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PORTLAND - The state of the coasts and what changes in population, climate, and environment are likely to bring in the next 100 years is the focus of "Coasts at the Millennium" the seventeenth biennial conference of the Coastal Society.

Designed for everyone from researchers to public officials to community members, the conference runs Sunday, June 9, through Wednesday, June 12, at the Portland Marriott Downtown. For more information, see the conference web site or contact conference coordinator, Laurie Jodice, at [email protected] or 541-737-1340. Registration is available at the door. Fees are $105 for single-day registration or $315 for the entire conference.

"The conference is aimed at coastal and ocean management professionals, public officials, citizen activists and others interested in learning more about the challenges facing coasts and the people who live, work, and visit there," said James Good, an Oregon State University professor of oceanic and atmospheric sciences and conference co-chair.

"More than 160 conference participants will make presentations on a broad range of coastal topics, from restoring habitat and cleaning up water pollution on the lower Columbia River, to sustainable hazards mitigation, to the underwater archeological preservation of ancient Alexandria, Egypt," he said.

"Topics will be examined in detail, including technical and interactive sessions."

Three field trips and two special workshops are scheduled for Sunday, July 9. On Thursday, July 13, there will be another workshop on invasive species in ship ballast water.

Speakers include Dee Hock, founder and coordinating director of the Chaordic Alliance, and founder and retired chief executive officer of VISA International. The Chaordic Alliance works to link people and organizations throughout the world to develop more effective and equitable concepts of commercial, political, and social organization .

The conference is also the kick-off for a new regional Cascadia Chapter of the Coastal Society, with a Tuesday evening reception at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Anyone interested in ocean and coastal issues in the Pacific Northwest is encouraged to attend the reception, Good said. Conference sponsors include OSU's College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon Sea Grant, Microsoft Corp., the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Puget Sound National Estuary Project and the U.S. Geological Survey. The Coastal Society is an organization of private sector, academic, and government professionals and students working to address emerging coastal issues by fostering dialogue, forging partnerships, and promoting communication and education. More information is available at their web site http://www.thecoastalsociety.org.