Today, the National Ocean Council held one of their nationwide "regional listening sessions" here in Oregon at Portland State University. Dr. Jane Lubchenco kicked off the opening remarks as over 150 stakeholders crowded PSU's University Place Conference room to give their feedback to experts from the council. The National Ocean Council's 27 Federal agencies and offices have been busy drafting strategic action plans to achieve nine national priority objectives that address some of the most pressing challenges facing our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes. The National Ocean Council received input on the strategic action plan outlines that were developed prior to the regional listening sessions. Surfrider chapters were well represented in Oregon with staff Pete Stauffer and Gus Gates providing comments and Tara Gallagher, Fred Sickler and Drew Kerr among the volunteers who came to provide testimony. An overarching sentiment in the feedback was in respect to Oregon's spatial planning process for the territorial sea and the insistence upon this work being worthy of federal support and recognition. Find out more about how Surfrider is engaging and you can help in Oregon's ocean planning process by visiting here!
