Ocean Frontiers III Premiere, A Fabulous Ocean Celebration!
What a night it was! People from the Hampton Roads area in Virginia came out to attend the sold out, full house world premiere of Ocean Frontiers III: Leaders in Ocean Stewardship & the New Blue Economy. Chris Ludford, owner of Pleasure House Oysters, who is featured in the film, was shucking Lynnhaven oysters at the reception—yes, they were delicious! We watched the film in the awesome six-story tall National Geographic theater at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. As the filmmakers, there are always some premiere jitters, but the audience let us know they loved the film—they came away feeling inspired by the collaboration among so many ocean decision makers, industry leaders, scientists and citizens and loved learning about the many opportunities we have for improving our stewardship of the ocean.
After the film, our panel of ocean planning movie stars responded to questions from the audience. First and foremost, the panel made it clear that the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Action Plan is moving forward and implementation is getting underway. Our panel included Joe Atangan, U.S. Navy; Chris Scraba U.S. Coast Guard; Laura McKay, Virginia Coastal Zone Management; Chris Ludford, Pleasure House Oysters; and Matt Gove, Surfrider Foundation
Chris Scraba remarked, “Our Vice Commandant, Admiral Chuck Michel, has strongly indicated that the Coast Guard has been conducting the mission of protecting the environment and conducting smart ocean planning for many years. It’s an enduring mission to us as we protect the environment and maintain the security and safety of the homeland, and he says we’ll continue to do that because it’s not only the smart thing to do but the right thing to do.”
Joe Atangan said, “The Regional Planning Body is about communication, coordination, collaboration. We have connected agencies, states and tribes in a way that hadn’t been done before. In regard to how we move forward, I am quite optimistic. When we started this journey, there were a lot of concerns expressed by industry groups, fishermen and shipping groups and now surprisingly enough they are actually writing letters to the President supporting this initiative, so it’s quite a turnaround over the last four years since this planning process has started. That’s what gives me the optimism.”
People were very interested to learn about the Ocean Data Portals in the film, a central element of the ocean plans. And we encourage you to check out the Mid-Atlantic ocean data portal and the Northeast ocean data portal for a tour of the mind expanding information about how we use the ocean, plus vast amounts of marine life and habitat data now available to everyone.
The enthusiasm and dedication to ocean planning is inspiring. Thanks to the the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, our 18 co-hosts and the audience for making the Ocean Frontiers III premiere an unforgettable event celebrating our oceans.
“This is just the beginning of the inspirational events that will be facilitated by this great new film—congratulations Green Fire—and the Aquarium was very honored to serve as the host facility for its premiere.”
– Mark Swingle
Director of Research & Conservation, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
Upcoming Premieres and Screenings
Check out our calendar of upcoming screenings for more information on these dates!
Feb 22 – Ocean Frontiers II + Long Island Sound Blue Plan Event in Branford, CT
Feb 24 – Ocean Frontiers III Maine Premiere in Kennebunk, ME
Mar 2 – Ocean Frontiers III Rhode Island Premiere in Kingston, RI
Mar 5 – Ocean Frontiers III screening – Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, Eugene, OR
Mar 7 – Ocean Frontiers III screening – NOAA Science Seminar, Silver Spring, MD
Mar 9 – Ocean Frontiers III New Hampshire Premiere in Rye, NH
Mar 21 – Ocean Frontiers III screening in Belfast, ME
Apr 6 – Ocean Frontiers III New Jersey Premiere in West Long Branch, NJ
Apr 20 – Ocean Frontiers III screening in Chilmark, MA
Apr 22 – Ocean Frontiers III screening in Ship Bottom, NJ
Apr 25 – Ocean Frontiers III Connecticut Premiere in Groton, CT
May 4 – Ocean Frontiers III screening in Rockland, ME
We’re close to announcing dates in New York and Massachusetts. Keep an eye on our screenings calendar!
Plan a Screening
Don’t see a screening near you? Plan one for your community. We provide the film and planning resources at no cost. Not only can you help build momentum and public support for the new ocean plans as they begin to be implemented, events like these are also a fun and community building activity. They are perfect for a community gathering, monthly meetup, local library, lunchtime film in your office, and classrooms. Now more than ever we need to share these inspiring stories of our leaders who are reaching out across sectors to work together for the sake of our ocean and ocean economies. Learn more about bringing Ocean Frontiers to your community here.
Ocean Planning News
Ocean planning is moving forward around the country. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic released adoption documents for their regional ocean plans. The Pacific Islands Regional Planning Body held two meetings this month and the West Coast Regional Planning Body released its communications and engagement plan.
Wonder what you can do to further engagement in ocean planning?
Speak Up For Ocean Planning
Call, write, or visit your elected officials. You can find out who represents you and how to contact them here.
Tell them to support implementing the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast ocean plans as well as the work underway to create the West coast and Pacific Islands ocean plans.
Thanks for all you do!
Karen Anspacher-Meyer
Executive Director, Green Fire Productions
