SRIJB
- August 12, 2013, ---New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the selection of a Consortium
led by CUNY to lead a new Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay—
SRIJB

SRIJB
MISSION-Produce integrated knowledge that
increases biodiversity, well-being, and adaptive
capacity in coastal communities and waters
surrounding Jamaica Bay and New York City.
Preliminary organizational structure put together
by Happold Consulting
Adam Parris--Executive Director---Previously
program manager NOAA’s Regional Integrated
Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program

CORE PRINCIPLES
1. Produce credible, salient, and legitimate
science and information
2. Respect different forms of knowledge within
and outside of science
3. Catalyze new ideas and theories through both
basic and user-driven science
4. Provide critical and constructive scientific
expertise


Organizational Chart

Board of Directors
 National Park Service (“NPS”);
 NYC DEP
 Two individuals appointed by The City University of New York;
 Department of Environmental Conservation;
 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
 Columbia University, Cornell University, New York Sea Grant, Institute of
Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University, Stevens Institute of
Technology, Stony Brook University, and Wildlife Conservation Society
 JBEW
 One individuals representing the community of Jamaica Bay, elected by the
Board
 One individual representing the science community at large, elected by the
Board
 One individual representing a Corporation funder, elected by the Board

Partnerships

Research Vessel- 65 foot- 1.6 Million
June 2017

SAC-Stakeholder Advisory Committee
• The American Littoral Society
Eastern Queens Alliance
Environmental Defense Fund
Hudson River Foundation
Jamaica Bay EcoWatchers
National Parks Conservation Association
National Wildlife Federation
NYC Audubon
Regional Plan Association
Rockaway Waterfront Alliance
The Nature Conservancy
Trust for Public Land

PAC Public Agency Committee
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
National Park Service (NPS)
NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP)
NYC Department of Planning
NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT)
NYC Office of Emergency Management (NYC OEM)
NYC Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NYC ORR)
NYC Parks
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC)
NYS Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (NYS GOSR)
NYS Department of Transportation
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)
US Army Corps of Engineers
US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Stakeholder Chairs
Dan Mundy—Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers--JBE
Marc Matsil –The Trust for Public Lands—TPL
Representing the Stakeholders and their concerns

Past History in Jamaica Bay
Academics operated independently
Academics did not seek out local input
Agencies did not coordinate with local knowledge
No Coordination of efforts
Local observations and concerns ignored or dismissed

Local Contributions to Jamaica Bay
Science
• Marsh loss recoginition
• Nitrogen Impact
• Nitrogen Reduction
• Wetland Restoration
• Oyster studies
• Funding opportunities
• Elected support
• Opposition to Such plans as--- Runway
Expansion/Borrow pit filling

Challenges
Avoid--“Back to the Future”—local input critical
Agenda driven by Local stakeholder needs
New Players who do not understand bay—IE:
-----Shallowing the Bay concept
SRIJB to avoid policy trap---stay science focused
Policy set at JBTF –long history of vetting proposals
and moving plans forward

GOALS
Open meeting format established for local
stakeholder input
Continue to see JBTF as main forum for policy
implementation
SRIJB to become great resource to address identified
scientific needs for Jamaica Bay Stakeholders
Science and studies funded to be directed towards
applied applications or needs.
Coordination of scientific Efforts
Coordination of Scientific Findings