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Climate Outreach Community of Practice
The Climate Community of Practice brings together extension, outreach and education professionals and community official in the Gulf to learn how coastal communities can adapt to sea-level rise, precipitation changes and other climate-related issues.
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Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation Annual Meeting
May 12-13, 2014
Point Clear, Alabama
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GOMA PIT Meetings and 10-Year Anniversary
May 19-21, 2014
Renaissance Mobile
Riverview Plaza
Mobile, Alabama
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Gulf of Mexico Alliance
Coastal Training
April Workshops in ArcGIS and Regulating Construction Impacts Learn More
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PRIORITY ISSUE TEAM CONFERENCE CALLS:
Education- April 8 at 10am CDT
Resilience - April 1 at at 10:00am CDT
Water Quality - April 7 at 1pm CDT
Team Coordinators have call-in information - see Quick Links, below.
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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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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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Gulf of Mexico Alliance Plays Key Roles in Plenary Sessions at the 2014 Gulf Summit
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Building on the success of the second State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit held in 2011, a diverse group of stakeholders gathered in Houston last week to assess the condition of the world's ninth largest body of water in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Opening remarks by John Sharp, Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System called for support of collaborative efforts like Harte Research Institute and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA). Those comments were echoed by GOMA Alliance Management Team (AMT) member Phillip Hinesley from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. GOMA AMT member, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Commissioner Toby Baker, wrapped up the welcome session by reminding the audience that the Gulf is personal to everyone and that's from where the need to protect it comes.
Several of Tuesday's Conservation and Restoration sessions included GOMA partners, including Harte Research Institute, The Nature Conservancy, Ocean Conservancy, and National Wildlife Federation. During an Opra Winfrey-style panel conversation, Susan Kaderka discussed developing and implementing effective Gulf wide restoration programs with federal panelists as well as GOMA AMT member Toby Baker and GOMA AMT member Kevin Claridge from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Florida Coastal Office.
The concluding Wednesday plenary sessions addressed two key areas: Restoration in a Regional Context and Investments in Regional Restoration. Gulf of Mexico Alliance Executive Director Laura Bowie facilitated the final panels which brought together regional leaders to discuss the next steps for restoration. Information for this summit and those from year's past can be found on their website.
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PRIORITY ISSUE TEAM SUCCESS
HCRT's SLAMM! |
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance Habitat Conservation and Restoration Team (HCRT) is pleased to release a recent report, "Application of the Sea-Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM 6) to Southeastern Louisiana. In 2010-2011, a SLAMM 6 model was applied to 31,000 square kilometers of southeastern Louisiana. This report builds on this previous National Wildlife Fund project. Results suggest Southeastern Louisiana will be severely affected by accelerated sea level rise. Read the full report.
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REGISTRATION OPEN
GOMA PIT Meetings and 10 Year Anniversary
May 19-21, 2014
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 Registration is open 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.
Registration, room block, and sponsorship information is available here.
Meeting agendas will be posted as they become available. Be sure to follow the Alliance before and during the meeting on Twitter! #GoMAlliance will keep you up to date.
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Coastal Training Program Workshops
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 The Gulf of Mexico National Estuarine Research Reserve Coastal Training Programs (CTP) work to educate professional audiences on coastal issues. The Grand Bay Reserve has two upcoming workshops for April: ArcGIS II and Wetlands and Water Quality: Regulating Construction Impacts in Coastal Areas. For more information about these and other CTP workshops check out their regional website.
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Gulf of Mexico Alliance Coastal Resilience Small Grants
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The Gulf of Mexico Alliance Coastal Community Resilience (CCR) Team in conjunction with the MS-AL Sea Grant Consortium is releasing a small grants request for proposals. Eligible organizations are communities that have completed the Resilience Index by the end of April. Applications will address vulnerabilities to disasters identified during a community self-assessment. Submissions are due May 2, 2014 by 4pm CDT. For more information, contact Rhonda Price at rhonda.price@dmr.ms.gov or Tracie Sempier at tracie.sempier@usm.edu. |
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NASA 2014 EONS Solicitation
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NASA's Office of Education is accepting new proposals under the Education Opportunities in NASA STEM (EONS) 2014 NASA Research Announcement for Educator Professional Development (EPD) appendix. EPD is designed to provide high quality STEM professional development opportunities for formal and informal educators capitalizing on NASA's unique assets and capabilities. Proposals are due June 18, 2014. For more information regarding these opportunities, please visit the NASA EONS page on the NSPIRES website.
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REGIONAL INITIATIVES
Gulf Restoration Updates
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Did You Know? The new GOMA website has a Gulf Restoration page which outlines the efforts resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. See it here.
RESTORE Council: Stay up to date with the RESTORE Council and read the Initial Comprehensive Plan here.
Alabama: The AL Coastal Restoration online project suggestion portal is now available. To receive instructions for submitting a project suggestion, please go here and click on "Submit Project Suggestions." It is important to note the AL Gulf Coast Recovery Council and the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council have not yet made formal calls for project suggestions. The ADCNR will provide an update once either of these Councils make an announcement regarding a request for project suggestions. The online portal allows for the entry of suggestions for future consideration.
Mississippi: MDEQ and MDMR are working collaboratively to protect and improve the state's natural resources. Joint projects address coastal restoration. More information about restoration projects in Mississippi can be found at http://www.restore.ms/.
Florida: FDEP has improved the navigation for users to the FL Deepwater Horizon restoration website. Responding to public's request for more information on projects being submitted, the improvements allow users to view and download the full project submittals.In addition, the Department has created an interactive map of Deepwater Horizon restoration projects that have been submitted.Check out Florida updates here.
Louisiana: Stay up to date on Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan restoration efforts by visiting CPRA's site. Information on Louisiana's NRDA restoration can be found here.
Texas: TCEQ held its first RESTORE Advisory Board meeting in October 2013. The Texas restoration web site is under construction (www.restorethetexascoast.org) and will provide comprehensive information soon.
NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program: The NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program Framework and recent updates can be found here. NOAA is currently seeking a Director for their RESTORE Act Science Program. Go here for more information on this position.
National Academy of Sciences' Gulf Research Program: The Gulf Research Program's Advisory Group will host a meeting on June 11-12, 2014 in Tampa, Florida. The purpose is to talk with stakeholders and get their views on possible opportunities for the Program. To follow the NAS Gulf Research Program and register for updates, go to their web site.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund: In November 2013, NFWF announced the award of more than $100 million from its Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund to 22 projects in the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. For more information on projects and how they benefit the Gulf states, visit their web site.
North American Conservation Wetlands Act Fund: As part of the criminal plea agreement involving the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, this Fund will receive $100,000,000. The purpose is for wetlands restoration and conservation benefiting migratory bird species and other wildlife affected by the oil spill. Click here to learn more. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has a "Vision for a Healthy Gulf of Mexico Watershed" and it can be found here.
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| Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Update |
The GoMRI has announced the dates for the 2015 OIl Spill Conference: February 16-19, 2015 at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Houston, TX.
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