AWRTA is pleased to announce that it has appointed Cathy Hart for a second term as its representative on the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council (PWSRCAC). 
 
New members may not be aware that AWRTA represents regional tourism interests on PWSRCAC, which was created after the Exxon Valdez oil spill by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.  PWSRCAC is a non-profit industry “watch dog” that is committed to promoting environmentally safe operation of the Alyeska Pipeline marine terminal in Valdez and the oil tankers that use it. 

Among other activities, PWSRCAC comments on and participates in monitoring and assessing the environmental, social, and economic consequences of oil transportation activities, including oil spill prevention and and response plans and the actual and potential environmental impacts of terminal and tanker operations.  The advisory committee is made up of representatives from 19 organizations. 

Cathy Hart is a long-time member and supporter of AWRTA.  She is an Anchorage-based freelance tourism professional.   Cathy is retired from the Alaska Marine Highway where she spent 32 years serving local, commercial, military, group tour, and tourism customers.  She is an avid sea kayaker, rafter, skier, and photographer and lives in Anchorage with her husband, Eric Downey, and their two dogs, Sunny and Niki.  Cathy has represented AWRTA on PWSRCAC since 2008.

Dear AWRTA Members and Supporters:

We are writing to thank you for your interest in Tourism and Mining:  Opportunities and Risks for Bristol Bay.  Unfortunately, mid May is a very busy time for many of our business members and the organizers have made the difficult decision to cancel the conference–at least for now.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.    

On the positive side, the conference theme has generated a lot of good discussion both within the tourism industry and among other industry groups.  Over the course of the next several months we hope to continue the dialogue and perhaps focus this interest in an event this fall when schedules are a little more open.

Thank you for your support and please contact the AWRTA board with any suggestions or thoughts you might have with respect to the future of tourism and mining in Bristol Bay.

For those of you who have already registered, your registration fee will be automatically refunded via PayPal.  

AWRTA Board of Directors