The Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program has been based at The Ocean Foundation (TOF) since 2008 and is built on more than 12 years of work in Cuba by TOF Senior Fellow, Dr. David E. Guggenheim, who directs the program, and TOF Research Associate, Fernando Bretos. The program is a regional effort to study and conserve the shared marine resources of the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean.

The Ocean Foundation has continued its work to support, strengthen, and promote those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world. We work with donors who care about our coasts and oceans to add value to marine conservation initiatives by providing conservation grants, hosting projects and funds, and collaborating with important campaigns and opinion leaders. As the community foundation for the oceans, we are fostering best-in-class projects and promoting solutions for healthy oceans and the people who depend upon them. We have been able to adapt to a changing economic climate while maintaining our integrity as honest brokers for marine conservation philanthropy

Dr. David E. Guggenheim — the “Ocean Doctor” — serves as Senior Fellow of The Ocean Foundation and Director of its Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program.

The Ocean Foundation Annual Report
The-Ocean-Foundation_Annual-Report-2011.pdf

Languages:	English
Author:	The Ocean Foundation
Platforms:	Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Linux, Mac OS X
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Date:	December 1, 2011

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Bergen, Norway. November 21, 2011. The European Union (EU) today became a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Sharks, just as the European Commission announced a proposal to strengthen the EU ban on shark “finning” (slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the body at sea). An EU representative signed the Shark MoU at a ceremony at the 10th Conference of the CMS Parties which opened today in Bergen while the announcement on the finning proposal came from Commission headquarters in Brussels.

“Today the EU has taken two major steps for sharks that demonstrate continued progress in European policy and offer new hope for safeguarding these vulnerable species on a global scale,” said Sonja Fordham, President of Shark Advocates International, who is attending the CMS meeting. “We call on the EU Council and Parliament to promptly adopt the European Commission?s finning ban proposal and encourage all fishing nations to fully engage in ensuring CMS shark conservation initiatives succeed.”

The CMS Shark MoU was completed in early 2010 to promote conservation of migratory sharks, particularly the seven threatened species listed under the global CMS treaty: great white, whale, basking, shortin mako, longfin mako, spiny dogfish (Northern hemisphere), and porbeagle sharks. More than 20 CMS Parties and cooperating non-Parties (such as the United States) have now signed the Shark MoU. Beyond more MoU signatories, next steps include finalization of an accompanying action plan and a meeting of the signatories. Later this week, CMS Parties will also consider a proposal from Ecuador to list manta rays, similarly vulnerable relatives of sharks, under the CMS Appendices. CMS has 116 Parties.

After years of debate, the European Commission has proposed an amendment to the EU shark finning ban that would close loopholes stemming from special permits that allow fishermen to remove shark fins at sea. Mandating that all shark fins remain attached through landing, as proposed by the Commission, is the most reliable way to prevent finning. The “fins naturally attached” policy is supported by most conservationists and scientists, and is in place for most U.S. and Central American fisheries; it has been opposed by officials in Spain, whose fishermen rank 3rd in the world for shark catches. The Commission’s proposal will now be considered by the European Council of Fisheries Ministers and the European Parliament through a process that is expected to last at least six months.

Shark Advocates International (SAI) is a project of The Ocean Foundation established to advance sound policies for sharks and rays. SAI works with the Shark Alliance coalition to promote a stronger EU finning ban.

Media contact: Liz Morley, +1 843.693.5044

The 53,000-ton the Italian-owned, Chinese-built Scarabeo 9 is a state-of-the-art, semi-submersible ultra-deepwater drilling platform capable of working in up to 12,000 feet of water depth with a 50,000 foot (9.5 miles) drilling depth capacity. The platform has accommodations for full-time support of up to 200 workers. (Source: “Background on Scarabeo 9” in CubaStandard.com by Jorge Piñon,)

As I write this, a massive offshore oil platform makes its way around the southern tip of the African continent on its journey from Singapore to its final destination within 50 miles of some of our nation’s most environmentally sensitive waters. By year’s end, it will be in operation to drill the first exploratory well more than a mile deep in Cuban waters.

Shortly after Cuba’s discovery of offshore oil more than six years ago, I met with my colleagues at the University of Havana who had just been briefed by the state-run oil company, Cupet (Cubapetroleo). Models predicted that 90 percent of oil from a blowout would be transported northward to the Keys and up along Florida’s East Coast, impacting Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and beyond. The question is, of course, are we ready to deal with such a catastrophe?

