We organized a second Upwell conference this year.  It was co-hosted by Azul, Center for American Progress, and Urban Ocean Lab, was supported by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, Green 2.0, and the Ocean Defense Initiative, and  made possible by funding from Mosaic, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Oceankind, the Walton Family Foundation, and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.  I had the honor to introduce our keynote speaker, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.  Here are my remarks:  Hafa adai. Happy Ocean Week! Happy Pride! I also want to welcome all of you to Upwell 2024 It’s an honor to stand before you today as we gather to discuss critical issues related to our oceans and their future My name is Angelo Villagomez and I am thrilled to be your MC today Upwell 2024 is not just another conference – it is a movement. A wave of change that seeks to address the inequities that have plagued our ocean for far too long. As we gather here, we r

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland at Upwell 2024 I joined the Center for American Progress in November 2021 and have been able to use that platform to advocate for better management of the Mariana Trench -- and many other marine protected areas in the United States. On June 4, during the Upwell 2024 conference held at the Center for American Progress, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would soon implement final management plans for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument and the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument. In response, I issued the following statement : "These two marine monuments were designated during the Bush and Obama administrations, but their management plans have languished in bureaucratic limbo for years. This announcement is a critical step toward achieving effective management for huge swaths of protected waters in the United States and protecting 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. Together, t

Edz at the 2016 DNC in Philadelphia I don't usually ask friends for money on the Internet -- unless it's to purchase lottery tickets  -- but Edz and I are hoping to attend the Democratic National Convention this year and flights and hotels in Chicago are expensive. Would you be willing to donate $10 to support our participation?  We can accept donations via PayPal , Venmo , and CashApp .  To show our gratitude, I'll send everyone who donates at least $10 one of these limited edition retro Northern Mariana Islands donkey buttons.  The logo is from my run for Saipan mayor  in 2009, and features a donkey wearing a mwaar.   Everyone who donates $10 will receive one of these limited edition buttons Please make the donation using one of the apps listed above and then send me an email with your physical mailing address at angelovillagomez at gmail dot com.  I'll send you a button in the mail. DONATE USING  PayPal DONATE USING  Venmo DONATE USING  CashApp This will be our secon