The first day of the meeting was a Wisconsin Congressional Roundtable where members of the regional team briefed staff from the Wisconsin Governor’s office as well as Senate and Congressional staff members on topics such as science and citizen safety, maritime commerce and transportation, and vibrant coastal communities. LT Doig shared the products and services that OR&R provides the state of Wisconsin.

The second day of the meeting was a tribal engagement workshop and tour of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The third day of the meeting was the first emergency response workshop for the Great Lakes regional collaboration team.

 LT Doig, Jennifer Day, GLRCT; Ed Fenelon, National Weather Service; LT Joshua Valdivia, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG); and Greg Baker from OR&R’s Assessment and Restoration Division helped to facilitate a discussion of NOAA and USCG roles and responsibilities during emergency responses such as oil and chemical spills, extreme weather events, harmful algal blooms, and extreme lake level events.

Opportunities like this workshop are an incredibly valuable way to engage with state, tribal, and academic partners to collaborate and prepare for emergency response scenarios.

For more information, contact Michael.E.Doig@noaa.gov or Greg.Baker@noaa.gov.

Return to OR&R Weekly Report.