Building Partnerships for a Healthier Gulf

e-Newsletter
May 2015

Robust Agenda Set for June All Hands Meeting

Priority Issue Teams ready for Action Plan III planning 

 

The 2015 Gulf of Mexico Alliance All Hands Meeting preparation is in the final stages. After a reorganization in 2014 and months of discussion, the Priority Issue Teams are ready to dive into the development of the Alliance's third Governors' Action Plan. Draft agendas for individual team meetings are available on the Alliance event website. Those include

  • Coastal Resilience
  • Data & Monitoring
  • Education & Engagement
  • Habitat Resources
  • Water Resources
  • Wildlife & Fisheries

To supplement the regional approach, the Alliance is exploring ways to address three additional cross-team issues: Ecosystem Services Assessment; Comprehensive Conservation, Restoration, and Resilience Planning; and Marine Debris. Break-out sessions are planned to see how all the teams can have a collective impact on these shared issues.  

 

The annual Alliance meeting is the best opportunity for regional partners to meet face to face, discuss opportunities for collaboration, and move forward, energized to tackle regional projects. There is still time to participate and on-site registration will also be available. We look forward to seeing you June 16 - 18, 2015 at the IP Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.
 

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IP Casino Room Block extended deadline for group rates closes June 1, 2015.
Registration rates go up to $100 on June 1, 2015.

Hotel information, registration, and team agendas can all be found on the event page.


You can still register for the Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation Annual Meeting. This also includes the Thursday evening sunset cruise. You must be registered to participate and space is limited. 

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Thank You Sponsors!

 

Statoil * ADCNR 
GCOOS * HRI * EPA GMP * Sea Grant
NOAA * TNC * The Water Campus
NWF * Seabird Coastal * OTT Hydromet * Allen Engineering and Science * Freese & Nichols

ERG * GOMURC * DISL * CGI * Reefball Foundation

NOAA Releases DIVER & Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper

New online tools support resilience activities for the Gulf of Mexico  

NOAA is an agency that enriches life through science. It recently unveiled two, new online tools that will be useful to Gulf of Mexico communities. The Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper tool supports users undertaking a community-based approach to assessing coastal hazard risks and vulnerabilities by providing maps that show people, places, and natural resources exposed to coastal flooding. Check out the Mapper.


DIVER allows you to search the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Damage Resource Assessment (NRDA) data. It also includes pre-2010 historical contaminant chemistry data for the onshore area of the Gulf of Mexico. This is a nice companion for the Alliance's DWH Project Tracker. Try out DIVER.  

 

   

Sempier Wins Gulf Guardian Award 
Awards ceremony to be held in Corpus Christi, Texas

Join us as we congratulate Tracie Sempier, PhD on her 1st Place Individual Gulf Guardian Award sponsored by the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program. Tracie has been with the Alliance for years; first supporting the Community Resilience Team through the Sea Grant Coastal Storms program and now; as the Alliance's Regional Program Manager. Great job Tracie!
 eventsEvents

Check out June events here.  

 

June 2-11 Deepwater Horizon Trustees Invite Public Comment on 10 Proposed Early Restoration Gulf Projects. Public Meetings are scheduled in six locations around the Gulf of Mexico.

 

June 9 - 11 Capitol Hill Oceans Week, Washington, DC.    

 

June 22 Seminar Series - Gliders in the Gulf: Ocean technology and the oil spill

 

Gulf of Mexico Alliance Team Calls

There will be no team calls for the month of June due to the All Hands meeting. Anticipate follow-up conversations in July. 

 
Gulf of Mexico Alliance
2
015 All Hands Meeting 

It's Time!
June 16-18, 2015 
IP Hotel & Casino, Biloxi, MS


www.gulfofmexicoalliance.org 

            

RestorationUpdatesRestoration Updates

 

RESTORE Council       

The RESTORE Council is currently evaluating submissions for potential funding under the Council-Selected Restoration Component. A Draft Funded Priorities List (FPL) is expected soon; public comment will be solicited. The Council published the final rule for the RESTORE Act Spill Impact Component Planning Allocation. See the Council's website for information on their activities.  

States  

Alabama The Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (AGCRC) recently made two announcements. It released the  Center of Excellence Research Grants Program Competitive Process and related Solicitation for Proposals. The AGCRC is also soliciting proposals from qualified organizations in the Gulf Coast Region to serve as Alabama's Center of Excellence. A public meeting for review of the proposed NRDA Phase IV Early Restoration Plan projects will be held June 3, 2015 at the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile, AL from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council information and updates can be accessed here.   

 

Mississippi is coordinating a public meeting for review of the proposed NRDA Phase IV Early Restoration Plan project. It will be held June 4, 2015 6:00 - 9:00 pm at the University of Southern Mississippi in Long Beach, Mississippi. A Request for Statements of Qualifications (RFQ) for Programmatic Construction Manager to aid the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality with Mississippi's RESTORE Act Direct Component Transocean Settlement Construction Projects is currently open and will close June 12, 2015. For information on restoration activities in Mississippi go to Making Mississippi Whole.

