encourage you to do so - not only are they a great opportunity to learn about our animals and birds, they also provide you with a personalized glimpse into the skill that underpins our animal husbandry program.

Thank you again to Princess Tours and the many visitors who supported our BTS programs in 2010 - we are continuing to work on those programs and expect to offer additional encounters in 2011 - stay tuned!

SeaLife Abounds in Palmer!!

2010-09-01T14:54:00.000-08:00

Wineck Barn: The ASLC Pavilion at the 2010 State Fair

(right next to the Red Gate)

(all photos here courtesy of Nate Chambers)

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of showing my visiting family from Australia some of the very best that Alaska has to offer as we toured around the 2010 State Fair in Palmer. My sister was simply amazed to find jellyfish and other assorted marine life in the midst of an inland agricultural town!

Perhaps she would not have been so amazed if she understod just how skilled our education, exhibits and husbandry teams are at promoting public understanding of marine life - the State Fair exhibit is just the latest in a long line of public outreach events where we magically give the public a chance to experience Alaska's amazing marine life from the comfort of a dry vantage point.

The theme of this years exhibit is "Growing up in Alaska's Ocean Nurseries" and each element of the exhibit picks up on the theme of just how important our oceans are as nurseries for the many species we depend on and enjoy. The eider exhibit above is just one example of species that has local, national and global significance.

Perhaps the most visually compelling element of the exhibit is the collection of milk bottles (Matanuska milk of course!) that demonstrate the role of milk in mammalian development...

The State Fair exhibit really highlights the amazing creative design skills of our staff and their ability to deliver a high quality education and entertainment experience. For example, I had watched Laurie Stuart draw the whale that is the backdrop to the milk exhibit and was incredibly impressed by her artistic talents - my sister was equally entralled with the story that her drawing told! That same theme of great story told thru great exhibitry was replicated as we moved through the barn - it really was hard to believe that were in a barn in Palmer... and I guess that is the epitome of an effective exhibit.

If you haven't already been to the State Fair, you really should plan to go and make sure you stop by the Wineck Barn before this amazing, but temporary, exhibit is temporarily dissassembled... if you really can't make it, the good news is that all these exhibits are designed to be re-used; the main tanks (provided with the generous support of the Rasmuson Foundation) will be a mainstaty of future outreach exhibits... their next public outing will likely be at the Alaska Marine Gala in Anchorage on January 16th... stay tuned!

Fish On! Invitational 2010

2010-08-30T15:15:00.000-08:00

The catch of the day from F/V Legend

For more than a decade, Congressman Don Young has graciously acted as host of the Alaska SeaLife Center Invitational – a weekend of fishing and fundraising for the Center’s programs. After a one year break in 2009, the Invitation returned again this year. Unfortunately, the weather was not in our favor -- Anchorage had just set a new record – 31 straight rain days and that same grey sky extended over Seward for much the same period.

However, as the photo above attests, the fishing was sensational! More than 60 participants joined the fishing both days of the event and most fishers caught their limit. As I said at the Friday night dinner fundraising event, “that catch is both a wonderful indicator of the health of the ecosystems and the quality of fisheries management systems in Alaska. The vision for the Alaska SeaLife Center is for future generations to continue to enjoy the bounty of Alaska’s oceans -- we clearly need to keep our relentless focus on improving the science that underpins good fisheries management and on providing the education that helps Alaskans and visitors to contribute sustainable fisheries management”.

We are indebted to Congressman Young for helping us realize that vision. His support for the Center over many years has enabled us to build and strengthen the research and education programs that underpin our work and which have a huge benefit to Alaska’s tourism, fishing and other marine-resource dependent industries. He has very generously acted as our host for the Invitational which attracts a strong level of participation by many Alaskans as well as other business leaders from the Lower 48.

We encourage you all to mark your calendars for mid August 2011 when we plan to run our next summer invitational fish celebration and fundraiser.

Remembering Ted Stevens: A Great Alaskan and Champion for our Oceans

2010-08-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

Senator Stevens with Nereus the rescued walrus that was rehabilitated at the Alaska SeaLife Center and transferred to the Indianapolis Zoo in 2003.

(photo by Aaron Saunders)

The Alaska SeaLife Center staff are joining all Alaskans today in sharing their grief over the tragic loss of Senator Ted Stevens. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family for their loss and to the families of the other passengers killed and injured in the plane crash on Monday.

Senator Stephens played an integral role in establishing and promoting the Alaska SeaLife Center. With his deep interest in a healthy fisheries industry and sound governance of the larger Alaska marine ecosystem, he saw the value of opening a public aquarium and promoting marine research in his home state. Senator Stevens legacy will in part be defined by the value he placed on protecting our marine resources and his leadership in supporting scientific research to understand and sustain those resources.
His work to restructure commercial fishing to protect the sustainability of that industry has revolutionized fisheries management in the North Pacific and beyond. His ability to balance economic and environmental needs of the state was remarkable and admirable. As an institution we are indebted to Senator Stevens for his years of service to our state, his contributions both political and private to the wellbeing of the Alaska SeaLife Center and for serving as an advocate of environmental stewardship that we can all learn from.

We share in the nation’s sorrow as we have lost a champion of our cause and a wonderful friend to all who care about the future of our oceans.

On behalf of the Board, staff and volunteers at the Alaska SeaLife Center, the citizens who helped create and maintain the Center, the science community which has benefited by the research conducted here and the two million visitors who have learned about the wonders of Alaska’s seas as a result of its creation, we pledge to continue to honor Senator Stevens legacy and further the important marine research and education work that he long ago recognized as profoundly important to the future of Alaska.

Tazo - the latest Alaskan Ambassador for a National Marine Wildlife Strandings Response Network

2010-08-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

Tazo, the northern sea otter rehabilitated at the Alaska SeaLife Center and now transferred to the New York Aquarium

I really didn't intend to put this awesome picture on the blog this morning. I figured that with all the media coverage Tazo's transfer had attracted in the past 24 hours (see, for example, http://community.adn.com/adn/node/152649) that everyone would have seen enough of him.
But then I went for coffee and meetings uptown and just happened to overhear numerous passionate conversations about "how cute sea otters" are and even good natured debates about whether he should have "been allowed to leave" Alaska. Clearly Alaskans have a great affection for sea otters!
Those debates reminded me again of how important the strandings science and stewardship work that we do in partnership with agencies like the US Fish and Wildlife Service is. The Alaska SeaLife Center plays a unique role in marine mammal and seabird strandings in America's largest marine State - we have the only purpose designed facility for that work in Alaska. Our talented husbandry and veterinary team has an exceptional record rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing or transferring injured animals and in undertaking studies of dead animals. Both live and dead animal responses provide us with data that is incredibly valuable in understanding that species and the wider marine ecosystem. In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, we have been actively campaigning for greater support for a national network of institutions like ours to be able to respond to injured marine wildlife such as Tazo - that work has no dedicated funding source currently!
Whether you visit Tazo at the New York Aquarium or encounter sea otters in their natural habitat in Resurrection bay, spare a thought for the safety net that national marine wildlife strandings response institutions provide.... can you imagine how much poorer our seas and lives would be if we were to lose these ambassadors?

Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest - a Great Field Guide!

2010-08-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

The cover of the new 2nd edition (ISBN 9781550174717, paper, 354pp)

As a relative newcomer to Alaska's shores (a mere four years), I am all too often reminded of how little I know about most of the marine life that I see on beach walks, tide pool excursions, fishing trips or, on those few occasions when I actually look, underwater. Much of my recent Alaskan marine education has been very kindly provided by our outstanding husbandry staff at the Alaska SeaLife Center. Our incredibly knowledgeable team of aquarists, particularly Richard Hocking and Jared Guthridge have patiently walked me through the nuances of fish life in the Gulf of Alaska.
There is still work to be done though and so I am most grateful to have recently acquired the newly released second edition of Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest by Andy Lamb and Phil Edgell. Coastal Fishes has just been republished in Canada and is fully updated and expanded. Every fish is illustrated by a labelled drawing and superb underwater photos - featuring contributions by Nate Chambers from our Exhibits team. I especially appreciated the many photos that show juvenile and adult life stages - they will really help me improve my identification of sculpins and other species that I currently find particularly confusing.
Another feature that many users will find helpful is a series of icons that target information for the different "fish stakeholders" - scuba divers, anglers, seafood fanciers, etc. This really is a book with wide appeal.
So Richard - next time I misidentify one of the rockfish in our aquaria, you'll finally be able to refer me for some taxonomically correct, and throughly enjoyable, "remedial reading"!

Recognizing Our Amazing Volunteers and Interns

2010-07-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

Intern Emily Smith describing her cool buoyancy project to ASLC staff

Photo: Nate Chambers

Yesterday was one of those fun fun fun summer days at the Alaska SeaLife Center. Beginning with the Intern Fair, we had the opportunity to see each of the our 2010 Interns demonstrate their projects and give feedback. It is simply breathtaking to see the creative work these talented young scientists and educators are doing this summer - from cool new science projects to innovative ways to interpret our work to visitors. The SeaLife Center is benefiting greatly from their enthusiasm, skill and fresh perspectives. All projects enrich our knowledge base and stimulate our staff - as they move into implemenation, I have no doubt that they will also enrich our visitors experience.

Volunteer and Intern Dinner MC, Daniel Barth

Photo: Nate Chambers

Last night, we had the opportunity to recognize the work being done by our interns and volunteers and to celebrate their many achievements. Led in inimitable style by Daniel Barth, our relatively new HR Specialist and volunteer and intern program coordinator, awards were given to the following Interns for their projects:
• Most Useful Intern Project Award – Caitlin DeGrave (Eider intern)
• Best Intern Display Award – Adrienne Fisher (Laboratory intern)
• Most Creative Intern Project Award – Anne Winters (Interp/NPS intern)
• Best Overall Intern Project Award – Andrew Hayes (Aquarium intern)
• Honorable Mention – Jessica Vitale (Chiswell Research intern)
• Honorable Mention – Jessica Sellers (Interp/Dive intern)

2010 ASLC AmeriCorps Volunteers (l to r)

Noel Sutton, Rebecca Taylor, Christine Metzger and Matt Myers)

Photo: Nate Chambers

During the dinner, we also had the opportunity to recognize the extraordinary contributions of our 100 strong Alaskan-based volunteers (Anchorage, Seward, Homer and other centers) and 2010 AmeriCorps volunteers and their supervisors. Over the past year, our AmeriCorps volunteers alone have collectively provided some 5,500 hours of service to the Center and to the community of Seward!
Awards were presented to:
• Volunteers of the Year Award – Terril Efrind and Brian Hutchison (Dive volunteers)
• Intern of the Year – Caitlin DeGrave (Eider intern)
o Honorable Mention for Intern of the Year – Brenna O’Gorman (Interp/Mammals intern)
• Supervisor of the Year – Amber Stephens (Mammals department)
• AmeriCorps Member of the Year – Christine Metzger (Avian)
o AmeriCorps Honorable Mention – Noel Sutton (Mammals)
o AmeriCorps Admirable Mention – Rebecca Taylor (Education)
o AmeriCorps Worthy Mention – Matthew Myers (Education)

A light hearted moment with Richard Champion, our longest serving volunteer

Photo: Nate Chambers

It was a terrific evening and demonstrated again the very close bonds between staff, volunteers and interns - each plays a key role in the success of the Center and we appreciate both the diversity of their skills and the infectious enthusiasm they bring to our work.

Winston Churchill once remarked that "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give".
Thank you again to everyone who gives so very generously of their time and skill to the work of the Alaska SeaLife Center - we are a better organization for all that you do.

New National Ocean Policy - Perfect Timing for ASLC!

2010-07-22T16:49:00.000-08:00

Many of you will have already seen the historic announcement by President Obama on June 19th of a new National Ocean Policy - the full policy is presented on the White House website - http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/oceans.

The policy is the culmination of a year long effort by an Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force that was charged with developing recommendations to enhance national ability to "maintain healthy, resilient, and sustainable oceans, coasts and Great lake resources for the benefit of present and future generations". The Alaska SeaLife Center provided written input to the Task Force and I also gave public testimony at their hearing in Anchorage on August 24th (see SeaLife Ship's Blog August, 2009)

The policy adopts the recommendations of the Interagency Task Force. Key initiatives include:

* establishment of a high level National Ocean Council that works in close coordination with a range of existing agencies (e.g. Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel which is meeting at the ASLC next week) and in close consultation with Regional Advisory Committees which will oversee spatial planning efforts in 9 regions - Alaska/Arctic is defined as one of those regions;

* development of a framework for stewardship of oceans and coasts that coordinates Federal activities with those of other levels of government, the public and private sector - coastal and marine spatial planning will be a major element of that framework. Coastal and marine spatial planning identifies areas most suitable for various types or classes of activities in order to reduce conflicts among uses, reduce environmental impacts, facilitate compatible uses, and preserve critical ecosystem services to meet economic, environmental, security, and social objectives;

* mechanisms to enable international coordination, including pursuing US accession to the Law of the Sea Convention (a topic that was the subject of an international meeting in Seward last year); and

* support for ocean stewardship in a fiscally responsible manner.

