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Thank You
Thank you to all of our partners for the tremendous success this year.
We are looking forward to a bright year in 2019.
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Upcoming Alliance Meetings
Monitoring Community of Practice (MCoP) Meeting
The MCoP will meet January 14-15, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The focus of this workshop is to coordinate with monitoring and mapping experts to support the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council's Monitoring and Assessment Program (CMAP) through review and feedback of water quality and habitat focused objectives. This workshop is followed by GOMA Teams Water Resources, Habitat Resources, and Data and Monitoring Team mid-year meetings.
Register here.
Data & Monitoring / Habitat Resources / Water Resources
Mid-Year Meetings
For the following Teams, contact their Coordinator for agenda information.
- Data and Monitoring Team Mid-Year Meeting
January 15-16, 2019
- Habitat Resources Team Mid-Year Meeting
January 15-16, 2019
- Water Resource Team Mid-Year Meeting
January 15-16, 2019
Use the
MCoP link above to register for these meetings.
Education and Engagement Team Winter Meeting
The Team is meeting January 23-24, 2019 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Meeting topics will cover action priorities, the Embrace the Gulf campaign, and visual messaging 101 for social media. Get meeting information on the
Team's page.
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Fall Gulf of Mexico Alliance Activity
Early this month the Coastal Resilience Team held their annual mid-year meeting in Austin, Texas. Coastal News Today captured some of their discussions in their American Shoreline Podcast Network. You can listen to an introduction to coastal resilience and a free-flowing Alliance round table discussion.
Listen here.
Wednesday Webinar Partnership
This month the Alliance partnered with the National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC) for the year's last webinar on harmful algal bloom detection. Joining forces with this new network extended the Alliance's partnership reach well-beyond the Gulf Coast. Learn more about the NWQMC and read their 2018 fall newsletter.
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Resources
Hurricane Preparedness Plan
The USM Gulf Coast Research Laboratory developed
the plan as useful guidance to coastal facilities.
Fisheries of the United States, 2017 & Fisheries Economics of the United States 2016
NOAA Fisheries released these
two reports that reflect the impact of landings, value, and economic impact of U.S. fishing.
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This month at the Alabama-Mississippi Bays and Bayous Symposium, we had an opportunity to share the campaign with northern Gulf Coast partners. Our sponsorship forms are updated and we welcome your support. Contact Development Director
Becky Ginn for charitable giving options. Thank you to everyone that helped make our first Giving Tuesday a success.
2019 is going to be a big year as we gear up for EmbracetheGulf for 2020. Let us know how we can help you prepare something special.
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Restoration
Activities related to Deepwater Horizon oil spill research and restoration are updated monthly.
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council) -
On December 4th the Council announced the implementation of the Apalachicola Watershed Agriculture Water Quality Improvements project. It will allow landowners to implement best management practices that reduce fertilizer pollutant loadings. On the 12th, the EPA initiated the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program restoration planning component for Twelve Mile Creek in Alabama. The final work will involve stream and flood plain restoration in the Three Mile Creek Watershed. Complete information on RESTORE Council activity is available on
RestoreTheGulf.gov
.
U.S. Department of Treasury - All RESTORE Act Direct Component activities administered by the Department of Treasury are listed on the official website.
In the States
Florida -
The
Gulf Consortium
and
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) maintain websites
of related restoration information. Check these for regular program updates.
Alabama - This month,
the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources tapped the Dauphin Island Sea Lab to lead a five-year project to map and restore submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) across coastal Alabama. The project is one of two recently awarded to ADCNR by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council.The State has an updated website
Alabama Coastal Restoration that includes a map of all funded projects.
Mississippi -
Last month the state released the
2018 Mississippi State Expenditure Plan Amendment and the Multiyear Implementation Plan Amendment. Both documents have public comment periods closing January 18, 2019. Visit the Office of Restoration web page for announcements, procurement opportunities, project updates, and more.
Louisiana - Restoration activities are conducted in conjunction with the State's Master Plan. C
oastal Louisiana restoration updates are available on the
CPRA website.
Texas -
The state is currently accepting applications for the Texas Trustees and NFWF 2019 funding cycle of the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. For more information on this and other Texas activities go to
www.restorethetexascoast.org
.
NOAA RESTORE Science Program -
Current information on this program is available through the RESTORE Science Program website. The site is currently unavailable during the partial federal government shutdown.
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Gulf Research Program -
On December 18th, the program announced the award of eight projects totaling $10.3 million for research on the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current System. This month the program also opened a new funding opportunity to Advance Safety Culture in the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry. 2019 Early-Career Research and Science Policy Fellowships are open with a February 20th deadline. 2019 Science Policy Fellowships applications are due Marcy 6, 2019. Learn more about these awards and other program activities.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) -
The Trustee Implementation Group (TIG) announcements this month include:
- The Alabama TIG announced on December 19th they are accepting project ideas for Restoration Plan III. The deadline to submit is January 25, 2019.
- The Louisiana TIG announced on December 21st they are anticipating postponing the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting. They will still meet to discuss and take public comment on the Queen Bess Restoration Plan on January 3, 2019.
