Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment Action Plan 2007-2012
Action Plan main page : Work Plan at a Glance
Work Plan at a Glance: January 2007 to July 2008
The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment Action Plan 2007–2012 describes the goals and outcomes that the Council will pursue through its committees and partnerships in this five-year period. The Council has developed an eighteen-month work plan for January 2007 to July 2008 with 36 activities toward the outcomes and goals of the Action Plan. The Council is working in partnership with other organizations to secure resources and complete the activities. The activities for Goals 1-3 are listed briefly on this Web page. This Work Plan at a Glance is also available as a downloadable, printer-friendly document. Download: The complete, 94-page Work Plan is also available for downloading. Download: |
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Work plan for Goal 1: Coastal and marine habitats are in a healthy, productive, and resilient condition.
Activities:
| 1.1 | Continue to administer Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants. | |
| 1.2 | Maintain and expand the Gulf of Maine Habitat Restoration Web Portal. | |
| 1.3 | Disseminate results of the river barrier removal monitoring workshop held in 2006. | |
| 1.4 | Collaborate with the foundation community to expand support for habitat restoration activities. | |
| 1.5 | Prepare regional criteria to identify coastal habitats at risk from sea-level rise and other climate change impacts; integrate into habitat restoration decision-making. | |
| 1.6 | Compile and disseminate information on coastal habitats and watersheds at risk due to climate change. | |
| 1.7 | Identify coastal and marine policies and programs and their role in enabling an ecosystem-based approach. | |
| 1.8 | Implement the Council’s A Strategy for Gulf of Maine Ecosystem Indicators and State of the Environment Reporting (PDF, 344 KB). | |
| 1.9 | Identify and assess the long-term economic, social, and ecological implications of projected coastal development patterns in the region. | |
| 1.10 | Develop framework for ecosystem characterization that integrates existing chemical, physical, and biological knowledge, as well as human uses. | |
| 1.11 | Complete documentation of coastal/marine managed areas in the Canadian portion of the Gulf of Maine, building on existing inventories. | |
| 1.12 | Support the mapping of priority areas identified in the Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative two-year work plan. | |
| 1.13 | Facilitate communication about subtidal habitat classification methodologies in the Gulf of Maine and work toward a consistent approach. | |
| 1.14 | Develop and implement a social marketing campaign on the benefits of habitat restoration. | |
| 1.15 | Investigate options for a technical-assistance program for voluntary habitat restoration by private landowners. | |
| 1.16 | Educate targeted audiences about importance and management challenges of salt marshes and American eels. | |
| 1.17 | Conduct risk analysis and prioritize the vectors of invasive species and understand the effects of climate change. | |
| 1.18 | Convene stakeholder workshops to identify and promote mitigative and adaptive strategies for dealing with sea-level rise and changes in water quality related to climate change. | |
| 1.19 | Support and enable interactions among existing programs involved in implementing an ecosystem-based approach to management and policy. | |
| 1.20 | Enhance the climate change module of the Council’s online KnowledgeBase by compiling programs, best practices, and other information. | |
| 1.21 | Investigate and propose regional climate change adaptation strategies. | |
| 1.22 | Initiate the Climate Change Network and coordinate Climate Change Action Plan Activities for years one and two. | |
| 1.23 | Document scientific thresholds and metrics for maintaining nearshore and coastal marine habitat integrity. | |
| 1.24 | Accelerate regional cooperation to minimize and prevent the impacts of invasive species. | |
| 1.25 | Support activities proposed for the Gulf of Maine by the Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species Panel or its members. |
Work plan for Goal 2: Environmental conditions in the Gulf of Maine support ecosystem and human health.
Activities:
| 2.1 | Develop and disseminate tools for managers to use Gulfwatch data and analyses through partnerships with other regional efforts. | |
| 2.2 | Continue to conduct the Gulfwatch program, integrating recommendations from the scientific program review. | |
| 2.3 | Develop a regionally integrated baseline description of chemical contaminants in marine and estuarine ecosystems. | |
| 2.4 | Develop and implement an outreach campaign for lawmakers and adults living in the Gulf’s watershed to provide information about priority contaminants and the effects of lifestyle choices on the condition of the marine environment. | |
| 2.5 | Raise awareness of requirements, best management practices, and innovative technologies in sewage management and on-site residential septic systems. |
Work plan for Goal 3: Gulf of Maine coastal communities are vibrant and have marine-dependent industries that are healthy and globally competitive.
Activities:
| 3.1 | Develop options for greater industry engagement and collaboration; implement the most favorable options. | |
| 3.2 | Support industry sustainability awards program. | |
| 3.3 | Assess working waterfront awareness. | |
| 3.4 | Conduct best management practices survey of the sustainable tourism sector. | |
| 3.5 | Track national standards for sustainable tourism certification. | |
| 3.6 | Assess natural capital awareness. |