Yesterday we held the West Coast public meeting of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force in San Francisco. I was excited to represent the U. S. Coast Guard at this meeting. Our missions, activities and heritage are deeply enmeshed with, and impacted by, our Nation's ocean policies. Our involvement in this endeavor is important not only because it strengthens our federal, state, local and tribal partnerships, but it also allows us to make a unique and valuable contribution to the process.
We heard from a panel of regional experts as well as members of the general public who packed a large ballroom and confirmed what I already felt -- they all rightly consider themselves stewards of their rivers, coasts and the Pacific Ocean. And while every person who spoke shared the same passion, the foundation of their enthusiasm was often rooted in very different interests. Their common dreams and desires for a sustainable marine environment coupled with their divergent needs tells me that the task force's work to date has been on target, and that our focus and future are clear. We must continue to craft a framework for developing and implementing comprehensive ocean policy with the involvement of all stakeholders that results in safe, secure, vibrant, productive and healthy ocean, coastal and Great Lakes environments.
In addition to seeing the outpouring of people devoted to protecting the marine environment, I was particularly pleased to see how many are involved in education efforts. We in the Coast Guard have always recognized that our nation's waters are special, and we try to not take them for granted as this fragile environment is where we work, where we live - it is our world. Protecting them would be much easier if more people were aware of the importance of the ocean, coasts, Great Lakes, and waterways in their lives.
The task force has four more public meetings planned in Providence, Honolulu, New Orleans and Cleveland. I urge anyone with an interest in this process to go the Council on Environmental Quality web site for details on these meetings, and if you cannot attend in person submit your ideas, concerns, and thoughts via the task force web site. The future of ocean policy is too important not to be involved.
Rear Admiral Sally Brice-O'Hara,
U.S. Coast Guard
Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force Representative for the San Francisco Public Hearing
