Gulf of Mexico Alliance
Building Partnerships for a Healthier Gulf
August 2021

Our thoughts are with our friends, colleagues, and partners affected by Hurricane Ida. We know the Gulf Coast's people and communities are resilient and will come back stronger. Please support recovery efforts where you can.

GOMA Team Mid-Year Meetings move to a virtual-only format

Due to continuing COVID-19 concerns, GOMA has decided to switch the Team Mid-Year Meetings on September 21-23, 2021, to a virtual-only format. If you have registered to attend in person you will automatically be transferred to a virtual registration. No action is necessary from you to change your registration status. If you have made travel arrangements (hotel, flights, and/or car rental), please remember to cancel your reservations.

We are disappointed that we will be unable to meet in person, but your safety is our top priority. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to engaging in productive virtual Team meetings.

Visit our website for registration, meeting information, and draft agendas.
Tool Time with Dave Season 2 officially kicks off

GOMA’s “Tool Time with Dave” virtual tools café series officially kicked off on August 10th and has been covering tools focused on databases and decision support, socioeconomics, and habitat/ species data management. The September schedule can be found on our website, so be sure to mark your calendar with the upcoming dates!
 
Esri, the world leader in location intelligence technology, has joined us again as our partner for Season 2. Visit the Esri Ocean Science Blog each week to continue the conversation about featured tools and resources.
 
No registration is necessary for all webinars. For the meeting link, more tool information, and previous Tool Time recordings please click hereWe look forward to seeing you!
GOMA Water Resource Team launches new project in Texas

The GOMA Water Resources Team is continuing its work to study the connections between economic health and water quality with a new project in coastal Texas. Researchers at Harte Research Institute will examine the economic impacts of long-term degraded water quality and brown tide harmful algal blooms in Baffin Bay, Texas. Economic data focused on the tourism, fisheries, and restaurant sectors will inform ongoing work to improve water quality and restore this iconic bay system. This project is supported by Freeport McMorRan through GOMA’s Gulf Star Program.
Motiva joins Gulf Star Program

GOMA is pleased to announce a new partnership with Motiva Enterprises LLC as they become the most recent organization to join the Alliance’s Gulf Star Program. Funding from Motiva will support work in Tampa Bay, Florida, focused on marine debris removal, prevention, and education activities with local schools. All projects in the Gulf Star Program accomplish actions identified by the Alliance’s Priority Issue Teams and Cross-Team Initiatives in the Governors’ Action Plan for Healthy and Resilient Coasts.

Motiva joins the following Gulf Star partners: BHP, Shell, Freeport McMoRan, Hess, Chevron, Clean Gulf Associates, Equinor, Oxy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the five Gulf states.

Read the full press release here.
Updated and expanded Coastal Community Resilience Index now available

The GOMA Coastal Resilience Team and Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium have released a newly updated and expanded version of the Coastal Community Resilience Index (CRI) self-assessment tool. Coastal communities use the CRI to evaluate their vulnerabilities and identify opportunities to improve resilience. The updated version includes expanded information on communication, planning for vulnerable populations, health impacts, and more. The CRI was updated with funding from a NOAA Regional Coastal Resilience Grant to the Gulf of Mexico Alliance.
Gulf Star project continues to provide valuable insights on the economic impact of Florida HABs

In 2020, the GOMA Water Resources Team worked with economists from the Balmoral Group to understand the financial effects of the 2017-2019 Florida harmful algal bloom (HAB) event. These economic data are highly relevant as Florida has been impacted by another significant HAB event this summer. 
 
Results from the project included information on tourism, housing sales, and fishing activity as well as an analysis of Google search trends and social media posts about red tide. For example, news stories and social media shares affected customer behavior (cancellation of hotel rooms, dinner reservations, and fishing trips) even when no red tide was present based on water sampling data. View the economic data dashboard and read the final project report to learn more.

This project was supported by Freeport McMoRan through GOMA’s Gulf Star Program.
Partner News

GCOOS announces new executive director
The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Observing System (GCOOS) has announced the organization's new executive director, Dr. Jorge Brenner. To read the full article, click here.

NAS Gulf Research Program looking for stories from research faculty and staff
The NAS Gulf Research Program is looking for stories about ways research faculty and university staff have partnered with Gulf communities before, during, or after a crisis. Submit your story by September 13, 2021.

EPA releases National Coastal Condition Assessment report
The newest National Coastal Condition Assessment: A Collaborative Survey of the Nation's Estuaries and Nearshore Great Lakes is now available. The survey helps water resource managers evaluate the condition of coastal waters, changes in trends over time, and more.

New publication on Gulf TREE adoption and use
A new peer-reviewed publication on the adoption and use of Gulf TREE is now available. Project partners from PLACE: SLR, GOMA, and the Gulf of Mexico Climate Community of Practice co-authored the publication.

HAB Preparedness & Response Virtual Workshop proceedings now available
Proceedings of a virtual workshop and tabletop exercise on harmful algal bloom (HAB) preparedness, response capabilities, and responsibilities are now available on the workshop webpage. The workshop was co-hosted by NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration's Disaster Preparedness Program and the University of New Hampshire's Coastal Response Research Center.

Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation announces new director
Vance Crain has joined the Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation as its new executive director.
2021 Events

Selected events include:

GOMA Human Benefits of Nature Webinar (virtual)
September 10th, 2021

NOAA: Conserving and Restoring America The Beautiful Stakeholder Listening Session (virtual)
September 13th, 2021

GOMA Team Mid-Year Meetings (virtual)
September 21-23, 2021 Register here

American Shore & Beach Preservation Association National Coastal Conference (in-person, New Orleans, LA)
September 28th-October 1st, 2021

GOMA Wednesday Webinar (virtual)
September 29th, 2021

Find links to these events and other virtual activities on our events page.
1151 Robinson Street, Ocean Springs, MS 39564
For newsletter submissions contact Devany.tyler@gomxa.org
August 2021