There are a series of events in San Juan County to recognize the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.
The lecture “Our Islands at Risk: Increased Vessel Traffic and Increased Risk of a Major Oil Spill” will be presented on Orcas, Lopez and San Juan.
Learn about what would happen in the event of a major oil spill. Gary Shigenaka, a marine biologist for NOAA, who specializes in marine life studies during oil spills, will talk about how various cargo and propulsion oils would likely behave if spilled in our marine environment. Julie Knight, Executive Director of Islands Oil Spill Association, will talk about local spill response preparedness.
Lopez Island: Friday, March 14, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at Lopez Center
Orcas Island: Saturday, March 15, 12:30-2:30 p.m. at Orcas Episcopal Church
San Juan Island: Sunday, March 16, 12:30-2:30 p.m. at the San Juan Island Grange
The film “Black Wave: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez” will be screened. This award-winning documentary is about the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
San Juan Island: Friday Harbor Film Festival’s screening is on Tuesday, March 18, 7 p.m. at the San Juan Island Grange. Admission is by donation.
Orcas Island: San Juans Alliance is sponsoring a free screening on Sunday, March 23, 3 p.m. at the Orcas Senior Center.
Lopez Island: San Juans Alliance and Lopez Library is co-sponsoring a free screening on Monday, March 24, 7 p.m. at the Lopez Library.
On March 24, the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, a drift card drop will simulate what would happen if a spill occurred in Turn Point/Arachne Reef in Boundary Pass and, Bird Rocks in Rosario Strait. People who find drift cards can report the location where they were found at www.salishseaspillmap.org or call 360-378-2319.
History on the spill
On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez (a 984’ long tanker) struck a reef in Prince William Sound, spilling more than 11 million gallons (about 17 Olympic-sized swimming pools) of crude oil.
Despite containment efforts, the oil coated 1,300 miles of coastline (over three times of all combined coastlines in San Juan County), and covered an area about 25 times the area of San Juan County waters. Twenty-five years later, an estimated 20,000 gallons of Valdez crude oil is still in Alaska’s sand and soil. The tragic ripples of ecological and economic devastation are still being felt today; several marine species and commercial fishing are still recovering or have yet to recover from the spill.
