Monthly Archives: June 2009

Oregon Sea Grant wins two awards

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apex09Oregon Sea Grant has won an Apex “Award of Excellence” for Hold that Thought: Questioning Five Common Assumptions about Communicating with the Public, written by Joe Cone, edited by Rick Cooper, and designed by Patricia Andersson. The Apex Awards, now in their 21st year, recognize “excellence in publications work by professional communicators.” There were 3,785 entrants. Hold that Thought is available for free download at http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sgpubs/onlinepubs.html#socialsci

eco-2009In addition, On the Lookout for Aquatic Invaders won an Award of Excellence (first prize in its category, “Environmental Design and Illustration-Special Publications”) in the 2009 ECO Awards, “a competition recognizing and honoring excellence in the environmental communications field,” sponsored by Global Environmental Communications, LLC. This publication was developed by Scott Wiedemer and Sam Chan, edited by Rick Cooper, and designed by Stefania Padalino and Patricia Andersson. You can view an excerpt of the publication at http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/themes/invasives/index.html#onthelookout

Sciencepub: Catch of the Day

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Science Pub

Cold beer and fresh seafood are a natural summer combination in Oregon – but while the fish may be fresh, is it sustainable?

Join OSU researcher Selina Heppell at the July13 edition of Science Pub Corvallis to learn more about the fish we eat, where it comes from, and how fishing and management practices can affect the ocean ecosystems where fish live.

Heppell, an associate professor in the OSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and a member of the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, studies fishing communities, commercial fisheries and efforts to make fishing more ecologically sustainable. With support from Oregon Sea Grant, she’s currently looking at the live fish fishery – where fish are caught and transported live to high-end restaurants to assure optimum freshness – and whether rules requiring fishermen to release pregnant females might serve as a conservation tool.

Science Pub Corvallis, a collaboration of OSU, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and the Downtown Corvallis Association , takes place the second Monday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Old World Deli/Brewpub on 2nd St. There is no admission charge.

West Coast research needs report is online

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The efforts of three years and  people in three states have culminated in the release this week of a new report detailing the major regional marine research and information needs of Oregon, Washington and California.

West Coast Regional Marine Research and Information Needs, produced by the four Sea Grant programs in the three West Coast states, grew out of three years public meetings, surveys and analysis. More than 1,000 stakeholders, representing community, business, research and agency interests, took part in identifying those needs.

Sea Grant collaborators analyzed thousands of stakeholder comments and sorted the needs into eight categories:

  • Vitality of Coastal Communities and Maritime Operations
  • Ocean and Coastal Governance and Management of Multiple Uses
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture
  • Marine Ecosystem Structure and Function
  • Ocean Health and Stressors
  • Physical Ocean Processes, Related Climate Change, and Physical Coastal Hazards
  • Water Quality and Pollution
  • Resilience and Adaptability to Hazards and Climate Change

Cutting across those topics are three themes:  climate change, marine education and literacy, and access to information and data.

The project, funded by NOAA as part of a nationwide effort to identify and set priorities for future research, is closely aligned with the West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health.

Read more and download a copy of the report …

SeaFest combines fun, learning at HMSC

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HMSC SeaFest

NEWPORT  – Hands-on activities, displays, food and fun for the whole family come together on June 27 in the seventh annual SeaFest at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center.

The day-long event, starting at 10 a.m.,  offers visitors a chance to go behind the scenes to see the labs and meet the scientists who study marine life, explore the bottom of the sea, and track whales across the world’s oceans.

A wide range of exhibitors, food vendors, live music, and activities for kids are all part of the annual event. Visitors can watch the Hatfield center’s resident giant Pacific octopus, “Amigo,”  devour a live crab during the noontime feeding, or get their hands wet inspecting sea stars, anemones, fish and sea urchins in the touch pools that simulate the rocky intertidal zone.

Read more …

New federal climate change report available online

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NOAA Climate Change coverA new report from the nation’s top science agencies, “Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States,” is available in full and in summary from the US Global Change Research Program Web site.

