Celebrating a Ten Year Milestone!

I am both honored and humbled that our work has been supported by friends, community, and private foundations for TEN years!

In 2007, after 15 years of pro-bono work as “science advisor” for various Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (eNGOs) and “writer for hire” on ocean noise issues, I realized that I needed to “grab the issue by the horns” if we were going to drive the conversation toward the most productive direction.

“How productive” would depend on the angle and depth of reflection, but much has occurred in the last decade. Defining wording has been entered into legislation such as the National Ocean Policy Act, (NOPA) and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); Metrics have been defined and clarified; looming issues have been identified; successful campaigns have been waged; and near-countless reviews and critiques of ocean-associated Environmental Impact Statements have been crafted and submitted. We even prevailed as a plaintiff in a case against the US Navy.

And through all of this, the concerned public (you!) have been invited along the journey by way of over 500(!!) newsletters focused on ocean noise matters. (I had no idea one topic could generate so much text…)

None of this would have been possible without your support and encouragement.  And this is what we are celebrating – with at least three events.

First: On Wednesday October 18 we’re having a classy dinner party at Luc Chamberlain’s “Saltwater Oyster Depot” in Inverness (West Marin). Hosted by Amy Whelan and Rishi Schweig, this promises to be both sumptuous and scintillating. Come enjoy the company of like-minded ocean lovers while feasting on deliciously prepared local, sustainable bounty from the sea. The cost is $75 and reservations can be made on this link.

The following Sunday October 22 we’re having an open house at our lovely Falkirk office in San Rafael. Come snack, sip, and quaff with other ocean lovers. There will likely be music. Good conversations will be hard to avoid. You’ll get to see where we spend our days conspiring, and hear how we got here. Please let us know on our FB event page if you’ll be coming so we can get an idea about how many crackers we’ll need.

Then in November, artist Susan Sasso is pulling together an Artist’s Prayer Flag Offering hosted by Toby’s Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station. Some 20+ artists are creating strings of ocean prayer flags which will be on display at Toby’s from Saturday November 11 through Saturday November 18, culminating in the sale of these lovely works of art. The proceeds will all go to OCR. So come on out and enjoy the prayerful exhibit, and find a string of flags to gift over the year-end holiday season.

I cannot express my gratitude enough for all of the support we have received over the years. Your concern for the health of our ocean, and love of this beautiful blue planet we inhabit is humbling.

Come help us celebrate!