John Hankinson, Executive Director, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, spoke at the Joint Public Advisory Committee's Resilient Communities in North America workshop in New Orleans on July 9, 2012. More info at http://www.cec.org/Council2012
New Orleans , Garret Graves, Chairman, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority; National Institute for Coastal & Harbor Infrastructure, John F. Kennedy Center, Boston, Nov. 12, 2013: "The Triple Threat of Rising Sea Levels, Extreme Storms and Aging Infrastructure: Coastal Community Responses and The Federal Role" See http://www.nichiusa.org or http://www.nichi.us
Consideration of the Impact of Climate Change on Lake Levels in the Management Plan of Tribal Fisheries and Culturally Important Sites.
Supported through a grant from the Michigan Coastal Zone Management Program, Office of the Great Lakes, Department of Environmental Quality and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by Frank J. Marsik, Kyle P. White, Richard Rood, Ellie Masters and Barbara Doyle
New Orleans , Garret Graves, Chairman, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority; National Institute for Coastal & Harbor Infrastructure, John F. Kennedy Center, Boston, Nov. 12, 2013: "The Triple Threat of Rising Sea Levels, Extreme Storms and Aging Infrastructure: Coastal Community Responses and The Federal Role" See http://www.nichiusa.org or http://www.nichi.us
Consideration of the Impact of Climate Change on Lake Levels in the Management Plan of Tribal Fisheries and Culturally Important Sites.
Supported through a grant from the Michigan Coastal Zone Management Program, Office of the Great Lakes, Department of Environmental Quality and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by Frank J. Marsik, Kyle P. White, Richard Rood, Ellie Masters and Barbara Doyle
Aligning Watershed and Habitat Protection for Conservation Success in the Rac...rshimoda2014
Lindsay Gardner - Southeast Aquatics Resources Partnershp
Nothing is more important than water for human health and the health of our fish and wildlife resources. Clean water and abundant habitat are critical to functional aquatic ecosystems with healthy populations of fish and wildlife. Successful aquatic resource conservation at the watershed level requires a multipronged approach working with local communities to restore ecologically impacted or impaired streams and put land use/habitat protections in place. The collaborative efforts of the Southeast Watershed Forum (SEWF), Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Georgia Wildlife Resources Division (GWRD), and other key partners in the Raccoon Creek area of the Etowah River Watershed, Georgia, an EPA priority watershed, provide a positive example of this holistic approach to watershed management. Building on the conservation planning, land protection and restoration efforts by TNC on Raccoon Creek, this partnership is successfully working with Paulding County stakeholders to identify conservation priorities and align watershed and conservation planning with county land use planning to ensure long-term benefits for prime habitat and water quality. This work encourages conservation-oriented growth practices and habitat protections to benefit fish and wildlife, like the Cherokee darter, and supports the regional habitat objectives of the SARP-directed Southeast Aquatic Habitat Plan, addressing threats to aquatic resources and key habitat protections. An outstanding example of how on-the-ground restoration of aquatic resources at the local level, the project also addresses national conservation priorities and demonstrates how through community-supported land use quality growth planning it is possible to develop a strategy and stewardship ethic to maintain these resources for generations to come. Contributors: Christine Olsenius, Jane Fowler (SEWF); Scott Robinson, Lindsay Gardner (SARP); Kathleen Owens (TNC).
The California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply report builds on an expansion of approaches to storing water that increase supply reliability for specialty crop agricultural production and other beneficial uses while protecting ecosystem health. The Roundtable is grateful to the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and Gaia Fund for their support.
Modelling an Enterprise Ecosystem for Digital Strategy - Craig Duncan, UNISDR...Milan Guenther (eda.c)
UNISDR is the United Nation’s Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Being a focal point within the UN system, the its mandate is to coordinate worldwide efforts in disaster preparedness and resilience. In this presentation, Craig (UNISDR) and Milan (eda.c) demonstrate how eda.c helped the agency achieving this mission by formulating a strategic enterprise design challenge, in order to maximise the organization’s positive impact on a complex environment of stakeholder activities and concerns. Using high-level design research and enterprise mapping, the design initiative directly informed strategic considerations. The resulting insights, service models and rendering prototypes helped all parties involved to formulate a sound digital strategy, which is currently being implemented across UNISDR’s activities, transforming its landscape of digital properties.
