Announcing Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2022: "Sea: The Future"
November 2021

In 1972, the United States enacted a wave of landmark legislation to protect and sustain the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes, including the amendments to the Clean Water Act, the Marine Mammal Act Protection Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, and the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. These Acts fundamentally changed how the United States managed marine, Great Lakes, and coastal environments.
In the last 50 years, the challenges impacting the health and sustainability of our blue planet grew more complex. Climate change and climate-related impacts are fundamentally changing our ocean and Great Lakes. Extreme natural events such as hurricanes, coastal storms, warming oceans and rising sea levels threaten marine ecosystems and wreak havoc on people’s livelihoods and communities.
These challenges all share a common solution: humanity.
In conjunction with Save Spectacular, our campaign for the 50th anniversary of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) 2022 will build on last year’s discussions.
Join the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation at CHOW 2022, a hybrid virtual and in-person event in Washington, DC June 7 – 9, 2022. Themed “Sea: The Future,” the conference will celebrate the 50 years of ocean and coastal protection and set a course for actions necessary to sustain our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes and transform our future.