Vol. 1, No. 2
Headline Back Issues
|
Alliance, Council envision complementary roles in support of Gulf of Maine environment Portland, Maine -- A budding coalition of US and Canadian non-governmental groups advocating direct action on Gulf-wide environmental issues officially launched organizational efforts here last month. Peter Shelley, of the Conservation Law Foundation [CLF], one of the Gulf of Maine Alliance's five steering committee member groups, said non-governmental organizations began efforts to form the Alliance in 1994 after concluding that the only existing Gulf-wide co-alition, the Gulf of Maine Council, "isn't organized to resolve disputes" pitting environmental integrity against human benefits. A region- wide citizens' group could assume that role, he maintained. The Alliance met as part of a three-day Rim of the Gulf Conference sponsored by members of its steering committee, US and Canadian federal environmental agencies, Pew Charitable Trusts, and Bigelow Laboratory for the Ocean Sciences. Conference sessions included discussions of how to take a Gulf-wide approach to management, protection, and restoration efforts -- a strategy advocated by the Gulf of Maine Alliance. Alliance steering committee members say the coalition hopes to marshall grassroots support for efforts to address Gulf-wide concerns such as fisheries management, oil and gas resource development, and maritime transport of oil and hazardous cargo. Of the recent organizational meeting, Shelley noted that the groups in attendance were cautious about assigning tasks and setting time lines for officially launching the Alliance. "People haven't yet translated how building a large community of interests can support their work," said Shelley. But, he added, "I think it was a fair start." The group intends to develop a work plan over the next few months. A total of about 20 non-governmental organizations representing most of the Gulf's 69,115 square mile (165,185 square kilometer) watershed are involved in forming the Alliance. Shelley said the May gathering was, in part, an opportunity to expand its membership. In addition to CLF, the Alliance's steering committee includes E.C.O.Action of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada; the Fredericton-based Conservation Council of New Brunswick [CCNB]; the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and the Island Institute in Rockland, Maine. The other Gulf-wide coalition, the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, was created in 1989 primarily as a vehicle for state, provincial, and federal environmental agencies to collaborate on environmental issues in the Gulf. Alliance steering committee members envision complementary roles for the two coalitions. Combining the diverse resources represented by the Council and the Alliance could produce effective remedies for biological and environmental losses in the region, said Shelley, adding, "I think our end points are exactly the same as the Council's." Jeffrey Taylor, Director of the New Hampshire Office of State Planning and a Gulf of Maine Council member, also envisions the two entities as collaborators. "The Council views itself as a convener and facilitator so that di-verse groups can share information, concerns, and restoration techniques to assure a continuation of the relatively clean conditions present in the Gulf of Maine," he said. "To the extent that the Alliance can help us achieve our goals, particularly with respect to the non-governmental organization community, they will be a welcome partner," said Taylor. Julia Chadwick, of CCNB and E.C.O.Action, said the Alliance is already helping Moncton-area groups understand the Gulf-wide relevance of their issues, and has been able to provide them with greater access to resources than they would have on their own. |
||||||||||
Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine