According to the press release issued June 16, 2015, “The Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (Trustees) have extended the public comment period for the Draft Phase IV Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessments (Draft). The Draft proposes an additional 10 early restoration projects with an estimated cost of $134 million across the Gulf states. The Draft is now available for public review and comment through July 6 rather than the original deadline of June 19.” Written comments can be submitted online at www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov or by mail to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 49567, Atlanta, GA 30345.
The Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Oil Spill Outreach Team and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection are holding a seminar on Impacts of Oil on Coastal Communities. According to their website, where you can also find more details including a list of speakers, “Scientists will be sharing their work on the effects of oil on salt marshes, wetlands, mangroves, and beaches.” The free seminar will be held on Wednesday, July 22 at 1:00PM – 4:30PM ET in Temple Terrace, FL. You can register to attend in person or remotely here.
The Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment (GCVA) was initiated in 2012 by multiple Landscape Conservation Cooperatives to assess the vulnerability of the multitude of ecosystems and associated species they support across the US portion of the Gulf of Mexico. The GCVA draft is now available for review. Public comment is being accepted by the GCVA Coordinator, Amanda Watson at amandaw@gri.msstate.edu until July 19, 2015. For more details please see their website.
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) announced Gulf Star, a public-private partnership that provides funding for projects identified by the GOMA Priority Issue Teams to accomplish the objectives of Action Plan III. “The goal of the Gulf Star program is to facilitate partnerships between the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and outside funders who wish to use their investments strategically to achieve measurable results…” Announcement of their first RFP is expected for January-February 2016 after the Governors’ Action Plan III is signed in late 2015. For more details on Gulf Star, visit their webpage.