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Monday, June 2, 2003 Are we forgetting how the oceans used to look? Public Forum at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Addresses Shifting Baselines and the Declining State of the Oceans Event set to coincide with the national release of the Pew Oceans Commission landmark report. Scripps Institution of Oceanography / University of California, San Diego What: The Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography will host a public forum highlighting Shifting Baselines, a unique partnership of scientists, environmental groups, and Hollywood, dedicated to increasing public awareness about the deteriorating state of the world's oceans. The Shifting Baselines project was launched to communicate to the broad public a clear description of the decline of the world's oceans. The event, which also will include the official opening of the Shifting Baselines display at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, will address the science underlying the question: "Are we forgetting how our oceans used to look?"Who: The event's featured speaker is Scripps Professor Jeremy Jackson, a distinguished marine ecologist and founding member of the Shifting Baselines project. Jackson recently led a landmark scientific study on marine ecosystem collapse that garnered worldwide attention. He has spent more than three decades studying coral reefs in the Caribbean and is now actively communicating the threats they face. When: Wednesday, June 4, 6-9 p.m. The evening includes a reception and display viewing, followed by a presentation by Jeremy Jackson and a public forum that will include a roundtable discussion with panelists from a variety of backgrounds, including science, ocean conservancy, government, and entertainment. Where: The Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla, Calif. Why: The Shifting Baselines public forum is being coordinated in conjunction with the national release of the Pew Oceans Commission report outlining major policy recommendations for the governance of the oceans. It is the first comprehensive review of U.S. ocean policy since 1969. The Birch Aquarium at Scripps invites you to cover this important event. # # # NOTE: The public is invited to participate in the event. Suggested donation is $10. Seats are limited. Call 858/534-5873 for more information. (Information for members of the media: 858/534-3624). # # # Note to broadcast and cable producers: University of California, San Diego provides an on-campus satellite uplink facility for live or pre-recorded television interviews. Please phone or e-mail the media contact listed above to arrange an interview. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at University of California, San Diego, is one of the oldest, largest and most important centers for global science research and education in the world. The National Research Council has ranked Scripps first in faculty quality among oceanography programs nationwide. Now in its second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system. Hundreds of research programs covering a wide range of scientific areas are under way today in 65 countries. The institution has a staff of about 1,300, and annual expenditures of approximately $155 million from federal, state and private sources. Scripps operates one of the largest U.S. academic fleets with four oceanographic research ships and one research platform for worldwide exploration. |
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