- The Open Ocean TIG will hold a workshop on February 4th to discuss monitoring and adaptive management strategies. This is in conjunction with GoMOSES.
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) -
On November 19th, NFWF announced its sixth round of awards for the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. More than $280 million will go to 21 projects across the five Gulf states. A complete list of the NFWF supported projects can be found on their website.
North American Conservation Wetlands Act fund (NAWCA) - The 2019 grant cycle deadlines are now available. Information for this program is available on the
NAWCA website.
Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) - The 2019 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference (GoMOSES) is planned for February 4-7, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans in New Orleans, LA. The
2019 program is now available online. Comprehensive GoMRI information is on
gulfresearchinitiative.org.
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Funding
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance maintains a
Funding Opportunities web page of current opportunities. Below are selected opportunities from that page.
For federal applications, from the Grants.gov website, "
During a lapse in federal appropriations, the Grants.gov system will remain in an Operational status. Additionally, the Grants.gov Support Center will remain available to provide assistance to applicants."
Texas Trustees and NFWF GEBF
2019 Project Solicitation - Projects can be submitted into the project portal for consideration. Previously submitted projects after November 1, 2017 do not need to be submitted again. The deadline is January 4, 2019.
Gulf of Mexico Climate and Resilience Community of Practice (CoP) is requesting letters of intent for
Climate Adaptation Projects. Funding is to assist a community effort to plan for climate change and natural hazards. The deadline is January 15, 2019.
NOAA NOS 2019 Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise Program - The purpose is address regional and local 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. Search grants.gov for NOAA-NOS-NCCOS-2019-2005813. The deadline is January 16, 2018.
NRDA Alabama TIG
Project Ideas for Restoration Plan III - The Alabama Trustee Implementation Group is accepting project ideas related to recreational opportunities and bird related restoration needs. The deadline is January 25, 2018.
NFWF
Five Star Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program 2019 Request for Proposals - This program seeks to develop community capacity to sustain local natural resources for future generations by providing modest financial assistance to diverse local partnerships focused on improving water quality, watersheds and the species and habitats they support. The full proposal deadline is January 31, 2019.
NAS Gulf Research Program
Advancing Safety Culture in the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry - They seek proposals for research and/or design of pilot projects to understand and improve offshore safety culture around four key issues: global database of incident and safety data; near-miss and incident reporting systems; measurement of safety culture; and human-systems integration. Letters of intent are due February 13, 2019. Full proposals are due April 17, 2019.
Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium
2020-2022 Research RFP - One to two-year proposals are being accepted on coastal issues in Alabama and Mississippi that the priorities of the program. The deadline for pre-proposals is February 15, 2019.
Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA)
2023 Coastal Master Plan Project Ideas - CPRA is accepting project ideas that Louisiana citizens, governmental bodies and concerned organizations would like to see evaluated and considered for possible inclusion in the next Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast that will be submitted to the Louisiana Legislature in 2023. The deadline is March 1, 2019.
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Events
Our
events page lists workshops, conferences, symposia, trainings, webinars, and other notable activities. Please
email us with things to post and share.
Selected January events:
- GOMA Monitoring Community of Practice Meeting - Baton Rouge
January 14-16, 2019
- GOMA Data and Monitoring Team Mid-Year Meeting - Baton Rouge
January 14 - 16, 2019
- Habitat Resources Team Mid-Year Meeting- Baton Rouge
January 15 - 16, 2019
- Water Resource Team Mid-Year Meeting - Baton Rouge
January 14 - 15, 2019
- Education and Engagement Team Winter Meeting - Biloxi
January 23-24, 2019
- Hypoxia Task Force Public Meeting
January 29, 2019
SAVE THE DATE
2019 All Hands
June 10-13, 2019
The Lodge - Gulf State Park
Gulf Shores, Alabama
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Comment Periods
Click here to request a comment period to be shared in our next newsletter.
Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rulemaking
The EPA and Department of the Army are proposing new definitions for what constitutes "waters of the United States". An open comment period to this revised definition is pending. Learn more about these
proposed changes.
Proposed Rule to Modify Red Snapper and Hogfish Annual Catch Limits and Annual Catch Targets
NOAA Fisheries is soliciting comments on these catch limits and they are due by January 3, 2019.
2018 Mississippi State Expenditure Plan (MSEP) Amendment
This
MSEP is available for public review and comment by January 18, 2019.
Mississippi Multiyear Implementation Plan Amendment
This
amended MIP is available for public comment through January 18, 2019.
USDA Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation
An
interim rule was issued on December 7th to clarify how the USDA delineates, determines, and certifies wetlands. The deadline for public comment is February 5, 2019.
NOAA Research and Development Plan
The NOAA Research Council is developing the
research and development plan. Comments are due by February 8, 2019.
For all federal rules, comments, adjudications or supporting documents visit regulations.gov.
The NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office maintains a bulletin of public notices and news releases related to topics of importance on many Gulf of Mexico issues.
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has a website that includes fish regulations, amendments, and meeting announcements. See their
Public Hearings for updates on sea turtle release protocol, venting tools, state management of recreational Red snapper, and other pertinent fishery management issues.
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