Few people realize there was a full-scale “drill” conducted in the Gulf of Mexico testing the preparedness of Cuba and the United States to respond to an oil spill of international dimensions. It was called Deepwater Horizon. In mid-May 2010, models predicted oil from the spill would be transported through the Florida Keys and up the Eastern seaboard of the United States. The same models also forecast that before reaching the Keys, the oil would be transported due south, directly impacting Cuba’s northwestern coast, an area rich with coral reefs and Cuba’s prime fishing grounds. Cuban colleagues in Havana contacted me, desperate for information.

I called a meeting at The Ocean Foundation offices in Washington, DC and we were joined by the State Department, along with others by telephone, including the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, including a U.S. Coast Guard official stationed there. I was impressed by how concerned all involved were and how committed to helping Cuba they were should oil impact its waters. But once the conversation moved to specifics and the logistics of actually providing equipment and personnel, it became profoundly clear that there was no plan and no clear way for these agencies to navigate the labyrinth of regulations and mountains of paperwork necessitated by the U.S economic embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years.

A few weeks later, the currents in the Gulf altered course, and the grim scenario predicted by the models did not play out. Cuba was spared, but it became abundantly clear that the lack of formal diplomatic relations has left us unprepared to deal with a large-scale international oil spill involving Cuba, regardless of whether the U.S. is a donor or receiver of spilled oil.

It’s been no secret that Cuba has been planning to conduct offshore oil drilling. On Christmas day 2004, Fidel Castro announced that two Canadian companies had discovered reserves of 100 million barrels in Cuban waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Shortly after I learned the details in Havana a few months later, I briefed then-Governor Jeb Bush’s senior staff in Tallahassee and urged a face-to-face dialogue with Cuba, to at least coordinate on an emergency plan and response should the worst happen. My colleagues and I have been briefing Members of Congress and the Administration ever since, but it has taken all these years – until the drilling rig is actually on its way and Cuba is weeks away from drilling – for the Senate to hold a hearing about the issue. The hearing – which was also focused on offshore drilling in Canada, Russia and the Bahamas – took place last week.

Yet at the Senate hearing last week, testimony by Michael R. Bromwich, (Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement) and Vice Admiral Brian M. Salerno (United States Coast Guard, Deputy Commandant for Operations), made it crystal clear that their respective legal authority to work with Cuba in the event of a spill was anything but clear. Given the proximity of the drilling site to the Keys, and given the swiftness of the currents of the Straits of Florida, we would need to mobilize a response to an oil spill within hours, not days. Both Mr. Bromwich and Vice Admiral Salerno indicated that authorities would need to be granted by an alphabet of agencies, including the State Department, Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, Department of the Treasury, and more. Surely if the legal issues are not dealt with in advance, our best-planned emergency response efforts would be hamstrung by ongoing delays by legal debate and political wrangling.

Unfortunately, not a single Senator was willing to explore the possibility of actually establishing a dialogue with Cuba, despite testimony from oil industry representatives recommending it. Earlier this year, President Obama’s National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, co-chaired by former Senator Bob Graham and former EPA Administer Bill Riley, recognized that we must work with our neighbors in the Gulf, Cuba and Mexico, stating, “It is in our country’s national interest to negotiate now with these near neighbors to agree on a common, rigorous set of standards, a system for regulatory oversight, and the same operator adherence to the effective safety culture called for in this report, along with protocols to cooperate on containment and response strategies and preparedness in case of a spill.” The Commission got it right. There can be no substitute for face-to-face dialogue to set high standards, create an emergency plan and open lines of communication should the unimaginable occur.

To make matters worse, Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) exploited the opportunity to call for opening up more areas in domestic waters to offshore drilling. Senator Murkowski (R-AK) stated, “…it makes no sense for this country to sit stubbornly in between active drilling operations in neighboring waters with our arms folded. It does us no good to complain that offshore drilling is too risky for us to pursue as other nations are clearly very busy reaping its benefits right outside our front door. And yet that position is precisely is what some senators and some groups would advocate, that the us stay out of this business entirely.”

