Subcommittee on Integrated Management of Ocean Resources (SIMOR)
SIMOR Work Plan
The SIMOR Work Plan (pdf, 251 Kb) was adopted in March 2006 with the active involvement of 19 SIMOR agencies and offices representing all member agencies of the Committee on Ocean Policy. This Work Plan is organized by four priority areas that describe specific actions to be accomplished within currently available resources. Interagency workgroups have highlighted milestones and defined outcomes for implementation of each of 21 Work Plan action items. In addition, SIMOR has taken-up additional activities in response to the need of the COP and our regional partners. We look forward to working with our partners and other interested parties in implementing the SIMOR Work Plan and other activities required to move us toward responsible use and management of our ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources.
ACTION ITEMS
Priority Area 1: Support Regional & Local Collaborations
1. Cooperative Conservation Lessons Learned
2. Gulf of Mexico Regional Initiative
3. Gulf of Mexico Lessons Learned/Best Practices
4. Clean Marinas Initiative
5. Great Lakes Best Practices In Dredging & Sediment Management
6. Northeast Regional Oceans Council
7. Community Workshops
8. Regional & Local Workshops On Ecosystem-based Management
9. Ecosystem Science Executive Technical Qualifications
10. Expanding Ocean & Coastal Economics Data & Analysis
11. Strengthen Coordination of Federal Activities In Urban Estuaries
Priority Area 2: Facilitate Use of Ocean Science & Technology
12. Federal-State Research Priorities Task Team
13. IOOS Regional Associations & Resource Management Needs
14. Regional Science Planning to Support Resource Management
15. Federal-State Science & Management Integration Task Team
16. Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Data Services Pilot
Priority Area 3: Improve Use & Conservation
17. Convene Interagency Team to Enhance Coordination On Use & Conservation of Marine Resources
18. Develop an Interagency Mechanism on Use & Conservation of Marine Resources
19. Develop Interagency Shellfish Data and Information Management Program
20. Working with the States, Evaluate and Recommend Ways to Improve Water Quality Programs
Priority Area 4: Enhance Ocean Education
21. Establish Interagency Working Group on Ocean Education
Priority Area 1: Support Regional & Local Collaborations
1. Cooperative Conservation Lessons Learned
SIMOR will promote the development of cooperative conservation lessons learned and initiate conversation with appropriate departments/agencies to share examples of cooperative conservation in the ocean/coastal context and identify new examples of cooperative conservation efforts.
A Report for the Subcommittee on Integrated Management of Ocean Resources: Top 10 Marine and Coastal Cooperative Conservation Lessons Learned (pdf, 2.03 Mb)
Work Group Leads:
Terry Holman (Department of Interior - DOI)
Hannibal Bolton (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
(Top)
2. Gulf of Mexico Regional Initiative
SIMOR will promote the Gulf of Mexico Regional Initiative by increasing federal participation where appropriate; addressing interagency coordination and identifying opportunities to streamline intra- and inter-agency functions; guiding the development of environmental and socioeconomic indicators in coordination with the broader national indicator effort to aid in determining success; and assisting with the identification of needs for observations and management tools in the region.
Work Group Leads:
Margaret Davidson (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA)
Kristen Koch (NOAA)
Byron Griffith (Environmental Protection Agency - EPA)
(Top)
3. Gulf of Mexico Lessons Learned / Best Practices
SIMOR will develop lessons learned and best practices from and for various ocean and coastal management, restoration, and monitoring activities in the Gulf region that demonstrate integration of state and federal programs and assistance.
Work Group Leads:
Roy Crabtree (NOAA)
Becky Allee (NOAA)
Byron Griffith (EPA)
(Top)
4. Clean Marinas Initiative
SIMOR will assist the federal government with coordinating with states and private marinas to work toward achieving Clean Marina certification for all marinas that are currently operating in national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, and military bases in coastal states that participate in the program.
Work Group Lead:
Shawn Norton (National Park Service)
(Top)
5. Great Lakes Best Practices In Dredging & Sediment Management
SIMOR will work with the federal interagency National Dredging Team and the relevant subcommittee on the Committee on Marine Transportation System to support the development of best practices in the area of management of dredged material/sediment using the watershed approach for application based on activities in the Great Lakes. SIMOR will also co-host a dredged material conference in 2006 to address improved coordination in watershed sediment management and development of best practices.
Work Group Lead:
Lynn Martin (US Army Corps of Engineers - USACE )
(Top)
6. Northeast Regional Oceans Council
SIMOR will support the interest and efforts of the New England states in there establishment of a Northeast Regional Oceans Council, proposed by Rhode-Island, by identifying possible geographic areas that could benefit from improved federal coordination.
Work Group Leads:
John Boreman (NOAA)
Betsy Nicholson (NOAA)
Marvin Moriarty (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
Rodney Cluck (Minerals Management Service)
David Russ (US Geological Survey)
(Top)
7. Community Workshops
Federal players within SIMOR, led by EPA and NOAA, will work with the Coastal States Organization and place-based programs in the states (e.g., NEPS, NERRS) to demonstrate new and innovative ways to integrate coastal and watershed management programs, funding sources, policies and other tools. Two to three workshops will be conducted to provide outcomes that address local needs, are regionally transferable and will serve as templates for potential future workshops.
Work Group Leads:
John Kuriawa (NOAA)
Pat Montanio (NOAA)
Jennifer Linn (EPA)
John Wilson (EPA)
(Top)
8. Regional & Local Workshops On Ecosystem-based Management
SIMOR will bring together state and federal officials from agencies involved in pollution control and national resource conservation and restoration activities, targeting those agencies not typically involved in such discussion, in order to highlight and discuss various examples of successes and challenges surrounding ecosystem-based approaches to management.
