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New Web Resources
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance has added new online resources. Gulf Observations & Monitoring information is now available.
Announcements now include regional partner Employment Opportunities .
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Hypoxia Task Force
Public Meeting Webcast
October 21, 2014 8:15 - 5:30pm CST  On Site Participation Lewis & Clark Community College Godfrey, Illinois
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Restore Americas's Estuaries
7th National Summit on Coastal and Estuarine Restoration & 24th Biennial Meeting of The Coastal Society
November 1-6, 2014 Gaylord National Convention Center Washington, DC
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PRIORITY ISSUE TEAM CONFERENCE CALLS:
CCR Conference Call Tues, Oct 7 10am CST
EIA webex meeting Sept 22, 1pm CST
To contact Team Coordinators, see Quick Links below.
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MAPPING RESTORATION
Future DWH Project Tracker
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GOMA's Restoration Project Map is being enhanced to the future Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker. It 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 NRDA. The DWH Project Tracker will be inclusive to all settlement funding programs.
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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 & Partners Sign MOA for Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker
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On August 19, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance signed a memorandum of agreement with The Trust for Public Land, Ducks Unlimited, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. The agreement will further develop the Alliance's restoration project map site into a more robust project information system called the Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker. The DWH Project Tracker will be a comprehensive web portal for accessing maps and key data about projects funded by all Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlements in the Gulf of Mexico.
Current and user-friendly, it will be the most complete picture of the location, type, and size of projects funded by all the settlements. Each project snapshot will include a brief description, a project contact, and a link to access detailed project information. Currently in development, an early version of the DWH Project Tracker is accessible from the Gulf Restoration page on the Gulf of Mexico Alliance's website.
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The Gulf of Mexico Alliance Habitat Conservation and Restoration Team gave a dedicated session on regional sediment management to an overflow crowd at the CEER conference in July. One of the team's greatest successes has been its regional collaboration on the subject to craft the Gulf Regional Sediment Management Master Plan - an information resource and roadmap for improving our use of sediment resources in the region. In addition to technical aspects and policy hurdles that the pursuit of beneficial use entails, panelists provided detailed examples of how they have managed to direct more sediment resources into building habitat and barrier islands instead of disposal sites. Since the team began working with peers on the Master Plan several beneficial use groups formed and state agencies have found ways to implement regional sediment management principles more effectively.
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Gulf of Mexico Alliance Transitions and New Faces
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Please join us as we extend a warm welcome to Katy Gerard and Allison Knight who will be supporting the Ecosystem Integration and Assessment (EIA) team. The Alliance would like to thank Cristina Carollo for her years of service as the team's Coordinator. She will be assuming additional duties with the Harte Research Institute.
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Clean and Resilient Marinas Certified
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The Gulf of Mexico Alliance's Coastal Community Resilience Team has experienced great success with their Clean and Resilient Marina program. The Bay St. Louis Harbor in Mississippi was one of the first to be certified on August 4. The Florida Clean Marina program has also embraced the resilience marina standards and a workshop will be held at the Clean and Resilient St. Augustine Municipal Marina on September 5.
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Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Foundation Grants - K-12 teachers are invited to apply for grants to develop or implement environmental curricula that integrate hands-on ecology exercises into the classroom. Pre-proposal deadline is September 14, 2014.
NOAA Center for Sponored Coastal Ocean Research - Multiple proposal opportunities are available. Deadlines range October 14-21, 2014.
NOAA Bay-Watershed Education and Training (Gulf B-WET) Program - Funding opportunity closes October 24, 2014.
North American Wetlands Conservation Act Grants - Provides matching grants to organizations/individuals who have developed partnerships for wetlands conservation projects in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to benefit wetlands-associated migratory birds and other wildlife. Deadline is November 7, 2014.
NOAA 2015 Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise Program - Funding opportunity will close November 18, 2014.
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REGIONAL INITIATIVES
Gulf Restoration Updates
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RESTORE Council: The Gulf Restoration Council recently announced that the RESTORE Council members (5 Gulf States and 11 Federal agencies) may begin nominating projects for funding consideration. The projects and programs selected by the Council will be included in a draft Funded Priorities List that will be published in 2015. For more information on the submission and evaluation process, and to get additional materials go here.
Alabama: On August 4, the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (AGCRC) held a meeting designed to keep the public informed of the status of RESTORE Act efforts in coastal Alabama. Held at the Five Rivers Delta Resource Center in Spanish Fort, the meeting covered an overview of the U.S. Department of Treasury draft regulations; RESTORE Act component requirements, an update on the Federal RESTORE Council's project selection and evaluation process, and the status of online project submissions in Alabama. For information regarding project suggestions in Alabama, go here.
Mississippi: On August 20-22, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality held a series of Community Conversations to discuss Gulf restoration priorities and opportunities. Funded by a planning grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the conversations provided a forum for public exchange regarding shared values and priorities on the community level. For more information go to Making Mississippi Whole.
Florida: The Dept. of Environmental Protection and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will seek input on projects and proposals for consideration under the RESTORE Act's Council-Selected Restoration Component. The focus will be water quality and habitat restoration. Florida is considering projects that align with these goals, such as watershed restoration. Thousands of submittals for RESTORE funding were received the online project portal, but officials are asking that projects be updated or new projects be submitted through the portal as soon as possible. For more information on meetings and to access the online project portal visit www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com.
Louisiana: Citizens have until 30 September 2014 to submit formal proposals to the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) for coastal projects and programs to be considered for funding under a component of the RESTORE Act. To submit a proposal use this form.
Texas: Great news: the Texas Restore the Texas Coast website is now live! This is your Texas source of information for coastal restoration funding from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program: The NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program anticipates the release of a funding opportunity. Information is available in the Federal Register. For those planning to attend the 7th National Summit on Coastal and Estuarine Restoration, a session on science initiatives in the Gulf of Mexico will be share the latest information on the Program. The annual conference is scheduled November 1-6, 2014 in National Harbor, MD.
National Academy of Sciences' Gulf Research Program (NAS):
Applications are being accepted for the 2015 Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program. Applications are due September 1, 2014. An Environmental Monitoring Opportunity Analysis Workshop is being held September 3-4, 2014 in New Orleans, LA. To follow the NAS Gulf Research Program and register for updates, go to their website. Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA): The NRDA Trustees have released, " Assess Plan Restore." It is a guide to projects and planning contained in the Final Phase III Early Restoration Plan and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. Get a copy of the plan. Learn more about NRDA through NOAA here or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service here. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (NFWF): On August 22, 2014 NFWF announced a $34.5 million award to support Historic Powerhorn Ranch Acquisition in coastal Texas. A significant portion of the funds are coming from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. Read more about this and other NFWF projects here.
North American Conservation Wetlands Act Fund (NAWCA):
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. A U.S. Small Grants deadline is November 7, 2014.
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Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Update
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