The Alaska SeaLife Center has been working with our many Federal, State, local, academic and non-government partners to provide input to the new policy and is seeking to play an even greater role in implementation of this new policy in Alaska as part of our mission commitment to improved ocean stewardship. This initiative comes at a perfect time for the Center as it meshes perfectly with our Deep Blue 2020 vision and strategic plan.
Over the next few months we expect to ramp up our efforts to promote public understanding of key elements of the policy (e.g. to help Alaskans understand what coastal and marine spatial planning is and is not).

Please let us know what more we could do to help you better understand this new policy and engage in the new initiatives it will spur.

2371 FB Friends and Counting!

2010-07-21T18:32:00.000-08:00

I just learned that Facebook now has more than a half billion members which makes it the world's third largest discretely identifiable human community (after China and India)! It really amazes me just how quickly Facebook has become part of our way of life since its humble beginnings just seven years ago. But then again, perhaps I should not be surprised with that dramatic growth given the power of social networking that is so readily evident with Facebook. After all, success breeds success.

Since the start of 2010, Alaska SeaLife Center Facebook fan membership has increased by 350% and is continuing to grow both in engagement and in influence. For example, fans quickly tell us what they like (and don't like) as we share program news... and we have had the experience where organizations who track web activity in Alaska or on marine topics generally have been prompted to engage with ASLC initiatives as a result of member posts - it is really fantastic to know that FB comments have great reach and immediate impact!

That is due in no small part to the great work done by Jenna Miller, our social media intern, who worked with Amy Haddow and Nikki Nelson to set up our current FB page last year, and is continuing to manage our FB site this summer.
As a result of their efforts, and with the arrival of Lexie Mizeras, our new VP of Marketing and Philanthropy, we are hoping to mount an even more cohesive social media campaign to better link ASLC staff, members and partners... So please keep the comments coming and please keep encouraging your friends to add ASLC to their FB links!

To join or refer ASLC to friends already on FB, use the link below once you are logged in...
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alaska-SeaLife-Center/

Good Luck to our Mt Marathon Runners on 4th July!

2010-07-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

Few cities are as defined by their scenery as is Seward. Among all the rugged peaks that tower over the city, all of us have a special relationship with Mt Marathon. It is the massive backdrop to the city that dominates ones view from nearly all city streets - indeed, one of my friends from China last year described Seward as "a cute little city that clings to the base of this mountain in order to avoid falling into the sea!"

Seward Mural Society

All visitors soon learn about the the famous 4th of July Mt Marathon race and there is an amazing race history that is now well described in various murals and posters (see http://www.sewardak.org/news-events/marathon/marathon.htm). Alaska's best known mountain race shall be run for the 83rd time this weekend and already Seward's campgrounds and RV parks are full with visitors anticipating another dramatic and fun 4th of July!

Jessica Vaughn at the summit for the first time last year.

On Sunday, eight ASLC staff Amy Haddow, Susheela Roach, Lisa Hartman, Tim Lebling, Elizabeth Moundalexis, Jessica Vaughn, Christy Phillips and Nancy Anderson as well as several former staff and close partners like Clarence Pautzke from the NPRB will again take on the mountain.

This amazing race is a true test of stamina and strength - the mountain is steep up and down and, as last year's race demonstrated so vividly, can be challenging for top level athletes!

We wish all our colleagues and friends on the race a safe and fun day - who knows, maybe you'll inspire the other 90% of ASLC staff who didn't sign up for the race this year to get in shape for the 84th race in 2011?! (nudge, nudge...)

Honoring Senator John Kerry's Contributions to Coastal Stewardship

2010-06-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

I had the privilege last night to participate in the Coastal America Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (CWRP) 10th Anniversary Celebration during which the Senator John H. Chafee Coastal Stewardship Award was presented to Senator John Kerry.

Senator Kerry has been a true oceans champion and sponsored many important pieces of legislation related to coastal and ocean management, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the National Sea Grant College Program Act. He has also been a long term supporter of the Coastal America program (http://www.coastalamerica.gov/). In 1996, he led the designation of the New England Aquarium as the first National Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center (CELC) -- there are now 23 such Centers around the country and the Alaska SeaLife Center is playing a key role in that network. Next year will be the 15th anniversary of the CELC network and the 20th Anniversary of the Coastal America program.

It was a truly inspirational event and I greatly enjoyed hearing from such ocean leaders as Leon Panetta, the first recipient of the Chafee Award and now CIA Director, Dr Larry Robinson, Assitant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere in the Dept. of Commerce, Virginia Tippie, Director of Coastal America and Pat Hester from Spectra Energy who is Chair of the CWRP.

Events like this are a tremendous oportunity to reflect on both the difference that committed leaders can make and of the importance of persistence! US coastal and ocean policy has been a 'work in progress' for a long time. In order to understand why things are the way they are and where the proposed new ocean policy (see http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/interimreport) is heading (and why), it is helpful to hear directly from the people involved. I'll share some more observations on that with staff when I get back home to Alaska.

Promoting Awareness Through Art... out of sight?

2010-06-16T12:15:00.000-08:00

This week Howard Ferren, our Director of Conservation at the Alaska SeaLife Center, working in partnership with the Ocean Alaska Science and Learning Center of the National Park Service and with the Anchorage Museum, is hosting acclaimed artist, Prof. Pam Longobardi. Prof. Longobardi has worked with a wide range of media throughout her remarkable career, but in recent years has focused special attention on art from marine debris. She is currently Professor of Art at Georgia State University and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Over the past few years, she has created the Drifters Project, http://www.driftwebs.com/, an ongoing collaborative interdisciplinary project focusing on marine debris and plastics pollution. The products of that work are fascinating and provocative as the image below indicates.

From: http://www.pamlongobardi.com/

Prof. Longobardi gave the first of two scheduled Alaska public lectures on her work last night at the Anchorage Museum. The audience was enthralled with her creative use of a wide range of media and her passion for drawing attention to the increasingly serious issue of ocean pollution by plastics. Her next lecture is scheduled for 6pm this coming Thursday night here at the SeaLife Center and I encourage all with an interest in the future health of our oceans to attend and view her presentation and share in her goal of inspiring greater awareness of the impact of our lifestyle and consumption choices.

She demonstrates very effectively that marine debris is far more widespread than most of us imagine and that it has a dramatic impact on marine life - the image she shared of dozens of dead albatross chicks killed by discarded cigarette lighters and other drifting plastic waste will stay with me for the rest of my life.... that is a testament to the power of her art.

At this time of such widespread public concern for the future of our oceans associated with the bp well blowout and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, I fear that too much attention will be focused on short term responses. Prof Longobardi's work is a timely reminder that our oceans are under assault from many sources and that it would be wise to take a much bigger picture and long term view of how we treat our ocean systems.

