e-Newsletter October 2017
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Congratulations to Our Photo Contest Winners!
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Under 18 Best in Show
Cory Diaz
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18 & Over Best in Show
Joe Meiman
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The Gulf of Mexico Alliance conducted a photo contest this fall. Over 200 outstanding images were submitted. We can't thank our volunteer judges enough. The rest of the winners will be showcased over the following weeks via our social media.
See all the winning entries.
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 GOMA Priority Issue Team Mid-Year Meetings
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance Priority Issue Teams are holding individual team mid-year meetings over the next few months. The one or two-day meetings are intended to give the Teams an opportunity to work more closely on specific projects related to Action Plan III.
November 13 - 15: Coastal Resilience Team Fall Meeting
February 7, 2018: Wildlife and Fisheries (in conjunction with GoMOSES)
February 8, 2018: Habitat Resources (in conjunction with GoMOSES)
Data and Monitoring, Education and Engagement, and Water Resources are in the planning stages.
Contact your Team's Coordinator for details.
If you are looking for other events, scroll through our events calendar for these and other upcoming activities.
Visit our Events page
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New paper offers strategies for managing 45 important coastal species in the face of environmental changes
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USFWS Mangrove Forest
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A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have synthesized existing information on ecological thresholds related to environmental changes for 45 species of coastal fish, wildlife, and plants. The selected species are ecologically, economically, and culturally important. Published in Ocean & Coastal Management, the new paper "A synthesis of thresholds for focal species along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts" offers insights on strategies for managing coastal resources to help managers make effective decisions today to protect natural systems that sustain wildlife and the health and well-being of people and communities.
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Restoration without Borders
New Report Assesses Cumulative Stressors
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USFWS Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
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The Ocean Conservancy recently released the report, "Restoration without borders: An assessment of cumulative stressors to guide large-scale, integrated restoration of sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico." This study represents a process for visualizing sources of impact to marine resources within the context of a multi-stressor environment. The visualization used helps identify areas where loss may be greatest throughout the range of the species or habitat and areas with relatively low degradation that may warrant protections from projected impacts.
The assessment could be useful in restoration discussions for how to determine coordinated actions across multiple jurisdictions, and how to track long-term programmatic effectiveness.
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Restoration
Activities related to Deepwater Horizon oil spill research and restoration are updated monthly.
U.S. Department of Treasury - All RESTORE Act Direct Component activities administered by the Department of Treasury are listed on the official website.
In the States
Florida - The
Gulf Consortium
prepared a pre-draft State of Florida State Expenditure Plan (SEP) and discussed it at their September 27th Board Meeting. The pre-draft is available in the archived meeting materials.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) also maintains a
website of related information.
Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., is a nonprofit corporation organized to oversee the expenditure of 75 percent of all funds recovered by the Florida attorney general for economic damages to the state that resulted from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This month they created a pre-application process to provide initial consideration for potential projects. View this and other activity here.
Alabama - On September 27th, the
Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (AGCRC) made available State Expenditure Plan Project Selection Process documents and the Direct Component RFE Project Evaluation Form, Subrecipient Questionnaire, and related FAQs.
Get information on this and other AGCRC activities on their website.
Mississippi - MDEQ is planning the Mississippi Restoration Summit for November 14, 2017 at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum and Convention Center.
To read about this and other Mississippi activities visit
Making Mississippi Whole
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Louisiana - The State of Louisiana is represented by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) on state and RESTORE Council activities. Restoration activities are conducted in conjunction with the State's Master Plan. C
oastal Louisiana restoration updates are available on the
CPRA website.
Texas - The Texas Trustee agencies (GLO, TPWD and TCEQ) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) are in the process of reviewing projects for the 2017 funding cycle from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. Award announcements are anticipated for November 2017. All Deepwater Horizon related Texas restoration activities can be found on
www.restorethetexascoast.org.
NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program -
Updates and information on this program are found their dedicated website.