Aligning Watershed and Habitat Protection for Conservation Success in the Rac...rshimoda2014
Lindsay Gardner - Southeast Aquatics Resources Partnershp
Nothing is more important than water for human health and the health of our fish and wildlife resources. Clean water and abundant habitat are critical to functional aquatic ecosystems with healthy populations of fish and wildlife. Successful aquatic resource conservation at the watershed level requires a multipronged approach working with local communities to restore ecologically impacted or impaired streams and put land use/habitat protections in place. The collaborative efforts of the Southeast Watershed Forum (SEWF), Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Georgia Wildlife Resources Division (GWRD), and other key partners in the Raccoon Creek area of the Etowah River Watershed, Georgia, an EPA priority watershed, provide a positive example of this holistic approach to watershed management. Building on the conservation planning, land protection and restoration efforts by TNC on Raccoon Creek, this partnership is successfully working with Paulding County stakeholders to identify conservation priorities and align watershed and conservation planning with county land use planning to ensure long-term benefits for prime habitat and water quality. This work encourages conservation-oriented growth practices and habitat protections to benefit fish and wildlife, like the Cherokee darter, and supports the regional habitat objectives of the SARP-directed Southeast Aquatic Habitat Plan, addressing threats to aquatic resources and key habitat protections. An outstanding example of how on-the-ground restoration of aquatic resources at the local level, the project also addresses national conservation priorities and demonstrates how through community-supported land use quality growth planning it is possible to develop a strategy and stewardship ethic to maintain these resources for generations to come. Contributors: Christine Olsenius, Jane Fowler (SEWF); Scott Robinson, Lindsay Gardner (SARP); Kathleen Owens (TNC).
The California Roundtable on Water and Food Supply report builds on an expansion of approaches to storing water that increase supply reliability for specialty crop agricultural production and other beneficial uses while protecting ecosystem health. The Roundtable is grateful to the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and Gaia Fund for their support.
Modelling an Enterprise Ecosystem for Digital Strategy - Craig Duncan, UNISDR...Milan Guenther (eda.c)
UNISDR is the United Nation’s Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Being a focal point within the UN system, the its mandate is to coordinate worldwide efforts in disaster preparedness and resilience. In this presentation, Craig (UNISDR) and Milan (eda.c) demonstrate how eda.c helped the agency achieving this mission by formulating a strategic enterprise design challenge, in order to maximise the organization’s positive impact on a complex environment of stakeholder activities and concerns. Using high-level design research and enterprise mapping, the design initiative directly informed strategic considerations. The resulting insights, service models and rendering prototypes helped all parties involved to formulate a sound digital strategy, which is currently being implemented across UNISDR’s activities, transforming its landscape of digital properties.
Experiences with Ecosystem-based Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation and ...NAP Events
Presentation by: CBD
4a. Experience with ecosystem-based approaches under the Convention on Biological Diversity
The session will present findings from a synthesis report prepared by the CBD Secretariat on experiences with ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation (EBA) and disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR). It will provide opportunities for countries to share experiences and discuss ways to mainstream EBA and Eco-DRR into NAPs and other plans and strategies. Participants will be invited to take part in a group exercise to identify gaps and needs, as well as entry points and opportunities for integrating EBA.
Ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk red...NAP Events
Presentation by: CBD
4a. Experience with ecosystem-based approaches under the Convention on Biological Diversity
The session will present findings from a synthesis report prepared by the CBD Secretariat on experiences with ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation (EBA) and disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR). It will provide opportunities for countries to share experiences and discuss ways to mainstream EBA and Eco-DRR into NAPs and other plans and strategies. Participants will be invited to take part in a group exercise to identify gaps and needs, as well as entry points and opportunities for integrating EBA.
