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DEC. 23, 2024 — On December 10, the William and Mary’s Batten School and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, in partnership with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, announced more than $1.4 million in funding for 11 new projects under the Nationwide Fishing Trap Removal, Assessment, and Prevention (TRAP) Program.
OR&R Weekly Report
The Office of Response and Restoration publishes this weekly round-up of news and information of interest to our partners, stakeholders, and team members. Click to subscribe
DEC. 23, 2024 — A session on Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) tools, methods, and approaches took place at the 45th annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) North America, convening a diverse group of practitioners from government, business and academia to explore innovative methodologies for assessing and restoring natural resources injured by hazardous substance releases.
DEC. 23, 2024 — NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) and Restoration Center (RC) scientists engaged with students showcasing their research as part of the Scientist at Sea Research Symposium, hosted by Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. OR&R and RC staff spoke with students about NOAA, shared career advice, and served as poster judges. The event allowed NOAA staff to connect with numerous local institutions and provide information to students interested in pursuing a STEM career.
December 2024
DEC. 9, 2024 - The NOAA Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center (DRC) in Mobile, Alabama hosted the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) leadership team from November 19-21. ONMS leveraged the central meeting location to meet with regional partners and bring together their geographically dispersed team from the Pacific to the Northeast.
DEC. 9, 2024 — The NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) Emergency Response Division, in collaboration with NOAA’s International Marine Protected Area (MPA) Capacity Building Team and the Philippine Coast Guard, conducted an oil spill response training in Boracay, Philippines from November 7-15 and in Batangas, Philippines from November 16-24.
November 2024
NOV. 26, 2024 — This fall, the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration released a new version of the Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®). ERMA is a web-based mapping application used by environmental responders and natural resource decision-makers. It serves as the Common Operational Picture, or COP, for NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as other state and federal agencies, during environmental disaster response and cleanup.
NOV. 22, 2024 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly released their annual updates for CAMEO Data Manager and Tier2 Submit™, two programs that aid users in meeting regulatory filing and emergency response planning efforts under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).
NOV. 25, 2024 - Staff from the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R)’s Disaster Preparedness Program and Emergency Response Division attended the first in-person convening of the Coastal Inundation Community of Practice in Seattle, Washington from November 12-15, 2024.
NOV. 25, 2024 — On October 22-23, the NOAA Marine Debris Program within the Office of Response and Restoration hosted an in-person workshop for participants of the Washington Marine Debris Action Plan.
NOV. 25, 2024 — In mid-November 2024, a Scientific Support Coordinator from OR&R’s Emergency Response Division participated in a Republic of Korea - U.S. Joint Maritime Oil Spill Response Subject Matter Expert Exchange Workshop held in Busan, Republic of Korea (ROK).
NOV. 25, 2024 — Over the past several weeks, OR&R scientists across the country have explained oil spill response practices and technologies to students participating in the First Lego League, a research and robotics tournament for 9-16 year-old students. At least five different OR&R scientists have met with no less than seven different school groups—and the requests keep coming in!
NOV. 25, 2024 — On November 5-7, Texas and federal trustees met at the Fisheries Center in Athens, Texas for the bi-annual Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Texas Trustee Summit. Trustees included members from NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Interior, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Office of Attorney General, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and Texas General Land Office.
NOV. 12, 2024 — Staff from the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) Assessment and Restoration Division and Emergency Response Division attended the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) North America annual conference in Fort Worth, Texas from October 20–24, 2024. Attended by more than 1,500 scientists, the conference included 1,088 presentations—21 of which were co-authored by NOAA scientists—across 184 scientific sessions.
NOV. 12, 2024 — Over the past year, the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) Disaster Preparedness Program (DPP) and the Coastal Response Research Center at the University of New Hampshire partnered with Louisiana Sea Grant to launch a series of resources to assist communities following natural disasters.
NOV. 12, 2024 — The NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) welcomed four interns from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES): Jalynn Aaron and Kayla Brown, both majoring in psychology, and Mikaela Blackwood and Amari Dupree, both majoring in biology. From this November 2024 through April 2025, interns will remotely support OR&R’s Assessment and Restoration Division with work on natural resource damage assessment and restoration.
October 2024
NOV. 4, 2024 — A new marine debris exhibit, made possible with funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, debuted this summer at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.The exhibit, open to the public in the Rock Harbor Auditorium, is curated with locally-sourced marine debris from Lake Superior, provided in part from cleanups conducted by Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy.