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Gulf Research Program -
Announcements and activities related to Gulf of Mexico research and restoration can be found on the Gulf Research Program
website
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Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) -
The NRDA Trustees will hold a public meeting on November 30, 2017 in Mobile, Alabama at the Renaissance Riverview Plaza. They will provide an update on their work since the BP settlement, and describe restoration planning activities and opportunities for public engagement. Representatives of the seven Trustee Implementation Groups (TIGs) will give updates. TIG activity this month:
- The Alabama TIG is making changes to the Research and Education Center element of the Phase III Early Restoration Gulf State Park Enhancement Project for relocation to a better site near the park headquarters.
- In September, the Florida TIG announced the drafting of both the second phase of the Florida Coastal Access Project and the first post settlement restoration plan to address natural resource injuries from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Drafts are expected for release in early 2018. In October, they kicked off the Destin, Florida Norriego Point project. The project aims to stabilize and revitalize the recreational area.
- The Louisiana TIG began the process of drafting a Deepwater Horizon restoration plan to address lost recreational opportunities and nutrient reduction (nonpoint source). A draft restoration plan and associated environmental analyses is anticipated in mid-2018
- The Mississippi TIG will hold its annual public meeting on November 14, 2017 in Biloxi, Mississippi. It will be held in conjunction with the Restoration Summit.
- The Texas TIG this month released its first Restoration Plan this month. It includes 13 projects on oyster restoration and habitat engineering, construction, and acquisition. Projects will take place in Galveston, Corpus Christi, and Matagorda Bay areas; and Sabine Lake and Lower Laguna Madre areas.
- The Open Ocean TIG made changes to the Ocean Fish Restoration Project. These include adding two alternative fishing methods to the project beginning in 2018.
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)
This month NFWF announced awards in their "Five Star and Urban Waters" program and Monarch Butterfly Conservation fund. Awards were made in Gulf Coast states. The NFWF
website has information on all funded projects with a map of all their programs worldwide.
North American Conservation Wetlands Act fund (NAWCA) - Grant deadlines and other information are available on the
NAWCA website. A meta-database is available to
search for previous awards.
Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) - The 2018 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference will be February 5-8, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. Organizers are soliciting for tools and applications for demonstration during their
2nd Annual Data Tools Café to be held on February 6th. Check the website for details. Get comprehensive information on GoMRI at
gulfresearchinitiative.org.
Visit the Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker Story Map.
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Funding
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance maintains a Funding Opportunities web page of current opportunities. Below are selected opportunities from that page.
Link to Funding Opportunities page
NOAA Marine Debris Program
Marine Debris Removal grant
-- This opportunity provides funding to support projects that will create long-term, quantifiable ecological habitat improvements for NOAA trust resources through on-the-ground marine debris removal activities, with priority for those targeting derelict fishing gear and other medium- and large-scale debris. The deadline is November 1, 2017.
NOAA Fisheries Southeast Region Gulf of Mexico
Bay-Watershed Education and Training (Gulf B-WET) Program - The B-WET program is an environmental education program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 environment. Funded projects provide meaningful watershed educational experiences (MWEEs) for students, related professional development for teachers, and help to support regional education and environmental priorities in the Gulf of Mexico. The deadline is November 3, 2017.
DHS FEMA
FY17 Pre-Disaster Mitigation - The Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program makes available Federal funds to State, Local and Tribal Governments to implement and sustain cost-effective measures designed to reduce the risk to individuals and property from natural hazards, while also reducing reliance on Federal funding from future disasters. The deadline is November 14, 2017.
EPA FY18
Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) Grants - This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits proposals from eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, to deliver Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training programs that recruit, train, and place local, unemployed and under-employed residents with the skills needed to secure full-time employment in the environmental field. The deadline is December 15, 2017.
Science and Restoration
Funding Calendar
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Comment Periods
Click here to request a comment period to be shared in our next newsletter.
NOAA NMFS Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic:
Shrimp Fishery of Gulf of Mexico; Amendment 17B - this proposed rule involves Federal Gulf shrimp reserve pool permits. The deadline to comment is November 3, 2017.
NOAA NMFS publishes its proposed
List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2018, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The LOF for 2018 reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine mammals. The deadline for comment is November 13, 2017.
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has an updated website. Improvements make finding fish regulations, amendments, and meetings much easier. Check their
Amendments Under Development for updates on Red Snapper, Greater Amberjack, fishing quota, and other pertinent fishery management issues.
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