Divers make a Dry Splash at Press Conference for Governor

[nwscubamom]

The dive community was well represented by Washington Scuba Alliance members at a press conference for Governor Gregoire and the Puget Sound Partnership on December 13th, 2006. Divers wearing drysuits and were interviewed and photographed by many members of the press. Governor Gregoire specifically set aside time to speak with divers, asking questions and listening to their observations about what conditions are like underwater in Puget Sound.



WSA President Mike Racine and WSA Board member Karlista Rickerson were scheduled speakers for the news conference and spoke about the current conditions of Puget Sound and divers’ roles in observing the changes.



After the conference, divers had an opportunity to again speak with state officials and press members.



The divers were originally slated to go for an actual dive off the beach the morning before the conference, and the press would greet them on the beach for a photo op as they exited the water, however, gale force winds and rough surf made the situation unsafe and the dive was aborted, so Plan B was to just attend the conference and meet the press dressed in their drysuits. Although a bit hot, after several hours inside a heated conference facility, they all did marvelously!



Gloria Youngblood, Fritz Merkel, Anna Hopkins, Rhoda Green, Larry Cleeton, John Williams, Peo Orvendal, Cory Newman, Darrel Davis, Janna Nichols, and Jim Trask participated. (I know there were a few more too, but not sure on names) Divers from Fifth Dimension Dive shop in Issaquah and Silent World Diving in Bellevue all participated.

More photos here:
http://nwgeogirl.smugmug.com/gallery/2238154

Links to media coverage of the event here:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/295882_sound14.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/l ... et13m.html
http://www.kitsapsun.com/bsun/local/...213172,00.html
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/l...-5479682c.html

And link to video (with John William's video footage too!):
http://www.komoradio.com/news/local/4907766.html

- Janna

[GillyWeed]

Awesome Janna,

Do you think they will listen to what you told them? I don't have a lot of faith in government so I hope they paid attention!

Cheers,

Holly

[diver-dad]

That's a fantastic forum and it looks like WSA reps were definately listened to - but like GW, I hope they were heard!

Being relatively new to Puget - a question ...

In this regard, what has the Governor's track record been on environmental (particularly Sound issues) in the past? Good / indifferent / bad?

Also, from the 2nd pix, it looks like Congressman Norm Dicks was there too?

[nwscubamom]

Well, I do know last April or so, she authorized some emergency funding to go to the Styela clava tunicate problem, so that seemed pretty good.

I don't know that she's been in office long enough to have a track record...anyone else have a feel for this?

And yes, Congressman Norm Dicks spoke, as well as Bill Ruckelshaus, and Billy Frank Jr. (co chairs of the Puget Sound Partnership).

Jay Manning (Washington Dept of Ecology), Congressman Jay Inslee, Sherry Appleton, Fred Jarrett, Senator Phil Rockefeller, Brad Ack (head of Puget Sound Action Team) and many many many more were there.

I tried to get up the nerve to introduce myself to as many of them as I could, and let them know what divers are doing for some of the recent underwater problems. All were very receptive. Let's hope the experience sticks out in their minds.

- Janna

[jeff98208]

any one that knows me will say i am not very likely of supporting the government in any means except my taxes. but i hope they finaly listened to what was said for once, and take it to heart. good work there janna.

[.]

That's a fantastic forum and it looks like WSA reps were definately listened to - but like GW, I hope they were heard!

Being relatively new to Puget - a question ...

In this regard, what has the Governor's track record been on environmental (particularly Sound issues) in the past? Good / indifferent / bad?

Back-tracking on my earlier post. She does have a track record as Director of the Washington Department of Ecology, 1988-1992 and it sounds pretty good. Per Wikipedia:

Director of Washington Department of Ecology
She served as the director of the Washington Department of Ecology from 1988 until 1992, when she was first elected attorney general, a post to which she was twice re-elected. While Ecology director she negotiated a triparty agreement in 1989 with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to clean up waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. As attorney general she sued several times to try to get a more adequate cleanup progress. Congress has not appropriated a sufficient level of funding to allow the pace of activity anticipated by the original agreement, now estimated to require a total of $50 to $100 billion. Dissatisfaction with the slow pace of cleanup led to a successful initiative in 2004 that requires the refusal of new waste shipments until past cleanup promises are back on track.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Gregoire

But as the Governor said, we need to take individual responsibility too. It amazes me how many divers will spend hundreds even thousands of dollars on scuba gear and then go home and wash their car in the driveway because they don't want to spend 10 or 12 dollars at a car wash.

[diver-dad]

.... I tried to get up the nerve to introduce myself to as many of them as I could, and let them know what divers are doing for some of the recent underwater problems. .....

Janna -

Good for you!! .... I know what you mean - being forward like that can be difficult, and I applaud you for doing that!

.... in dealing with people like that, I've come to realize that they're just people too. Yes, they have some responsibility and influence, but still no different from you or I.

(I have met Congressman Dicks a couple of times, and he seems like a "stand-up" good guy to me.)

[nwscubamom]

hehe, yeah, he was very much a 'real' person when we had a conversation. Showing us pics of his new grandbaby and talking about how yummy lingcod are

- Janna

[jeff98208]

for once i stand beside myself, and i am accualy pleased to hear that. that extremly rare for me to be beside myself its only happened 2 other times. as long as the clean up attemps are can be done then that'll be awsome.