The NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program held its first engagement session on Monday June 24, 2013 in Tampa, FL, just prior to the Gulf of Mexico Alliance All-Hands Meeting, and has released the Summary Report.
The session’s purpose was to introduce the program and solicit public input. Over 100 people participated, including representatives from the academic community, State agencies, Federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations with an interest in Gulf of Mexico science. The engagement session provided an overview of the RESTORE Act as well as an introduction to the proposed goals, focus areas, and short-term priorities in the NOAA RESTORE Science Program’s draft science plan framework.
The event engaged the participants using a facilitated process where the attendees at the meeting broke into small groups to answer five questions about the Program’s proposed goals, short-term priorities, management needs, engagement opportunities, and challenges. Of the valuable input received, four basic themes emerged: clarification of goals and objectives, coordination with other programs, communication with stakeholders and accountability of projects. The Summary Report contains further details on session outcomes and the themes that emerged from public input.
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