The report, released yesterday by presidential science advisor John Holdren and NOAA director Jane Lubchenco, represents an unprecedented multi-agency summary of the science and the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future. It focuses on climate change impacts in different regions of the U.S. – including the Pacific Northwest – and on various aspects of society and the economy.

“This report demonstrates that climate change is happening now, in our own backyard, and it affects the things that people care about,” Lubchenco said.

A printable .pdf fact sheet summarizes what the Northwest can expect from changing climate, including rising sea levels, further stresses on salmon and other coldwater fish, and reduced water supplies due to declining winter snow packs.

For more information about the scientific and cultural challenges posed by a changing climate, visit Oregon Sea Grant’s Climate Change page.

Documentary Preview: Dan Cox

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Dan Cox is the director for the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Lab at Oregon State University.  This bonus footage was recorded for the film Reaching Higher Ground: Oregon Sea Grant’s Tsunami Research and Community Engagement, which has been released to DVD and is available to view for free online.  In this short video clip (which does not appear in the film), Cox explains why the city of Seaside was chosen for developing a 1:50 scale model to flood repeatedly with scale-size tsunami waves.  You can learn more about the project here.

Transcript is available at above link

Sea Grant invasives report cited in Oregonian story

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Oregonians are getting serious about invasive species, according to a story in yesterday’s Oregonian about state efforts to fend off the arrival and proliferation of zebra mussels and other non-native plants and animals.

The newspaper reports that the state Marine Board is focusing its efforts this summer on recreational boaters at popular places like Detroit Lake, where a new Clean Boater program is giving a free clean boating kit to any registered boat owners who fill out an environmental questionnaire and pledge. Several invasive species, including the voracious and fast-spreading zebra mussel, can be spread by boats being transported from infested waters to new locations.

The article cites a Sea Grant report released earlier this year, The Economics of Invasive Species, which found that cleaning and maintenance costs should zebra mussels find their way into the Columbia River hydropower dams could read $25.5 million a year, not including lost power-generation revenue.

Sea Grant offers free downloads of recent publications on invasive species, including:

  • The Economics of Invasive Species – [.pdf][HTML]
  • You Can Stop the Spread of Aquatic Invaders (teacher information brochure) – [.pdf] [HTML]

These and other titles are also available for purchase from our secure on-line store.

Read more about Sea Grant’s efforts to educate Oregonians about aquatic invaders.

Crabbers collaborate with OSU researchers to monitor ocean temperature, hypoxia

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launching a crabpot with a sensor attachedCORVALLIS, Ore. – In a unique, symbiotic relationship, Oregon crabbers are working with Oregon State University researchers funded by Oregon Sea Grant to use their crab pots as underwater monitoring stations where data collectors attached to the pots gather vital oceanographic information.

This information might help crabbers more effectively locate their catch while helping scientists provide answers to challenging research questions, such as why and when hypoxia zones form in coastal waters.

(Read more …)

OPB talk show comes to Newport

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Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Think Out Loud,” a radio talk show that invites listeners to comment by phone or e-mail, comes to OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport June 16 for a discussion about wave energy. The episode is part of the series’ ongoing feature, “The Switch,” which is exploring energy options.

Taping of the program, which is scheduled for broadcast the following day, starts at 7 p.m. sharp in the HMSC Visitor Center’s Hennings Auditorium. Doors open at 6 p. m., and seating in the 160-seat auditorium is first-come, first served.

Read more about “Think Out Loud” on OPB’s Web site.

Watch excerpts from Oregon Sea Grant’s “Wave Power” video.

Sea Grant educator helps students understand Oregon history

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In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Oregon Statehood, the state Capitol is the setting for “150 Years of Statehood, 150 Million Years In the Making,” an Oregon Historical Society exhibit exploring the state’s rich heritage through its geological landmarks and history.

To help teachers, their students and other visitors get the most from the information-rich exhibit, the OHS asked Nancee Hunter, director of education for Oregon Sea Grant’s programs at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, to write a guide to the exhibit. The guide provides discussion points to ponder before visiting the exhibit, and questions about the state’s geologic and human history to discuss during and after your visit.

The teacher guide is available for free download at http://www.ohs.org, and also from Oregon Sea Grant: