Honoring Senator John Kerry's Contributions to Coastal Stewardship

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?

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

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

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!

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

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

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...