2008 Annual Ocean and Coastal Program Managers’ Meeting
NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, in partnership with the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, held its annual program managers meeting from Tuesday, February 26 through Thursday, February 28, 2008. Several associated meetings were also held during the week, including the Coastal States Organization, National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, and the Marine Protected Areas Center.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Over 225 people participated in the 2008 meeting. Some of the presentations, summaries and /or outcomes from the 2008 annual Program Managers Meeting can be found from the links below:
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Programmatic Meetings and Welcome
Opening Plenary: NOAA’s Coastal Future: CZMA Visioning, Integration and Strategies for Success
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Perspectives on Coastal Management—Moving Forward
After more than a year of “visioning” discussions with stakeholders around the U.S., federal agencies,
non-profits groups, and industry, NOAA, CSO and NERRA are pulling together legislative proposals for a reauthorized CZMA. This session brought together perspectives from the three organizations on the ways forward within the context of a new CZMA, and in the absence of new legislation three concepts: improved planning and measurement at the state and national levels; improved role for NOAA in the national coastal program; and improved regional approaches to management and research.
Fostering Community Resilience
Initiatives such as the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System and the principles of Coastal No Adverse Impact provide financial incentives and offer practical actions coastal communities may take to increase their resilience from natural hazards. This panel explored these ideas and offered ways to collaborate with state coastal managers.
Making Research Matter: Best Practices to Increasing the Impact of Research Investment
Successful management depends on the ability to transition research and information out of the laboratory and field and into the hands of coastal managers and other critical stakeholders. This session utilized a recently published report, “Best Practices for Increasing the Impact of Research Investment,” to explore the issue of stakeholder involvement in research. While many agree that linking researchers and stakeholders is important, there is widespread disagreement about how and when to involve stakeholders in the research endeavor. This session outlined a “best practice” for linking research to decision making, using multiple speakers and case studies. Facilitators also demonstrated how one such collaborative best practice—Joint Fact Finding—could be used to involve stakeholders in research related to mitigating erosion along sheltered shorelines. The demonstration focused on stakeholder involvement in four phases of research: framing the question; conducting the research; analyzing the results; and connecting data to policy change.
Using Area-Based Management to Manage Diverse Ocean Uses
Area-Based Management (ABM) approaches are valuable tools for coordinating the management of multiple ocean uses, reducing user conflicts, and conserving important marine resources. This session provided an overview of ABM and how it is being approached in the U.S. and abroad. The discussion focused on ABM efforts in the U.S; its benefits, opportunities, and the challenges associated with ABM; the scientific information required to successfully implement ABM; human use patterns and the California Ocean Use Atlas project; and how ocean industries, such as fishing, can intersect with an ABM approach. The session ended with a discussion on comprehensive ABM in the context of current efforts by coastal managers, including current and pending legislation.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Developing Future Leaders in Coastal Management – What Will it Take?
Coastal management is in a period of transition and faces challenges and opportunities to ensure that
previous successes are built upon and expanded to address emerging priorities. Leaders in coastal
management at local, state and national organizations will be retiring en masse within the next ten years and the collective “loss” of institutional history and intellectual capital is a concern. These departures, however, provide opportunities for young professionals with the interest and motivation to positively impact coastal resources through their efforts. This working session developed ideas on how to ensure that the next generation has the right informational framework and skill sets to succeed in a changing coastal management environment. Attendee input directly supported the development of a three year programming effort (including panels, workshops, white papers, etc.) by contributing grounded experience and multiple perspectives, concepts and resources to draw from and highlight at upcoming conferences.
Telling the Coastal Management Story Today
This facilitated session helped managers begin to frame the messages about coastal management in the critical months ahead. With a new administration arriving next year and new momentum and energy towards reauthorizing the Coastal Zone Management Act, it is more important than ever to be able to explain convincingly the role of coastal management at both national and state levels. This session built on earlier discussions of new CZMA concepts and elements that the community is committed to, with or without new legislation. Participants shared what they have heard from state representatives over the past several days and identified common themes that may either help or hinder telling the story to a variety of audiences. The session finished with an examination of current communication efforts refined those in light of what was heard this week.
For more information, please contact Patmarie Nedelka, 301-563-1127.