OCT. 28, 2024 — During the week of October 7, OR&R shared spill response knowledge and resources in a highly productive intellectual exchange with two spill scientists from London-based ITOPF (formerly the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited). ITOPF is a nonprofit organization established on behalf of ship owners worldwide to promote effective response to oil, chemical, and other hazardous substance spills in the marine environment.
OCT. 21, 2024 — The Emergency Response Division of NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), in collaboration with NOAA’s International Marine Protected Area (MPA) Capacity Building Team and the Philippine Coast Guard, conducted an oil spill response training in Siargao, Philippines from October 3-11.
OCT. 21, 2024 — On October 15, the NOAA Marine Debris Program announced the opening of this year's art contest. Students in grades K-8 from the United States and U.S. territories can submit their artwork now through December 13.
OCT. 15, 2024 — In September, OR&R Regional Operations Supervisor Doug Helton participated in a workshop in Helsinki, Finland on the remediation and assessment of potentially polluting wrecks.
OCT. 15, 2024 — In September, OR&R completed its final response training event of fiscal year 2024, providing training to over 1,100 emergency responders and planners over the course of the year.
OCT. 15, 2024 — On October 9, the NOAA Marine Debris Program announced the launch of the NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Nationwide Survey with funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In partnership with 1stMission LLC, this one-year survey will establish a scientifically valid assessment of marine debris found on U.S. shorelines, including the continental U.S., Caribbean, Alaska, Pacific Islands, and Great Lakes.
OCT. 7, 2024 — During the week of September 21, the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP)’s Chief Scientist, Amy V. Uhrin and Research Coordinator, Carlie Herring, attended and presented at the international conference MICRO 2024. Held biennially in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, MICRO aims to celebrate the growing community of researchers and policy-makers concerned about the challenge of plastic pollution from macro- to nanoplastics, with a core focus on microplastics.
OCT. 7, 2024 — On September 30, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, in partnership with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, announced a Request for Proposals for the Ocean Odyssey Marine Debris Prevention Awards for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility (DEIJA).
OCT. 7, 2024 — On September 18, OR&R Regional Resource Coordinator and Environmental Scientist Bryand Duke, Ph.D. introduced marine life from the deep ocean near American Samoa to approximately fifty 6th-grade science students and faculty at Academy Prep Middle School in St Petersburg, Florida. American Samoa is one of the islands in the South Pacific, located about 2,200 miles (3,500 km) southwest of Hawaii.
OCT. 7, 2024 — In late September, OR&R and other oil spill modeling experts from around the world gathered at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan to discuss needed areas of advancements in spill model uncertainty, shoreline and coastal environments, countermeasures, and standardizations.
September 2024
SEPT. 30, 2024 — During the week of September 16, 50 spill responders and planners gathered at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan for a Science of Oil Spills (SOS) class hosted by NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R).
SEPT. 30, 2024 – This month, NOAA's Office of Response & Restoration (OR&R) sponsored a workshop on Remote Sensing/Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) at the Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) in Durham, New Hampshire.
SEPT. 30, 2024 – The NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to release the Guam Marine Debris Emergency Response Guide (Guide). This Guide aims to improve preparedness for responding to marine debris after typhoons and other disasters in the territory. A recent example is Typhoon Mawar, which impacted the island in May of 2023 and caused severe damage and impacts.
SEPT. 30, 2024 – NOAA’s Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program (DARRP) is responsible for evaluating, restoring, and protecting our nation’s coastal and estuarine habitats harmed by hazardous waste releases, oil spills, and vessel groundings. NOAA and co-trustees work with those responsible to secure funding for restoration to compensate the public. Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) pollution settlements are used to restore robust fisheries, endangered species, coastal habitats, and outdoor recreation.
SEPT. 23, 2024 – This month, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration participated in a National Oil Spill Response Planning Workshop held in Koror, Republic of Palau which helped Palau responders develop a national response plan for oil and chemical spills.
SEPT. 16, 2024 — U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Northern New England recently completed a salvage operation of a historic sardine fishing vessel that sank in Maine during a January 2024 nor'easter. William Whitmore, the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator for Sector Northern New England provided guidance to the USCG during the response and salvage efforts.
SEPT. 16, 2024 — On September 6, over 300 people gathered at the William S. Cahill Pier in Oswego, New York to witness and celebrate the designation of Southeastern Lake Ontario as the nation’s 16th national marine sanctuary.