Further, Senator Murkowski claimed that one of the best ways to help the U.S. respond to an international oil spill disaster is to expand offshore drilling in our own waters. Senator Corker picked up on this and put the question to Mr. Bromowich, “The ranking member [Senator Murkowski] mentioned something about the fact that the more we have in the way of resources ourselves involved in exploration, the better we could respond to something that might happen in waters that are nearby. Is that a sensible notion that she laid out, that in fact the more we’re producing and exploring off our own continental shelf, the better we can actually respond to something that’s happening in other countries’ waters?” Mr. Bromwich’s responded, “I think Senator Murkowski is absolutely right in stating that.”

Our leaders must do better – the stakes are too high. The decision to engage with Cuba on this is ours to make. Cuban officials have told my colleagues and me many times that they are willing to meet with our government on this issue. Recently, Oil Spill Commission Co-Chair Bill Riley traveled to Havana to meet with Cuban officials, a meeting that was, by all accounts, thoughtful and productive according to my colleague, Dan Whittle at Environmental Defense Fund who made the meeting possible. There is precedent for Cuba – U.S. governmental cooperation. Our National Weather Service and Cuba’s equivalent agency have collaborated for decades, and there are other such examples. The participation of a NOAA representative at our meeting last fall of the Trinational Initiative for Marine Research and Conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean (a collaboration between Cuba, Mexico and the U.S.) was a welcome step forward, as was the participation of a NOAA representative at a workshop in Cuba earlier this year.

The lessons of the BP Deepwater Horizon still sting smartly with the consequences of failing to adequately plan for the worst-case scenario. We now have an opportunity to do better. Sometimes neighbors don’t get along with one another. But when something happens that affects the neighborhood, they must rise above their differences and find a way to work together. The waters that unite Cuba and the U.S. are unique in the world and sustain marine ecosystems and wildlife that both nations depend upon. It’s our neighborhood, and it’s still beautiful. We must work with our neighbors to protect it.

January 31, 2011: Our special guest this week is Jean-Michel Cousteau, who leads Ocean Futures Society, a nonprofit marine conservation organization which he founded in 1999 to honor his father’s legacy to carry on his pioneering work in exploring, filming and protecting the oceans.  Jean-Michel has produced over 80 films, received the Emmy and the Peabody Award among others. He was honored with the Environmental Hero Award by the White House. In February 2002, he became the first person to represent the Environment in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Jean-Michel led the effort to return Keiko, the captive killer whale of “Free Willy” film fame, to the wild. With his team, Jean-Michel has been working for months to document the impact of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. Also: Our in-depth coverage of the National  Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill continues.

The Ocean Doctor airs weekly on WebTalkRadio.net. Want to listen on your iPod, iPhone or mp3 player? Download the mp3 file or subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a single episode. See the complete list of episodes.

Follow The Ocean Doctor on Twitter — Become a Fan on Facebook!

Submit a question and I’ll try to answer it on the air. Even better, record your question or comment on our special message line and I might play it on the air. Call: (805) 619-9194. You can also leave questions and comments for this episode below.

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This Week’s Guest: Jean-Michel Cousteau

This Week's Guest: Jean- Michel Cousteau (Photo: © Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society)

If you enjoyed the many films of Jacques Cousteau, then you saw him by his father’s side on many of those expeditions. Jean-Michel Cousteau has carried on Jacques Cousteau’s legacy, honoring his father’s heritage by founding Ocean Futures Society in 1999 to carry on this pioneering work.

Ocean Futures Society is a non-profit marine conservation and education organization serving as a “Voice for the Ocean” by communicating the critical bond between people and the sea and the importance of wise environmental policy. As its spokesman, Jean-Michel serves as an impassioned diplomat for the environment.

He has produced over 80 films, received the Emmy, the Peabody Award, and many others.

In 2006, Jean-Michel’s initiative to protect the Northwest Hawaiian Islands took him to The White House where he screened his PBS-KQED documentary, Voyage to Kure, for President George W. Bush. The President was inspired and in June 2006, he declared the 1,200-mile chain of islands a Marine National Monument—at the time; the largest marine protected areas in the world.

Jean- Michel Cousteau (Photo: © Carrie Vonderhaar, Ocean Futures Society)

In February 2002, he became the first person to represent the Environment in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. In the first attempt ever to return a captive orca to the wild, Jean-Michel led the effort of research and care for Keiko, the captive killer whale of “Free Willy” film fame, and in 2002, Keiko was returned to the wild.

Jean-Michel has been honored with the Environmental Hero Award, presented to him by then-Vice President Gore at the White House National Oceans Conference in 1998.

