NROC News – August 2013

NROC News – monthly news and updates from NROC, its member agencies and partners.

NROC would like you to know –

• Mark your calendars! The Fall NROC Meeting will be held Thursday, October 24th in Narragansett, RI.

NROC Partners would like you to know –

• Marine Bird Mapping and Assessment Webinar: You are invited to join a webinar on Thursday, August 8^th, from noon-1pm titled Mapping the Distribution, Abundance and Risk Assessment of Marine Birds in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean: Phase 1. Presenters will discuss progress towards developing maps depicting the distribution, abundance and relative risk to marine birds from offshore activities (e.g. wind energy development). The goal of this NALCC project is to develop and demonstrate techniques to document and predict areas of frequent use and aggregations of birds and the relative risk to marine birds within these areas. The resulting map products are intended to help inform decisions about siting offshore facilities; marine spatial planning; and other uses requiring maps of seabird distribution. Click here to join the meeting online (meeting number 749 526 176; password 123); Teleconference number is 866-762-5634; passcode 5866227. Via Andrew Milliken (NALCC, USFWS)
• Gulf of Maine Council Climate Network – Request for Qualifications: The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment is seeking contractor/s to coordinate its Climate Network.  The incumbent will be responsible for: (1) Climate Network coordination and workshop assistance, and (2) managing a climate website content for integrated planning and decision-making. Visit www.gulfofmaine.org for further information on the Council. Click here for a Request for Qualifications pertaining to this position.  Applications should be sent to Cindy Krum, Executive Director, Gulf of Maine Association (ckrum@gulfofmaine.org) by 5:00 PM August 16, 2013. For questions contact Ellen Mecray (Ellen.l.mecray@noaa.gov). Via Prassede Vella (MA CZM)
• Northeast Marine Debris Coordinator Position Announcement: Freestone Environmental Services, Inc., a multi-disciplinary consulting firm, a contractor to NOAA, seeks a Northeast Regional Marine Debris Coordinator for the Office of Response and Restoration (ORR). This individual will work with NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, which is located in NOAA’s Silver Spring, Maryland offices. This individual will be located in New England, exact location to be determined. Click here for full position announcement, including responsibilities and qualifications. Via Betsy Nicholson (NOAA)
• A Guide for Regional Marine Planning: On July 19^th, the National Ocean Council released a Marine Planning Handbook to support the efforts of regions that choose to engage marine industries, stakeholders, the public, and government to advance their economic development and conservation priorities.
• New Guidance on the Economics of Climate Adaptation: The Coastal Services Center has released a new report entitled “What Will Adaptation Cost? An Economic Framework for Coastal Community Infrastructure”. The report provides a framework that community leaders and planners can use to make more economically informed decisions about adapting to sea level rise and storm flooding. The four-step framework can be used to perform a holistic assessment of costs and benefits across a community, or to focus in on select infrastructure. The report also discusses the expertise needed at each step in the process.
• Deepwater Wind Successful Bidder in Nation’s First Renewable Offshore Lease Sale: Deepwater Wind New England, LLC is the provisional winner of the first-ever competitive lease sale for renewable energy in Federal waters. BOEM held the sale on July 31, auctioning two leases for a Wind Energy Area (WEA) of 164,750 acres offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts for wind energy development. When built, these areas could generate enough combined energy to power more than one million homes. See DOI Press Release for more information. Via Grover Fugate (RI CRMC)
• Northeast Regional Planning Body: Draft regional ocean planning goals and potential actions have been shared through a series of ten public meetings around the region and an online and write-in public comment period, which closed at the end of July. Ocean planning staff are reviewing these comments, designing a process to consider these comments in refining goals, objectives and actions and will be developing an associated work plan for review in the fall at the next RPB meeting to be held in early November in Boston. Via Betsy Nicholson (NOAA)