Uganda Country Experience Ecosystem-based Approaches to Climate Change Adapta...NAP Events
Presentation by: Muhammad Semambo
4a. Experience with ecosystem-based approaches under the Convention on Biological Diversity
The session will present findings from a synthesis report prepared by the CBD Secretariat on experiences with ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation (EBA) and disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR). It will provide opportunities for countries to share experiences and discuss ways to mainstream EBA and Eco-DRR into NAPs and other plans and strategies. Participants will be invited to take part in a group exercise to identify gaps and needs, as well as entry points and opportunities for integrating EBA.
Presentation presented by Fida Karim on "Community Based Disaster Risk Reduct...Fida Karim 🇵🇰
Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction in the Coastal Areas of Pakistan
Presented by Fida Karim
Project Officer-Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project and Programme Monitoring, Evaluation & Research at Focus Humanitarian Assistance, Pakistan
Paper presented at the Conference on Climate Change Adaptation in the Coastal Areas of Pakistan
Organized by FOCUS Pakistan in support and collaboration of Royal Norwegian Embassy and NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi Pakistan.
22nd-May-2014
Web, cloud, and other software companies are in the enviable position of having low marginal cost of goods. Despite this highly leveraged model, most software companies think fairly narrowly about their partner strategy, focusing on resellers and strategic alliances. Progressive software companies take a platform approach including a broader view of the partner ecosystem.
The Partner Strategy Framework E-Book walks through a detailed framework for software companies to maximize the value of upstream partners (platform vendors), managed partner alliances, breadth (program-managed) partners, and the developer ecosystem. The purpose is to grow 1) partner loyalty, 2) revenue, and 3) brand goodwill.
http://www.competegy.com
This is the presentation made during Annual Meeting of Qatar Chapter of The Institution of Engineers (India) at DOHA in Sept 2006.
Role of Engineers in Disaster Managemetn has been disussed in the presentation
Presentation - Adapting to a changing climate in the management of coastal zo...OECD Environment
Presentation - Adapting to a changing climate in the management of coastal zones meeting, Enhancing Climate Resilience through the National Coastal zone management program - Laura Petes (USA)
Approved Kashwakamak Lake Sustainability Plan - July 2016Scott_A_Bennett
The Kashwakamak Lake Sustainability Plan was approved at the Kashwakamak Annual General Meeting (AGM) on July 9, 2016. This plan is a living document that will be reviewed every five years. It will be implemented by volunteers in the lake community over the coming years.
Kashwakamak Lake is located in the North Frontenac Township, in Central Ontario, Canada.
SEAKFHP unveils draft strategic action plan at 2013 SE AK Watershed Symposiumseakfhp
The Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership (SEAKFHP), a candidate partnership under the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, works to foster cooperative fish habitat conservation in freshwater, estuarine and marine ecosystems across southeast Alaska. The partnership formed under the belief that many benefits result when multiple partners come together to share resources, align strategic actions, and speak with a united voice about the conservation and value of productive and intact fish habitats at both local and regional scales. Partner expertise and focus is currently on populations of resident species and anadromous salmonids in freshwater systems as well as anadromous and marine species in estuarine and nearshore habitats. Our mission is to foster and facilitate regionally relevant strategies that will conserve and sustain the region’s fish habitat, fisheries-based economy, and culture. To achieve this broad mission the partnership is working to develop a strategic action plan. In this presentation we share a general overview of the partnership and introduce our draft strategic action plan.
Although nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus in particular, are essential for aquatic life, too many nutrients can create significant problems for our nation’s lakes, streams, and coastal waters. Nutrient pollution can degrade habitat for fish and wildlife, render water bodies unsafe for swimming and other forms of contact recreation, create a public health concern for drinking water supplies, decrease property values, and negatively impact local economies. According to national statistics, more than 45% of streams have medium to high levels of nutrients, approximately four million lake acres have been identified as threatened or impaired, and approximately 78% of assessed coastal areas exhibit signs of eutrophication. For more: http://www.extension.org/pages/67798/environmental-protection-agency-epa-perspective-on-nutrient-pollution
Smart Growth for Maine Fisheries Communities in the Face of Climate Change - ...GrowSmart Maine
Why plan for growth and change, when it seems so much easier to simply react?