Out of sight should no longer equate to out of mind

World Ocean Day - a Day to Reflect and Recommit

2010-06-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

Banner from the Ocean Project Site - http://www.theoceanproject.org/wod/

What a year to celebrate World Ocean Day - with an unprecedented and still uncontrolled oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico focusing public and political attention on marine ecosystems, suddenly the work that we do has a renewed sense of relevance and value!

This week I am in DC participating in the 10th annual Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) - the Alaska SeaLife Center is actively supporting the event. The theme for CHOW is ocean energy - as all speakers to date have noted, that theme was selected a year in advance but is particularly prescient in view of the Deepwater Horizon blowout and spill, now at Day 50!

I started the morning with a depressing, but helpful breakfast briefing organized by AZA on the impact of the spill on wildlife - our colleagues Dr Joe Smith at the Fort Wayne Childrens Zoo and John Hewitt at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans gave a riveting report from the frontline. So far more than 1,000 seabirds and > 50 turtles and some 8 dolphins have been "processed". The challenges of their work had an eery resemblance to the stories that I have heard from Pam Tuomi and others involved in the Exxon Valdez response. Clearly, there is a lack of preparedness to respond adequately to disasters of this magnitude, despite the vast intellectual capital and amazing support provided by all members of the national strandings response and aquarium communities.

I left the briefing wondering about the future for the Gulf and what we must do in Alaska to be better prepared for a future that will likely continue to involve oil production for the best part of this century. Even when the blowout has been shut down and the promised Gulf of Mexico restoration work underway, I can't help but wonder whether we are really committed to the long term energy reform that is esential if future spills like this one, Exxon Valdez and the many others that preceded it are to be avoided.

It was therefore most encouraging to hear, later in the morning, Interior Secretrary Ken Salazar speak about how marine, energy and climate policy intersect - he took the opportunity to launch a new Federal partnership with 10 Atlantic States to develop a new program on reneweable energy. I applauded his leadership, but wondered if that change will happen fast enough and at a level that makes a fundamental difference.

On this Ocean Day 2010, I hope that all of us recommit to doing all that we can to ensure the health of our global ocean that makes possible life on this planet (note that in the context of this special day it is a single ocean). What more can the Alaska SeaLife Center do to help Alaska be better prepared to deal with oil and other threats to our oceans? What more can we do to work more closely with industry and communities to promote a greater level of ocean stewardship? What more can we do to demonstrate leadership in use of renewable energy?

Vale Walter J. Hickel

2010-05-26T13:19:00.000-08:00

Photo from Institute of the North - another legacy of Gov. Hickel

Last Monday was the funeral service for Governor Walter Hickel who was both a great Alaskan and a great friend of the Alaska SeaLife Center. I was, most unfortunately, not able to join Mrs Hickel, the Hickel family and so many good friends to recognize his extraordinary contributions to this State. Instead I was in Los Angeles at one of those meetings I had to be at – at the hour of his funeral I took a walk in the park to try and imagine what Alaska might have been like without him. That was appropriate as California was the State he came via on route from his native Kansas – true to form he had won a boxing championship there that enabled him to pay the boat fare.

There is a great story he used to tell about how he had originally chosen to go to Australia from CA, but couldn’t do that because he lacked a passport! I think he delighted in telling me that just so I could appreciate what Australia had missed out on! But Australia’s loss was truly Alaska’s gain and I can well understand why Alaska was his preferred alternative! Not only was it a long way from Kansas, it had the kind of rawness that he clearly needed to fulfil his destiny.

Unfortunately, the port of the City of Angels was not the sort of place I could easily relate to Wally and so the other night I took a walk again – this time around the waterfront in Seward. It was a beautiful evening – just right for contemplation.
As I walked, I tried to imagine how he must have felt when he arrived here in Seward with just a few cents in his pocket (see my May 2009 blog http://sealifeceo.blogspot.com/2009/05/learning-from-legend-drive-to-seward.html). I recalled his love of the landscape of Alaska – every corner on the Seward highway had a memory or a special connection for him – watching him gaze out over the ranges, you could quickly sense he was looking at and beyond the scenery… and that reminded me of his vision for what could be well before others could see the same idea.

I recalled especially the story he told me on the drive down about borrowing those few dollars to buy his train ticket to Anchorage… and I recalled the pride with which he shared how he paid the lender back in short order and then went on to become such a successful business man and politician – it was always going to be that way with Wally who so cherished the freedom to do things his way and quickly! That tale was well told in a recent KTUU feature (http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?s=12497966).

His life was the quintessential manifestation of the American dream and yet, despite his extraordinary success, and exceptional oratory, Wally never lost touch with his roots. I remember going with he and Mrs Hickel to the Moose Pass Lodge for lunch on the way back from Seward last year. While there he struck up a casual conversation with the manager and they discovered they came from the same farm region of Kansas – of course that drew forth a series of great childhood memories and stories that must be some of the few that are not written down elsewhere as he seemed to delight in telling them with new insight.

I count getting to know Governor Hickel over the past year as one of the true privileges of my job – he was so supportive of the SeaLife Center that he would often call up to invite me over to the Captain Cook to give him an update. Invariably that would lead to a series of stories about the battles he had fought on our behalf to get the Center built and operational. We owe him a lot for the fight he put up on our behalf. And we owe him and the Hickel family a lot for their generous support for the Center over many years – even down to naming us one of the four preferred charities for memorial contributions.

Gov. Hickel acknowledging the Crowd at Fish for the Future

(photo courtesy of Seward City News)

I’d like to think that we repaid some of that debt to Wally last year when, at the Fish for the Future banquet in the Center, we gave him an early 90th birthday party. He loved the good-natured ribbing from Mr. Whitekeys and the song by Randy Altermatt! Throughout the night he’d turn to Ermalee or Karla or myself and make a joke or just tell a random story that reminded us, in a very humble way, of his magnanimous contributions to Alaska.

I’d also like to think that with the ongoing Alaska Marine Gala and Ocean Hero Awards we will continue to recall and recognize his contribution to our work – last year, the Hickel family generously supported the establishment of the Walter J. and Ermalee Hickel Award for Individual Contributions to Alaska Oceans – fittingly we recognized two leading Alaskans, and good friends of the Hickels, Senator Ted Stevens and Dr Vera Alexander.

We’ll miss you Governor, but we have already begun to plan a way to honor your contribution to the Alaska SeaLife Center – our Board is currently considering a permanent memorial at the Center and will consult with Ermalee and Malcolm soon on that.

