It is with deep gratitude (and a bit of surprise) that I look over the time horizon to realize that OCR has “been in business” for almost seven years. Much has been accomplished since our first clean (but stiff) website and my carpet-bag of ideas.
Since June of 2007 we’ve published some 350 (!) newsletters focused specifically on ocean noise pollution issues; we’ve reached thousands of people through lectures, presentations, website visits, and “social media,” and I’ve reviewed and critiqued over twenty US Navy and industrial “Draft Environmental Impact Statements.”
We’ve been invited to many national and international conferences and workshops to share and develop ideas with other marine noise stakeholders, and to Washington DC at least once a year (twice with OCR Digital Assets Manager Gwynn Dandridge-Perry), and have participated in national and international standards organizations developing clear and concise terminology for use in setting regulations and procedures where noise generation is involved.
It is a bit hard to say what has happened as a consequence of all of this activity. It might be easier to say what has not happened: US Navy-associated strandings have decreased significantly; the Atlantic coast is not yet being trawled with seismic surveys; the US Arctic Ocean remains free of full-scale oil and gas operations; and the discussions with US Navy and fossil fuel interests are far less contentious, and much more productive than they were a decade ago.
So in balance I feel that we (along with our other academic and conservationcolleagues) have accomplished quite a bit in the past seven years. In some areas I feel we are at the threshold of some really important developments, but I also see some serious looming problems which need to be addressed.
We have come a long way with your support, and for this we thank you deeply. And there is still much work to do which cannot be done without you.
Please join us this year in supporting our ongoing efforts to understand and find solutions to the continuing challenges associated with human-generated noise pollution in the sea.
Ocean Conservation Research (OCR) is sponsored by The Ocean Foundation (TOF), so your donations are tax-deductible. Donate online via the link below:
Or if you prefer to mail in a check, make it out to: “TOF-OCR Fund” and send it to:
Ocean Conservation Research
P.O. Box 559
Lagunitas, CA 94938
Thanks for your support and concern for the health of our oceans!