Message from the MARCO Management BoardThis issue of MARCO News highlights how the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) is engaging with our partners, stakeholders, and other regional entities in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. It includes information on opportunities to help inform regional ocean planning efforts and to participate in upcoming events in the region. We encourage you to share this issue with your contacts. In other news, MARCO is undergoing a "website remodel" to make information about our activities more accessible, streamlined, and timely. We look forward to launching MARCO's new website this fall.
Enjoy the rest of your summer,
The MARCO Management Board
|
|
Working with Mid-Atlantic Stakeholders to Inform Regional Ocean Planning
MARCO is developing ways for stakeholders to share information and get involved. In collaboration with interests across the region, the following is a list of opportunities to participate in data collection efforts:
CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES
 Non-consumptive recreational users are invited to participate in an online survey, available now until the end of December 2013. Surfrider Foundation and its partners developed a survey to collect spatial and economic data about recreational uses along the Mid-Atlantic coast and ocean areas. To learn more, click here.
Recreational boaters are invited to take part in the "Mid-Atlantic Recreational Boater Survey." The MARCO Data Portal Team launched a boating-only survey in May and will continue collecting economic and spatial information about regional boating activities through October 2013. Eligible recreational boaters are encouraged to participate. To learn more, click here.
UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES
New Jersey recreational use mapping workshops are currently scheduled on: Nov. 15 and 18 in Mays Landing, NJ; and Nov. 20 and 21 in West Long Branch, NJ. Information shared during the participatory geographic information system (pGIS) workshops will be integrated with information on the twenty-two different recreational uses already mapped by workshop participants in New York, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. For more information, please contact info@midatlanticocean.org.
Workshops with ports and shipping stakeholders and commercial fisherman will be convened in late summer and continue through the end of 2013. MARCO and the MARCO Data Portal Team will host a series of workshops to explore the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal (Portal), review new shipping and fisheries data, and get stakeholder input. To learn more, please visit the Portal or contact portal@midatlanticocean.org.
Look for the next issue of MARCO News for more details on these upcoming activities, and check out the latest data on the Portal.
|
Connecting with the Nation's Regional Ocean Partnerships
MARCO recently attended the annual "2013 Gulf of Mexico Alliance All Hands" meeting and participated on a panel session entitled, "Regional Ocean Partnerships - What are other regions doing and what can we learn from each other?" The panel also included representatives from the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, Governors' South Atlantic Alliance, West Coast Governors Alliance on Ocean Health, Council of Great Lakes Governors, Caribbean Regional Ocean Partnership, and Hawaii Sub-Regional Ocean Partnership. The panel provided a valuable opportunity for Regional Ocean Partnerships to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and establish regular, year-round communications to support ongoing collaboration across regions. For the meeting agenda and links to presentations, visit the Gulf of Mexico Alliance website.
Share this:    |
Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body: Webinar Recap and Upcoming Engagement Opportunities
 On August 1, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body (RPB) held its first public webinar to further open lines of communication with regional partners and stakeholders. The full-day webinar was recorded and provided opportunities for the public to learn about the initial steps of the RPB and ask questions. Major topics focused on next steps for regional ocean planning, including how best to engage stakeholders, what our regional ocean goals should be, what the planning area boundaries should be, what data are currently available, and what should be covered in the RPB's charter. An audio/ video recording of the webinar will be available online.
On September 24-25, 2013, the Mid-Atlantic RPB will hold an inaugural public meeting at Monmouth University in New Jersey. For more details about this upcoming meeting, the recent webinar, and general Mid Atlantic RPB information, visit the Mid Atlantic RPB website.
Share this: |
Now Available: Guide to State Management of Offshore Wind Energy in the Mid-Atlantic Region
|
ABOUT MARCO
Established in 2009 by the Governors of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, MARCO provides a forum for our coastal Mid-Atlantic states to collaborate on shared regional priorities related to marine habitats, renewable offshore energy, climate change adaptation, and ocean water quality. MARCO initiated and oversees the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal to assist the region with ocean planning efforts. For more information about MARCO, download the MARCO Fact Sheet and visit our website, midatlanticocean.org.
CONNECT WITH US!
Thank you for your continued interest in MARCO. We welcome questions and feedback you may have, including content for upcoming issues of MARCO News. To provide comments or suggestions, or to join our email distribution list, please click "Join Our Mailing List" below, or contact us at info@midatlanticocean.org.
|
|
| 
Photo Credits: Header (L-R): Coral, NOAA-OER/BOEM; Wind turbines, Ralf Hettler; Kayaks, Raul Rosa; Shipping container, Dan Barnes; Schooling fish, Jet Chen Tan; U.S. Naval ships, Gina Addison. Articles: Regional Ocean Planning Article: pGIS Workshop, Chris Cortina. Footer (L-R) Fishing boat, William Sherman; Diver, Michael Eversmier; Beach scene, Chris Parypa.
|
|
|
|
|
