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GOMA WEB RESOURCES
Check it out! GOMA's website now contains useful regional resources:
Events calendar lists upcoming conferences, symposia, and meetings.
Employment Opportunities lists job postings from regional partners.
Gulf Observations & Monitoring information is now available.
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Coastal Training Workshops ArcGIS II: Essential Workflows Nov 4-6, 2014 FULL Stream Classification Course Dec 9-11, 2014 seats available ArcGIS I: Introduction to GIS Dec 17-18, 2014 FULL Low Impact Design Workshop Series
- Bioretention Design & Vegetation Jan 28, 2015 - Swale, Level Spreader, & Vegetated Design January 29, 2015 - Constructed Stormwater Wetland Design February 25, 2015 - Permeable Pavement Design February 26, 205 For more information go to http://www.gulfalliancetraining.org/ |
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2015 Dredging Summit & Expo
June 22 - 25, 2015
Call for Papers
Complete Conference Information
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Restore Americas's Estuaries
November 1-6, 2014 Gaylord National Convention Center National Harbor, MD 
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2014 Bays & Bayous SymposiumDecember 2-3, 2014 Mobile, AL Registration now open! 
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Coastal GeoTools
March 30 - April 2, 2015 Sign up here
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PRIORITY ISSUE TEAM CONFERENCE CALLS:
Education Call Tues, Nov 18 2:30 CST EIA Wed., Nov 19 10:00am CST
To contact Team Coordinators, see Quick Links below.
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Mapping Regional Restoration:
DWH Project Tracker
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GOMA's Restoration Project Map is being enhanced to the future DWH 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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Mississippi River Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force
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 The Mississippi River Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force (Hypoxia Task Force) was established in 1997. The purpose was to understand the causes and effects of eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico. Through a wide range of partnerships, the Task Force coordinates activities to reduce the size, severity, and duration of the effects of hypoxia. Each year, the Task Force reports on the size of the Gulf Dead Zone and supports researchers who study its cause and effect.
 The Gulf of Mexico watershed drains 32 US states. Seven federal agencies and 12 states are represented in the Task Force. Since its inception, two Action Plans have been developed and much of the coordinated work is guided by a science advisory panel. Due to the incredible size of the watershed, the Task Force is further broken down into three sub-basin committees. They have reported some 35 success stories across the states. Programs have covered nutrient reduction techniques, innovative cropping systems, water quality criteria, and grant programs.
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance Nutrient Priority Issue Team (PIT) has been a strong partner with the Task Force. The PIT has correlated action items with those priorities of the Task Force. In 2011, the Alliance held a joint meeting with the goals to provide an opportunity to better understand how priorities overlapped and identify new ideas to overcome barriers to development of state nutrient reduction strategies.
This year, a number of meetings and workshops have been held. These have presented crucial issues to Mississippi River Mayors and upstream partners through the Great Rivers Partnership. The Task Force partnered with the seven newly formed Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs). This brought a new, impressive dynamic to addressing hypoxia issues. Sustainable landscape practices and conservation can directly influence water quality. Thus, LCC approaches may have long-term positive effects on the ecosystem. The results of these discussions are now available and can be found on the Tall Grass Prairie LLC web site.
To learn more about the Task Force and access their tools go to their web site.
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Nominations Are Now Open for 2015 Gulf Guardian Awards
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 The US EPA Gulf of Mexico Program is now accepting nominations for the 2015 Gulf Guardians Awards. The awards are a way to recognize and honor the businesses, community groups, individuals, and organizations that are taking extraordinary steps to keep the Gulf healthy, beautiful and productive. Recipients exemplify what the Gulf of Mexico Program partnership is all about; innovative solutions that come about when we pool resources and look for creative ways to positively impact our quality of life and economic well-being on the Gulf of Mexico. Complete an application and email your nomination to GulfGuardian@epa.gov by January 15, 2015. English and Spanish versions are available. For more information contact The Gulf of Mexico Program Office at (228) 688-3726. |
 USFWS North American Wetlands Conservation Act Grants - provide 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 FY2015 Community-based Marine Debris Removal Grant - provides funding to catalyze the implementation of locally-driven, community-based marine debris prevention, assessment, and removal projects that will benefit coastal habitat, waterways, and NOAA trust resources. Opportunity closes November 17, 2014. NOAA 2015 Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise Program
This program is to improve the management of regional and local ecosystem effects of sea level rise and coastal inundation through targeted research on key technologies, natural and nature-based infrastructure, physical and biological processes, and model evaluation. Funding opportunity closes November 18, 2014.
