Sanctuary
Summits - Olympic Coast
General
Information
Post-Summit
Summary
About
Sylvia Earle
General
Information
Date:
May 18th, 1998
Location: Penninsula College, Port
Angeles
Participants: Middle and High School
students near the Olympic Coast
Theme: Year of the Ocean
|
Dr. Sylvia
Earle talks with the students in a casual,
intimate setting.
|
To commemorate
"The Year of the Ocean", about 40 high school and
middle school classes from areas near the Olympic
Coast National Marine Sanctuary participated in a
student summit with Dr. Sylvia Earle,
National Geographic's
Explorer-in-Residence.
The purpose of the summit was to foster a
questioning attitude among young people and give
students an opportunity to voice their concerns
about the ocean and marine environment. The
students who participated in the summit all live in
rural areas, indian reservations, or small towns
whose culture and economy depend heavily on the
ocean.
(top)
Post-Summit
Summary
Overview
The summit was an occasion
for relaxed, intimate dialogue between students and
Dr. Earle. The students posed thought- provoking
questions to Dr. Earle such as:
|
The
students were able to hear answers to
their thoughtful questions from one of the
leading experts in ocean
exploration.
|
What encouraged you to
explore our oceans?
What do you think about the current problem
of overfishing?
Where do you see the state of the ocean in 20
years?
What affect will El Niño have on toxic
algal blooms?
How will the hole in the ozone affect the
ocean?
How do you feel about the local tribe's
permission to hunt the gray whale?
What can we do to protect our
oceans?
Dr. Earle's answers were
inspiring and she continually encouraged the
students to think critically about ocean
exploration and conservation. She told the crowd
that she has been interested in ocean exploration
ever since she was a child. "Like most kids, I was
curious. Curiosity is not just limited to human
beings. I've seen curious whales, cats, dogs and
horses... and some keep it all their lives.
Scientists are among those who keep that sense of
curiosity all their lives".
|
A student
ponders Sylvia's question "are we going to
change our ways?"
|
Dr. Earle expressed that
overfishing is one of the major current issues in
ocean conservation. "Those in the future will look
back on those of us now making decisions about
ocean wildlife that will be regarded as one of the
critical decisions of our time. Are we going to
continue to regard (sea creatures) only as a
commodity?". She continued with this theme in
answering the question about the state of the ocean
in 20 years. "Are we going to allow the same dumb
ways to continue or are we going to draw the line
and say we have to change our ways?". She stressed
that the answer toward the future "does not have to
be a big 'no' with more regulations, but a big
'yes' to taking care of the oceans that take care
us us". She then continued to say that "the worst
thing we can do is nothing. That is a decision in
default."
|
This
student wondered how El Nino has had an
effect on the ocean.
|
In response to the questions on
weather and climate change, Dr. Earle concentrated
on the effects related to planktonic development
and the life cycle of the ocean. Regarding El
Niño, she said, "it is a matter of those
creatures that prosper when it is cold, they have a
good time in that kind of area. But, if the water
is warm
" Dr. Earle pointed out the effect of
El Niño in waters along the coastal area of
California. "In an El Niño year, there is a
change in the kind of plankton that flourish. The
usual citizens are in short supply and then other,
new species come in. For the (native) creatures
that are already under pressure, a natural
phenomenon such as El Niño could push them
over the edge to extinction".
|
Sylvia
responded to this student's straight
question about the ozone layer.
|
Dr. Earle thought that the
question on the ozone layer was "a straight
question with not too many straight answers". She
noted that there is a pattern that seems to be
clear that radiation will have a broad effect on
the occurrence of natural systems. She went on to
say that the increasing hole in the ozone layer
increases radiation, which seems to have an
immeasurable effect on the growth of certain
microscopic plants. "Imagine the consequences of a
decrease in phytoplankton due to an increase in
radiation. This increase in radiation will prohibit
photosynthesis in some of the critical organisms,
or change the life cycle of krill or other
planktonic organisms". She noted that this could
effect the entire ocean system in both the southern
and northern hemispheres. "This is a really good
question for someone like you, any of you, to take
on
to look at the connection of what's
happening high in the sky and what's happening
right here".
|
The
question about a local tribe's permission
to hunt the gray whale generated a lot of
interesting dialogue.
|
The question about the local
Makah indian tribe's recent permission to hunt the
grey whale generated the most dialogue between the
students. Dr. Earle admitted that this is a tough
question. "There is no easy answer to a question
about the effects of taking a whale, or whales,
from a population that has rebounded significantly
in the last 20 years because people have taken
protective measures". She then asked the students
what they thought since this is a "holding your
hands" kind of issue on the Olympic Coast that is
happening around the world.
Student A: "I have always
been opposed to it. It has been a big controversy
here on the Olympic Penninsula. I feel that they
are a big part of our marine ecosystem and we need
to preserve that"
Sylvia: "Many people think
that all people have rights to ocean resources.
There will be some impact (from hunting whales),
but will the impact affect future
generations?"
Student B: "What concerns
me is that technology may mean the tribes can hunt
more than they did using more traditional hunting
practices"
Student C: "We are not
using traditional methods because it is too
inhumane, and it will be more humane with
technology. We are only allowed to hunt four whales
a year. The gray whale has been off the ESL
(endangered species list) since 1994. Taking four
won't make a big difference."
Sylvia wrapped up the
dialogue by stating "It is not what we are putting
into the ocean, and it is not what we are taking
out... It is ignorance". She stressed that this is
where the students really have a chance to impact
everything that follows. "You must take it upon
yourselves to not just react to some of these tough
questions, but to act. The truth is that we cannot
please everybody all the time."
|
Sylvia
Earle tells the students, "I hope this is
just the beginning of the
dialogue".
|
Sylvia ended the summit by asking the students to
try to think of what would they like to see in 10,
20, 50, or 100 years from now. Would they like to
have their children, grandchildren, friends of
friends, look back on them and say, "You idiots,
you fools! Why didn't you do (blank)? How could you
let this happen?". Or the people in the future
could say, "Right on, guys! Thanks. You made the
right decisions at the right time. You held the
line to enable us to turn things
around."
On that optimistic note,
Sylvia concluded the summit by saying, "I'm glad to
have had this chance to talk with you and I hope it
is not over. I hope this is just the beginning of
the dialogue. You can count on hearing from me, and
I really hope to hear from you".
(top)
About
Sylvia Earle
Sylvia
Earle
National Geographic Society
Marine biologist Sylvia Earle
is Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic
Society, a position she has held since 1998. She is
working with a variety of Society divisions on
projects involving her passion -oceans - especially
serving as project director of Sustainable Seas
Expeditions and writing three books for publication
in 1999.
Named one of Time Magazine's
"heroes for the planet" in 1998, Earle has
pioneered research on marine ecosystems and has led
more than 50 expeditions totaling 6,000 hours
underwater. She holds numerous diving records and
is the author of more than 100 scientific and
popular publications, including a 1995 book "Sea
Change."
Earle was born August 30,
1935, in Gibbstown, NJ. She has a bachelor's degree
from Florida State University and a master's and
doctorate from Duke University as well as nine
honorary doctorate degrees. She lives in Oakland,
California.
For more information on the Sanctuary Summit at the
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, please
contact:
Bob Steelquist, Education
Coordinator
NOAA, Marine Sanctuaries Division
(360) 457-6622
robert.steelquist@noaa.gov
|