 

Florida A NRDA Trustees public meeting to review proposed projects of the  Phase IV Early Restoration Plan is scheduled for June 2, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Pensacola Grant Hotel, Pensacola, Florida from 6:00 - 9:00 pm.  More information can be found on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's website.  On April 6, 2015, the Gulf Consortium announced that their Planning State Expenditure Plan was submitted as a first step to development of their full State Expenditure Plan.  The Consortium has meetings planned for June 19, August 26, and November 18; see their website for more information. 

 

LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is represented by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) on state and RESTORE Council restoration activities. A NRDA Trustees public meeting to review proposed projects of the  Phase IV Early Restoration Plan is scheduled for June 8, 2015 at the Belle Chasse Auditorium in Belle Chasse, Louisiana from 6:00 - 9:00 pm.  

See all public meetings on the CPRA Calendar.

 

Texas will benefit from a proposed project as part of the NRDA Phase IV Early Restoration Plan. Two NRDA Trustees public meeting are scheduled: one is for June 10, 2015 at Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas. The second is June 11, 2015 at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies in Corpus Christi, Texas from 6:00 - 9:00pm.  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 intends to make it's first award announcements the first of July.

A request for proposals is currently open for Alabama's Center of Excellence Research Grant Program.  Proposals can be submitted here and the deadline is June 30, 2015.  

 

Mississippi is currently reviewing applications for the state's Center of Excellence. Louisiana is reviewing public comments received on the administrative policies for the Center of Excellence grants. 

   

Two Texas Centers of Excellence were announced in January. One of the Centers, the Texas OneGulf Consortium, now has a website.  

  

NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program   

Information related to the NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program can be found here. The Science Plan Final Version is now available. Dr. Julien Lartigue has been announced as the Director for the Science Program.

 

National Academy of Sciences' Gulf Research Program (NAS)

The NAS announced a data synthesis funding opportunity related to observation and monitoring data is open. Letters of intent are due June 15, 2015. To follow the NAS' Gulf Research Program and register for updates, go to their website.

Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)
The NRDA Trustees recently announced agreement in principle for 10 Gulf Early Restoration Projects as part of Phase IV. Six regional public meetings have been scheduled, June 2-11, 2015. More information about NRDA can be found here:  www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov.

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund  
Last month NFWF announced a $4.5M project to support development of a Restoration Strategy in Florida.   More information can be found on NFWF's 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. Standard grants programs are currently open for the US, closing July 7 and Canada, closing August 7.

The US Small Grants program is also open and closes November 5, 2015.  

 

Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI)

The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference will be February 1-4, 2016 at the Marriott Tampa Waterside, Tampa, Florida. GoMRI is now accepting submissions for Scientific Sessions. The deadline to submit is June 14, 2015. For more information on the GoMRI research visit their website.  
FundingOpportunitiesFunding Opportunities

NAS Gulf Research Program Data Synthesis Grant letters of intent are due June 15, 2015.      

  

A Mazda Foundation Grant opportunity for education and literacy, environmental conservation, cross-cultural understanding, social welfare, and scientific research is open. Deadline is July 1, 2015.    

 

NOAA Fisheries Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency Grants are to fund programs that develop healthy and sustainable coastal ecosystems through habitat restoration and conservation. The deadline is July 2, 2015.   

 

NOAA 2015 Regional Coastal Resilience Grant Program will support regional approaches to undertake activities that build resilience of coastal regions, communities, and economic sectors to the negative impacts from extreme weather events, climate hazards, and changing ocean conditions. The deadline is July 24, 2015.  

 

Clif Bar Family Foundation Grants Program. Funding priorities include increasing opportunities for outdoor activity, reducing environmental health hazards, and building stronger communities. Small Grants are due August 15 and November 1, 2015.  

 

The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved funding is through the NAWCA Standard Grants Program. It is open for the US and Canada; see above. A US Small Grants deadline is November 5, 2015.  

CommentPeriodsOpen Comment Periods

NMFS Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Gulf of Mexico Bryde's Whale; 90-Day Finding on Petition to List. For information and instructions to comment go here. Comments are due June 5, 2015.  

 

The EPA seeks comments on the Draft Environmental Justice 2020 Action Agenda framework. It will help advance environmental justice through programs, policies and activities, and will support EPA's cross-agency strategy on making a visible difference in environmentally overburdened, underserved, and economically distressed communities. For more information go here. Comments are due June 15, 2015.    

 

BSEE seeks comments on proposed rule for Oil and Gas and Sulphur Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf; Blowout Preventer Systems and Well Control. For more information go here; comments are due June 16, 2015.   

 

NRDA Trustees published Draft Phase IV Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessments. Comments on the 10 proposed projects are due June 19, 2015. To review and comment follow this link.   

 

Visit the Headquarters office located at 1151 Robinson Street in Ocean Springs, MS and we'll show you around.

Newsletter contact: [email protected]

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