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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.
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
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 — 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.
September 2020
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 — On September 15, Ashley Hill, the Marine Debris Program’s Florida and Caribbean Regional Coordinator, presented on marine debris activities in Florida during a Coastal Conservation Panel as part of the Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) hosted by Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 — Did you know that depending on the wind, a heavy gas could follow the terrain rather than be carried by the wind? This is one bit of critical knowledge that was shared with responders during our week of online Science of Chemical Releases (SOCR) training.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 — Did you know that NOAA is chock-full of exceptional leaders? On September 10, as part of the “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know” lecture series, we were honored to have the Deputy NOAA Administrator and retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, Dr. Timothy Gallaudet as our speaker.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 — Oil spills, hazardous waste pollution, and ship groundings are events that can leave a lasting impact on coastal communities and ecosystems. NOAA’s Damage Assessment Remediation and Restoration Program (DARRP) works with partners across the United States to hold polluters accountable for pollution and help the environment recover. The DARRP website is an important tool for sharing information about this work with the public.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 — On September 17, the Twelfth Natural Resources Symposium, Natural Resources at a Crossroads, was presented virtually for the first time. This year’s focus was on private and public sector collaboration and management of natural resources and in the midst of the recent health emergency, climate change, the EU Green Deal, judicial decisions, and other influences.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 — This past week Michel Gielazyn, a Regional Resource Coordinator with OR&R’s Assessment and Restoration Division in Florida, was part of a team awarded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 2020 Bronze Award for Superior Service.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 — On September 15, the NOAA Marine Debris Program announced the FY 2021 notice of funding opportunity for Marine Debris Research projects.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 — On September 24, from 12:00 pm-1:00 pm EST, Beth Polidoro, an FY17 Marine Debris Program Research Grant awardee, will present her research during a OneNOAA Science Seminar.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 — Recently, NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) virtually deployed staff to FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) to support ongoing response efforts for Hurricane Laura and Tropical Storm Marco.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 — The weekend of September 12, the NOAA Marine Debris Program participated in a virtual workshop for Hawaii science fair teachers. The workshop was developed through coordination between NOAA, Hawaii Academy of Science, and Students Corner, an online student and teacher project development platform.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 — Hurricane Laura came crashing into the shores of Southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas on Thursday morning, August 27, as a Category 4 storm. Prior to the storm making landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, OR&R's Emergency Response Division (ERD), and its Scientific Support team were busy coordinating support for the U.S. Coast Guard response.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 — Just when you've finished surrounding your prey with bubbles in the classic humpback "bubble net" technique, another whale swoops in and steals the catch.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 — Starting in the last days of July, a notably increased amount of debris was reported in the Bering Straits region, with volumes and types of debris well outside the baseline “normal” debris typically observed, much of which with foreign language labeling.
August 2020
AUGUST 31, 2020 — On August 26, Hillary Burgess joined the Marine Debris Program (MDP) as the new Monitoring Coordinator for the Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP).
AUGUST 31, 2020 — OR&R recently established a new agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard to update the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps for the St. Marys River, connecting Lake Superior to Lake Huron, and for the St. Lawrence River, from its start in Lake Ontario to the U.S./Canadian Border.
AUGUST 31, 2020 — On September 2, Christy Kehoe, Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator, and Sherry Lippiatt, California Regional Coordinator, alongside Kathryn Youngblood, Citizen Science Director of the Marine Debris Tracker with the University of Georgia, will participate in a “Live” TRASH TALK from Baltimore, Maryland, moderated by Symone Barkely, host of Ocean Today.
AUGUST 31, 2020 — It is not a shark, it is not the Loch Ness Monster, it is not even a jellyfish, it is the Indo-Pacific Lionfish! An incredibly invasive species wreaking havoc on the Atlantic reef fisher community.
AUGUST 24, 2020 — The MC20 site in the Gulf of Mexico has been associated with persistent plumes of oil and gas and surface oil slicks. An oil platform owned by Taylor Energy Co., LLC collapsed after an underwater landslide during Hurricane Ivan (2004).
AUGUST 24, 2020 — At this past week’s OR&R Tuesday Technical Talks with the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC), Steve Lehmann, Senior SSC with OR&R’s Emergency Response Division for the Northeast region, training was offered two topics: Photo-Documentation for Oil Spills, and Considerations during Urban Oil Spill Response.
AUGUST 24, 2020 — On August 19, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), a partner of the Marine Debris Program (MDP), announced four grants totaling $643,000 to support activities in Alaska, Florida, Maine, and Washington to reduce the amount of derelict fishing gear in the marine environment through the Fishing for Energy partnership.
AUGUST 24, 2020 — In today’s environment, the need for comprehensive continuity plans is vital. Organizations and agencies must continue to perform essential functions and provide critical services, even when normal operations are disrupted.
AUGUST 24, 2020 — OR&R’s Ben Shorr presented at this year’s NOAA Environmental Data Management Workshop. The theme of the overall workshop was “Data to Decisions: Putting NOAA Data to Work”.
AUGUST 24, 2020 — Sometimes when you spend your career researching oil spill science, breaking it down into simplest terms can be a little tricky. A new oil spill education page on the National Ocean Service website aims to help scientists communicate their work, and help students learn about oil spills and marine pollution.
AUGUST 24, 2020 — About two and a half days after the vast majority of remaining petroleum onboard the grounded M/V WAKASHIO had been removed, the ship split apart on Saturday, Aug. 15, and spilled a small amount of additional oil.
AUGUST 17, 2020 — On August 10, the National Ocean Service (NOS) launched a Zero Waste Challenge. The NOS Zero Waste Initiative, supported by the Marine Debris Program, was created to reduce the amount of waste, especially single-use items, that we generate in our daily office operations and at NOS events.
AUGUST 17, 2020 — Effective immediately, NOAA will remotely support the global response to an environmental emergency in the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius, after the bulk carrier Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef on July 25.
AUGUST 17, 2020 — NOAA’s awarding $870,592 to support a project working with recreational anglers aimed at restoring reef fish species impacted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
AUGUST 17, 2020 — If you ever wondered how oyster reefs are built, it involves a team of dedicated experts and a water cannon. Over the last month, barges have blasted 100,000 bushels of small fossilized oyster shells, called oyster hash, into the Eastern Branch of Virginia’s Elizabeth River.
AUGUST 17, 2020 — NOAA, and the state, federal, and Tribal Trustees working on restoring habitat and resources impacted by the Portland Harbor hazardous waste site in Oregon have released a Draft Supplemental Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for public comment.
AUGUST 10, 2020 — You are on the 16th fairway and having a great round, but the horizon is getting a bit dark. Fortunately, you have a weather app on your fancy smart phone. The red and yellow bands are still a ways in the distance and the thunder is only a low rumble. Someone else’s problem.