Ocean Frontiers: The Dawn of a New Era in Ocean Stewardship will launch its national tour at a special event with Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, First Lady Cylvia Hayes, and a number of coastal leaders in Port Orford, Oregon on February 11 at the Savoy Theatre. Port Orford is featured in the film as a place where a local community has mobilized to manage and conserve ocean resources for today and for generations to come.

Green Fire Productions Executive Director and producer of Ocean Frontiers’ Karen Meyer stated, “We are excited to present the solution-oriented, bi-partisan stories of Ocean Frontiers to the American public. This documentary clearly conveys that people across the country want to work together to sustain their coastal and ocean economies that depend on a healthy ocean.”

Ocean Frontiers takes us on an inspiring, 80-minute voyage to seaports and watersheds across the country—from the busy shipping lanes of Boston Harbor to the small fishing community of Port Orford, Oregon; from the coral reefs in the Florida Keys, to the nation’s premier seafood nursery in the Mississippi Delta and the cornfields of Iowa. Here we meet an intermingling of unlikely allies, of industrial shippers and whale biologists, pig farmers and wetland ecologists, sport and commercial fishermen and snorkelers, and many more, all of them embarking on a new course of cooperation.

Leesa Cobb, Executive Director of the Port Orford Ocean Resource Team stated, “We are working hard to ensure our natural resource-based community will thrive into the future, and this is only possible with a healthy coastal environment that provides the jobs that support this community. We are proud to be featured in the film, and to co-host the world premiere of Ocean Frontiers together with twelve local organizations plus our elected local and state leaders.”

First Lady Cylvia Hayes said, “The new approaches to ocean management through the national ocean policy recognize and encourage state and regional ocean leadership – from the Gulf of Mexico to New England, from the Florida Keys to the West coast.”

Hayes added, “Oregon is a leader in innovative approaches to ocean and coastal management. Oregon’s Territorial Sea Plan and the West Coast Governors Alliance on Ocean Health put us on the path to promote our natural resources industries in a way that is economically and environmentally sustainable.”

Governor Kitzhaber and First Lady Hayes will be joined by Port Orford Mayor Jim Auborn, Curry County Commissioner David Itzen, and Oregon State Representatives Wayne Krieger (R-Gold Beach) and Arnie Roblan (D-Coos Bay) to celebrate the official premiere of Ocean Frontiers.

Oregon’s first two marine reserves began operating earlier this year, and they will provide important information about the economic and ecological effects of this new management tool. State Representative Wayne Krieger, a strong supporter of Port Orford’s groundbreaking ecosystem-based work was instrumental in securing the funds for the new Redfish Rocks science facility from the Oregon Legislature. He recently stated, “The benefit of the marine reserve will be in the science that will help us better manage our ocean resources.”

Film Premiere:
Saturday, February 11, 2012, 5:00-7:00pm at the Savoy Theatre. Doors open 4:30pm.
Tickets cost $10. Must purchase tickets online at: www.oceanfrontiersportorford.eventbrite.com

Reception to Follow:
7:30pm at the Community Building (21+ only)

Sunday Matinee Tickets also Available:
Sunday, February 12, 2012, 4:00-6:00pm at the Savoy Theatre.
Tickets cost $5. Purchase at door or online at: www.oceanfrontiersportorford.eventbrite.com

Event Presented By:
Port Orford Ocean Resource Team, City of Port Orford, South Coast Watersheds Council, Port Orford Sustainable Seafood, Redfish Rocks Community Team, Friends of Elk River, Cape Blanco Challenge, Elk River Land Trust, Port Orford Main Street Revitalization Association, Sustainable Land Development Initiative, Ocean Mountain Ranch, Surfrider Foundation & Green Fire Productions.