Long Island Sound Resource Guide Connecticut Sea Grant announces the publication of the Long Island Sound Curricular Resource Guide.  Funded by the EPA-Long Island Sound Study and edited by Diana Payne, the 148-page guide is a resource for educators teaching about Long Island Sound.  The Guide is divided into five sections: 1) background information about Long Island Sound (LIS), 2) LIS activities, 3) LIS lesson plans, 4) science lessons at a LIS field site, and 5) resources.  The lesson plans and field site section were written by CT Sea Grant LIS Mentor Teachers - K-12 teachers who currently utilize LIS as a teaching tool in their curriculum.  All lessons are aligned to the CT Science Frameworks, the NY Science Standards, the National Science Education Standards, and the Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts.  To obtain a print copy, email CT Sea Grant administrative assistant Karen Massaro. Copies of the Guide are free, but you will have to pay shipping unless you pick up the Guide at the CT Sea Grant office.  Electronic copies will be available by September 2009.

Gulf of Maine Symposium Call for Papers Join fellow researchers, managers, policymakers, and stakeholders from around the region to discuss current scientific advances and ecosystem approaches to management in the Gulf of Maine at the Gulf of Maine Symposium: Advancing Ecosystem Research for the Future of the Gulf.  The symposium will be held October 4-9 at the Fairmont Algonquin Hotel in St Andrews, New Brunswick.  To submit a paper or poster, the deadline is Friday May 15. The symposium is being sponsored by the Regional Association for Research on the Gulf of Maine (RARGoM), in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans-St. Andrews Biological Station, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, and the Census of Marine Life Gulf of Maine Area program. For more information visit online. 

Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) The Rhode Island Ocean SAMP will define use zones for Rhode Island's ocean waters through a research and planning process that integrates the best available science with open public input and involvement. Now through 2010, SAMP is conducting a public policy process that includes scientific research and stakeholder involvement. Leading this project is the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), the state's coastal management agency. For more information visit online.

Mass Ocean Plan Workshops Two identical workshops will be held on the development of the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan. The dates and locations are: Saturday May 2 from 9:30 AM-1:00 PM at the Jonsson Center  in Woods Hole, and Wednesday May 6  from 9:00 AM-12:30 PM at the Hynes Convention Center  Boston.  You can register online for one or both meetings.  The purpose of the workshops is to present preliminary screening of ocean data based on goals and strategies, identify and discuss compatibilities  and incompatibilities, and discuss conceptual management measures.