Mapping Restoration Projects in the Gulf
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GOMA has been working hard on a map that will allow users to view restoration projects as well as research activities in progress across the Gulf. Click here to see the site!
Currently, the site contains projects from GOMA, GoMRI, NFWF, and early NRDA, with more to be added in the future. Coming soon are projects from states, Sea Grant, and National Academy of Sciences.
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Marine Planning Meeting
The Marine Planning meeting has been rescheduled for February 11, 2014 to allow more time for travel budgets and schedules. An agenda for the meeting is posted here. |
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The 2014 Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference will be held January 26-29, 2014 in Mobile, Alabama. Deadline for early registration is December 3rd. Don't miss it!
Conference Website
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 Registration opens December 2013 for the 2014 Gulf Summit to be held March 24-27, 2014 at the Omni Hotel-Galleria in Houston, Texas. Conference Website |
Come See Us!
We love visitors! With our new
sign out front, you can't miss us. Stop by 1151 Robinson Street in Ocean Springs, Mississippi and we'll show you around.
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NFWF Announces Restoration Projects in the Gulf
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The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced the award of more than $100 million from its Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (Gulf Fund) to 22 projects in the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The projects, developed in consultation with state and federal resource agencies, are designed to remedy harm and reduce the risk of future harm to natural resources that were affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Read more
 For additional information on state-specific projects, please follow the links below:
Alabama
Florida
Louisiana
Mississippi
Texas
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PRIORITY ISSUE TEAM SUCCESS
AMT Selects Proposals for Funding
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The Alliance Management Team just announced their decision to fund the following six proposals, one from each Priority Issue Team:
NUT - NUT Datasets into GCOOS Data Portal
CCR - Small Grants for Resilience Index Gaps
HCRT - Living Shorelines Technical Bulletin
WQ - Trophic Transfer of Mercury Along Salinity Gradients in Estuaries
EIA - Living Shoreline Site Suitability Modeling
ED - Connecting Scientists to Citizens Regarding Sea Level Rise
These projects will have a two year award period and will assist the teams in meeting their team objectives from the Governors' Action Plan II.
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Department of Defense: Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP)
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SERDP released solicitations on November 7, 2013, seeking proposals for FY 2015 funding. Through a Federal Call for Proposals and a Broad Agency Announcement, funds are available through a competitive process to both Federal and private sector organizations to perform basic and applied research and advanced technology development in the Resource Conservation and Climate Change program area. Read more
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Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program
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The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program seeks to develop nation-wide-community stewardship of local natural resources, preserving these resources for future generations and enhancing habitat for local wildlife. The program anticipates that $1,800,000 in combined funding will be available.
Funding priorities for this program include:
- On-the-ground wetland, riparian, in-stream and/or coastal habitat restoration
- Meaningful education and training activities, either through community outreach, participation and/or integration with K-12 environmental curriculum
- Measurable ecological, educational and community benefits
- Partnerships: Five Star projects should engage a diverse group of community partners to achieve ecological and educational outcomes.
Application Deadline is Wednesday, February 5, 2014. Learn more
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Georgetown Climate Center
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The Georgetown Climate Center (GCC) is seeking applications from government entities (or NGOs working with government entities) that need legal or policy support to identify or implement adaptation policies. Examples of previous GCC projects include model codes, analyses of legal authority, toolkits, and more.
Applications will be accepted through Friday, January 3, 2014, and they will be announcing selected projects by the end of January 2014. This assistance is made possible by the generous support of the Kresge Foundation. Find application here
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NOAA Marine Debris Program
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The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) is proud to announce a new funding opportunity for marine debris prevention projects titled "Marine Debris Prevention through Outreach and Education".
Projects awarded through this grant competition are expected to educate the public about marine debris through activities including, but not limited to:
- encouraging changes in behavior to address marine debris;
- developing, using, and disseminating tools, products, and campaigns to improve efforts to address marine debris;
- engaging the public in active, personal participation (e.g. a small-scale shoreline cleanup with students or other hands-on activities, etc.).