When there is a distinct and shared vision for your community - when residents, businesses and local government anticipate a sustainable town with cohesive and thriving neighborhoods - you have the power to conserve your beautiful natural spaces, enhance your existing downtown or Main Street, enable rural areas to be productive and prosperous, and save money through efficient use of existing infrastructure.
This is the dollars and sense of smart growth.
Success is clearly visible in Maine, from the creation of a community-built senior housing complex and health center in Fort Fairfield to conservation easements creating Forever Farms to Rockland's revitalized downtown. Communities have options. We have the power to manage our own responses to growth and change.
After all, “Planning is a process of choosing among those many options. If we do not choose to plan, then we choose to have others plan for us.” - Richard I. Winwood
And in the end, this means that our children and their children will choose to make Maine home and our economy will provide the opportunities to do so.
The Summit offers you a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the transformative change in Maine that we’ve seen these gatherings produce. We encourage you to consider the value of being actively involved in growing Maine’s economy and protecting the reasons we choose to live here.
Coastal Resiliency Planning and Ecosystem Enhancement for Northeastern Massachusetts (NFWF Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program)
Peter Phippen, Coastal Coordinator, 8 Towns and the Great Marsh/Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Wayne Castonguay, Executive Director, Ipswich River Watershed Association
The Ocean Watch open data platform delivers science to policy makers developing sustainable ocean economies and operationalizing integrated ocean management.
Learn more: https://oceanwatchdata.org
Gulf of Mexico Alliance Resilient Marina Checklistriseagrant
Key Tools for Businesses: An overview of tools and resources that can help businesses address priority resilience issues. Resilience Checklist presented by Lauren Land, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program
Muskegon Lake, located in Muskegon, Mich., has been listed as a Great Lakes Area of Concern due to a significant loss of wildlife habitat and degraded water quality. This presentation will discuss how an organized grassroots effort has successfully received state and federal funding to implement large-scale ecological restoration projects throughout the lake.
The latest news shows the oceans are absorbing more heat. Since all life depends on the ocean, and the ocean covers over 70% of Earth's surface - we need solutions like Earth Law to safeguard marine ecosystem health and protection.
Do contrasting social expectations along with biological differences lead men and women to be affected differently by environmental contaminants like mercury or pesticides? How do gender and sex interact and impact population health? Professor Donna Mergler has authored more than 150 scientific articles and has given many lectures around the world on the subject, and will share her research on how to promote social and gender considerations when conducting environmental health research.
Glen P. Kedzie, Vice President, Energy and Environmental Council, American Trucking Associations spoke at the CEC's Joint Public Advisory Committee round table on sustainable transportation in North America on July 10, 2013. More at: http://cec.org/council2013
Diane Gray, President and CEO, CentrePort Canada, Inc., spoke during the CEC's Joint Public Advisory Committee's round table on sustainable transportation on July 10, 2013. More info. at http://cec.org/council2013
Abel López Dodero, coordinador de la Dirección de Sistemas Integrados de Transporte, CTS EMBARQ México, habló durante las mesas redondas de discusión del Comité Consultivo Público Conjunto sobre transporte sustentable en América del Norte el 10 de julio de 2013. Más información en http://cec.org/consejo2013
More from North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (20)
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
Encryption in Microsoft 365 - ExpertsLive Netherlands 2024Albert Hoitingh
In this session I delve into the encryption technology used in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Purview. Including the concepts of Customer Key and Double Key Encryption.
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a buttonDianaGray10
Here is something new! In our next Connector Corner webinar, we will demonstrate how you can use a single workflow to:
Create a campaign using Mailchimp with merge tags/fields
Send an interactive Slack channel message (using buttons)
Have the message received by managers and peers along with a test email for review
But there’s more:
In a second workflow supporting the same use case, you’ll see:
Your campaign sent to target colleagues for approval
If the “Approve” button is clicked, a Jira/Zendesk ticket is created for the marketing design team
But—if the “Reject” button is pushed, colleagues will be alerted via Slack message
Join us to learn more about this new, human-in-the-loop capability, brought to you by Integration Service connectors.
And...
