[SEMCO] NOAA¹s Sea Grant Awards Eight ŒClimate Engagement¹ Mini-Grants

[Jeffrey Brodeur]

Contact: Linda Joy      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
301-734-1165            Feb. 3, 2010
 
NOAA¹s Sea Grant Awards Eight ŒClimate Engagement¹ Mini-Grants
 
Coastal residents, businesses and decision-makers around the country will
consider how their communities can adapt to climate change through eight
newly awarded NOAA National Sea Grant College Program grants.
 
Each of these $25,000 climate engagement mini-grants will support projects
focused on preparing for changing climate conditions. The projects will be
led by principal investigators from local Sea Grant programs and NOAA
Regional Collaboration Teams in eight regions including Alaska, the Pacific
Islands and sections of the mainland United States.
 
 ³Since our Sea Grant researchers and extension agents serve the local
coastal communities in which they live, Sea Grant is well-suited to connect
NOAA science to the needs of local coastal communities,² said Leon Cammen,
Ph.D., director of the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program. ³Issues
related to climate change are a Sea Grant priority.²
 
The Mini-Grants will fund projects in the following regions:
 
·       Alaska Region ­ To produce a short video on the effects of climate
change on Alaska and how Alaska marine-dependent communities can plan for
adaptation. The video will be a focal point of community workshops around
the state and will be shown on statewide television and on the Internet.
Principal investigators: Paula Cullenberg, Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory
Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Amy Holman, NOAA Alaska
Regional Coordinator.
 
·       Central Region ­ To sponsor the Native Peoples and Native Homelands
II Workshop to give NOAA and Sea Grant opportunity to engage Native
American, Alaskan and Hawaiian people on climate variability and impacts on
tribal communities. Principal investigators: Bethany Hale, NOAA Central
Regional Coordinator and Penelope Dalton, Washington Sea Grant at the
University of Washington.


·       Great Lakes Region ­ To create training modules to prepare leaders
of coastal communities around the Great Lakes to develop climate adaptation
plans necessary to keep their communities safe and productive into the next
century. Principal investigators: Rochelle Sturtevant, Great Lakes Regional
Sea Grant Extension Educator of Michigan Sea Grant and Elizabeth Mountz,
NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.
 
·       Gulf of Mexico Region ­ To present a week-long training session for
local government, Sea Grant and NOAA staff on how local communities can
adapt to impacts of climate change such as sea level rise, increased
flooding and more extreme weather events. Following the workshop,
participants will be able to continue collaborations through a discussion
forum on the NOAA Coastal Storms Web site. Principal investigators: Buck
Sutter, NOAA Gulf of Mexico Regional Team leader; Karl Havens, Florida Sea
Grant College Program at the University of Florida; and LaDon Swann,
Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium.
 
·       North Atlantic Region ­ To establish a regional network of ³climate
ambassadors² through training for staff of NOAA¹s North Atlantic Regional
Team and Sea Grant extension agents. Sessions will cover the latest science
as well as climate information and tools available from NOAA. The initial
trainees will hold local training sessions in their home states. Principal
investigators: Peyton Robertson, NOAA North Atlantic Regional Team leader
and Sylvain De Guise, Connecticut Sea Grant College Program at the
University of Connecticut.
 
·       Pacific Islands Region ­ To prepare a Pacific Climate Change Impacts
Resources Guide. Funding supports production of two stand-alone chapters of
the guide planned for educators. The guide is for use in a larger effort of
climate outreach and education activities. Principal investigators: Darren
Okimoto, University of Hawaii Sea Grant; Eileen Shea and Lynn Nakagawa, NOAA
Integrated Data and Environmental Applications Center/Pacific; and James
Weyman, NOAA National Weather Service Climate Information System.
 
·       Southeast and Caribbean Region ­ To establish a regional network of
climate extension and outreach professionals and strengthen the network¹s
ability to provide information, tools, and assistance related to climate
change impacts and adaptation. This project will bring extension and
outreach personnel together to share information and will maintain a network
for on-going communication. Principal investigators: Charles Hopkinson,
Georgia Sea Grant Program at the University of Georgia; Jessica Whitehead,
South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium; Stephanie Fauver, NOAA Coastal Services
Center in Charleston, S.C.; and Geno Olmi, NOAA Southeast and Caribbean
Regional Coordinator.
 
·       Western Region ­ To present a workshop to engage recreational
fishers, resource managers, scientists, and environmentalists in assessing
and planning for climate change impacts on West Coast fisheries. The
workshop will be the first step toward implementing a climate change plan
for West Coast fisheries. Principal investigators: John Stein, NOAA Western
Regional Team leader and Penelope Dalton, Washington Sea Grant at the
University of Washington.
 
The Climate Engagement Mini-Grant Program is modeled after the NOAA
Stakeholder Engagement Mini-Grant program, which distributed grants in 2009
to fund regional pilot projects engaging communities in issues of interest
to both NOAA and local residents. The goal of the new program is to leverage
NOAA and Sea Grant resources to help coastal communities adapt to climate
change.
 
Sea Grant is a nationwide network of 32 university-based programs that work
with coastal communities. The National Sea Grant College Program engages
this network of the nation¹s top universities in conducting scientific
research, education, training, and extension projects designed to foster
science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic
resources. 
            
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the
depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our
coastal and marine resources. Visit: http://www.noaa.gov.
 
### 
 
On the Web:
NOAA Research: http://www.oar.noaa.gov
NOAA National Sea Grant College Program: http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov
NOAA Regional Collaboration: http://www.ppi.noaa.gov/reco.html
 
 

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