Deadline: December 20, 2013 by 11:59 pm EST
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 The Gulf of Mexico Alliance was recently mentioned in two separate articles that highlight our partnership as a best practice for working on regional issues. One article was in the journal titled Sustainability and can be found here. The other was in The Atlantic Cities news here. |
REGIONAL INITIATIVES
Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative |
 GoMRI Announces RFP-IV
The purpose of the 2015-2017 GoMRI Research Consortia RFP is to select the research activities for GoMRI Years 5-7 involving Research Consortia. The total funds available for distribution to Research Consortia through RFP-IV will be approximately $35 million per year. Pre-proposal deadline is January 15, 2014. To learn more about the major research themes and download a copy of the full RFP, click here.
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 Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council: The Restoration Council recently named Robbie Kroger as the new Science Coordinator. Find more information on the RESTORE Council at: www.restorethegulf.gov.
Alabama: As part of the recent NFWF announcement, approximately $12.6 million will go for Phase I restoration projects in Alabama including (1) D'Olive Watershed Restoration, (2) Restoration and Enhancement of Oyster Reefs, and (3) Fowl River Watershed Restoration. Read more. For additional information on Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery, visit http://www.restorealabama.org/.
Mississippi: As part of the recent NFWF announcement, approximately $7.5 million will go for Phase I restoration projects in Mississippi including (1) Coastal Bird Stewardship, (2) Mississippi Coastal Preserve, and (3) Coastal Stream and Habitat Initiative.
You can now receive text messages on your phone from MDEQ about upcoming meetings and restoration news. Text the word "RESTORE" to 601-863-8082 to begin receiving messages or visit www.restore.ms to submit project ideas.
Florida:
As part of the recent NFWF announcement, approximately $15.7 million will go for Phase I restoration projects in Florida including:(1) Management and Restoration of Escribano Point Coastal Habitat, (2) Government Street Regional Stormwater Pond at Corrine Jones Park, (3) Apalachicola Bay Oyster Restoration, (4) Panhandle Coastal Bird Conservation, (5) Eliminating Light Pollution on Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches, and (6) Enhanced Assessment for Recovery of Gulf of Mexico Fisheries. Learn more about these projects at: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon.
Louisiana:
As part of the recent NFWF announcement, approximately $57.9 million will go toward Louisiana Coastal Master Plan projects, including: (1) Caminada Beach and Dune Increment II Engineering & Design, (2) East Timbalier Island Engineering & Design, (3) Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Engineering & Design, (4) Lower Mississippi River Sediment Diversion Planning, and (5) Increase Atchafalaya Flow to Terrebonne Planning. Click here for more detailed information.
Upcoming Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority public meeting is scheduled for December 3, 2013 at 9:30am at the Galvez Building, Oliver Pollock Room in Baton Rouge. For a list of all upcoming meetings and events click here.
NRDA project proposals can be submitted through their website: http://losco-dwh.com/.
Texas: NFWF recently announced $8.8 million for Phase I restoration projects in Texas including (1) Sea Rim State Park Coastal Dune Restoration, (2) Galveston Island State Park Marsh Restoration & Protection, (3) West Galveston Bay Conservation Corridor Habitat Preservation, (4) Oyster Reef Restoration in East Bay, and (5) Gulf Coast Migratory Waterfowl Habitat Enhancement.
The State of Texas is setting up a website where, in coming weeks, people can learn more about the process of identifying restoration projects for funding through the Gulf Fund, and suggest projects for consideration: www.restorethetexascoast.org. (NOTE: this web page is still under construction and is not yet active.)
NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program: The NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program Framework is currently being finalized and should be presented soon. Click here for more information.
National Academy of Sciences Gulf Program: The Advisory Group for the National Academy of Sciences' Gulf Program welcomes stakeholders from around the Gulf and the U.S. to join a virtual meeting on Thursday, December 5th at 1pm EST. This listening meeting will be to learn about the initial program planning and help the Advisory Group understand relevant issues and interests. Use this link to register for the meeting. The meeting will include an overview of the Gulf Research Program and an opportunity for discussion and input from participants. It will last about 90 minutes.
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