Alicia Billings
Alicia started her observing career in the North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program in 2001. For the next 5 years, she returned to Bering Sea, completing contracts on longliners and trawl vessels. Between contracts, she enjoyed her flexibility by taking land positions with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in Nebraska and the United States Forestry Service in Oregon. Her experiences in Oregon left an impression, and she decided to join the West Coast Observer Program in 2007 out of Port Orford, Oregon.During her first contract, she put together an online survey that would retain the anonymity of the user while gathering useful information for the program. Because of the success of the survey project, Alicia decided to use her hobby to build web pages for others. In November of 2007, she started her own web design business, winning contracts from friends, family, and the Chamber of Commerce of Port Orford. She hopes to use this skill to increase the effectiveness of the APO through the website by updating the look and technology of the site.
Increasing the availability of data is one of Alicia's major goals. The lack of data sharing is a big oversight in the scientific world, and she hopes to help bridge the gap between federal and state regulatory agency information at the ground level.
Contact Alicia at aliciabillings@gmail.com