Resurrection Bay is precious. Glaciers spilling out of both the Harding and Sargent Icefields push down to treeline or tideline, unnamed peaks recede along the horizon and in the Bay itself, sea mammals, pelagic birds, and salmon do their thing. Perched on an alluvial fan at the head of the Bay, Seward hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors drawn by the same natural beauty and wildness that keeps locals here throughout the year.
Since the establishment of Kenai Fjords National Park in 1980, Seward's economic base has shifted toward tourism. Tourism relies on an intact ecosystem and all its attributes. That's what we try to protect.
Seen any insults or crimes against our environment that need to be addressed? Call our hotline 224-4621 or 224-7607. Anonymity guaranteed!
CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER Alaska Ocean Film Festival, Saturday, February 4th 7pm. $5 Rae Building (IMS)Elude sea monsters in Holland
Track exotic ocean Species
Canoe from Valdez to Whittier
Garden on the ocean floor
Clickon the links above for a sample of this year’s films
Brought to the good people of Seward by
The Alaska Center for the Environment in conjunction with
The Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance
2012 Alaska Ocean Film Festival Program
Monsterboards, Holland, Matthew McGregor-Mento, 8 mins
Combine a crack up sense of deadpan humor, small waves, eco art surfboards, and a horrific fear of sharks … what do you get? Monsterboards, of course. Surf’s up, enjoy the ride!
Into the Deep with Elephant Seals, USA, Sedva Eris, 11 mins
Meet the UC Santa Cruz marine biologists using high-tech tools to track elephant seals along the San Mateo coast. Some of these marine mammals weigh 4,500 pounds, can dive for a mile, and hold their breath for an hour. The elephant seals incredible come back from near extinction is a testament to the power of protected areas.
Capture: A Waves Documentary, Peru, Dave Aabo, 22mins
This piece dives deep into the impoverished community of Lobitus, Peru and the experience of surf travelers who share their passion with the youth. Witness the opportunity for empowerment as kids learn about creativity and self-expression from international surfers turned humanitarians.
The Coral Gardener, United Kingdom, Emma Robens, 10 mins
Coral reefs are like underwater gardens, but who would have thought you can garden them in just the same way? Austin Bowden-Kerby is a coral gardener. He has brought together his love of gardening, and passion for the underwater world, to do something very special that just might save the coral reefs of Fiji. Directed by Emma Robens.
Landscapes at the World’s Ends, New Zealand, Richard Sidey, 15 mins
A non-verbal, visual journey to the polar regions of our planet portrayed through a triptych montage of photography and video. This piece is a multi-dimensional canvas of imagery recorded either above the Arctic Circle or below the Antarctic Convergence.
Eating the Ocean, USA, Jennifer Galvin, 21 mins
Narrated by Celine Cousteau, this film is a journey to the heart of
Oceania where an international team of researchers studies the rapidly changing
diet of French Polynesians. Through the scientists' investigation and by spending
time with families, fishermen and school children we discover a public health crisis brought on by western influences.
Birdathlon, USA, Rachel Price and Karen Lewis, 4 mins
Who will win a race that involves both air and sea? Find out when our intrepid Rhinoceros Auklet is pitted against an Arctic Tern in an Olympic-caliber spoof that demonstrates the unique physiology and biology of the Alcid species.
Team Clark Goes Canoeing: Valdez to Whittier, USA, Dan Clark, 9 mins
Simply mesmerizing. This is the story of six weeks solitude and simplicity, the rewards of submersing children in the wilderness, and the challenges that make it memorable. A dream trip for many of us, no doubt, but does that dream include diaper swap outs at the re-supply? You’re not gonna believe this one!
The Majestic Plastic Bag, USA, 4 mins.
A brilliant mockumentary about the miraculous migration of “The Majestic Plastic Bag” narrated by Jeremy Irons. It was produced by Heal The Bay as promo in support of California bill AB 1998 to help put an end to plastic pollution.
More info: "Butch" Allen
Director
Alaska Ocean Film Festival
1000 jetskis might be headed for Seward and beyond. Your are comments needed.
John Lang of Lang Enterprises, Anchorage has proposed a 2000 mile Jetski race from Whittier to Illiamna in 2013. More info.
Fall newsletter is available!
Download here
RBCA v City of Seward lawsuit frequently asked questions.
Click here to go to our activism page.
Status of bear-resistant garbage cans in the Seward community
In 2009, the Seward Wildlife Community Conservation Program (WCCP) and Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance (RBCA) provided low cost ($50) bear-resistant garbage cans (BRGC) to the community because of some generous grants (which are no longer available). Since then, there have been discussions on how best to deal with negative bear-human interactions including using BRGCs. As mentioned previously in SCN, BRGCs can currently only be obtained by purchasing them from Costco or Home Depot for $300 to $330.
Another option could be to lease them from Alaska Waste with the costs being folded into monthly City utility bills (see 2011 Seward WCCP recommendations). We estimate that residents who decide to lease a BRGC would have to pay between $5 and $8 per month for their BRGC. We would really like to get public comments on this idea. Please post your comments on SCN or contact RBCA at info@rbca-alaska.org
Make your own!
Cool video of RBCA and partner's marine debris clean up efforts.
In 2009, RBCA volunteers led by board member Tim Johnson, gathered marine debris - commercial fishing-related debris like floats and buoys and hawsers and recreation-related debris like bags and plastic bottles.
This great video is the product of Jim Pfeiffenberger, Ocean Alaska Science and Learning Center (OASLC) Education Coordinator and Acting Director.
CEMP annual report now available
All the data for all the sampled local rivers and creeks is presented in this report on the progress of RBCA's Citizen's Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) annual report for 2010. We monitor water quality parameters on streams throughout the watershed including Spring Creek, Scheffler Creek, Salmon Creek and others. Parameters like temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and conductivity all measure the health of our watershed. To find out all that we monitor and why, download the report.
Download here
Be Bear Aware!
Click here
