Youth Involvement

On May 1, Council volunteers and staff joined local high school and college students, educators, and other partners on a cruise to Bligh Reef, where the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in 1989.

On board Stan Stephens’ Valdez Spirit, the students were immersed in learning about the marine environment and the effects of oil spills. Passengers were treated to the typical delights of Prince William Sound including glimpses of whales, views of sea lions, and the beautiful scenery.

The tour was put on by the Copper River Watershed Project, or CRWP, in collaboration with the Prince William Sound College, or PWSC. CRWP Program Director Kate Morse and PWSC Professor Amanda Glazier coordinated the event. Morse is also a member of the Council’s Information and Education Committee. Council members led activities and contributed their expertise on board.

Groups of students and adults rotated through learning stations over the course of the five-hour tour including conducting plankton “tows” to collect samples from the water, exploring plankton samples under microscopes, collecting water chemistry data, discussing marine navigation, and learning about marine oil spill response.

Participants also had the opportunity to engage in an activity titled “Voices from the Spill,” which involved reading personal stories of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and its aftermath, and then respond through creative writing or art.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company generously provided a meal during the trip. Mixed groups of high school students, college students, and adults ate together and talked through a list of questions that prompted sharing about education and career pathways. In between learning activities, narration was provided about environmental, historical, and marine industry items of interest. Narrators included experts on board, such as trip leaders, the vessel captain, Council volunteers and staff, and staff from Alyeska’s Ship Escort Response Vessel System.

In addition to viewing the Valdez Marine Terminal and oil spill response equipment from the water, there was exciting tanker activity. The group observed two tankers at the terminal, an empty inbound tanker with its tug escort, and a laden outbound tanker with its two escort tugs including one tethered to the stern.

The Council helped fund this tour as part of its Youth Involvement Program, which strives to help build the next generation of environmental stewards for our region. The Bligh Reef Expedition was successful at getting local youth out into the environment of Prince William Sound to learn about ecology, oceanography, history, oil industry operations, and marine safety, all while connecting with local community members who work in associated fields.

Funds of up to $5,000 are available for educational projects related to our mission. Please contact Maia Draper-Reich if you would like to be notified when the next proposal period opens.

Hello from the new voice here in the Community Corner! Since joining the staff in early August, I have enjoyed launching into and paddling around the vast and deep waters of the Council’s work. I step into the outreach coordinator role with my background as a naturalist, science and environmental educator, dancer, and outreach program manager.

I know the joy of facilitating young people learning about the nature that surrounds them. There is a specific excitement that comes when you help someone make a new connection about a science-based fact. I recognize the importance of clear information leading to an audience’s inspiration, which leads them to action.

As I explore and learn about the Council, I am sparked by the variety of community outreach accomplished and funded throughout the region. The Youth Involvement project stands out. As in years previous, the Council provided funding for educating the youth in our community on topics related to the Council’s mission, such as citizens’ oversight, environmental impacts of the operation of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company oil terminal in Valdez and the oil tankers that call there, oil spill prevention, and response planning and operation. Eight programs were funded this year.

The Council sponsored a new youth track at the Prince William Sound Natural History Symposium this year, put on by the Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation to encourage and engage young people in the Prince William Sound region. These presentations and others from the symposium are available online at the foundation’s website: Prince William Sound Stewardship Foundation – 2022 Symposium

Oil spill prevention and response engineering was taught through the remotely operated vehicles, or ROV challenge at this year’s Tsunami Bowl. This challenge was put on by the Prince William Sound Science Center. Youth Involvement also funded writing a ROV Kit Build-Guide for other educators to teach robotics and Exxon Valdez oil spill history and aftermath. It is available on their website. PWSSC’s R.O.V. Kit Build-Guide: How to build a simple remotely operated vehicle for classroom use

Among the rest are oil spill education for students via the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies and the Copper River Watershed Project, and for teachers during Alaska Geographic’s Kenai Fjords Floating Teacher Workshop and Prince William Sound College’s Ecology for Teachers course.

The Youth Involvement projects are indicative of the many modes of community outreach that are important to share the Council’s mission and the varied work of the staff and committees. Each connection the community of volunteers, staff, and partners make with the Council’s audiences – be it the member communities and groups, the greater scientific community, oil industry and regulators, or the citizens of the region affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill – is a paddle dipping into the water and pushing the Council’s metaphorical kayak forward.

I look forward to continuing to tell the story of the spill, foster the network of organizations doing oil spill prevention and response education, and to inviting learners of all ages to understand their environment. As always, our goal remains to continue the Council’s mission through engaging our community members in meaningful experiences and inspiring new and long-time environmental stewards.