On June 30th, over 175 people packed the historic Savoy Theater to attend the first community forum of the Port Orford Ocean Resource Team (POORT). Co-sponsored by Surfrider Foundation and our partner organizations, the event highlighted research and stewardship efforts of Port Orford's commercial fishing fleet, as well as ongoing efforts of POORT's project partners. Leesa Cobb, Director of POORT (and Surfrider member) served as emcee for the evening and introduced a diverse panel of speakers. Markus Mead, Surfrider Field Coordinator, presented information on Surfrider's ongoing water quality testing in the community and plans to establish a water quality lab at Pacific High School. Other highlights of the evening included project updates from fishermen, a short film by Greenfire Productions, and presentations by Pacific Marine Conservation Council, Ecotrust, ODFW and Moore Foundation staff. In addition to water quality work, Surfrider staff have been working with the fishing fleet to formalize POORT's community-based structure, as well as secure state-level recognition of the POORT process.
