NOAA Southeast and Caribbean Regional Team (SECART)

1. NOAA Southeast and Caribbean Regional Team (SECART) Meeting with Puerto Rico and US Virgin Island Partners SECART Workshop 17-18 November 2009

2. NOAA Southeast and Caribbean Regional Team Annual Workshop 17-18 November 2009 San Juan Puerto Rico  Part II – Engaging partners from Puerto Rico and USVI Venue: Salon del Mar, Caribe Hilton Tuesday Afternoon, 17 November Session purpose: Kickoff meeting, learn about NOAA partners, programs and issues in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands, establish/renew relationships Participants: SECART plus invited guests 2:00 pm Welcome, Purpose and Introductions – Aleta Hohn Review agenda and logistics – Geno Olmi SECART Overview – Geno Olmi, Aleta Hohn 2:40 Briefing: CarICOOS: a coastal observing system for the US Caribbean - Julio Morrell, University of Puerto Rico 3:00 Briefing: Weather forecasting and community preparedness - Israel Matos, NOAA Weather Service 3:20 Break 3:40 Briefing: Caribbean Coral Reef Institute - Rich Appeldoorn, University of Puerto Rico 4:00 Briefing: NCCOS mapping, monitoring and assessment activities in the US Caribbean Chris Caldow, NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science 4:20 Related activities, insights, and discussion 5:00 Adjourn 6:00 Optional – meet for drinks, dinner

3.  Wednesday Morning, 18 November Session purpose: Learn about NOAA partners, programs and issues in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands; further the NOAA network; and discuss potential opportunities for interaction with SECART Participants: SECART plus invited guests 8:00 am Coffee available 8:30 Welcome, review agenda – Geno Olmi 8:40 Briefing: Protected resources and habitat conservation in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands – Lisamarie Carrubba, NOAA Fisheries 9:00 Briefing: Caribbean Fisheries Management Council – Miguel Rolon, Caribbean Fishery Management Council 9:20 Briefing: Jobos Bay NERR – Luis Encarnacion, Jobos Bay Estuarine Research Reserve 9:40 Briefing: Coastal zone management in PR and USVI – Ernesto Diaz, Puerto Rico Coastal Zone Management Program and Jean-Pierre Oriol, USVI Coastal Zone Management Program 10:00 Briefing: Sea Grant efforts to promote the sustainable development of coastal and marine resources in Puerto Rico – Ruperto Chaparro, Puerto Rico Sea Grant Program 10:20 Break 10:40 Other programs/projects and issues of interest 11:00 Discussion Are there ways that partners want to/ should engage with NOAA but cannot? Are there parts of NOAA that partners want to / should engage but do not know how? Are there particular issues that SECART may be able to elevate to receive more attention? 12:00 Lunch (group lunch at hotel) 1:30 pm Adjourn 

4. Vision: • Address mission priorities at appropriate geographic scales • Address distinct regional challenges that require NOAA’s expertise • Enhance NOAA’s value to and impact on the region Eight Regional Collaboration Teams NOAA Regional Collaboration Teams • Goals: • Improved services for the benefit of NOAA’s customers; • Increased value and productivity of partnerships; • Improved stakeholder relations and support; • Improved internal communications and efficiency; and • A more visible and valued NOAA. NOAA Regional Collaboration managed out of the Program Planning and Integration Office http://www.ppi.noaa.gov/reco.html

5. SECART Goals Within the Southeast and Caribbean region, improve NOAA’s efficiency and effectiveness value and productivity of partnerships communication and information sharing stakeholder relations and support US Virgin Islands Puerto Rico

6. NOAA Assets

7. NOAA Assets (continued)

8. NOAA PartnersNERRS, Sea Grant, CZMPs, Fisheries Mgmt. Councils, Cooperative Institute

9. SECART Team Membership * inactive

10. Overview of Region Environment NC, SC, GA, FL, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands and their marine waters Over 18,000 miles of coastline Diverse coastal habitats: riverine, estuarine, marsh, barrier island, mangrove and coral ecosystems Southeast U.S. shelf and Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystems Gulf Stream/Florida Current Climate: warm-temperate to tropical World’s third largest shallow water reef More than 600 marine managed areas

11. Overview of Region Social and Economic Context 42 of top 100 fastest growing U.S. counties $20+ billion ocean and shoreline economy in four SE states (68% recreation and tourism and 18% to transportation related) Coastal counties account for 49% of economic activity of the four SE states 35+ ports and terminals that service cargo and passenger ships Recreation and tourism are important economic drivers

12. Impaired water quality • Habitat degradation • Fisheries sustainability • Energy development • Storms and inundation • Climate change impacts Regional Issues (not all)

