NROC News - April 2014 - Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC)

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

NROC would like you to know –

NROC and the NE Regional Planning Body are seeking proposals for contractor assistance to develop products characterizing spatial patterns of coastal and marine recreational activity in New England. This project would build on previous and ongoing efforts, which have focused on recreational boating and recreational fishing. The scope of this RFP includes other activities such as wildlife viewing, non-motorized boating, diving, surfing, events such as regattas and sailboat races, fishing derbies, and other recreational activities that occur in the near and off shore marine environment in New England. The deadline for proposals is April 11, 2014. See the Request for Proposals for details.
NROC and the NE Regional Planning Body are seeking proposals for contractor assistance to develop a baseline assessment in support of regional ocean planning. The project would integrate existing information with data and information being developed through ongoing planning projects into a single written assessment of the region’s ecosystem, economy, and cultural resources. The project would also develop a new assessment of the regional marine economy and compile information about trends, best management practices, and other future considerations. The deadline for proposals is May 2, 2014. See the Request for Proposals for details.
NROC sponsored the second in a series of webinars focused on Building Coastal Resilience in New England. More than 40 participants from local, state and federal entities as well as academia and consultants benefited from presentations on the results of NROC’s Coastal Community Resilience Grant program. Paul Halkiotis, the town planner for Marshfield, MA, provided results of the regional sea level rise mapping and vulnerability assessment project for the towns of Marshfield, Scituate and Duxbury. Denise Savageau, the Conservation Director for the town of Greenwich, CT, and Katie DeLuca, the Deputy Director of Planning and Zoning in Greenwich, shared results and of efforts to document base flood elevations and provide meaningful flood maps for emergency managers. Presentations are available in the Coastal Hazards Resilience Committee section of the NROC web site Library.

NROC Partners would like you to know –

BOEM Announces $5 Million Contract Opportunity for Sand Resources Data Acquisition for Hurricane Sandy Projects on the Atlantic: As part of President Obama’s continuing commitment to help coastal communities recover from Hurricane Sandy, BOEM has announced a $5 million procurement opportunity to collect data offshore from Maine to Florida, to identify sand resources for potential use in future coastal restoration projects. The contract will be handled under a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) and is posted on FedBizOpps.gov under solicitation number M14PS00034. Proposals are due by May 21, 2014. Click here to see the full news release. The objective of the BAA is to acquire geophysical and geological data to support identification, characterization, and delineation of OCS sand resources for use by coastal states in future coastal restoration, beach nourishment, and/or wetland restoration efforts. The selected contractor will coordinate with Atlantic coastal states to determine areas for offshore investigation that contain potential sand resources, and perform geophysical surveys and geological sampling. Please contact Renee Orr Renee.orr@boem.gov or Robert LaBelle Robert.LaBelle@boem.gov with any questions. Via Robert LaBelle (BOEM)