As you look down on Seward, I hope you’ll take a moment from your review of how the heavenly commons works to see the good work we continue to do in honor of your vision… and just maybe Woody will give you a wink just like he did last time you sat in front of his tank!

Another Glorious Alaska Spring!

2010-05-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love all this sunshine after such a cool winter? Nothing like long days and warm sun to dramatically alter the landscape... and brighten one's outlook! It was only a few weeks ago that the Upper Turnagain Arm was ice covered and now the Eulachon are already running!

The drive down to Seward at this time of the year has to be one of life's great experiences - no wonder it was voted one of the top 10 drives in North America last year!!. On my way down to Seward last week I pulled over to reflect on just how very fortunate we are to be able to see these dramatic landscapes in all seasons and to be able to watch just how quickly life emerges in the spring.

While we are fortunate to be able to see how the seasons change on land, it is generally much harder to appreciate those changes at sea. That is a pity, because the incredible productivity of the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea attracts life from all around the world. However, on a recent weekend cruise out to the mouth of Resurrection Bay with Major Marine Tours Karla, and I were privileged to see thousands of migrating seabirds, hundreds of marine mammals and a small group of Humback whales, recently arrived from Hawaii!

It was great to see so many visitors out there experiencing this riotous spring assembly - I encourage all staff and Center members and visitors to make the most of this wonderful (but all too short) season to connect with the nature of Alaska!

2010 Global Biodiversity Outlook - 3rd report released

2010-05-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

As I noted a few months ago 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. More than 170 countries have invested much of the past eight years in a global plan of action to conserve biodiversity and 2010 was the target year for the culmination of many of those efforts.

So how are we doing?

The third Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO) report was released earlier this week in Nairobi and it gives both a good account of what the world community has accomplished and the status of different biodiversity features - see .http://gbo3.cbd.int/home.aspx. The GBO is like a super school report card. While it does not gives grades, it does give a good quantitative and qualitative overview of the performance of the biosphere of our planet. The report should worry all parents as there is a consistent trend of decline and loss with very few highlights. Below, I have extracted a few of the assessments presented in the report that relate specifically to marine and coastal systems:

42% of all amphibian species and 40% of bird species are declining in population.
Fish stocks assessed since 1977 have experienced an 11% decline in total biomass globally, with considerable regional variation. The average maximum size of fish caught declined by 22% since 1959 globally for all assessed communities. There is also an increasing trend of stock collapses over time, with 14% of assessed stocks collapsed in 2007.
Protection of marine and coastal areas still lags far behind the terrestrial protected area network, although it is growing rapidly. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) cover approximately half of one per cent of the total ocean area, and 5.9 per cent of territorial seas (to 12 nautical miles offshore). The open ocean is virtually unrepresented in the protected area network reflecting the difficulty of establishing MPAs on the high seas outside exclusive economic zones. Of 232 marine ecoregions, only 18% meet the target for protected area coverage of at least 10%, while half have less than 1% protection.

Most sections of the GBO provide a great visualization of the scale and severity of human impacts on biodiversity - a good example is the increasing area of marine dead zones caused by increased nutrient run off as depicted below.

There is little in the report that is specific to Alaska or even arctic systems, but that should not limit your review as we know how closely linked all global life support systems are. As UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon notes in his introduction to the GBO... "The consequences of this collective failure, if it is not quickly corrected, will be severe for us all. Biodiversity underpins the functioning of the ecosystems on which we depend for food and fresh water, health and recreation, and protection from natural disasters. Its loss also affects us culturally and spiritually."
The report suggests that, in the absence of more concerted effort, we are approaching a global biodiversity tipping point as the figure below indicates.

The GBO is a timely reminder of the global importance of the science and education work undertaken here at the Alaska SeaLife Center - our work informs and enables improved stewardship of marine resources and has reach far beyond Alaska.

Arctic Coast and Bering Sea Overflight

2010-05-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

The North Pacific Research Board has been implementing an integrated six year ecosystem research program in the Bering Sea region for several years now (see http://bsierp.nprb.org/). The Board also funds research projects annually in other areas of Alaska and is moving forward with plans for both an integrated research program in the Gulf of Alaska (in final stages of approval) and in the Arctic. As part of the design process for the Arctic program, Board members recently joined the regular Coastguard C-130 overflight over the north and west coasts of Alaska.

Inflight briefing on flight path and observation points

Passing by Denali, Foraker and other peaks of the Alaska range

Packed coastal ice in the vicinity of Barrow

Wainright settlement

Red Dog Mine infrastructure (near Kivalina)

Lower Yukon River and tributaries

Point Mackenzie, Cook Inlet and Anchorage

The overflight again reminded the Board of the vast scale of Alaska's coasts and the general lack of understanding of marine ecosystems and processes in much of the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Presentations to the Board by NOAA and UAF scientists earlier in the meeting had emphasized how fast Arctic systems are changing and why there is a compelling need to document existing conditions and better understand ecosystem dyamics. Information gathered during the flight will be very helpful in framing the NPRB Arctic strategy.

Thanks again to the Coastguard crew who provided the observation platform and to the Board members for making time to join the flight... now if I can just get my hearing back...

Thank you Denis Wiesenburg (UAF)

2010-05-11T16:06:00.000-08:00

Dr Denis Wiesenburg (center) with Drs Ian Dutton and Clarence Pautzke at a recent NPRB meeting.

The Alaska SeaLife Center and the Alaskan marine science community is losing one of our truly visionary leaders. Dr Denis Wiesenburg, Dean of the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks recently announced that he is resigning to take up a new appointment as the Vice President for Research at the University of Southern Mississippi. Denis leaves us in June.

Denis has been a remarkably productive and energetic leader. Over the past six years he has overseen a rapid growth in both undergraduate and graduate student numbers enrolled in fisheries and ocean sciences programs at UAF. He also co-led the successful proposal to secure funding for the new arctic research vessel Sikuliaq and the building of the new Lena point SFOS campus of UAF in Juneau.

I had the privilege of serving with Denis on numerous boards and committees and he truly was a consistent advocate for building marine science capacity here in Alaska at all levels. He pursued school level education through the Alaska Tsunami Ocean Sciences Bowl competitions with the same passion as funding for new advanced research technologies; he pursued recruitment of social scientists with the same vigor as he sought oceanographers. In the often siloed world of university education it is rare to find such an "all round" approach to the ocean sciences.

His work with the SeaLife Center exemplified his commitment to quality research and education outcomes for Alaska. He was both a strong advocate for the UAF staff at ASLC and a strong advocate for the ASLC in the broader Alaskan and national science communities -- he understood and valued the power of our partnership.

I will be eternally grateful for Denis's support during my first year at the SeaLife Center, and inspired by his vision for marine science in the North Pacific - he leaves a tremendous legacy at UAF.

