Updated as of April 7, 2008

When:	June 3, 4 & 5, 2008
Where:	Reserve Officers Association Fifth Floor One Constitution Avenue, N.E. Washington, D.C. (Unless otherwise noted)
What:	Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2008 (June 3-5) brings together a wide-range of stakeholders to discuss current ocean and coastal issues. Panel speakers include Members of Congress, as well as representatives of the federal and state government, industry, academia, and nonprofits. This year, the symposium will focus on the effects of climate change on the oceans. Topics include the state of the science (acidification, habitats), impacts (to natural resources, to humans), and solutions (sequestration, ocean observations, alternative/cleaner energy), as well as legislative updates. In conjunction with Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2008, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF) is planning its Annual Leadership Awards Dinner on June 3, 2008. The NMSF will present its Leadership Award to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senator Barbara Mikulski (invited) and its Lifetime Achievement Award to Jean-Michel Cousteau (confirmed) and Dr. Sylvia Earle (confirmed). In addition, the NMSF Volunteer of the Year Award will be presented at this event.
Topics:	Climate Change and the Ocean: What Does the State of the Science Tell Us? Coral Reef Conservation: Challenges, Opportunities, & Innovative Solutions Mermaids and Marine Debris: A Campaign to Keep Oceans Clean Ocean Health, Human Health: What’s on the Horizon and What can we do About it in the Face of Climate Change? Aquaculture: Understanding the Key Challenges of Sustainability Climate Change Throughout the Watershed: From Upstream Adaptation to Ocean Mitigation Mitigation Options: Working to Reduce the Effects of Climate Change on the Ocean A Decade of Successful Ocean Partnerships: The National Oceanographic Partnership Program Charting the Course: A conversation with Ocean Policymakers”
Hosts:	Coordinated by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2008 is made possible through the generous support of our sponsors. Click here for Sponsor List.

Agenda
Tuesday, June 3
2:00pm - 3:00pm	Welcome and Keynote Address Keynote Speakers
3:00pm - 5:00pm	Climate Change and the Ocean: What Does the State of the Science Tell Us? Panelists will discuss climate change and ocean issues from the perspectives of the science necessary to evaluate specific impacts due to sea level rise, increasing acidification, long-term effects on the supply and quality of fresh waters supporting coastal habitats and biota, and other issues. This panel is sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Panelist Information and Presentations
6:00pm - 9:30pm	Sixth Annual National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Leadership Awards Dinner Atrium Ballroom, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC Tickets available for $250. Call 301-608-3040 ext. 2 to purchase tickets.

Wednesday, June 4
9:00am - 11:00am	Coral Reef Conservation: Challenges, Opportunities, & Innovative Solutions The most pressing challenges to the long-term conservation of coral reefs are multi-faceted in nature requiring collaborative effort at global and local scales.  Panelists will discuss potential avenues for coordination and collaboration to conserve and better understand our nation’s valuable coral reef ecosystems. This panel is sponsored by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Panelist Information and Presentations
11:00am - 11:30am	Break
11:30am - 1:15pm	Luncheon Senate Hart Office Building, Room 902 Mermaids and Marine Debris: A Campaign to Keep Oceans Clean Panelists will discuss state-of-the-art marine debris clean up efforts and the progress that is being made through public and private sector partnerships.  In addition, the latest public service announcement campaign using Ariel, the Little Mermaid, will be unveiled. This panel is sponsored by the Keep Oceans Clean Alliance Panelist Information and Presentations
1:15pm - 1:30pm	Break
1:30pm - 3:30pm	Ocean Health, Human Health: What’s on the Horizon and What can we do about it in the Face of Climate Change? Panelists will discuss the need to ensure robust coastal ecosystems are in place as a strategy for adapting to climate change in the ocean and for protecting humans and other species in the web of ocean life. This panel is sponsored by the Conservation Law Foundation   Panelist Information and Presentations
3:30pm - 3:45pm	Break
3:45pm - 5:30pm	Aquaculture: Understanding the Key Challenges for Sustainability Panelists will examine some of the key sustainability challenges of the rapidly-growing aquaculture industry and will highlight the latest thinking on best-practices for environmentally-responsible aquaculture, especially in light of the oceans’ diminished ability to meet the demand for seafood due to overexploitation and climate change. This panel is sponsored by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Panelist Information and Presentations
Thursday, June 5
9:00am - 10:30am	Climate Change Throughout the Watershed: From Upstream Adaptation to Ocean Mitigation Panelists will discuss mitigation and adaptation strategies to address different, yet inter-related, climate change impacts on fresh and salt-water ecosystems (upstream, estuarine, nearshore/coastal, and marine) and human uses associated with each. This panel is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
10:30am - 10:45pm	Break
10:45pm - 12:15pm	Mitigation Options: Working to Reduce the Effects of Climate Change on the Ocean Individuals, communities, government and industries each have an important role to play in mitigating the effects of climate change. Panelists will discuss actions that can be taken at each level to help reduce the effects of climate change.
12:15pm - 12:30pm	Break
12:30pm - 2:00pm	Luncheon Senate Hart Office Building, Room 902 A Decade of Successful Ocean Partnerships: The National Oceanographic Partnership Program NOPP facilitates interactions among federal agencies, academia and industry; increases visibility for ocean issues on the national agenda; and achieves a higher level of coordinated effort across the broad oceanographic community. Highlighting the importance of partnerships to our ocean’s future, speakers will showcase ten years of meaningful interagency, community-wide collaboration, including the ocean’s role in global climate change. This panel is sponsored by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program.
2:00pm - 2:30pm	Break
2:30pm - 4:30pm	Reserve Officers Association, 5th Floor, One Constitution Avenue, NE, Washington, DC Charting the Course: A Conversation with Ocean Policymakers This session will involve staff from presidential candidates and congressional committees who will share their thoughts on ocean-related priorities in 2009 and beyond. This panel is sponsored by the Pew Environment Group

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