Wildlife Successes in Optimum Funding Scenarios - Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon Restoration

Co-Chairs:

Tim Richardson, Government Affairs Consultant
Ross Melinchuk, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
James Cummins, Wildlife Mississippi, Gulf Coast Land Trust

Overview:

"A fully loaded supertanker has run hard aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska.? That March 24, 1989 news was followed by agonizing images of millions of gallons of oil gushing from the Exxon Valdez. On April 20, 2010, a nighttime explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon from an oil well blowout 20,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico seared this catastrophe into the public?s psyche. While everyone is aware of the nation?s two worst oil spills and has vivid memories of impacted wildlife and wetlands, few Americans or resource professionals know of the experiences of hundreds of biologists responsible for restoring these ecosystems.

This session will feature presentations by professionals experienced in the aftermaths of America?s two worst oil spills. Panel speakers will detail the challenges and opportunities when disasters create billions of dollars in fines amidst an aroused public and aggrieved stakeholders. These two examples of meeting restoration goals in the context of funding abundance are especially instructive in 2017 as a new President and Congress address daunting responsibilities and states face budget shortfalls.

AGENDA: Wildlife Successes in Optimum Funding Scenarios - Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon Restoration