GOMA E-News: hurricane assistance, Team Meetings, GoMCon, diamondback terrapins, DWHPT, and more.

Gulf of Mexico Alliance

Building Partnerships for a Healthier Gulf

September 2021

GOMA responds to Hurricane Ida with recovery assistance mini-grants

GOMA's hurricane mini-grant program provides funding for projects that address immediate needs after major hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico related to our priority areas: water quality, wildlife/fisheries, natural habitats, and community resilience. Mini-grants support communities and non-traditional partner organizations that may not quality for larger assistance programs. Past GOMA hurricane mini-grants supported projects to repair wildlife rescue facilities, restore marshes, improve impaired waterways, and more.

We are in touch with our partners in south Louisiana and have a growing list of immediate needs. We will fund as many projects as we can, as quickly as we can! If your organization or agency would like to support Hurricane Ida mini-grants in south Louisiana, please contact Laura Bowie (laura.bowie@gomxa.org).

GOMA Teams gather for successful Mid-Year Meetings

Last week, nearly 250 stakeholders from across the Gulf participated in our six virtual Team Meetings. Highlights included:

a demo of the new Gulf of Mexico Open Data Platform;
facilitated discussion of ways to reduce Gulf Coast flood risk;
regional sediment management and living shoreline working sessions;
a kick-off of the Oyster Management Community of Practice;
information on upcoming diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives;
Gulf Star project updates on harmful algal blooms, terrapin conservation, and more!

A huge thanks to everyone who made this event happen: our Team Chairs and Coordinators, Team Steering Committees, tech moderators, facilitators, and participants! Together, we are improving the health and resilience of the Gulf of Mexico region through increased collaboration.

Save the date for the 2022 Gulf of Mexico Conference!

Save the date: the Gulf of Mexico Conference (GoMCon) is scheduled for April 25-25, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. GoMCon combines the annual Gulf of Mexico Alliance All Hands Meeting, the annual Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference, and the tri-annual State of the Gulf Summit. Emphasizing the intersection of science and management across the Gulf Coast region, GoMCon will include sessions on themes that include resilience, water quality, restoration, and much more.

Session topics, registration information, and a call for abstracts will be available soon. Check the GOMA Meetings page for more information and updates.

New Gulf Star project supports diamondback terrapin outreach

The GOMA Wildlife and Fisheries Team has a new Gulf Star project supporting diamondback terrapin education and outreach along the upper Texas coast. The Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) is working with local blue crab fishers to reduce terrapin bycatch through education workshops and distribution of terrapin excluder devices. GBF is also increasing awareness of the need for terrapin conservation throughout the area with in-person appearances by a rescue terrapin named "Pear."

This work was identified as a priority in soon-to-be released diamondback terrapin conservation action plan developed by The Nature Conservancy and Diamondback Terrapin Working Group with funding from Oxy through GOMA's Gulf Star Program. The action plan will be published this fall.

Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker working group seeks case studies of successful use

Did you know Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker is still going strong, containing nearly 1,500 oil spill settlement-funded projects and is updated every quarter? The Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker working group is finalizing a new Story Map to highlight the great information available through the tool to further promote its use.

The working group would like to hear from you about ways you have successfully used the Tracker. Reach out to Ali Robertson (ali.roberston@gomxa.org) to share:

how you are currently using the Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker;
ways you have used the Tracker for restoration or other project planning; or
analysis using information from the Tracker.

Partner News

Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant to develop resilience tool for oyster farmers

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium is developing a new "Oyster Farming Resilience Index" to help oyster farmers self-identify vulnerabilities and better prepare for future disasters. To find out more, click here.

Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council seeks suggestions for RESTORE Act funding

The Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources are seeking suggestions for new RESTORE Act funded projects. Please add your project suggestion(s) tp the Alabama Restoration Project Suggestion Portal by October 15, 2021.

NOAA CoastWatch survey on HABs and use of satellite products training

NOAA's CoastWatch program is looking for feedback to develop materials for a training module specific to HABs and use of satellite products. The survey is open until October 6, 2021.

New international guidelines on natural and nature-based features for flood risk management

New international guidelines on natural and nature-based features for flood risk management are now available from the US Army Corps of Engineers. Click here for more information.

RESTORE Act Science Program announces actionable science planning grants

The RESTORE Act Science Program has awarded $2.3 million to 20 project teams in the Gulf of Mexico to collaboratively plan natural resource science and management projects. Read more about the projects here.