13. SECART Review of Needs Assessments: Categories of expressed needs • Land Use • Marine Weather • Ocean Observations • Shoreline Management • Water Quality (coastal) Climate Coral Reef Protection Fire Weather Fisheries Habitat Hazards Invasive Species

14. So, what does SECART do? Engaging stakeholders Needs assessment synthesis Regional Research Priorities Plan (with Sea Grant) NOAA in the Carolinas South Atlantic Alliance NOAA “next generation” strategic plan forums and report Support regional partnerships South Atlantic Alliance South-eastern Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS) Southeastern Natural Resources Leadership Group (SNRLG) Support workshops and meetings of opportunity National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Hydrometeorology Testbed-SE GA Sea Grant Strategic Planning

15. Example Activities FY08-FY09 Summarize Existing Needs Assessments for the Southeast and Caribbean Region Constituent priorities, needs, and information gaps in the region Coordinating with Sea Grant development of Regional Research Information Plans Supporting Regional Partnerships Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS) NOAA in the Carolinas South Atlantic Regional Research Plan South Atlantic Alliance NOAA Data Explorer Pilot for Southeast and Caribbean Region Making regional spatial data from all NOAA Line Offices more readily available Successfully competed for two grants: Engagement award to support the South Atlantic Alliance Climate engagement award (in FY10) to enhance climate outreach capacity in the region (with Sea Grant Programs of NC, SC, GA, FL, PR)

16. Example Activities FY08-FY09 Integrated Water Resources Services Hydro-meteorology Testbed – Southeast (HMT-SE) Accelerate the infusion of new technologies, models, and scientific results from the research community into daily forecasting operations of the National Weather Service (NWS) and its River Forecast Centers (RFCs) SECART assisted with workshops to 1) define operational requirements and 2) develop science plan National integrated drought information system for the Southeast NIDIS is being developed to consolidate data on drought’s physical, hydrological and socio-economic impacts on an ongoing basis, to develop drought decision support and simulation tools for critical, drought-sensitive areas, and to enable proactive planning by those affected by drought. SECART supported workshops and encouraged consideration of coastal impacts CI-FLOW Integrating models to enhance management and mitigation of severe weather events and their impact on coastal watersheds (NC) Examining user needs and potential transferability to other coastal watersheds SECART support and relationships

17. South Atlantic Alliance • Emerging Regional Ocean Governance • NOAA designated as federal co-lead • Stakeholder engagement • Address state and federal priorities • Successful engagement grant proposal Regional Ocean Partnership Priority issues: Healthy Ecosystems Working Waterfronts Clean Coastal and Ocean Waters Disaster-Resilient Communities

18. What about the US Caribbean? Began dialog at SECART Meeting June 2008 Guests: Lisamarie Carrubba, Virdin Brown, Dana Wusinich-Mendez, Annie Hillary Key points (some) Cultural differences; personal relationships important Language differences – need outreach materials in Spanish for PR Coastal development (and associated runoff) important issue Cross-cutting issues for NOAA (e.g. watershed mngt) could benefit from better coordination Near-shore fisheries depleted; limited enforcement capability Solid waste disposal an issue USVI (only two sites, both on coast) NOAA could help foster environmental literacy Inundation (SLR, storms, tsunamis) major concern

19. What about the US Caribbean? Began dialog at SECART Meeting June 2008 (cont) Coral reef conservation program – local action strategies to conserve coral reef resources; primary threats are over-fishing, land-based sources of pollution, recreational overuse and misuse, lack of public awareness, climate change impacts, coral bleaching; Need assistance with outreach and education related to corals and with technical assistance/training with using NOAA data; Puerto Rico Emergency Management Partnership – NOAA working closely (over last thirty years) with PR government – Storm Ready and Tsunami Ready Communities; No Cat 5 Hurricane in many years; vulnerable population; Need for elevation (inundation) mapping in USVI Broader Caribbean opportunities enhance ocean obs through MOU that NOAA has with World Bank NOS Strategy for the Caribbean CARICOM – program planning and adaptation 5 Cs Center – hazards and vulnerability IOCARIBBE – ocean obs, MPAs SECART should encouraged enhanced partnerships within Caribbean basin SECART should continue effort to engage in Caribbean by holding 2009 meeting there

20. What about the US Caribbean? Accomplishment – NOAA Extreme Weather Information Sheets for US Virgin Islands Accomplishment – this meeting to establish/improve relationships and understanding of programs and issues Challenge – alignment of southeast states in regional partnerships Challenge – currently no team members located here though a few do have programs/activities here

21. SECART Strengths Regional perspective Connections to NOAA - where to go for what Linking parts of NOAA for greater efficiency Elevate issues within NOAA (e.g., regional priorities) (limited) Opportunities to collaboratively seek funds to support priority issues Facilitate stakeholder engagement