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We Are Getting Closer to All Hands 2018
The line up of events is getting tight. We hope you are firming up your itinerary for the meeting.
- Be sure to register.
- Make your hotel reservation now while there is still space available in the hotel.
- Consider taking the free Kayak Trip offered by Nature's Academy on Monday afternoon.
- Schedule your lunch on Thursday around the "Dispatches from the Gulf 2".
- Get current Team agendas.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone. Get complete information on the meeting.
Thank You to All Our Sponsors
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Wednesday Webinars
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is starting up a
Wednesday Webinar series. The hour long presentations will be held the last Wednesday of every other month at 2:00pm Central/3:00pm Eastern.
Topics include Gulf TREE, Microplastics, Tool Highlights, and HAB Detection. Join us to hear about great resources and projects from around the Gulf.
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Call for Hurricane Photos
The
Gulf of Mexico Alliance needs your recent hurricane photos. We will use before-storm, during-storm, and after-storm pictures to include recovery. Let us know who to credit when you share your best images. We want to make them part of our plenary discussion at All Hands. Send your best snaps to Laura Bowie.
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Participants Sought for New Modeling Community of Practice
As the Gulf of Mexico community continues to advance the tools for data collection, interpretation, and analysis, there may be value in establishing a network for information sharing among system modelers. Organizers want to gauge interest in a new community of practice by casting a wide net for anyone who is interested in the many aspects of modeling - data inputs through end users.
An introductory call scheduled for 2:00 pm Eastern Time on Monday, May 21st will discuss the purpose, need, structure, and function of the new group going forward. To engage early, email Libby Fetherston-Resch at ehfetherston@fio.usf.edu if you are interested in learning more about this group, the May 21st call, or future activities.
Learn more about this new community of practice.
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US EPA Gulf of Mexico Program Opens Nominations for the 2019 Gulf Guardian Awards
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency's Gulf of Mexico Program partnership developed the Gulf Guardian awards as 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. The Gulf Guardian Award 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. Submit a nomination by June 30, 2018.
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NAS Gulf Research Program Call for Nominations to New Standing Committee
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine seek nominations for experts to serve on a new standing committee to guide the Gulf Research Program (GRP). The purpose is to advise aspects of design, planning, and implemention of a long-term research campaign to improve understanding of the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current and other Gulf ocean systems. This research is part of a larger and longer-term GRP mission to improve understanding of the complex ocean systems that shape the Gulf of Mexico. The deadline is May 9, 2018.
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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) - Complete information on these and other projects 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. The next board meeting is May 17th at 10:00 am in Panama City Beach, Florida. It will be followed by a County RESTORE Coordinator's Meeting in the afternoon.
Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., is a nonprofit corporation organized to oversee the expenditure of 75 percent of all funds recovered by the Florida attorney general for economic damages to the state that resulted from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Triumph activity can be found
here.
Alabama - The Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (AGCRC) this month released the Draft Multiyear Implementation Plan (MIP) for a 45-day public comment period that ends June 4, 2018. Activities of the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (AGCRC)
are on their website.
Mississippi -
This month EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt approved roughly $26 million for Gulf Coast restoration activities through the approval of the State Expenditure Plan. Restoration in Mississippi is led by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Visit the Office of Restoration web page for announcements, procurement opportunities, project updates, and more.
Louisiana - This month the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority approved an amendment to the State's First Amended RESTORE Plan. It contains project selections for the first $20 million installment of the 15-year, $100 million Parish Matching Opportunities Program. The State of Louisiana is represented by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) on state and RESTORE Council activities. 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 Texas General Land Office announced it will award up to $1.8 million in coastal management program grant funding for coastal restoration projects. Public meetings are scheduled the first week of May.
Deepwater Horizon related Texas restoration activities can be found on
www.restorethetexascoast.org
.
NOAA RESTORE Science Program -
The program is anticipating the FFO-2019 release in May or June this year. Project solicitation will consider trends in living coastal and marine resources with an emphasis on interactions among multiple species, impacts of weather events or climate, and/or economic activity. Check their website for its release. These updates and more information are found on their dedicated website.
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Gulf Research Program -
This month the program released $340,000 to assist scientific research impacted by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The program called for nominations to a Standing Committee to Advise the Gulf Research Program on the Understanding of Gulf Ocean Systems Research Campaign. Announcements and activities related to Gulf of Mexico research and restoration can be found on the Gulf Research Program
website
.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) - On April 20, the Trustees released the 2017 Annual Financial Summary Report and overview of 2017 projects, planning, and other activities. They encourage interested parties to review associated data on the Data Integration Visualization Exploration and Reporting Portal "DIVER". On the same day, they provided an update to their program implementation, "Gulf Spill Restoration: Two Years After Settlement".
The Implementation Groups (TIGs) announcements this month include:
- The Alabama TIG released the Draft Restoration Plan II and Environmental Assessment. The plan evaluates project alternatives, "no action" alternatives, and proposes 22 projects for funding. Public comment is being accepted until May 7, 2018.
- The Louisiana TIG released its Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #4. The plan includes recreation and nutrient reduction strategies. Public comment is being accepted until May 21, 2018.
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) -
This month NFWF announced $26.5 million to restore 17 miles of shoreline at McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson County, Texas. A complete list of the NFWF Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund projects can be found on their website. The site includes a map of all their programs worldwide and current funding opportunities.
North American Conservation Wetlands Act fund (NAWCA) - This month Secretary Zinke announced $24.6 million in grants for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners to boost wetland, waterfowl conservation, and access to public lands. This announcement and other pertinent information is available on the
NAWCA website.
The servers were upgraded for faster service. Visit the Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker and the Story Map.
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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.
Link to Funding Opportunities page.
Americorps 2018-2019 Request for Proposals - These grants are for national and local nonprofits, schools, government agencies, faith-based and community organizations, and other groups committed to strengthening their communities through volunteering. The funding opportunities vary by program. State and National Grants targeted priority are due May 2, 2018.
EPA Region 4
FY18 Wetland Program Development Grants - Awards support the protection, management, and restoration of wetlands. The deadline is May 7, 2017.
People for Bikes Grant Program
- Program accepts grant applications from non-profit organizations with a focus on bicycling, active transportation, or community development, from city or county agencies or departments, and from state or federal agencies working locally. Letter of interest acceptance begins
June 11, 2018 and closes July 23, 2018.
Texas General Land Office
Coastal Management Grant Program
- Grants are intended to fund valuable projects that improve resilience and build a stronger coastline. Mandatory Pre-proposals are due June 14, 2018
.
NAS Thriving Communities Grants 5 - The Gulf Research Program seeks to help bridge the gap between the knowledge and practice of community resilience. They seek approaches that will advance information exchange between resilience researchers and those that seek to implement policies and practices to enhance the resilience and well-being of their communities. This will open July 2018.
Science and Restoration
Funding Calendar
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Comment Periods
Click here to request a comment period to be shared in our next newsletter.
The Alabama Trustee Implementation Group Seeks Comment on Draft Restoration Plan II and Environmental Assessment - The goal of the restoration plan is to partially compensate the public for natural resource injuries in Alabama caused by BP's Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. The deadline is May 7, 2018.
The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Seeks Public Comments on Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #4 - The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group released its Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #4 (PDF, 472 pg), which proposes projects to restore lost public recreational uses and reduce agricultural nutrient runoff in Louisiana's coastal watersheds injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The deadline is May 21, 2018.
The Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (Council) Seeks Comment on Draft Mulityear Implementation Plan (MIP) - The Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (Council) recently released its Draft Mulityear Implementation Plan (MIP). The deadline is June 4, 2018.
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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