Work Group Leads:
Steve Murawski (NOAA)
Brie Bierman (NOAA)
Mamie Parker (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
Dan Ashe (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
(Top)
9. Ecosystem Science Executive Technical Qualifications
In order to ensure a basic level of ecosystem science knowledge among appropriate federal senior leaders, SIMOR will help to develop a definition for an “ecosystem science executive technical qualification”, and determine the procedure for integrating such a qualification into the federal hiring process.
Work Group Leads:
Dan Ashe (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
Joe Piotrowski (EPA)
(Top)
10. Expanding Ocean & Coastal Economics Data & Analysis
SIMOR will explore expanding NOAA’s Ocean Economics Program, which has developed a more comprehensive picture of the ocean and coastal economy through new data sets, to support the requirements of Federal agencies and states for economic information to support decision making.
Work Group Leads:
Jeffrey Adkins (NOAA)
Rita Curtis (NOAA)
(Top)
11. Strengthen Coordination of Federal Activities In Urban Estuaries
SIMOR will support the development of a program to enhance federal coordination and services supporting regional protection and restoration of urban estuaries and habitats that would assist local communities in these areas manage their growth and redevelopment while sustaining ecosystems.
Work Group Leads:
Margaret Davidson (NOAA)
Pat Montanio (NOAA)
Mamie Parker (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
(Top)
Priority Area 2: Facilitate the Use of Ocean Science and Technology
12. Federal-State Research Priorities Task Team
SIMOR will establish a task team of resource managers from state and federal agencies to provide input on high priority basic and applied research needs to the JSOST Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy to be finalized by December 31, 2006.
Work Group Leads:
Peyton Robertson (NOAA)
Kristen Koch (NOAA)
(Top)
13. IOOS Regional Associations & Resource Management Needs
SIMOR, in consultation with JSOST, will work with Ocean.US to implement approaches for ensuring that state and local resource managers are interacting with, and presenting their needs and views to evolving IOOS Regional Associations and that the Associations are responsive to the needs of state and local resource managers, as well as relevant voluntary resource partnerships.
Work Group Leads:
Paul Scholz (NOAA)
Ned Cyr (NOAA)
(Top)
14. Regional Science Planning to Support Resource Management
SIMOR will work with JSOST to implement an interagency approach in establishing regional planning efforts designed to support regional management activities and work with NOAA Sea Grant during FY 2006 to accomplish this for six regions.
Work Group Lead:
Dan Ashe (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
(Top)
15. Federal-State Science & Management Integration Task Team
SIMOR and JSOST will establish a joint task team of federal and state resource managers and researchers to address steps that they can take to improve communication between the scientific community and resource managers.
Work Group Leads:
Suzette Kimball (US Geological Survey)
James Kendall (Minerals Management Service)
(Top)
16. Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Data Services Pilot
Coordinating with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources SIMOR will assist with the implementation of an internet-based data access and delivery service by tailoring information to the needs of state-level coastal and marine resource managers, and drawing on existing data within SIMOR agencies and among state partners.
Work Group Leads:
Russ Beard (NOAA)
Susan Molina (NOAA)
(Top)
Priority Area 3: Improve Use & Conservation
17. Convene Interagency Team to Enhance Coordination On Use & Conservation of Marine Resources
SIMOR will bring together an interagency team to identify major medium and long term trends and interest areas involving issues of common interest and/or responsibility amongst agencies, while also looking at current major interagency activities to use as potential models for broader application, areas where gaps may exist, and places where coordination can be improved.
Work Group Leads:
Steve Murawski (NOAA)
Emily Menashes (NOAA)
Mamie Parker (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
Geoff Haskett (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
Renee Orr (Minerals Management Service)
Gary Lore (Minerals Management Service)
(Top)
18. Develop an Interagency Mechanism on Use & Conservation of Marine Resources
SIMOR will develop an inter-agency mechanism, covering all agencies involved in SIMOR, JSOST, etc., identifying the means for informing other agencies of any proposed activities to be sited in the oceans. The mechanism will also provide a process for updating any ‘lead’ agency involved in these activities with information on the interests of other agencies as reviews proceed.
Work Group Leads:
Steve Murawski (NOAA)
Emily Menashes (NOAA)
Mamie Parker (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
Geoff Haskett (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
Renee Orr (Minerals Management Service)
Gary Lore (Minerals Management Service)
(Top)
19. Develop Interagency Shellfish Data and Information Management Program
SIMOR will encourage the development of an interagency data and information management program to efficiently collect and disseminate data to local managers on chemical, pathogenic, and toxic constituents found within shellfish and other seafood that poses risks to human health.
Work Group Leads:
Spencer Garrett (NOAA)
Russell.Callender@noaa.gov (NOAA)
Bill Kramer (NOAA)
(Top)
20. Working with the States, Evaluate and Recommend Ways to Improve Water Quality Programs
SIMOR will engage federal and state managers with the objective of developing a model for improved collaboration among relevant federal and state coastal and water quality programs.
Work Group Leads:
Jack Dunnigan (NOAA)
Cynthia Sellinger (NOAA)
Timothy Miller (US Geological Survey)
Greg Masson (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
Suzanne Schwartz (EPA)
Dov Weitman (EPA)
(Top)
Priority Area 4: Enhance Ocean Education
21. Establish Interagency Working Group on Ocean Education
The JSOST and SIMOR will establish a permanent interagency working group on ocean education to improve coordination of Federal programs focused on ocean education and outreach so these programs effectively reflect priorities at the regional, State, and local levels, while maintaining consistency with broad national goals.
Toward an Ocean Literate Society: Implementation Plan of the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Education, FY2007-2008 (pdf, 54 Kb)
Work Group Lead:
Lisa Rom (NSF)
(Top)
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