Jean-Michel Cousteau and David E. Guggenheim (Photo: Holly Lohuis)

The list of achievements goes on and on. I’ve known him for more than 10 years. He’s as full of energy today as when I met him – perhaps more – and one of his principal messages today is especially important: Enough talk, we need action! He is ever-thoughtful and inspiring . I caught up with Jean-Michel at the National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment a few hours before he delivered the John H. Chafee Memorial Lecture on Science and the Environment.

Also: Our In-Depth Coverage of the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Continues

National Oil Spill Commission Co-Chairs Bob Graham (L) and Bill Riley (R) at the National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment (Photo: D. Guggenheim)

We continue to “go deep” in understanding the lessons revealed by the National Commission on the BP Oil Spill and Offshore drilling in its final report. Commission co-chairs Bob Graham and Bill Riley answered questions posed by PBS Newshour Senior Correspondent, Ray Suarez at the National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment in Washington, DC.

Tip of the Week

Read Jean-Michel’s new book, “My Father, the Captain: My Life With Jacques Cousteau” published by National Geographic. It’s a touching, in-depth portrait of his father and colleague. To quote Jean-Michel about his book: “Captain Cousteau was a complicated man. He was a man of many different personalities, many different moods. But this is how it is with all great men, yes? We know the public mask, but it is the private face that reveals a man’s true character. It is the man we know when the cameras are not filming.”

Links:

Ocean Futures Society

National Commission on the BP Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

January 24, 2011: Like it or not, our kids are going to inherit an oiled Gulf and a troubled ocean, and their generation will ultimately have to deal with problems we’ve created. But how do we ensure they’re up to the challenge?  If you listen to multimedia artist and conservationist Mark Holmes, reaching our kids through the arts  is a powerful approach and that’s exactly what he’s doing with the newly-formed Institute for Ocean Literacy. Mark formerly worked at National Geographic where he launched the NationalGeographic.com web site and designed and art directed National Geographic Magazine. His music, graphic novels, and passion are helping to inspire our next generation. Also: Our in-depth coverage of the National  Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling continues as the Ocean Doctor guides you through the highlights of its final report.

The Ocean Doctor airs weekly on WebTalkRadio.net. Want to listen on your iPod, iPhone or mp3 player? Download the mp3 file or subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a single episode. See the complete list of episodes.

Follow The Ocean Doctor on Twitter — Become a Fan on Facebook!

Submit a question and I’ll try to answer it on the air. Even better, record your question or comment on our special message line and I might play it on the air. Call: (805) 619-9194. You can also leave questions and comments for this episode below.

Like the show? Learn how to become a sponsor.

This Week: Ocean Love Through Music: The Institute for Ocean Literacy

This week's guest: Mark Holmes, Founder of the Institute for Ocean Literacy

Mark Holmes is a multimedia artist and conservationist. He has written, photographed, picture-edited, designed and illustrated features for scores of books, magazines and web sites. He has written and recorded a number of music projects for children and adults, and has performed at schools and marine conferences across the country. Currently, he is launching the Institute for Ocean Literacy (IfOL). IfOL, a project of The Ocean Foundation, is an organization committed to teaching ocean literacy through the arts. When not engaged in ocean issues, Mark teaches digital media design courses at the Corcoran College of Art + Design.

In the past Mark worked for National Geographic where he designed and art directed more than a hundred stories for National Geographic magazine. He went on to launch NationalGeographic.com, and managed the site for nearly ten years. Since then he managed magazine and web staffs for the Ocean Conservancy, Marriott International, and the World Resources Institute – where he is currently employed today.

On May 22, 2010 President Obama established the National  Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, co-chaired by former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator, Bob Graham and former EPA Administrator, William Riley. The Commission issued its report last week – on time and under budget – perhaps a first for a presidential commission. We continue our in-depth coverage and first look at the report.

Links:

Institute for Ocean Literacy (Download Mark’s music!)

National Commission on the BP Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

January 17, 2011: The National  Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling has released its final report. What does it say and what are the lessons from this tragedy? The Ocean Doctor guides you through the highlights. Also: From The Ocean Foundation’s headquarters in Washington, DC, our panel of experts discusses other key ocean issues we should pay attention to this year.

The Ocean Doctor airs weekly on WebTalkRadio.net. Want to listen on your iPod, iPhone or mp3 player? Download the mp3 file or subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a single episode. See the complete list of episodes.