We wish Denis and his family all the very best in their new lives in Mississippi... true to form he has already jumped in to the Gulf oil spill response and so I suspect we'll be swapping notes for many years to come!

What Constitutes "Meaningful Public Education"?

2010-04-30T16:27:00.000-08:00

On April 27th, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Committee conducted an oversight hearing into "Marine Mammals in Captivity: What Constitutes Meaningful Public Education?".
This topic has become topical in recent years due to efforts by some organizations to downplay the longstanding role that zoos, aquariums and other research and public display centers play in promoting public understanding of ocean life. The debate came into even sharper focus with the recent publication of an article in Society & Animals 18 (2010) 126-138 (see http://www.animalsandsociety.org/resources/index.php?pid=87&tpid=22). That article was critical of one of the benchmark studies to evaluate the impact of aquaria on visitor education (that report is available from http://www.aza.org/visitor-and-public-research/).

As ranking committee member, Congressman Don Young from Alaska noted in his remarks during the hearing, aquariums do indeed play a significant role in shaping understanding of marine life, particularly give the increasingly urban nature of modern society. As a former educator, he noted that his measure of success was that… “If I can encourage one young mind to begin to think, then I have accomplished my goal”. He went on to note that visiting aquaria generates an increased curiosity for marine species and that can play an influential role in education. Congressman Young’s full remarks can be viewed on http://donyoung.house.gov/.
I have no doubt that we meet that standard each and every day. The feedback we receive from our visitors (of all ages and backgrounds) routinely suggests that we do indeed provide them with an understanding of life in the oceans which is unique and valued and which motivates them to value our oceans more.
However, we also understand the importance of demonstrating the value to society of the privilege we are afforded in being able to maintain animals for display and for research and so I tracked this week’s hearing with great interest. The full testimony presented by eight panelists is available from the Committee website: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=60&extmode=view&extid=348.
The comments by new National Marine Fisheries Service Assistant Administrator, Eric Schwaab, were particularly insightful. He noted that… “NMFS acknowledges that there are many different ways to educate the public about marine mammal conservation. Approximately 100 facilities hold marine mammals for public display purposes and each facility has tailored its education and conservation programs to serve particular audiences within the constraints of available resources. To create a “one size fits all” approach to educating the public fails to embrace the need to craft current and meaningful messages utilizing the many different educational resources available”.

Clearly there are a range of perspectives on how best to educate the public about ocean life and that divergence of viewpoints reinforces our commitment to exceed all regulatory standards and industry best practices and to ensure that there is a clear line of sight between our research, education and stewardship activities.

I hope that our visitors will continue to be patient with our staff as we again survey visitors in 2010 to better understand how we affect people’s knowledge, behavior and attitudes…. and please – don’t be backward in letting us know what your visit to the Center meant to you!

UAF SFOS Advisory Council Meeting - Fairbanks 17-18 April

2010-04-26T18:06:00.000-08:00

2010 SFOS Advisory Council members (left to right): Jim Balsiger, Margaret Williams, Jay Stinson, Ian Dutton, David Policansky (chair), Heather McCarty (vice-chair), Bruce Bustamante, Arliss Sturgulewski, Jim McCarthy, Cynthia Jones, Knut Aagaard and Eric Olson. (photo courtesy : Carin Stephens, UAF-SFOS)

I recently had the privilege to join a distinguished group of colleagues at the Annual meeting of the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (SFOS) Advisory Council which was held in Fairbanks. The SFOS Advisory Council brings together a diverse group of stakeholders in marine science, education and management and provides advice to the Dean and faculty as well as an annual report to the Chancellor of UAF.

This year's meeting provided a chance to reflect on the many accomplishments of the School over the past year, including:

approval of final funding of the new Arctic R/V Sikuliaq - now being built at the Marinette shipyard in Wisconsin
receipt of >$25 million in new research awards which is around 20% of all UAF research awards
hosting of the 12th annual Tsunami Bowl competition in Seward with 16 teams participating
a dramatic increase (116%) increase in undergraduate fisheries student enrolments
addition of six new Faculty in 2009

Additional recent accomplishments are described on the SFOS website (http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/) - clearly this is a vibrant and progressive program with a tremendous future given the rapidly expanding and ever changing needs for improved marine science in Alaska.

The Council was saddened to learn of the impending (mid 2010) resignation of SFOS Dean, Denis Wiesenburg. Denis is returning to his home State to become the University of Southern Mississippi's Vice President for Research. Denis also serves on the ASLC Board and many other committees that I work with and so his departure represents a major loss to many institutions beyond UAF. I was pleased to be able to join Denis and his wife Jean together with many SFOS faculty at a wonderful send-off dinner during which we all had the chance to acknowledge his amazing accomplishments over the past six years... and chasten him for leaving at such a critical juncture in SFOS's evolution!

The Council wrapped up our meeting by providing a range of inputs to the UAF Chancellor on key issues facing the school - an obvious priority is to find a new Dean quickly so as to sustain the momentum that Denis and other senior Faculty have built.

We look forward to working with whoever moves into that key role.

Earth Day 2010: 4 for 40

2010-04-26T17:34:00.000-08:00

Earth Day 4 for 40 Poster and Coastal America Staff at Congressional Casting Day

(photo courtesy Virginia Tippie, Director Coastal America)

Hard to believe that this year marked the 40th Earth Day! One of the activities we undertook was to share the beautiful Earth Day poster developed by the Coastal America Partnership (http://www.coastalamerica.gov/). The "4 for 40" Poster promotes a "rivers to the sea" watershed theme. The poster was developed by the Coastal America Southeast Team, EPA, CWRP and CH2MHill. It encourages folks to get involved and commit to 4 things for the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day.

The poster also directs folks to the Coastal America website which has 3 Earth Day related links:
1. The "4 for 40 poster" link includes Earth Day related activities, a pledge site, an interactive testimonials site and a kids hemisphere site.
2. The "Learning Center Network" link directs people to our network of aquariums and science centers (of which the Alaska SeaLife Center is a member) to learn more about Planet Ocean and how to get involved in learning center activities.
3. The "Oceans" link connects folks to clips from the new Disney Oceans Documentary that was released for Earth Day, educational materials and ocean information sources such as NOAA and other science organizations.
We'll continue to use the poster and related Coastal America materials on watershed-marine links going forward - stay tuned to the Oceans Today Kiosk that we expect to open in late May.

ASLC joins AMMPA

2010-04-16T17:46:00.000-08:00

I was delighted to join Brett Long (ASLC Director of Husbandry) this week to attend the Annual Meeting of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA) held in Alexandria, VA.

