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Marine Debris Initiative Mid-Year Meeting
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance Marine Debris Cross-Team Initiative will hold its mid-year meeting October 8-10, 2019 in Corpus Christi, Texas at the Texas State Aquarium. This is the first time the group has met in Texas and organizers hope to engage more western Gulf partners.
Contact the Cross-Team.
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Wednesday Webinars 2019 - 2020
Reserve your calendar now for the next six months of Wednesday Webinars. Join GOMA every other month at 2:00 pm CT / 3:00 pm ET for an informative hour on a recent partner project. Upcoming programs include:
- September 25 Gulfwide seagrass status and trends
- November 20 Restored habitat recovery and use
- January 29 Ecosystem services - community resilience
- March 25 Vulnerability and adaptation planning
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New Resources for Living Shorelines
The Green Infrastructure Work Group of the Climate and Resilience Community of Practice recently published living shoreline resource catalogs for each of the five Gulf Coast states. The purpose is to direct different audiences to living shoreline resources related to design, construction, permitting, and cost in their states. Target audiences intended to use the catalogs include environmental consultants, engineers, and landscape architects; installation contractors and suppliers; realtors and property developers; researchers; resource managers and local land use planners; and property owners.
Read more and get the materials.
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The Gulf of Mexico Alliance staff headed over to Baytown, Texas, last month. They joined the
Galveston Bay Foundation
and the
Hess Corporation
for the kickoff of a new citizen
marine debris
monitoring program - Texas Water Watch. Volunteers will work around Galveston Bay. This is a great expansion of the Water Resources Team Gulf Star program. This
short video
gives you a quick view into this new effort.
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Resources
Journal of Coastal Research Special Issue 60
The Habitat Resources Team completed the Gulf Regional Sediment Master Plan Technical Framework in 2009. It was reformatted into a peer reviewed scientific paper and published in the Journal of Coastal Research. Access the special issue with this
updated resource link.
2019 All Hands Video and Pictures
Look for
meeting highlights in these resources as you reserve your calendar for All Hands 2020.
Mobile Baykeeper & Litter Free LeFlore Videos
These
videos are a product of a Gulf Star project to teach LeFlore High School students about watersheds and water quality monitoring.
Tangipahoa Parish Floodplain and Stormwater Management Video
This
Gulf Star project helped parish officials develop a comprehensive stormwater management plan to protect their unique community.
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EPA Gulf of Mexico Division Awards Funding for the Farmer to Farmer Program
On August 14, 2019, the EPA announced
seven awards totaling more than $7.5 million. The funding is part of a unique "farmer to farmer" program that promotes innovative environmental approaches in agriculture. The cooperative agreements will assist the development of farming methods that improve water quality and encourage habitat restoration throughout the Gulf of Mexico watershed.
On August 23, 2019, the EPA announced
$1.2 million to Hypoxia Task Force states to help implement state plans to reduce excess nutrients in the Mississippi River/Atchafalaya River Basin. Members of GOMA's Water Resources Team has long played a role in the ongoing dialog to address best practices for nutrient reduction.
Read more about the EPA's nutrient pollution policy.
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Restoration
Activities related to Deepwater Horizon oil spill research and restoration are updated monthly.
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council)
U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) - All RESTORE Act Direct Component activities administered by the Department of Treasury are listed on the official website.
In the States
Florida -
A Florida Deepwater Horizon Restoration Summit is planned for November 14, 2019. It will highlight ongoing, planned, and potential restoration efforts. The
Gulf Consortium
and
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) maintain websites
of related restoration information.
Mississippi -
Visit the Office of Restoration web page for announcements, procurement opportunities, project updates, and more.
Louisiana - The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) manages restoration activities for the state in conjunction with the State's Master Plan.
CPRA currently has a RFP open; see below for details. All restoration information is available on the
CPRA website.
Texas - State Council appointee, Toby Baker, TCEQ Executive Director, will host two public meetings in September. The meetings will receive comments on potential projects related to the upcoming RESTORE Council "bucket 2" grant round. TCEQ has an open RFP; details are below.
For information on Texas activities, go to
www.restorethetexascoast.org
.
NOAA RESTORE Science Program -
Current information on this project and other funded programs are available through the RESTORE Science Program website.
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Gulf Research Program -
This month the program released a white paper on measuring human dimensions of resilience, health, and well-being in the Gulf Coast. They announced their 2019 program Science Policy Fellows. Find these and other program information on their website.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) -
The Deepwater Horizon Trustees approved new monitoring guidance on August 30, 2019. It is an update of the Monitoring and Adaptive Manual released in January 2018. The update covers restoration projects for oysters, submerged aquatic vegetation, and other habitat. The Trustee Implementation Group (TIG) announcements this month are:
- The Florida TIG began accepting project ideas for the restoration plan. Focus issues include habitat projects on federally -managed lands; oysters, sea turtles, marine mammals and birds; and projects that enhance recreational fishing.
- The Louisiana TIG is holding an annual public meeting via webinar on September 30, 2019. Updates will be provided on the Louisiana restoration area plans, projects, and other activities.
- The Louisiana TIG also initiated the intent to draft the Restoration Plan #6 for wetlands, coastal and nearshore habitats. Included projects are based on previously submitted ideas from the public.
- The Open Ocean TIG approved new monitoring and adaptive management activities to improve the understanding of stressors on Gulf whales and dolphins.
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) -
For information on NFWF supported projects, go to 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
2020 GoMOSES Conference is scheduled for February 3-6, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. Abstract submission is open and the deadline is September 30, 2019. Comprehensive GoMRI information is on
gulfresearchinitiative.org.
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Funding
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance maintains a
Funding Opportunities web page of programs. Below are selected opportunities from that page.
NOAA Marine Debris Program FY2020 Removal Grant -- Proposals should address community-based marine debris removal that benefit coastal habitat, waterways, and wildlife. Letters of intent are due September 4, 2019 and full proposals are due December 4, 2019.
Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission
Marine Aquaculture RFP -- Proposals should address marine aquaculture projects. The deadline is September 19, 2019.
General Motors Giving Back- Requests for grant funding related to three areas: STEM education, road safety, and sustainable communities, are due September 30, 2019.
North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA)
U.S. Small Grants - The deadline is October 17, 2019.
Alabama Power
Foundation Grants - Applications must address at least one of the APR five initiatives: Educational Advancement, Civic and Community Development, Arts and Cultural Enrichment, Health and Human Services and Environmental Stewardship. The next deadline is October 18, 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 events:
- Texas RESTORE Act #1 Public Meeting
September 9, 2019, Galveston, TX
- Texas RESTORE Act #2 Public Meeting
September 10, 2019, Corpus Christi, TX
- Gulf Coast Land Conservation Conference
September 9-11, 2019, Point Clear, AL
- National Estuaries Week
September 14-21, 2019
- International Coastal Cleanup
September 21, 2019
- Wednesday Webinar - Gulfwide Seagrass Status and Trends
September 25, 2019
- NRDA Louisiana TIG Annual Meeting Webinar
September 30, 2019
- GOMA Marine Debris Initiative Mid-Year Meeting
October 8-10, 2019, Corpus Christi, TX
- Florida Deepwater Horizon Restoration Summit
November 14, 2019, Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Mississippi Restoration Summit
November 20, 2019, Biloxi, MS
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Comment Periods
Click here to request a comment period to be shared in our next newsletter.
NOAA Fisheries is requesting comment on: Changes to Allowable Fishing Effort in the Gulf of Mexico Commercial Shrimp Fishery. Comments are due September 30, 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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