Building Partnerships for a Healthier Gulf
e-Newsletter
March 2015

Gulf of Mexico Alliance Updates
Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker Scheduled to Go Live in April! 
On April 20, 2015, five years will have passed since the deaths of 11 people and the largest environmental disaster for the Gulf of Mexico. To aid restoration tracking, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance is going live with the Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker in April. Ducks Unlimited and The Trust for Public Land have been strong partners developing this new tool. Thank you to our beta testers; the team is making the final adjustments in this first phase of what we hope will be a long lasting resource for the region.

Get to Know GOMA Webinar Has Been Posted
In case you were unable to attend the "Get to know GOMA webinar" a recording is now available. This informative session lasts about 45-minutes.

Teams Are Planning for Action Plan III
The GOMA Teams are moving forward with goal planning for Action Plan III and their agendas for the June 2015 All Hands Meeting. The Water Resources Team is planning a full-team conference call for April 9th. The Coastal Resilience Team has established a bi-monthly call schedule. The new Wildlife and Fisheries Team held their first Steering Committee meeting March 19th and intends to reconvene again in May. To reach a team coordinator, join a team, or review the reorganized teams, go here.    

Congratulations GCOOS
Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System   Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

A long-standing partner of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, the GCOOS Regional Association recently celebrated its milestone 10th anniversary. Connected to other national and international ocean observation systems, their work combines data to provide timely information about our oceans to the public, industry and others. The backbone of the organization is the information gathered by GCOOS members and shared through a public data portal. The organization is striving to complete their Build-Out Plan for observing and monitoring systems in the Gulf of Mexico. GCOOS has set priorities for the next five years that include: expanding high frequency radar (HFR) system in the Gulf of Mexico; supporting autonomous underwater gliders (AUGs) and autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) as data collection and observing platforms; and sustaining current observation assets, such as moored buoys, water level stations and water quality monitoring stations.

The new GOMA Data and Monitoring Team will be looking for additional connections to optimize the work accomplished on our shared issues.
 eventsEvents

Check out April events here.  

  

The Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Oil Spill Outreach Team are hosting workshops around the Gulf. The next one, with the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, will be "Bridging the Gap Between Oil Spill Researchers and Responders" Tuesday, April 14th, 2015 in Port Aransas, TX. 

 

The Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker going live April 20, 2015! 

 

 
Gulf of Mexico Alliance
2015 All Hands Meeting 
Register Now!
June 16-18, 2015 
IP Hotel & Casino, Biloxi, MS

                       


RestorationUpdatesRestoration Updates

 

RESTORE Council     

The RESTORE Council is currently evaluating submissions for potential funding under the Council-Selected Restoration Component. When the Draft Funded Priorities List (FPL) is available, public comment will be solicited. See the Council's website for more information.  

States  

Alabama The Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council information and updates can be accessed here.   

 

Mississippi For information on restoration activities in Mississippi go to Making Mississippi Whole.

 

Florida Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) maintains a website complete with resources, links, and newsletters, including an overview of Florida's response to the oil spill. Each impacted county will engage directly with their communities through the Gulf Consortium and the Florida Association of Counties. A Request for Proposals for Legal Services for the Gulf Consortium will close April 23, 2015. The Consortium has meetings planned for June 19, August 26, and November 18; see their website for more information. 

 

Louisiana The State of Louisiana is represented by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) on state and RESTORE Council restoration activities. 

 

Texas RESTORE The Texas Coast is the official web location for oil spill related restoration in Texas. 

 

Centers of Excellence

The Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) is responsible for Florida's Center of Excellence. FIO currently has a research opportunity; full proposals are due May 20, 2015.

The States of Alabama and Mississippi are currently reviewing public comments regarding their draft selection processes for Centers of Excellence.

NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program

Information related to the NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program can be found here. They are currently reviewing proposals submitted under their recent proposal solicitation. 

 

National Academy of Sciences' Gulf Research Program (NAS)

The NAS Exploratory Grants program has closed and review will begin soon. To follow the NAS Gulf Research Program and register for updates, go to their website.

Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)
The NRDA workplans and data information can be found via NOAA's Gulf Spill Restoration web pages. Learn more about NRDA through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service here.  

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund

NFWF's maintains a website for its Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund.   

 

North American Conservation Wetlands Act Fund (NAWCA) 

The US Fish and Wildlife Service maintains a website for NAWCA programs.

NAWCA Canadian and Mexican Standard Grants are open. A U.S. Small Grants program is also open. 

 

Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) recently concluded the 2015 Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference in Houston, Texas. More than 1000 people from 21 countries participated in the annual conference to discuss research associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010. Learn more about GoMRI and their research.  

 

FundingOpportunitiesFunding Opportunities

Keep Louisiana Beautiful Healthy Communities Grants.

The deadline is April 10, 2015.     

  

NOAA's Office of Education Strengthening the Public's and/or K-12 Student's Environmental Literacy for Community Resilience to Extreme Weather Events and Environmental Changes. This FFO deadline is April 13, 2015.    

 

NOAA Sea Grant Aquaculture Extension and Technology Transfer competition. The deadline is April 27, 2015.   

 

NFWF & NOAA Marine Debris Program Fishing for Energy 2015 RFP. This program is targeting derelict fishing gear. The deadline is April 23, 2015.  

 

Lawrence Foundation Grants or Environmental, Education, and Human Services Projects. The Lawrence Foundation awards grants in support of the environment, education, human services, disaster relief, and other causes. The June grant cycle deadline is April 30, 2015.   

 

Toyota Every Day Capacity Building Grants. From the National Environmental Education Foundation, this deadline is April 30, 2015.  

 

NAWCA Grants Program. Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved funding.
Mexican Standard Grants deadline is June 1, 2015. US Small Grants deadline is November 5, 2015.  

CommentPeriodsOpen Comment Periods

NOAA Seeks Input on Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Boundaries - Comments are due April 6, 2015.  

 

FEMA comments solicited on An Introduction to the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard - Comments are due April 6, 2015.  

 

EPA Seeks Comments on Amendments to the National Contingency Plan - Comments are due April 22, 2015.

 

The Education Council is revising NOAA's Education Strategic Plan for 2015 - 2035. Public comments are due April 10th, 2015.   
Visit the Headquarters office located at 1151 Robinson Street in Ocean Springs, MS and we'll show you around.

Newsletter contact: LeeYokel@gomxa.org

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