AMMPA is an international association representing more than 60 marine life parks, aquariums, zoos, research facilities, and professional organizations dedicated to the highest standards of care for marine mammals and to their conservation in the wild through public education, scientific study, and wildlife presentations - see http://www.ammpa.org/ for full details of the membership and work of AMMPA.

At the meeting, we made a presentation to secure membership of AMMPA and we were one of four new members provisionally accepted at the 2010 meeting. Members were particularly impressed by our strong research and education programs as well as our high standards of animal care.

The next step in the process is for the Center to be visited by a team of AMMPA inspectors who will undertake a thorough review of our facilities, systems, practices and staff capacity to ensure we meet their demanding standards - we must complete that process before the next AMMPA Annual Meeting in April 2011.

This is a key step in our long-term commitment to continually meet global best practice standards in all areas of center operations - our standards are already high, but through the AMMPA network we have the opportunity to more actively engage with our many peers in the aquarium industry and to contribute our unique skills and experience. At the meeting, Brett and I held numerous sidebar meetings with many of the 90+ industry leaders in attendance who work on Alaska marine mammals and it was clear there is much interest in working more closely with us!

Please let Brett or myself know if you'd like to know more about AMMPA or our overall accreditation processes.

Spring at the Shedd

2010-04-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

A glorious spring day in Chicago - even Lake Michigan seemed to sparkle more than usual! And that weather really bought people out in their thousands to enjoy the Shedd aquarium and other foreshore attractions.

A day like today helped me understand why the Shedd attracts >2 million visitiors per year.. or >5,000/day on average... today must have been double that!

And as much as that speaks to the influence of nice weather and spring breaks, that high level of visitation is also a testament to the enduring attractiveness of this amazing national institution. One of the first major public aquariums in the US -- the Shedd opened in 1930 -- the aquarium has undergone some major renovations and is again in the middle of a major capital campaign to ugrade the oceanarium.

It was a pleasure to walk around and absorb the power of aquaria to reach such large numbers of people from all walks of life in ways that are truly inspiring. I stood next to a child mesmerized by penguins flying underwater mere inches from their hands. I watched crowds watching divers watching animals. I listened to mothers admonishing belugas for swimming too fast to photograph and fathers cheering the antics of sea otters.

It was particularly interesting for me to see how Shedd blends media and experiences from the very traditional to the cutting edge (4D!) - that diversity clearly adds vibrancy to the institution and helps the bottom line stay buoyant.

Clearly the Shedd lives up to its mission:

At Shedd Aquarium, animals connect you to the living world, inspiring you to make a difference (http://www.sheddaquarium.org/) .

Lots of lessons for me to bring back to the SeaLife Center - I'll present additional observations at the next Senior Management Team and Board meetings.

Oh... and why was I there? I stopped by at Shedd to meet with their President, Ted Beattie and senior staff to discuss further collaboration under the Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center network under which we are developing proposals to link our education and research efforts - stay tuned for further news on that nascent partnership...

Sea Level Rise deserves more attention

2010-03-24T16:32:00.000-08:00

On March 10th I attended a fascinating discussion in the US Capitol Building on Sea Level Rise (SLR) that was part of the Consortium on Ocean Leadership 2010 Public Policy Forum. Most of the presentations were pretty much as expected, with ever finer scale models showing what vulnerable coastlines such as the outer banks of Virgina will look like if sea level rises another 3 feet by 2100 (as is predicted under most models) - those maps demonstrate some dramatic challenges for property owners, coastal industries and local governments in those areas!

The discussions took on a decidedly different tone when retired Rear Admiral Tim McGee spoke of the national security implications - some 30 military bases would be directly affected by a 3' SLR! See the presentations on the CoL website for further details - http://www.oceanleadership.org/ocean-policy-legislation/public-policy-forum/2010-public-policy-forum/presentations/

From a global geo-political perspective, sea level rise and other climate change-related issues become even more profound when one considers impacts on the world's poorest nations.

In 2008 I ran a simulation exercise for the UK, New Zealand, Canadian and Australian Governments on climate refugees displaced by different sea level scenarios - a one meter (3') rise in sea level displaces 43 million coastal residents in South and East Asia alone - after seeing how hard it was for the world to deal with much smaller numbers of people displaced by hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis in recent years, one seriously questions just how the world might cope with such unprecedented resettlements and migrations.

A World Bank report released this week highlights those nations at risk globally and gives insights into what is at risk.

The report is available online via: http://issuu.com/world.bank.publications/docs/9780821381267.

Although the report is not solely focused on ocean systems, the report is a cogent reminder of why we should care more about the role of oceans as climate regulators and how they are changing - for example, according to the authors:

Oceans are the earth’s main buffer to climate change and will likely bear the greatest burden of impacts.
Oceans removed about 25 percent of carbon dioxide emitted by human activities from 2000‐2007.
Oceans absorb more than 95 percent of the sun’s radiation, making air temperatures tolerable for life on land.
Oceans provide 85 percent of the water vapor in the atmosphere, these clouds are key to regulating climate on land and sea.

The report also has some excellent examples of approaches being employed by ocean researchers and managers and discusses lessons learned over the past decade from some nascent adaptation strategies that have been developed in World Bank projects. For example, the Bank's Coral Reef Targeted Research and Capacity Building for Management (CRTR) program is a proactive research and capacity building partnership designed to improve the scientific knowledge needed to strengthen management and policy to protect coral reefs. The CRTR is filling crucial knowledge gaps in targeted research areas such as Coral Bleaching, Connectivity, Coral Diseases, Coral Restoration and Remediation, Remote Sensing and Modeling and Decision Support.

Those types of investments in building 'social capital' to address climate change mirror knowledge centers such as the recently announced Department of Interior Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center being developed in Anchorage.

I encourage all concerned with the future of the oceans, indeed the future of humanity, to have a closer read of the World Bank report and to stay abreast of developments in these new centers - this is a rapidly developing and increasingly field that demands our increased attention.

State of the Birds 2010 Points to New Needs for Avian Research, Education and Adaptation Strategies

2010-03-17T19:17:00.000-08:00

How many Alaskans enjoy seeing birds? I'm not sure that has ever been measured accurately, but I suspect that an analysis of winter bird seed sales or an attitudinal survey of the general population would likely yield surprising results - for example, I attended a bird rescue fundraiser in Wasilla last year and was amazed by the constituency that all species of birds have there - and that was not just due to the impressive influence of the host, the irrepressible and flamboyant self-professed bird lover, Mr Whitekeys!

I have also participated in various bird counts in Alaska and been amazed by the lengths and heights birders will go to to add to their life lists... as my Yorkshire mate Dave would say - its amazing how far twitchers will go!

