Gulf of Mexico Alliance
e-Newsletter September 2018
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Gulf Star Results: How Much of Tampa Bay Is Suitable for Living Shorelines?
This month, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWC: FWRI) completed the Gulf Star award, "Living Shoreline Suitability Model for Tampa Bay: A GIS Approach." The project helped predict the suitability of living shorelines in the area. A program component was to develop outreach materials that resulted in the
story map: Living Shoreline-Tampa Bay.
The work was funded through the 2016 inaugural cycle of the GOMA Gulf Star program. The Habitat Resources Team concluded the development of a living shorelines site suitability model and pilot tested it on Mobile Bay, Alabama. It was very successful in predicting where natural shoreline restoration techniques will be successful and where they won't. As a continuation of the project, the Team funded the living shoreline model approach on additional sites in Tampa and Perdido, Florida.
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Island Restoration Project to Play Key Role in Future of Louisiana's State Bird
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Greg Thompson_ USFWS |
Fifty years ago, Louisiana and Florida joined forces to reintroduce the brown pelican to three of Louisiana's barrier islands. The first successful recolonization of brown pelicans occurred on one of these islands, Queen Bess Island. Today, erosion has reduced it to a small fraction of its former size, so biologists are once again targeting the island for restoration to help the brown pelican and other important migratory bird species by restoring critical habitat.
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Embrace the Gulf
Do you have a great resource about the Gulf? Have you completed some research that, when translated for the general public, would be great information to share? We are collecting information to turn into Gulf messages during our "Embrace the Gulf 2020" campaign. Submit a fact (or facts) and let us do the rest.
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Resources
This report, by the Network for Landscape Conservation, has a two-fold purpose to capture the current state of landscape conservation practice; and to suggest what we can do together and in our own landscapes to shape this practice moving forward.
Read more on this report.
Oysters and Oil Spills
A new outreach piece by the Gulf Sea Grant Programs, created with best available science from Deepwater Horizon oil spill projects.
Download the PDF.
The Great Red Snapper Count
The Harte Research Institute created this website to present information related to their involvement with Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant's effort to estimate the size of the red snapper population in the Gulf. Go their website,
www.SnapperCount.org, and view their
new videos that highlight how the counting is done.
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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) -
This month, the RESTORE Council began providing webinars, "RESTORE Education Opportunities Series (REOS)" as an opportunity for Gulf stakeholders to learn more about their work.
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.
A "DWH Funded Project Story Map" shows 98 Florida funded projects through 2018. Clicking on individual projects provides links to a fact sheet and Diver information where available.
Alabama - Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is holding an inaugural Alabama Restoration Summit on October 11, 2018. The Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (AGCRC)
activity is available on their website.
Mississippi -
Restoration in Mississippi is led by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
The State maintains story map of 68 restoration related, funded projects. The Mississippi Restoration Summit is planned for November 13, 2018 in Biloxi.
Visit the Office of Restoration web page for announcements, procurement opportunities, project updates, and more.
Louisiana - The State of Louisiana is represented by the CPRA on state and RESTORE Council activities. Restoration activities are conducted in conjunction with the State's Master Plan. This month, CPRA began solicitation for new project ideas for development of the 2023 Coastal Master Plan. C
oastal Louisiana restoration updates are available on the
CPRA website.
Texas -
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality leads the states restoration efforts. Maps of Texas RESTORE projects and DWH projects are available with other related information on
www.restorethetexascoast.org
.
NOAA RESTORE Science Program -
Current information on this program is available through the RESTORE Science Program website.
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Gulf Research Program -
The program is collaborating with the Sea Grant Oil Spill Science Outreach Program to hold a series of workshops aimed at improving community preparedness for future oil spill.
Learn more
about these and other news.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) -
The Trustee Implementation Group (TIG) announcements this month include:
- The Alabama TIG approved its second Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment.
- The Florida TIG released its Draft Restoration Plan I and Environmental Assessment for public comment.
- The Louisiana TIG released funds to support monitoring of fish and marine mammal research. The approval for funding was made in July. The state highlighted the Queen Bess Island restoration project as one to play a key role in the continued recolonization of the Brown Pelican.
- The Mississippi TIG is beginning planning for 2018-2019. They are accepting public submission of project ideas. The group also released a Notice of Project Change to cancel three components of the Restoring Living Shorelines and Reefs in Mississippi Estuaries due to feasibility issues.
- The Texas TIG is holding their annual public meeting on October 15th in Galveston, Texas.
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) -
A complete list of the NFWF supported projects and open Requests for Proposals can be found on their website.
North American Conservation Wetlands Act fund (NAWCA) - 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. Conference organizers extended abstract submission to October 1, 2018. 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.
NAWCA U.S. Small Grants - Projects must involve long-term protection, restoration, and/or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats. The deadline is October 18, 2018
.
NOAA Marine Debris Program
Community-based Marine Debris Removal Projects - Projects awarded through the removal grant competition will create long-term, quantifiable ecological habitat improvements for NOAA trust resources. The deadline is October 29, 2018.
November is a big grant deadline. The following are a sample of those due in the first week.
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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 events for 4th quarter:
- GOMA Wildlife & Fisheries Team Fall Meeting
October 3
- Webinar: Climate and Resilience Community of Practice Resources for Resilience
October 10
- Alabama Restoration Summit
October 11
- NRDA Texas TIG Annual Public Meeting
October 15
- Mississippi Restoration Summit
November 13
- GOMA Wednesday Webinar: Harmful Algal Blooms Detection
November 28
- Alabama-Mississippi Bays and Bayous
November 28-29, 2018
- GOMA Data and Monitoring Team Call
December 7
- GOMA Coastal Resilience Team Mid-Year Meeting
December 11-13, 2018
- GOMA Marine Debris Cross-Team Initiative Mid-Year Meeting
December 12-13, 2018
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Comment Periods
Click here to request a comment period to be shared in our next newsletter.
Shortfin Mako Management Measures
The NOAA NMFS is taking written comments on the proposed rule amendment to Shortfin Mako Management Measures. The deadline is October 8, 2018.
2019 Atlantic Shark Commercial Fishing Year
The NOAA proposed rule 2019 Atlantic Shark Commercial Fishing Year is available. It will establish quotas, opening dates, and retention limits. Comments are due October 11, 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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