Speakers:
Akshay Agnihotri, Product Manager
Charlie Greenberg, Host
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
FIDO Alliance Osaka Seminar: Passkeys and the Road Ahead.pdf
John Hankinson: Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force
1. Gulf Coast Ecosystem
Restoration Task Force
Implementing the Gulf of Mexico
Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy
JPAC Workshop”
Resilient Communities in North America
July 9, 2012
1
2. An Unprecedented Collaboration
“
The president has made clear that he wants restoration plans to come
from the Gulf Coast, and not be imposed on the Gulf residents by
Washington. We’re counting on the people who know these areas best—
the people who call the Gulf home—to shape our work. As someone who
grew up here, I know the ecosystem is the key to our future. Our economy,
our health and our culture are built on the coastline and the Gulf waters.
I know this, the president knows this, and we are going to stand with you.
—EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, October 5, 2010
”
2
3. Creation of the Task Force
Recommended by the Mabus report,
America’s Gulf Coast
Established through Executive Order October 5, 2010
Chair: Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator
Vice-Chair: Garret Graves, Chair, Coastal Protection and
Restoration Authority of Louisiana
3
4. Task Force Membership
State of Alabama Department of Defense
State of Florida Department of the Interior
State of Louisiana Department of Justice
State of Mississippi Department of Transportation
State of Texas Domestic Policy Council
Council on Environmental Quality Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Agriculture Office of Management and Budget
Department of Commerce Office of Science and Technology Policy
4
5. Importance of the Gulf of Mexico
• Dynamic, interconnected ecosystems spanning 600,000 across
five U.S. states, six Mexican states, and Cuba
• Tourism and recreational activities, such as fishing, boating,
beachcombing and bird watching, support more than 800,000
jobs across the region
• The Gulf yields nearly 1/3 of seafood production in the
continental U.S.
• The Gulf is responsible for more than 90% of the nation’s
offshore crude oil and natural gas
5
6. Problems Affecting the Gulf*
• Loss of wetlands
• Erosion of barrier islands and shorelines
• Loss and degradation of coastal estuarine habitat
• Imperiled fisheries
• Hypoxia (low oxygen)
• Climate change
*(As identified in America’s Gulf Coast)
6
8. The Gulf of Mexico Regional
Ecosystem Restoration Strategy
• Final strategy released
December 5, 2011
• Developed based on input
from states, tribes, federal
agencies, and citizens
• Unprecedented collaboration
to address the health and
restoration of the Gulf
8
9. Goals
1. Restore and conserve
habitat
2. Restore water quality
3. Replenish and protect
living coastal
and marine resources
4. Enhance community
resilience
9
10. Restore and Conserve Habitat
– Prioritize ecosystem
restoration in the Gulf of
Mexico
– Improve sediment
management practices
– Restore and preserve more
natural river processes of
sediment and freshwater
distribution
– Expand the network of state,
federal and private
conservation areas
– Restore and conserve
coastal and near-shore
habitats
10
11. Restore Water Quality
– Decrease and manage excess
nutrient levels
– Focus restoration actions in
priority watersheds
– Reduce pollutants and
pathogens
– Improve quantity and quality
of freshwater flow into priority
estuaries
– Coordinate and expand existing water quality monitoring efforts
– Collaborate with Mexico to assess and reduce emissions from
oceangoing vessels
11
12. Replenish and Protect Living Coastal
and Marine Resources
– Restore deplete populations of living coastal and
marine resources
– Conserve and protect
offshore environments
– Restore and protect
oyster and coral reefs
and other coastal
environments
– Coordinate and expand
Gulf monitoring efforts to
track sentinel species and sites
– Minimize, and eliminate where possible, invasive species
12
13. Enhance Community Resilience
– Develop and implement coastal improvement
programs
– Provide analytical
support tools for
communities
– Enhance environmental
education and outreach
13
14. Developing Coastal Improvement
Programs
• Mississippi Coastal Improvement Program (MsCIP)
– Jointly managed by State of Mississippi and the US Army
Corps of Engineers
– Addresses Reducing Risk, Habitat Loss, Living Coastal
Resources and Water Quality
• Louisiana Master Plan
– Jointly managed by State of Louisiana and the US Army
Corp of Engineers
14
15. Steps to Coordinating Comprehensive
Implementation Efforts
• Identify shared priorities
• Maximize opportunities for efficiencies
• Provide scientific and technical support
• Identify resources needed to assist in
implementation
15
16. Analytical Support Tools for Communities
• Develop storm buffer options for local entities
• Inventory and evaluate models for storms and
erosion
• Refine risk to enhance local understanding of risk
• Integrate and align available analytical tools,
resources and technical assistance.