Based on this new report released last week, it looks like birders will have to go to even greater lengths to enjoy the lesser numbers and diversity of birds in the USA as habitats and climate change. The new report was made public by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar - The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change (http://www.stateofthebirds.org/) makes alarming reading. The report, a collaboration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and experts from the nation’s leading conservation and avifauna research organizations, shows that climate changes will have (as the graph below indicates) an increasingly disruptive effect on bird species in all habitats, with oceanic and Hawaiian birds in greatest peril.

Relative Vulnerability by Habitat
(red = high, yellow = medium, green = low)

This graph is obviously somewhat generalized and I am still puzzled why arctic and alpine species were lumped together, but the overall trends are still very disturbing, particularly in relation to species we work with on education and research programs here at the Alaska SeaLife Center.
For example, the report notes that:

• Oceanic birds are among the most vulnerable species because they don’t raise many young each year; they face challenges from a rapidly changing marine ecosystem; and they nest on islands that may be flooded as sea levels rise. All 67 oceanic bird species, such as petrels and albatrosses, are among the most vulnerable birds on Earth to climate change.

• For bird species that are already of conservation concern such as the golden-cheeked warbler, whooping crane, and spectacled eider, the added vulnerability to climate change may hasten declines or prevent recovery.

Our pioneeering work with the recovery team responsible for Steller's Eider (see http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plans/2002/020930b.pdf) is indicative of the level of effort that will need to be mounted more widely and quickly for a host of bird species if the current rate of climate change continues.

This new report will be very helpful in identifying both immediate priority species and overall research, adaptation and recovery research needs as the SeaLife Center moves forward with our 2020 Strategic Plan . I encourage all staff and partners to read it and provide sugestions to our avian research and education team on how we might play a more effective role in adaptation and management efforts.

The New World of Arctic Fisheries

2010-03-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

Last year I attended the first International Arctic Fisheries Symposium which was held at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage from 19-21 October. The conference bought together scientists, indigenous leaders and policy makers from around the Arctic. The meeting sought to:

initiate international discussions for conserving and managing future fisheries in the Arctic Ocean, including managing migratory, transboundary and straddling fish stocks.
identify current management regimes in the Arctic region and how relevant scientific and fisheries data can be used to inform future management decisions.
identify gaps in existing management regimes and potential steps to address those gaps, as well as the need for improved scientific programs to support conservation and management of future Arctic fisheries.

The symposium proceedings and presentations have just been published and are well worth a read through - they highlight the profound range of changes already being experienced in the Arctic (from massive changes in ice cover to introductions of new species), the potential for significant further ecological, bio-physical and social changes and the need for a greater level of international coperation in research, planning and management of Artic resources.

For example, the science panel of the symposium panel observed that "climate impacts are more than temperature change – they include more fresh water discharges into Arctic water with rivers open for longer periods of time; more wind, ocean acidification; increase in ocean and land methane discharges; longer warm season in the fall and spring that will change ocean/sea algae blooms and sea life production cycles; and species movements from warm to colder waters including the potential introduction of predators and diseases".

Full details are available online at:
http://www.nprb.org/iafs2009/

Engaging with the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trust Council - a key to securing long term science and education capacity

2010-03-12T16:00:00.000-09:00

As many of you know, the Exxon Valdez Trust Council (EVOSTC) played a major role in the establishment of the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) – they provided about half of the initial capital ($26m) of funding to build the facility and established a ‘chain of control’ over the center’s operations that defines the basic rules on how operate today.

The Council has worked over the past 20 years on a comprehensive strategy of funding research and restoration activities that target areas and communities affected by the spill. The Council comprises 3 Federal Trustees and 3 State Trustees and is advised by both a public advisory committee and a science advisory committee. ASLC and UAF staff member, Dr Lori Polasek was recently appointed to the PAC representing the public at large. Dr Bob Spies (formerly ASLC Board chair and Science Director) serves on the SAC – there are also many other partners of the Center involved in these committees.

The Council recently made the decision to refocus its research activities. “The Council, recognizing that the restoration funds remaining from the Exxon Valdez settlement continue to diminish, seeks to narrow and refine the scope of the Council’s restoration efforts and to enable a more discrete and efficient funding mechanism by which to direct these remaining funds. In the NOI, the Council proposes to focus their restoration efforts to five defined restoration categories: herring; lingering oil; long-term monitoring of marine conditions; harbor protection and marine restoration; and habitat acquisition and protection” (see http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/universal/documents/NEPA/NOIRelease.pdf for full details).

The EVOSTC will be conducting a public meeting on their proposals in Seward on March 16th in the Rae Building from 6-8 pm.

During our recent Deep Blue 2020 strategic planning discussions we identified this process as a key opportunity for the Alaska Sealife Center to more directly engage with the Council in better understanding the impacts of the spill on affected communities (both biological and social). We will therefore be attending the Seward meeting and submitting a detailed set of comments in writing by the EVOSTC deadline of April 1st to explain to Council representatives and members why there is a strong case for the ASLC to play a greater role in understanding spill impacts and building a stronger capacity for future response.

I encourage all interested ASLC staff and friends in the community to attend and to make comment to help the Trust Council representatives understand just how significant their investment has been in delivering:

• extraordinary scientific impact – 209 peer-reviewed publications by ASLC researchers to date and counting!

• unparalleled capacity to respond to injured and dead marine wildlife throughout Alaska – we have handled more than 100 marine mammals alone!

• unrivalled capacity to educate visitors and students about Alaska’s seas – 1.74 million people so far!

• jobs, experience and education to more than 750 employees and some 300 interns as well as hundreds of volunteers over the past 12 years – the Center is now the largest private employer in Seward and one of the largest in the Kenai Peninsula.

Perhaps most significantly, the initial capital investment of $26m approved by the EVOSTC in 1994 to build the center has generated ongoing capital and operating investments totaling $164m – a return of more than $6 for every $1 invested!!

We are asking the Trustees to consider options for “nurturing the goose that has lain these golden research, education, conservation and strandings response eggs” by directing funds for future targeted research to a network of capable local institutions in Cordova, Seward, Homer and Kodiak working with the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Details are still being resolved, but long term support of research and education activities at the SeaLife Center and in these other institutions would be a very significant and enduring legacy of the Trust Council. It would enable both a long term understanding of spill impacts and assist communities in the affected area to be better prepared to deal with future spills and other marine environmental changes.

I encourage all staff, members, supporters and friends of the Alaska SeaLife Center to both attend the Seward meeting next week or to otherwise let the Trust Council know that you support the proposal to keep investing in the great science and education work done by institutions such as the Alaska Sealife Center within spill-affected communities.