EPA Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program
This opportunity provides quick, targeted technical assistance to selected communities using a variety of tools that have demonstrated results and widespread application. The purpose of delivering these tools is to stimulate a discussion about growth and development and strengthen local capacity to implement sustainable approaches.
Applications accepted between October 23 and November 20.
NFWF and Wells Fargo 2015 Environmental Solutions for Communities Grant Program - provides funding opportunities to promote sustainable communities by supporting highly-visible projects that link economic development and community well-being to the stewardship and health of the environment. Deadline is December 10, 2014.
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REGIONAL INITIATIVES
Gulf Restoration Updates
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The U.S. Department of Treasury finalized the Interim Final Rule or "Treasury Regs' on October 14, 2014. The Treasury Regulations can be found here.
RESTORE Council: The Gulf Restoration Council (5 Gulf States and 6 Federal Agencies) has a comprehensive website. Council members are currently 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. The Council requests feedback through three questions related to funding priorities. For additional information on the submission and evaluation process and to get other materials go here.
Alabama: The Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council is accepting project ideas. For information on this process go to their website here. For complete information on Alabama Coastal Restoration see http://www.alabamacoastalrestoration.org/.
Mississippi: The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality held Community Conservations in August with over 200 people in attendance. The results of these discussions are now available on the Making Mississippi Whole website. A synopsis of the report is available as well as the full report.
Florida: Thousands of submittals for RESTORE funding were received through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) online project portal. Officials are asking that projects be updated or new projects be submitted through the portal as soon as possible. Go to the FDEP's page for an overview of Florida's response to RESTORE. Each impacted county will engage directly with their communities through the Gulf Consortium and the Florida Association of Counties. The Gulf Consortium has a request for proposals currently open; deadline is November 3, 2014.
Meetings are planned for Wednesday, November 19th at the Tampa Marriott Waterside and Monday, January 21st, 2015 in Tallahassee, Florida. Location to be announced.
Louisiana: CWPPRA is The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act; federal legislation enacted in 1990 that is designed to identify, prepare, and fund construction of coastal wetlands restoration projects. The program includes 5 federal agencies (USACE, USFWS, NOAA NMFS, USDA NRCS, and EPA) and the State of Louisiana.
The State of Louisiana is currently represented by the CPRA (Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority). Each year the program gets about $80million dollars of federal funds for restoration. Each year the public brings ideas for restoration to the CWPPRA Task Force for funding. The funding is decided through a competitive public process. The state CPRA is 15% cost share partner on every project. The federal funds come from a dedicated gasoline tax to the Department of Interior. USACE is the lead agency for the program as identified in the legislation.
 The CPRA is established as the single state entity with authority to articulate a clear statement of priorities and to focus development and implementation efforts to achieve comprehensive coastal protection for Louisiana. CPRA's mandate is to develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive coastal protection and restoration Master Plan. CPRA created the state coastal master plan. It is through this Louisiana entity that RESTORE funds and activities will be addressed.
Centers of Excellence: The Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) was designated as the Florida Gulf Coast entity to receive funds from the Restore Act. FIO is seeking public comment on their grant process through December 1, 2014. The survey is available in English and Spanish.
The state of Texas is currently accepting applications for establishing RESTORE-funded Centers of Excellence. A Request for Grant Applications is now posted on the Electronic State Business Daily. Deadline is November 17, 2014.
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 NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released for public comment a draft science plan for the NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program. The plan establishes ten long-term research priorities to guide how the program will invest its funds. It also explains how prior Gulf of Mexico region needs assessments and earlier stakeholder input were used to determine areas of investment. The plan provides additional information on how the program will be administered and how it will work with partners. The 45 day comment period ends on December 15, 2014. Electronic comments on the draft science plan can be submitted via e-mail (noaarestorescience@noaa.gov). Written comments can be mailed to Dr. Becky Allee; NOAA OCM - Gulf Coast; Bldg. 1100, Rm 232; Stennis Space Center, MS, 39529.
The Program is also holding November webinars on the draft science plan. A short overview of the plan, public comment process, and question and answer session will be provided. Webinar information can be found here. To learn more about the Science Program, please visit their web site where you can sign up to receive alerts and announcements about the Program including the dates for future engagement opportunities.
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 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):
The National Academy of Sciences recently released their Strategic Vision found here. 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," 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 October 28, NFWF announced a new partnership with the US Department of Agriculture to support Gulf restoration. Read the full story on their web site. Read more about NFWF and their Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (GEBF) 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 NAWCA U.S. Small Grants opportunity is open. Deadline is November 7, 2014.
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Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Update
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The 2015 Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference is scheduled for February 16-19 in Houston, Texas. Early registration ends December 5, 2014. Registration and conference information can be found here.
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