October 18, 1986

1986

A group of Cordova fishermen, scientists and resource managers begin sharing bad coffee and exploring a question: What can we do to better understand this globally-relevant […]
October 19, 1988

1988

Local leaders commit to develop a community-based organization as a repository for knowledge gained from nearly 30 million acres of coastline, wetlands, estuaries, mountains, rivers and […]
March 19, 1989

1989

Exxon Valdez runs aground on Bligh Reef, spilling more than 11 million gallons of crude into Prince William Sound and forever altering the environment and fishery.
April 22, 1989

Earth Day 1989

Legal papers for the creation of the Prince William Sound Science Center are filed. The City of Cordova offers us a $1-per-year lease on an icehouse […]
October 19, 1990

1990

Our nonprofit subsidiary, the Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) is created via provisions in the Oil Pollution Act.
October 19, 1993

1993

Sixty commercial fishing boats blockade the Valdez narrows, stopping oil tanker traffic and demand more effort and funding for failed fish runs, especially pink salmon and […]
October 19, 1995

1995-2005

Research programs expand as this place is recognized as a global environmental stronghold critical to a thriving planet. The PWSSC budget averages $2.8 million, with average […]
October 19, 2010

2010

The PWSSC purchases the 39-foot research vessel New Wave for surveys in Prince William Sound and the North Gulf of Alaska. Funding for herring research and […]
October 19, 2012

2012

The PWSSC partners with NASA and USGS to look at carbon and glaciers in the face of climate change. This region drains an area over 7.3 […]
October 19, 2013

2013

The PWSSC begins long-term research into one of the world’s keystone species – wild Pacific salmon – and their interactions with hatchery fish. Our unique location […]
October 19, 2014

2014

Education programs continue to grow. Oil spill curriculum, marine robotics, “Field Notes” radio programs, our Tuesday night lecture series, Discovery Room programs for the grade school, […]
October 19, 2015

2015

After decades of work, we dive deeper into the topic of resilience – what it means, and what it takes to model it here and everywhere. […]