NROC News – May 2013

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

NROC would like you to know –

• The Spring NROC Meeting will be held Thursday, May 30th in Portsmouth, NH. An agenda and briefing packet will be distributed prior to the meeting.
• The Coastal Hazards Resilience Committee continues to coordinate a regional municipal adaptation initiative funded by the NOAA Climate Program Office.  In April, NROC and project partners hosted a session at the inaugural National Adaptation Forum in Denver, CO.  Lessons learned will also be shared with the Gulf of Maine Council in June.
• The Ocean and Coastal Ecosystem Health Committee continues to make progress in its development of a Sentinel Monitoring Plan for Climate Change. A steering committee was formed and began meeting in February to initiate this effort, has drafted project goals and objectives, and has identified individuals to serve on various working groups which are expected to spin up in late June.
• The Ocean Planning Committee continues to support regional ocean planning this month through meetings and discussions with recreational boaters, recreational and commercial fishermen, and scientists around New England to advance data compilation and mapping of ocean uses. Ocean use maps and industry engagement summaries will be presented for comment at upcoming May/June public meetings – see the update from the Northeast Regional Planning Body below.

NROC Partners would like you to know –

• National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan: On April 16^th, the National Ocean Council released the National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan, which describes specific actions Federal agencies will take to address key ocean challenges, give states and communities greater input in Federal decisions, streamline Federal operations, save taxpayer dollars, and promote economic growth.
• Northeast Regional Planning Body Meeting: The Northeast RPB held its second formal meeting on April 11-­‐12 in Narragansett, RI. Major accomplishments included development of draft goals, an approved charter, and a 3-year planning timeline. A stakeholder engagement strategy reaffirmed the importance of a transparent process and initiated future discussion of a stakeholder advisory function for the RPB. All meeting outcomes, including video and public comment transcript will be made available on the RPB meeting page the week of May 6th. Public meetings are being planned for May and June as an important next step to review draft goals and to present maps and recent feedback from stakeholders. Click here to view the public meeting schedule and online comment option.  Via Betsy Nicholson (NOAA).
• Latest regional climate outlook: Now available online, please find the third edition of our regional climate outlook. The contents include a retrospective on the Winter 2012-13 season, as well as a look forward from the NOAA/NWS/Climate Prediction Center for the region. We hope you will review and use with your own audiences. Please feel free to share broadly. Thank you, as always, for your partnerships and your work on climate issues in the Eastern Region. Via Ellen Mecray (NOAA).