2011

As crude oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico in the spring of 2010 and a tarry muck invaded estuaries and beaches along the coast, the former CEO of BP, Tony Hayward, proclaimed, “We will make this right.” This slogan, part of a $50 million public relations campaign, was a tough sell for a crisis without resolution in sight.

The media immediately cast a spotlight on the perceived failure of top leadership to accept responsibility and urgently find a solution. The explosion of the Deep Water Horizon drilling rig, and the subsequent leak, had unfolded into a circus of finger pointing, squandering our collective patience. From giant domes to underwater robots, unsuccessful attempts toengineer a workable solution cast doubt on the preparedness of those in charge. In a Washington Post poll a month and a half after the spill, 69% of Americans negatively rated the federal government’s response while BP’s response drew even broader criticism.

Frustration toward high-level decision-makers during the Gulf events called to mind reaction to the global irresolution on display in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009. As world leaders assembled to produce a binding international treaty to reduce the emissions that warm our planet, the world tuned in. But instead of forging collaboration on a global crisis, talks ended in contentious political gridlock.

When the public becomes disillusioned with their leaders’ inability to solve urgent problems, frustration can lead to desperation, and sometimes conflict. Consider the indigenous people of the Niger Delta, who have borne arms for decades against the corporate and government powers allegedly responsible for annual oil spills in their waters, similar in scope to that of the Gulf. These examples demonstrate the necessity of proactive and collaborative community-based action to effect positive environmental changes.

In the spring of 2010, the Maasai people of Kimana, Kenya achieved a workable solution to an environmental crisis that threatened their survival. In the wake of severe drought and the rapidly melting ice fields of Mount Kilimanjaro—a main water source—the Maasai gathered a cross-section of community organizations, including The SFS Center for Wildlife Management Studies, to enact a viable water management plan. Success in this case not only involved three years of comprehensive research and analysis but also accountability and participation at every level of society, from government officials and small business owners to irrigation canal foreman and school administrators.

In 2009, The SFS Center for Coastal Studies in Mexico was chosen to help lead a three-year restoration program for a protected marine reserve, set up as a no-fishing zone by the local Bahía Magdalena fishing community. Heavy fishing has resulted in a significant decrease in the annual catch of lobster and abalone by over 80% since the 1970’s. Together with various community organizations, SFS has provided specialized training to cooperative members on underwater techniques to monitor and evaluate the reserve, a first step toward the sustainable management of fisheries. These local community organizations have also provided SCUBA training to the children of cooperative members, hoping that someday they will be environmentally aware leaders within their own communities or abroad.

In the United States more than 14,000 SFS alumni from all walks of life are active members of their communities, tackling critical, local issues. They add their informed perspectives to discourse on a variety of global, environmental issues from climate change and deforestation to biodiversity loss and the degradation of marine resources.

As we mark the 30th anniversary of SFS, we salute the growing network of individuals and institutions addressing environmental crises that can often be overwhelming in complexity and scope. Those who join SFS in the field understand that in order to thrive within healthy ecosystems, accountability and a sense of environmental stewardship must exist throughout all levels of society.