Michael LeVine
Pacific Senior Counsel
Juneau, AK, USA
As I write this, I am riding the Fairweather, one of the Alaska Marine Highway System’s fast ferries, along the beautiful Lynn Canal on my way from Juneau to Haines, Alaska. I’ve spent the past hour alternately scanning the water for humpback whales or Steller sea lions and looking out to sheer mountains, blue glaciers, and the lush forest. It is difficult to tear myself away to write, but because I am lucky enough to live in this marine wonderland, I have the luxury to spend a few minutes describing its beauty. Of all the places I’ve lived, none are as intimately tied to the oceans as this part of Alaska. Fish—five kinds of salmon, halibut, rockfish, ling cod, and others—dominate our summer conversations. We spend countless hours kayaking to islands, camping on beaches, and trying to stay in the warm top six inches of the ocean when swimming. We don’t do these things because we work to protect the oceans; we do them because that is part of life here. The threats—pollution, acidification, noise—are at the forefront of our minds, and I feel fortunate every day to be a part of my work. I greatly enjoy diving, snorkeling, and swimming in warmer oceans, and I will be the first to admit a great weakness for sea shells. Nowhere I’ve been, though, inspires me like Alaska.