16
17. Enhance Environmental Education and
Outreach for the Gulf of Mexico
• Increase citizens’ awareness
• Expand public-private partnerships to enhance
education programs
• Include the economic value of Gulf ecosystems in
environmental education
• Support and increase informal education programs
for K-12 audiences
• Leverage existing partnerships with particular
attention to under-represented communities
17
18. Science-based Adaptive Management
• Establish a Gulf of Mexico modeling network
• Develop integrated decision-support tools and
systems
• Expand ecosystem services and benefits analysis
tools and capabilities
• Develop a Gulf-wide progress report
18
19. Task Force Next Steps
• Further define restoration goals and identify milestones for
measuring progress towards achieving those goals
• Review existing research, efforts and initiatives that can
contribute to restoration of the Gulf
• Identify areas where different levels and sectors of
government can work together on strategy implementation
• Propose new programs or initiatives where there are gaps in
restoration capabilities
• Identify science, research and data collection needs required
to inform effective restoration
19
20. An Example of Restoration in Action: GoMI
• United States Agriculture
Department’s Gulf of Mexico
Initiative: GoMI
– $50 million to help agricultural
producers in seven Gulf Coast
river basins improve water
quality increase water
conservation and enhance wildlife habitat.
– Represents a 1,100% increase in financial assistance for
Gulf priority watersheds
20
21. For More Information
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Website
www.epa.gov/gulfcoasttaskforce
Email us to join our Listserv for automatic updates on
meetings/activities
GulfCoastTaskForce@epa.gov
21
Editor's Notes
Introduce yourself and your role at the Task Force.
Recognizing the importance of the Gulf of Mexico and its ecosystems, and in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the recommendations proposed by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus’s report, America’s Gulf Coast: A Long Term Recovery Plan After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (September 2010), President BarackObama established the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force on October 5, 2010.The Task Force is chaired by EPA Administrator Lisa JacksonGarret Graves, Chair of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana, serves as Vice Chair
The Task Force features members from 11 federal agencies and the five Gulf states.This group is directed to address the persistent and significant decline of the Gulf ecosystem by working with state and federal agencies, tribes, communities, stakeholders and the public throughout the Gulf Coast to develop and ecosystem restoration strategy.
The Gulf of Mexico is a diverse and vibrant ecosystem, which is a vital environmental, economic and cultural asset for the United States.Tourism and recreational activities, such as fishing, boating, beachcombing and bird watching, support more than 800,000 jobs across the regionThe Gulf yields nearly 1/3 of seafood production in the continental U.S.The Gulf is responsible for more than 90% of the nation’s offshore crude oil and natural gasDespite many significant environmental and human-made stressors, the Gulf is able to support these, and other, commercial and recreational uses and provide the backdrop for the unique cultures and heritage of this region.However, unless bold and broad-scale measures are taken soon, the health and future of the Gulf will remain in jeopardy.
In his report, America’s Gulf Coast, Secretary Mabus identified the problems affecting the Gulf. They included loss of wetlands, erosion of barrier islands and shorelines; loss and degradation of coastal estuarine habitat; imperiled fisheries, hypoxia; and climate change.
To address these stressors, the Gulf Coast Task Force developed the Gulf of Mexico Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy.
The Task Force released the final strategy December 5, 2011. The Strategy came as a result of a robust public outreach and input process and unprecedented collaboration among the federal and state governments.
The Task Force identified four goal areas – Restore and Conserve Habitat; Restore Water Quality; Replenish and Protect Living Coastal and Marine Resources; and Enhance Community Resilience. These restoration goals require sound science as a foundation.
