Twitter Chat: 25 Years after Exxon Valdez – Looking Back, and Moving Forward
Join the discussion as we mark the 25th anniversary of one of America’s most
devastating ecological disasters
When Shell’s Kulluk drill rig ran aground near
Kodiak Island on New Year’s Eve 2012, it was a
chilling reminder to Alaska and the country of the
horrific consequences of one of the largest oil
spills in U.S. history. Twenty-five years ago, on
March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez
struck a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound.
Today, oil still lurks under the surface of Prince
William Sound beaches, adversely impacting both
wildlife and human lives. The Deepwater Horizon
disaster less than four years ago is another stark
reminder of the devastating impacts that occur
from an oil spill.
Join us as we remember the devastating oil spill,
learn about its ongoing impacts, and discuss how
the lessons from the Exxon Valdez should inform
the desire to drill in the Arctic Ocean.
DETAILS:
What: Twitter chat focusing on the 25th Anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and how we can
protect the Arctic Ocean. Questions answered by: Rick Steiner (Oasis Earth, via @alaskawild), Dune
Lankard (Eyak Preservation Council , via @WildSalmon4Ever), Andrew Hartsig (Ocean Conservancy) and
Denny Takahashi-Kelso (Ocean Conservancy). Moderated by Alaska Wilderness League’s Corey Himrod
(@CoreyHimrod).
When: Monday, March 24, 2014 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific, 10 a.m. to
11 a.m. Alaska)
How to Join: Follow along and Tweet questions using the hashtag #Exxon25
Need More Info?
Contact Corey Himrod, Alaska Wilderness League, @CoreyHimrod
Speaker bios below.
Background on the Participants:
About Rick Steiner:
Today, Mr. Steiner conducts the Oasis Earth project (www.oasis-earth.com) – a global consultancy
working with NGOs, governments, industry and civil society to speed the transition to an
environmentally sustainable society. But from 1980–2010, Mr. Steiner was as a marine conservation
professor with the University of Alaska, stationed in the Arctic (Kotzebue 1980-1982), Prince William
Sound (Cordova 1983-1997), and Anchorage (1997-2010). As the University of Alaska's marine advisor
for the Prince William Sound region, he provided leadership in response to the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil
Spill, proposed and helped establish the Regional Citizens Advisory Councils, the Prince William Sound
Science Center, and the billion dollar legal settlement between Exxon and the government with which
much of the coastline of the oil spill region was protected.
About Dune Lankard:
Dune Lankard is a strategic and guiding force for the Eyak Preservation Council (EPC). He is ancestrally
from, and a lifelong resident, subsistence and commercial fisherman of, Cordova, Alaska. Dune’s Eyak
name is Jamachakih, which translates: “Little Bird that screams really loud and won't shut up.” The
morning he found his homelands covered with crude oil from the Exxon Valdez disaster he turned from
commercial fisherman to dedicated life-long community activist. Since that day, he has been recognized
for his abilities to link cultural, environmental and economic solutions. For his work, he was selected by
Time magazine as one of its "Heroes of the Planet". In 2006, he was named an Ashoka Social
Entrepreneur Fellow. He was recently awarded a Hunt Alternatives Fund-Prime Movers Fellowship:
Cultivating Social Capital Award. Mr. Lankard sits on boards of the Bioneers, EPC, the NATIVE
Conservancy, RED OIL, International Funders for Indigenous People’s and the FIRE Fund and on the
advisory board of the Seva Foundation and the Alaska Wildlife Alliance. In addition to involvement in
various EPC programs and campaigns, he is one of EPC’s Copper River wilderness raft guides.
About Denny Takahashi-Kelso:
Denny Takahashi-Kelso is senior counsel at Ocean Conservancy and brings extensive experience with
U.S. Arctic conservation issues to the organization. He was the Alaska commissioner of environmental
conservation during the Exxon Valdez oil disaster and was one of the first people on the ship after the
grounding. His involvement with the Exxon Valdez spill response made him a critical resource to
lawmakers during the creation and passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. He has assisted members of
Congress, as well as state and federal resource management officials, in strengthening oil spill
prevention and response capacity and planning for restoration.
Given his experience, Denny leads the organization’s Arctic strategic initiatives, including those focused
on ecosystem protection – particularly reduction of risks from expansion of industrial activity as sea ice
retreats. Included in his portfolio is the Arctic scenarios project – an analysis and mapping of
infrastructure, operations, and potential impacts from proposed oil and gas activities in the Chukchi and
Beaufort seas.
Denny holds a law degree from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in energy and resources from the
University of California, Berkeley. Additionally, Denny served in the Alaska governor’s cabinet, was the
chair of the Alaska Emergency Response Commission, was the Alaska deputy commissioner of fish and
game, and was also a member of both the Alaska Water Resources Board and the Alaska Coastal Policy
Council.
About Andrew Hartsig:
Andrew Hartsig is the director of Ocean Conservancy's Arctic Program, for which he has been working to
preserve the resilience of Arctic marine ecosystems from the threats of rapid climate change, ocean
acidification and increasing industrial activity since 2008. While at Ocean Conservancy, Andrew has
authored or co-authored several law journal articles, including papers on offshore oil and gas policy both
broadly and as it pertains to the Alaskan Arctic, federal consultation with indigenous peoples in the
Arctic, and increasing vessel traffic in the Bering Strait region.
Andrew graduated summa cum laude from Bowdoin College with a degree in anthropology and
environmental studies. He received a law degree with honors from the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney
College of Law. After law school, Andrew clerked for Judge Michael Murphy of the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the 10th Circuit. Andrew lives and works in Anchorage, Alaska.
