04/10/2008: "Oil Spill Workshops on SJ & Orcas"

2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Oil-Spill Response Strategies Workshop, at the Mullis Community Senior

3:30 - 5:30 p.m. Oil-Spill Response Strategies Workshop at the Orcas Fire Department

The public is invited to help the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) and U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard) update and improve site-specific oil-spill response strategies used for the San Juan Islands, called geographic response plans.

Ecology and the Coast Guard will hold two workshops this week - one in Friday Harbor and one in Eastsound - where citizens, resource managers, spill response contractors and oil-industry representatives can help identify any new information that might make the strategies more effective.

Geographic response plans are oil-spill response strategies tailored to reduce the effects of oil spills to sensitive areas along beaches, shores, or waterways.

The first workshop will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, April 11, at the Mullis Community Senior Center, 589 Nash St., Friday Harbor.

The second workshop will be conducted from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, at the Orcas Island Fire Department, 45 Lavender Lane, Eastsound.

The goals of the workshops are to:
* Provide information about the use and expectations of geographic response plans during spill incidents. * Solicit local information to update existing geographic response plans, including site access points such as boat ramps and marinas, sensitive natural resources, cultural resources and significant economic resources. * Ensure that those attending understand the plan updating process and provided the opportunity to participate.

For more information about geographic response plans, the San Juan Island workshops and the site-specific response plan updating process: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/preparedness/GRP/GRPWorkshop.htm Ecology's Web site: http://www.ecy.wa