The Gulf Coast has endured extensive damage to key coastal habitats such as wetlands, coastal prairies and forests, estuaries, seagrass beds, natural beaches and dunes, and barrier islands. Within this goal, a major focus is to work with Gulf Coast stakeholders to expedite implementation and improve the effectiveness of state and federal programs related to landscape-scale resource management, habitat conservation and restoration strategies.
The Gulf of Mexico experiences numerous water quality problems, including excess nutrients, altered sediment inputs, pathogens, and mercury and other pollutants. One of the most prevalent signs of such problems in the Gulf of Mexico is hypoxia—low oxygen levels in the water—which can result from excess nutrients in the water and other factors. Within this goal, a major focus is to reduce the amount of nutrients flowing into the Gulf and to undertake other measures to enhance water quality.
Living coastal and marine resources are showing visible signs of distress, such as depleted species populations and degraded habitats. Within this goal, a major focus is to promote sustainable resource management that focuses on actions to conserve and restore viable populations of living coastal and marine resources and their coastal and offshore environments.
Gulf Coast communities face a number of pressing challenges, such as storm risk, sea-level rise, land loss, depletion of natural resources, and compromised water quality. Within this goal, a major focus is to integrate the creation of resilient communities with ecosystem restoration through the development of comprehensive coastal planning programs.
MsCIP and the Louisiana Master Plan are two examples of a gulf states creating an coastal improvement programs to reflect state-based, stakeholder-driven priorities for coastal improvements that incorporate a range of federal and state coastal improvement and restoration programs. Texas is pursuing a partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers.Alabama has expressed an interest in developing an effort similar to the MsCIPFlorida is evaluating the benefits and potential approaches for pursuing a Gulf restoration plan.
To continueto effectively address ecosystem restoration, federal and state agencies need to coordinate comprehensive implementation efforts. They should identify shared priorities, maximize opportunities for efficiencies, provide scientific and technical support, and identify resources needed to assist in implementation.
Many activities are underway in the Gulf to support communities as they examine current and future needs to enhance community resiliency. Coastal Communities face significant challenges from storms and sea level rise. The concept of “Smart Growth” offers a viable framework for the local response planning efforts of the Gulf Coast communities. Smart growth recognizes that communities should be economically vibrant and sustainable while providing a high quality of life and supporting ecosystem integrity.Building on existing efforts, TF recommendations include:Developing a toolbox of storm buffer options that could be considered by local entitiesInventory and evaluate models for storm surge, waves and coastal erosion to determine most appropriate/best ones for use in developing risk assessment of storm surge wave impact and sea-level rise.Through the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and the NOAA Coastal Storms Program, refine the risk or vulnerability indices to enhance the local understanding of risk from surge and waves, and to prioritize at-risk populations.Integrate and align available analytical tools and resources supporting Smart Growth applications as well as opportunities for technical assistance.
Given the ever-changing nature of the Gulf ecosystem and the challenges that communities along the Gulf face, there is a need to increase public awareness of hazards, impacts to ecosystem services and the interconnected nature of the ecosystem and the communities it supports.Programs that provide citizens with hands-on learning experiences increase understanding of links between the environment and their well-being.This understanding will enhance appreciation for the natural systems on which they depend and better prepare individual and communities to face complex decisions about their interactions with their environment. This knowledge and awareness are essential for achieving environmental stewardship, which will help to ensure sustainable Gulf communities.
Ultimately, successful implementation of the Strategy must be based on the best available science to inform management decisions. Adaptive management will help determine the efficacy of restoration actions through a focused effort of monitoring, modeling and research to support effective management and decision-making. This process will help ensure that state and federal investments can be altered if they are not achieving the desired results, ultimately improving the overall effectiveness of restoration and protection efforts. Leveraging the successes of existing state and federal programs and initiatives, addressing critical gaps, and building on the capacity that currently exists within the Gulf of Mexico states are central to supporting adaptive management.
Encourage attendees to visit the website to view the strategy and learn more about the Task Force.Ask attendees to join the Task Force Listserv for automatic updates on meetings and activities.