Politics Tuesday: Can Ocean Conservation Outrun Ocean Decline?

Posted by Dr. David Wilmot, dave@oceanchampions.org

I just arrived in Washington, DC. I'm back for another round of meetings with members of Congress (and to attend fundraisers for a couple Ocean Champions.) As the plane touched down, I found my thoughts drifting from Capitol Hill back to the North Shore of O'ahu.

I recently returned from a trip to Hawaii (a little work and a lot of play), where some local activists inspired me. A small group of individuals have spent the past 22 years fighting to protect a swath of land that sits above Sunset Beach and Pipeline on O'ahu's famed North Shore. If you have ever walked, surfed or swam on the North Shore, you likely admired the largely undeveloped coastal bluffs above the beaches. This land is now protected permanently against development. The nearly 1,200 acres known as Pupukea-Paulamu will continue to dominate the landscape and provide a buffer for the coastal ocean. This is an impressive victory!

I had the privilege of spending some time with the leaders of the North Shore Community Land Trust and their partners who made this a reality. I don't presume to claim I know these folks or fully understand their fight, yet two things caught my attention. First, they ran a smart, strategic campaign that included the necessary ingredients of communications, grassroots, and political action.

They did their homework. First, they found out the land owners were big Jack Johnson fans. They asked Jack, who grew up and lives on the North Shore, to help cement the relationship with the land owners and this ultimately sealed the deal. Second, these North Shore activists were tenacious fighters. Their victory crossed generations and took over 2 decades.

It was exciting to meet these activists and help celebrate their victory. Yet, the length of their fight made me wonder whether or not we are moving fast enough to save the oceans? In our effort to build political champions, I often counsel patience, because a major part of building champions is building the relationships. Relationships take time.

Can the oceans survive while we take decades to make the changes needed to ensure healthy and thriving oceans? Is there a way to speed up the process? Any thoughts?

Too bad we can't create instant Ocean Champions - Just add seawater.