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Marine Planning Meeting
February 11, 2014 Miss State Coastal Research & Extension Center Biloxi, MS Meeting details, agenda and hotel room block information is posted here. |
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Rigs to Reefs Meeting
March 18, 2014 Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans, LA For more information contact Laura Bowie at laura.bowie@gomxa.org |
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 Annual Gulf of Mexico Climate Community of Practice Meeting
April 7-9, 2014
Orange Beach, AL
Registration details coming soon!
For more information click here.
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PRIORITY ISSUE TEAM CONFERENCE CALLS:
Resilience - Feb. 11th at 10:00am central
Ecosystems- March 5th at 10:00am central
Team Coordinators have call-in information - see Quick Links, below.
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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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SAVE THE DATE
GOMA PIT Meetings and 10 Year Anniversary
May 19-21, 2014
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 Have you been to The Gulf of Mexico Alliance website lately? If not, you're in for a big surprise. Our Web Team has been working diligently to get the first phase of the new site online and it is sporting a whole new look. Tell us what you think by clicking on the "feedback" button on the homepage. We are currently running a contest to gather photos from the GOMA community to place on the new site. The winning photos will receive a prominent place on the site with photo credits.
You can submit your photos to laura.bowie@gomxa.org by February 7th.
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| Public Comment Period Extended |
| NRDA Trustees have extended the public review and comment period for the Gulf Restoration Plan to February 19, 2014. The draft plan proposes $627 million in Phase III early restoration projects across the Gulf states. For more information or to download the draft plan click here.
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| New Land Cover for the Gulf of Mexico Available |
New 2010 land cover for Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are now available. Along with these new data, the previously released 1996, 2001, and 2006 land cover have been improved with changes to wetland and developed features. Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) land cover products are nationally standardized and are updated every five years. These products supply critical information on regional development trends, habitat losses and gains, changes in sources of pollution or sedimentation, and other factors affecting coastal ecosystem health. C-CAP data can be downloaded here.
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| Take the Gulf Atlas Survey |
A diverse group of users have found the Gulf of Mexico Data Atlas to be an easy-to-use resource for a wide variety of Gulf of Mexico data. The Atlas has 235 map plates covering more than 70 topics. Explore the Gulf of Mexico Data Atlas at: http://gulfatlas.noaa.gov/.
NOAA's National Coastal Data Development Center developed the Atlas with the support of their network of over 50 partners from federal, state, international, non-governmental and academic agencies and institutions.
Now it is your turn. Help evaluate the Atlas and provide input on how to improve it for the next upgrade. After viewing the site, please visit the following link to share your thoughts about what you would like to see in the Atlas: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GulfAtlaslistserv .
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Climate Funding Opportunities
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| The Florida Climate Institute has compiled an extensive list of federal and private climate-related grant opportunities on their website here. Quick links allow you to easily navigate opportunities that might interest you.
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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. Learn more about the funding priorities for this program here. The application deadline is February 5, 2014.
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REGIONAL INITIATIVES
Gulf Restoration Updates
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 RESTORE Council: The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council releases The Path Forward to Restoring the Gulf Coast as an initial step in developing a more detailed Comprehensive Plan. Ultimately, the Council aims to ensure the long-term environmental health and economic prosperity of the Gulf Coast region. Download the pdf here.
Alabama: The Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (AGCRC) is a 10-member council comprised of state and local officials, created with the passage of the RESTORE Act in 2012. The AGCRC adopted a Strategy Map and tapped ADCNR to serve as administrator. For additional information on the AGCRC, visit restorealabama.org. To learn about other state-specific restoration activities, including NRDA, NFWF and AGCRC, visit www.alabamacoastalrestoration.org.
Mississippi: As part of the on-going effort to Make Mississippi Whole, MDEQ recently announced a state-of-the-art online program for submission of project ideas for consideration across all funding sources, including RESTORE, NRDA, and NFWF. Visit www.restore.ms to learn more or to submit project ideas.
Florida: FDEP is the lead agency for responding to impacts and the resulting restoration process. For information about restoration in Florida, including projects funded by RESTORE Act, NRDA and NFWF, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon.
Louisiana: Information on Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan restoration efforts can be found by visiting CPRA's site. Information on Louisiana's NRDA restoration can be found here.
Texas: Coming Soon: a website where people can learn more about the process of restoration along the Texas coast:
www.restorethetexascoast.org. (NOTE: this web page is still under construction and is not yet active.)
NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program: NOAA announced the release of its RESTORE Act Science Program Framework in December. The Framework communicates NOAA's intent, purpose and rationale for how it will execute the Program according to its responsibilities under the RESTORE Act. It will inform the Program's short-term priorities and provide the foundation for a robust Science Plan. Click here for more information on the Framework and recent announcements.
National Academy of Sciences' Gulf Research Program: The National Academy of Sciences' Gulf Research Program focuses on human health, environmental protection, and oil system safety in the Gulf of Mexico. Program planning is being conducted by an appointed Advisory Group who has hosted a series of opportunities to provide input. Additional meetings scheduled for 2014 are:
February 11-12 in Houston, TX
June 11-12 in Tampa, FL
Information from the 2013 meetings can be found here. You can register to receive updates from the NAS Gulf Program by clicking here.
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| Mapping Restoration Projects |
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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Mark your calendar for this year's GOMA PIT meetings and anniversary celebration. All events will take place May 19-21 in historic downtown Mobile, Alabama at the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel.