Ocean Protection Council: new developments

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Posted by CA Resources on June 17, 2005 at 16:25:20:

MEMORANDUM
TO: California Ocean and Coastal Community
FROM: Brian Baird, Assistant Secretary for Ocean and Coastal Policy
DATE: June 17, 2005
SUBJECT: Ocean Protection Council: new developments including research strategy, project priorities, and upcoming economic summit

The California Ocean Protection Council held its second meeting on Friday June 10, 2005 in San Francisco. A brief summary of the meeting highlights are below, but first I want to call your attention to four announcements from this meeting.

The council adopted interim guidelines for funding, project selection, and application procedures
- resources.ca.gov/ocean/copc/6-10-05_meeting/application_guidelines_memo.pdf
- esources.ca.gov/ocean/copc/6-10-05_meeting/application_guidelines.pdf
- Please send public comment, with "OPC guidelines" in the subject, line to tcorrigan@scc.ca.gov until July 18, 2005. If you are interested in applying for project funds from the council, please refer to these guidelines.
Council staff is soliciting public comment on the Draft California Ocean and Coastal Information, Research, and Outreach Strategy
resources.ca.gov/ocean/copc/6-10-05_meeting/research_draft_strategy.pdf that was presented at the council’s meeting. Please submit your written comments by July 25 to COPCpublic@resources.ca.gov. The draft strategy will be discussed at the California Ocean Science Trust meeting, July 6, 2 p.m.-4 p.m., and public participation is welcome. The meeting will be held at Martin Johnson House, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 9500 Gilman Drive, 0210, La Jolla, California.
Council staff is organizing the Ocean and Coastal Economic Summit with the California Biodiversity Council that will be held in Long Beach, California, on July 21-22. Please download the invitation from http://ceres.ca.gov/biodiv/oceans.html for more information.
If you were unable to attend the June 10, Ocean Protection Council meeting, a video recording is available at www.slo-span.org/stateav.htm#Special%20Meetings

Meeting highlights

Four new projects approved. The council approved four new projects that will further the objectives of the California Ocean Protection Act. These projects will provide funding for:

An underwater remotely operated vehicle to improve resource management and protection in the Channel Islands marine protected areas;
A pilot project for the restoration of critical eelgrass and native oyster habitat in the San Francisco Bay;
A sediment study of Klamath River dams to develop management recommendations for restoring native salmonid habitat;
A pilot project to find and remove derelict fishing gear in state waters.

Federal affairs. The meeting included a discussion of federal affairs, including the letters sent by the council, the Governor, the Legislature, and the State Lands Commission on a variety of pressing federal issues. These letters address the following issues:

Opposition to efforts to lift the moratorium on offshore oil and gas;
Support for the re-authorization of the Coastal Zone Management Act;
Commitment to protect state’s role in siting Liquefied Natural Gas facilities;
Support for the U.S. ratification of the U.N. Resolution on Law of the Sea.

Progress on Governor's Ocean Action Plan. The council was briefed on the substantial progress made towards implementing the Governor’s ocean action plan including:

California Ocean and Coastal Inventory of Relevant Law (Action 2);
California Ocean and Coastal Information, Research, and Outreach Strategy (Action 4);
Education and Environment Initiative (Action 5);
Efforts to reduce marine debris by state and local governments (Action 13);
Coastal Sediment Management Working Group (Ongoing Action).

For more information on the Ocean Protection Council and to access the briefing documents for this meeting, please visit our Web site at resources.ca.gov/ocean/copc.

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