the BREAKWATER

A newsletter from the Prince William Sound Science Center

September 2014

How are you enjoying the change of seasons this year? As I drove down the Kenai peninsula to a meeting this week, the brilliant gold colors of the deciduous trees made it clear that fall has flung its paintbrush around Alaska. In Cordova, berries, mushrooms, moose and deer have been put up for winter and the peak run of silver salmon is behind us. At the Science Center, our summer salmon research crews hung up their waders last week and our research staff are planning their fall cruises. We are making the most of this season before the waning light significantly influences our daily activities.

Happy Autumn,

Katrina Hoffman

President/CEO

Save the Date for Dessert Dash 2014!

Dessert Dash is scheduled for Saturday, October 18 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at the Mt. Eccles Elementary School commons in Cordova.

What is Dessert Dash and how can you get involved?

Some of Cordova's finest bakers will prepare a spread of decadent desserts. Folks who attend the event work in teams to bid for their chance to grab the dessert of their choosing. Everyone who participates becomes a member of the Science Center and is eligible for a raffle prize (not to mention, a sweet dessert).

Remember: Getting in to the event is free, but getting the dessert you want is a different story! Click here for more details.

New staff members arrive at the Science Center

Anne Schaefer and Sean Lewandoski arrived recently in Alaska to assist Dr. Mary Anne Bishop. Hailing from rival Montana universities, both Anne and Sean can agree on this one thing: it rains more here in Cordova than anywhere else they have ever lived.

Molly Swartz, our AmeriCorps member, joined us in September. She is originally from Anchorage and will be teaching in the Discovery Room and coordinating our Tuesday night lecture series, among other things, for the next 11 months.

Click here to read their bios.

Outreach opportunity convenes scientists and decision makers on the waters of Prince William Sound

In August, five PWSSC scientists met up with Alyeska's community advisory panel for an educational outing. Both parties met between Valdez and Cordova in Port Gravina. Information about current Science Center projects and what we have learned was shared in order to highlight the importance of this marine ecosystem through which oil from the Trans Alaska Pipeline System is transported daily.

Click here to read more.

OSRI initiates update of 5-year research plan

The Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) will begin reviewing the mission and goals of OSRI and revising the five-year research plan at the OSRI Advisory Board meeting in Anchorage this October.

To read the 2011-2015 Research Plan and provide input regarding topics that we should consider emphasizing over the next five years, click here.

The Science Center is committed to understanding how one place on earth can maintain a reliable economy and natural environment for the long-term.

We invite you - donors, researchers, partners, funders, elected officials, citizens - to join us in better understanding one of the world's last, great natural regions, home of the world's richest waters.

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