Co-chairs Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman, State Controller Steve Westly, and Secretary for Environmental Protection Linda Adams invite you to join us for California and the World Ocean '06 (CWO '06)! For the fourth time in our state’s history, California plans to convene the international conference called California and the World Ocean. The conference will take place September 17-20, in Long Beach, California.  With this event, California will bring together representatives from all states, including 35 coastal states, academia, government, industry, and the public to positively influence the course of ocean and coastal protection.

The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission have documented that our nation’s oceans and coastlines are in trouble. They have developed hundreds of recommendations for improvement.  In response, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger released one of the most forward-looking state ocean action plans in the nation, Protecting Our Ocean: California’s Action Strategy. The California Ocean Protection Council has made substantial advancements in implementing that plan.  New state ocean strategies and management councils are being formed around the nation to respond.  This conference will emphasize the need for California, other states, and even other countries to move from planning for future action, to taking action.  The conference will emphasize the connection between land and sea and will identify actions from our watersheds to the deep ocean waters off our coast.

The California Ocean Protection Council will open this conference with a new vision for action to protect and manage our ocean and coastal resources.  The conference will focus on evaluating our achievements since the release of the U.S. Ocean Commission report, and on the necessary steps for moving forward.  Although the call for papers is focused on California, much of this input will also apply to state, regional, national, and international levels.  Past conferences have attracted participants from throughout California, the United States, and as many as seven other nations.  We anticipate as many as 1,000 participants.

This conference is the continuation of a state-sponsored conference of the same name first held more than 40 years ago and again in 1997 and 2002.  Since the 1964 conference, California's population has grown from 18 million to more than 35 million.  By 2025, 75 percent of California's population is projected to live in coastal counties.  These population trends are similar to those occurring throughout the United States and in other coastal locations throughout the world.  Our growing population is bringing about additional pressures on resources that will require new and innovative approaches for management.  This conference will help us take the next steps.

We invite you to join us for this event in Long Beach.  CWO '06 will include plenary sessions, panels, and paper presentations.  Poster sessions, workshops, exhibits, field trips, and social gatherings will also help foster a fruitful exchange of information and ideas.

Please plan to join us in September. You don't want to miss this important event!