NROC News – May 2015

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

NROC would like you to know –

• The NROC Spring Meeting will be held Thursday, May 21^th in Portsmouth, NH. A briefing packet will be posted on the NROC website prior to the meeting with agenda and location directions.
• The Ocean and Coastal Ecosystem Health Committees for NROC and NERACOOS sponsored a workshop on April 2nd at the EPA New England Regional Laboratory in Chelmsford, MA, to continue working on an “Integrated Sentinel Monitoring Network for Climate Change in New England Ocean and Coastal Ecosystems.” The workshop was attended by approximately 40 scientists and managers to review the draft Science and Implementation Plan, and to help identify gaps in specific chapters and authors to fill those gaps. A draft is expected to be available for review by the end of May. 

NROC Partners would like you to know –

• Ocean Planning Meetings: On May 12, the NE Regional Planning Body (RPB) will host a Stakeholder Forum to review progress on the use of marine life and ocean use data, particularly in the context of the RPB’s goal of compatibility among past, present, and future uses and natural resources. The forum will be held at the Salem Waterfront Hotel in Salem, MA. Please see the event web page for the draft agenda and to register. Registration closes at noon Friday, May 8. Additionally, the next Regional Planning Body (RPB) meeting will be in Mystic, CT, on June 3. Visit the June RPB meeting web page for location details and tentative schedule.
• Quick survey for a student’s study on ocean research priorities: Julia Mason, a graduate student at Stanford, is conducting a study of the research priorities of marine and coastal policymakers, managers, stakeholders, and professional users. A previous study has been done with marine scientists, and she now wants to survey marine decision-makers and users to identify areas of mismatch and align science with marine policy and practice. This survey should take less than 15 minutes and is an opportunity to shape science research agendas toward applications you want and need. Input will be anonymous and confidential, and you will have an opportunity to provide your email address (kept separate from your responses) to receive a report of the results. Click here to participate in the survey, which closes May 21st. Contact Julia Mason at jgmason@stanford.edu with questions.