Ashley Simons Knauss Fellow, 1999

by Ashley Simons

Soon after the California Sea Grant Program nominated me for the Knauss Fellowship, I became one of 30 finalists from around the nation who met in Washington D.C. to interview with potential hosts.

When I returned to California after the interview week, I was both exhausted and excited. Exhausted because of the overwhelming rush of activity during the week: scurrying to over 17 interviews in three days; running (literally, in a business suit!) around Washington, D.C. to be on time for back-to-back interviews; making a job decision based on half-hour discussions; spending every free minute talking to past Fellows or friends, trying to glean all of the advice I could. Exhausted. Excited, too. After the long week, all of the finalists had found positions, and I was looking forward to my new job, not that I knew a great deal about it.

I knew that I would be working with the U.S. territories on coral conservation, but as to the specifics of my job description, I really didn't know much. Karen Koltes, the woman who would be my supervisor, was enthusiastic and fun. The job seemed to provide ample opportunities for working with people from different federal agencies, and I felt I would get the kind of exposure to marine policy that I wanted.

Having a supportive supervisor turned out to be the most important aspect of my Fellowship. Over the year, Karen provided me with phenomenal opportunities. Within a few weeks of beginning work, I was attending a conference in Hawaii and participating in local-level coral reef monitoring in American Samoa.

As the year progressed, I became heavily involved in the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force: contributing to its Ecosystem Science and Conservation and Outreach and Education working groups; working with a small team that combined all the Task Force recommendations into the National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs; and serving as a liaison between federal and island representatives.

I also worked with local-level coral reef scientists and managers in American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to help develop and implement their islands' priorities for coral reef protection.

In the context of coral reef conservation, I was exposed to policy decision making at a variety levels, from the Secretary of the Department of the Interior to the coastal zone managers in the island territories.

Throughout my fellowship year I had the chance to observe the interactions, relationships, and personalities of federal agencies that work on marine-related issues, as well as the dynamic between local and federal resources specialists. This experience helped me understand the roles of different government agencies in setting and implementing marine conservation policies.

I had no idea how large some of the federal agencies were, nor the vast array of areas in which they work. Similarly, I did not even know the exact location of U.S. territorial islands, much less what type of relationships they had with the federal government.

Because of the cooperative, inter-agency nature of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, I worked with individuals from 11 different federal agencies, as well as representatives from the state and territorial coastal protection offices. I gained a much better understanding of how different agencies'mandates and priorities affect their operations, as well as which organizations I might be interested in working with in the future.

Amidst all of this exposure, I also had the freedom to pursue issues and subjects that were of personal interest to me. As part of the Coral Reef Task Force's marine protected area team, I interviewed managers to create a database of the habitats, regulations, and effectiveness of coral reef marine protected areas (MPAs) in the U.S. I also helped spearhead an effort to add recommendations on coral reef outreach and education programs to the National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs. Through these projects, I had the opportunity to do in-depth work in specific areas. The work increased my own knowledge about the conditions, successes, and failures of both coral reef MPAs and coral reef outreach programs in the U.S.

I was able to contribute to national policy recommendations on these issues, which was an exciting and rewarding experience. In addition, I had the chance to get involved in the process of turning these recommendations into actions. Another positive part of my Fellowship year was the interaction I had with people within the marine policy community. While there are always certain individuals with whom it is difficult to work, I found that the vast majority of my co-workers in coral reef issues were extremely enthusiastic, bright, and hard working.

I have memories of running down the halls of our building at 2 a.m., adding last-minute changes to our marine protected area paper that everyone had, finally, agreed upon; printing out the final version of our paper in a punchy, middle-of-the-night mood. These occasional all-nighters were not the result of many months of procrastination (as, I have to admit, several of my late nights in graduate school were) but the pure dedication of the people involved.

I had expected to find stereotypical federal employees. Instead, I found a group of energetic individuals who cared deeply about coral reef resources and their own work to help protect these ecosystems. Local level marine managers in the insular areas have the same passion, and their steadfast commitment and devotion to coral reef conservation have been inspirational. When I look back over the year, I feel lucky to have had such an incredible experience.

I traveled to Palau, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, and Florida. I completed in-depth work on issues that were especially interesting to me, felt that I contributed to policies that have the potential to affect the future of marine resources, and met many interesting and encouraging people along the way. On top of it all, just living in D.C. has been a fun experience, filled with political exposure and exciting cultural opportunities.

When I applied for the Knauss Sea Grant Fellowship, I already knew that I was interested in marine conservation. I wasn't sure, however, whether I wanted to pursue this field from a research perspective or from the public policy world. I thought that after a year of experience in marine policy (and what better place to gain this experience than in D.C.), I would have a clear-cut view of my future career path. My Knauss Fellowship year did not bring my career path into a straight line with clearly marked road signs. I still am unsure of my exact career destination, but I have a much better idea of the types of opportunities available in marine policy. The Fellowship was a fabulous opportunity, bringing me one turn closer to choosing the road that will best fit my skills and interests.