Follow The Ocean Doctor on Twitter — Become a Fan on Facebook!

Submit a question and I’ll try to answer it on the air. Even better, record your question or comment on our special message line and I might play it on the air. Call: (805) 619-9194. You can also leave questions and comments for this episode below.

Like the show? Learn how to become a sponsor.

This Week: The BP Oil Spill Commission Speaks

We continue our in-depth coverage of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster and take our first look at the Commission’s final report. Also: Our panel of experts and the other big issues we need to pay attention to this year.

On May 22, 2010 President Obama established the National  Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, co-chaired by former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator, Bob Graham and former EPA Administrator, William Riley. The Commission issued its report last week – on time and under budget – perhaps a first for a presidential commission. We take our first look at the report, drawing from last week’s press conference.

Oil Spill Commission Video

Oil Spill Commission Final Report

Hard Copy and Kindle Edition Available at Amazon.com

Links:

National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

Tip of the Week:

See the delightful 1983 movie, “Local Hero” starring Burt Lancaster, and be sure to enjoy the beautiful soundtrack by Mark Knopfler.

Dear Friends of The Ocean Foundation,

Once again, it is time to thank all of our donors and partners who have helped make The Ocean Foundation a success.

The past year has been a time of great growth for The Ocean Foundation as we continue our work to support, strengthen, and promote those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world. We work with donors who care about our coasts and oceans to add value to marine conservation initiatives. We do this by providing conservation grants, hosting projects and funds, and collaborating with important campaigns and opinion leaders. As the community foundation for the oceans, we are fostering best-in-class projects and promoting solutions for healthy oceans and the people who depend upon them. We have been able to adapt to a changing economic climate while maintaining our integrity as honest brokers for marine conservation philanthropy.


The Ocean Foundation is our fiscal sponsor where Dr. David E. Guggenheim — the “Ocean Doctor” — serves as senior fellow.


Download The Ocean Foundation’s Annual Report 2010 or view online below

December 6, 2010: Join The Ocean Doctor, along with Ocean Foundation Research Fellow, Fernando Bretos, on a field trip to Havana to visit with Cuba’s next-generation of marine scientists at the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas). We visit with the Center’s new director, Dr. Jorge A. Angulo Valdés. We also visit with Dr. Julia Azanza Ricardo who directs the Center’s unique sea turtle research and conservation program in the wilds of Guanahacabibes Biosphere Reserve on Cuba’s western tip. For these two and their colleagues, their passion for the sea runs deep, thanks in large part to two influential people in their lives: Jacques Cousteau and Fidel Castro.

The Ocean Doctor airs weekly on WebTalkRadio.net. Want to listen on your iPod, iPhone or mp3 player? Download the mp3 file or subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a single episode. See the complete list of episodes.

Submit a question and I’ll try to answer it on the air. Even better, record your question or comment on our special message line and I might play it on the air. Call: (805) 619-9194. You can also leave questions and comments for this episode below.

Like the show? Learn how to become a sponsor.

This Week: Jacques Cousteau, Fidel Castro and Cuba’s Undying Passion for the Sea

The Calypso and Jacques Cousteau in Havana Bay

Since 2000, Americans Fernando M. Bretos and David E. Guggenheim have been working closely with their colleagues at the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas – CIM), which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Following the death of the Center’s long-time leader, Dr. María Elena Ibarra (see “Cuba Loses Its Mother Ocean“) and the retirement of others, it is now time for the next-generation of Cuban marine scientists to take the helm. Many of the individuals that were students when Fernando and David met them nearly a decade ago are now CIM’s leaders, a generation influenced strongly by Jacques Cousteau and developing their career with strong collaboration — and friendship — with American colleagues.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Fidel Castro shared a love of the sea

The decade-long collaboration of Bretos and Guggenheim with CIM, now under the banner of The Ocean Foundation, includes Proyecto Costa Noroccidental, Project of the Northwestern Coast, the first ever comprehensive study of Cuba’s Northwestern coastal waters — its Gulf of Mexico coast — the least studied corner of the Gulf. (See various articles at 1planet1ocean.org.)

Fidel Castro enjoyed SCUBA diving and a friendship with Jacques Cousteau

The project was featured in the 2010-2011 premiere episode of the PBS Series, “Nature” entitled, “Cuba: The Accidental Eden” and can be viewed online. (See also the related post, “OMG, I Thought You Were Dead!” for a behind-the-scenes look at the filming.) In addition, The Ocean Foundation and CIM continue a long-standing collaboration on a unique sea turtle research and conservation project in Guanahacabibes.

