Ocean News

Now is the time to build a sea of support for a healthy ocean.

Send a letter to Governor Ted Kulongoski and your local newspaper, and join the public conversation on marine protected areas and reserves!

Governor Ted Kulongoski needs know that individual citizens like you support establishing a network of marine protected areas and reserves, and that you care about creating an ocean legacy we can be proud of. The media, as well, needs to hear that there is broad support for this exciting new plan to restore our ocean’s resources, from fish to kelp forests to our amazing rocky reefs. Please read these guidelines and send in your letter soon. Every voice is important.
Tips on Writing Effective Letters:

Make your letter memorable

Make your words compelling, clear and to the point. If you focus on one specific issue, you’re more likely to make your points memorable than if you make your letter a laundry list of details. Also, stick to commonly used terms and avoid jargon. Connect to basic values such as community vitality, conservation and leaving a legacy for future generations of Oregonians.

Get personal

The Governor’s office and the media love to hear personal stories and examples from supporters and people affected by important issues in their daily lives. If you weave in an anecdote or personal philosophy, this will make your letter much more “real” and compelling to the governor and his advisors and to editors sorting through the many letters they receive every week. Talk about the benefits that marine protected areas and marine reserves will bring to Oregon, and talk about why you enjoy the coast and the personal connection you have to Oregon’s ocean (as a kayaker, surfer, fisher, educator, birder, coastal resident, etc.)

Letter policies

Be sure to include your name, address and phone number so that the Governor’s office or the newspaper staff can be sure that your letter is authentic and original. For newspapers, your letter should ideally be 200 - 300 words.

Maximize your acceptance rate

A newspaper is more likely to publish your letter if it’s in response to an article, editorial or opinion piece on marine reserves or other ocean and fish issues that ran recently. So mention that article in your first line, along the lines of, “When I read your article ‘Xxxx Xxx Xxxx,’ I felt compelled to address a few points that weren’t brought up.”

Some key points:

Use some of these points, using your own words and through personal stories, whenever possible. Also see sample letters below.

· Oregon’s scenic coastline and rich marine waters are world class, and part of our shared natural heritage. Now, with a network of marine reserves and protected areas, Oregonians can ensure that this legacy of rich ocean habitats will be here for future generations.

· Oregon’s ocean belongs to every Oregonian, and we all have a responsibility to protect and restore it.

· Some of Oregon’s fish populations have experienced significant declines,[1] deeply impacting our fisheries and ocean economy. Some species of fish are caught so quickly that they don’t have time to mature and reproduce. This has led to a decline in the bigger, more fertile fish that are needed to keep an ecosystem healthy. If current conditions persist, some species may never reach stable, sustainable levels.

· Oregon has more than 60 parks along its coast, but almost zero permanent protection for important marine habitats in our ocean. Worldwide, less than one percent of the ocean is protected.

· Like national parks, marine reserves are a place where fish and wildlife can be given safe havens from human impacts. Marine reserves would ensure that we leave a legacy for the future, and help rebuild Oregon’s ocean ecosystem.

Thank you, Governor, for your leadership in creating a marine protected areas and marine reserves plan for Oregon’s future. I appreciate that this process is being done with public participation, and that long-term monitoring and public reporting are part of this discussion.

**** Sample Letter –this is an example only; please write letters in your own words. ****

Dear Governor Kulongoski,

Dear Editor,

Like so many Oregonians, I visit the Oregon coast frequently. (My family has been coming to X town for years.) It is a special place cherished by both coastal and inland residents alike. It is clear, though, that our destructive actions are taking a toll on this rich ocean environment. We are all responsible for making sure we protect and restore the ecosystems that support vital coastal communities and seafood bounty we all enjoy.

Scientists agree that marine reserves are an important tool for protecting the ocean and enhancing fisheries. I am convinced that our state needs to listen to the world-renowned marine scientists right here in Oregon in order to give us the best chance at sustaining our ocean well into the future.

Our ocean is one of the most valuable resources of our state, and we must have a plan to make these resources sustainable into the future, just as every other state on the North American Pacific coast has done. A strong, environmentally-sound marine protected areas and reserves plan can be put in place while still leaving the majority of the ocean open to commercial and recreational fishing. Other communities all over the world who debated and ultimately accepted marine protected areas and reserves are now reaping the benefits of healthier marine ecosystems and better fishing opportunities as a result. It’s time for us to get smarter and do the same.

Sincerely,

**** REMINDER: The above letter is a sample only and should not be submitted. We encourage everyone to use your own words when communicating your support for marine protected areas and reserves. ****

How to submit a letter to the Governor:

Email is the fastest way to submit your letter. The Subject line can read simply “Letter in support of marine reserves.” Your salutation should read “Dear Governor Kulongoski.” This email form on the governor’s website requires your name, address and contact info:

http://www.governor.state.or.us/Gov/contact_us.shtml

You can also mail your letter to:

Governor Kulongoski
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047

How to submit a letter to the editor:

When you submit your letter to the editor, it should be to your local newspaper. Most newspapers prefer email. Below are the emails for some newspapers in Oregon. You can look up where to send your letters on other newspapers’ websites as well. Find a paper here: http://www.orenews.com/cgi-bin/internal/database/directory/showGMlinks.cgi

The Oregonian: Eugene Register-Guard: Salem Statesman Journal:

letters@news.oregonian.com rgletters@guardnet.com Online form

Corvallis Gazette-Tmes:

Online form

[1] More specifically, “Canary and yelloweye rockfish are now depleted after extreme overfishing. See http://www.pcouncil.org/groundfish/gfsafe0406/Canary_2005-complete_document.pdf, page 12; http://www.pcouncil.org/groundfish/gfsafe0406/Yeye06_entire_final.pdf, page 7.

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The West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health - August 9, 2007

On September 18, 2006 the Governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced the West Coast Governors' Agreement on Ocean Health. Through the Agreement, the states launched an unprecedented regional collaboration to protect and manage the ocean and coastal resources along the entire West Coast. The regional collaboration is consistent with recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission.

The Agreement seeks to advance the goals of:
     Clean coastal waters and beaches;
     Healthy ocean and coastal habitats;
     Reduced impacts of offshore development;
     Expanded ocean and coastal scientific information, research, and monitoring;
     Increased ocean awareness and literacy among the region’s citizens; and
     Sustainable economic development of coastal communities.

The Agreement directed staff of the three Governors to take certain actions, including the development of an action plan within a year.

Staff has prepared a discussion paper for public input. We submitted comments on August 1, 2007.   Read comments

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The Joint Ocean Commission Initiative just released its Ocean Policy Report Card for 2006, in response to a bipartisan request from the Senate. The "Report Card":

provides an assessment of our nation’s progress during 2006 toward implementing the recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission;
recommends the top ten actions that need to be taken by Congress; and
recommends $750 million in funding priorities.

The report card shows that progress on ocean policy reform has been uneven and even the modest progress that has been made is jeopardized by a lack of funding. For 2006, the grade rises to a “C-,” up from a “D+” average in 2005.

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