Collaboration between the U.S. and Cuba has continued to grow, and in 2007, the Trinational Initiative for Marine Research & Conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean was formed to elevate collaboration among Cuba, Mexico and the U.S.

CIM Director, Dr. Jorge A. Angulo Valdés

This week, join the Ocean Doctor, along with Ocean Foundation Research Fellow, Fernando Bretos, on a field trip to Havana to visit with Cuba’s next-generation of marine scientists at the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas). We visit with the Center’s new director, Dr. Jorge A. Angulo Valdés.

Dr. Julia Azanza Ricardo, Director of the Guanahacabibes Sea Turtle Project at CIM

We also visit with Dr. Julia Azanza Ricardo who directs the Center’s unique sea turtle research and conservation program in the wilds of Guanahacabibes Biosphere Reserve on Cuba’s western tip. For these two and their colleagues, their passion for the sea runs deep, thanks in large part to two influential people in their lives: Jacques Cousteau and Fidel Castro who became friends during Cousteau’s visit to Havana in 1985.

[Show as slideshow]

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Help Support The Ocean Foundation’s Collaboration with Cuban Marine Scientists Your tax-deductible contribution to The Ocean Foundation’s “Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Fund” will help us continue to work with our Cuban colleagues to conduct research and protect its marine ecosystems while providing the Masters’ and Doctoral thesis research for dozens of students at The University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research.

November 29, 2010: Walter Parker, who has accumulated an incredible 55 years of leadership and experience in Alaska’s environmental issues, particularly as a watchdog of Alaska’s oil industry, joins us to share his unique perspectives on Alaska’s experience with the oil industry and whether we’ve yet learned our lessons. The stakes are high: The push is on to drill beneath the ice in Arctic waters. This week we hear from many of you as we give thanks to Mother Ocean!

The Ocean Doctor airs weekly on WebTalkRadio.net. Want to listen on your iPod, iPhone or mp3 player? Download the mp3 file or subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a single episode. See the complete list of episodes.

Submit a question and I’ll try to answer it on the air. Even better, record your question or comment on our special message line and I might play it on the air. Call: (805) 619-9194. You can also leave questions and comments for this episode below.

Like the show? Learn how to become a sponsor.

Do We Dare Drill Beneath Arctic Seas?

This week's guest, Walter Parker, has over 55 years of experience watchdogging Alaska's oil industry

The push is on for offshore oil drilling in the Arctic, miles deep below Arctic waters and ice off of Alaska. But are we ready for this? What lessons have we learned from the BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe and from Alaska’s own history, which includes the Exxon Valdez disaster in Prince William Sound, a disaster whose impact is still felt today, decades later.

This week we’re joined by Walter Parker, who has accumulated an incredible 55 years of leadership and experience in Alaska’s environmental issues, particularly as a watchdog of Alaska’s oil industry, to share his unique perspectives on Alaska’s experience with the oil industry and whether we’ve yet learned our lessons. Mr. Parker also has extensive experience in Alaska in planning and creating parks and wildlife refuges. During construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, Walt was Environmental Consultant to the State Pipeline Coordinator’s Office and also Director of Technical Staff. He also served as Chairman of the State’s Oil Tanker Task Force during that period. He’s a former Research Associate in wildlife, fisheries, Law of the Sea and transportation at the University of Alaska and also the Distinguished Practitioner in Residence in regional and urban planning, public administration and political science at the University in Anchorage.

He has held State positions as Commissioner of Highways, Chairman of the Joint Federal/State Land Use Planning Commission for Alaska, Member of the Alaska Board of Fish and Game and Chairman of the  Alaska Hazardous Substance Technology Review Council. His federal appointments include several positions in the Federal Aviation Administration, Commissioner on the U.S. Arctic Research Commission and presently serving as a Delegate to the Arctic Council where he serves as Chairman of the Circumpolar Infrastructure Task Force, the Sustainable Development Working Group and the Emergency Preparation, Prevention and Response Working Group. He presently is Chair of the Prince William Sound Science Center. Walt helped found many of Alaska’s past and current environmental organizations including the Alaska Conservation Society, Trustees for Alaska, the Alaska Center for the Environment and Oil Watch. He also serves on the Advisory Board of The Ocean Foundation.