DEMO: Gulf Star Project Viewer

Building on the “Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment,” this project worked to identify quantitative information on habitats, species, and community resilience related to sea level rise. Activities included a sea level rise modeling workshop and development of an “Initial Strategy to Develop a Gulf Coast Adaptation and Resilience Plan” that can be used to guide future adaptation, resilience, and sustainabily efforts.

This project supported the county’s efforts to join the FEMA Community Rating System (CRS). Participation in CRS strengthens communication for emergency alerts and reduces flood insurance premiums for residents.

This project focused on identifying specific industries tied to GOMA priority issues, increasing their participation through outreach and engagement efforts, incorporating industry knowledge and information in policy and management recommendations, and encouraging use of GOMA tools and technology in industry decisions.

Expanding “Water Watch” to three additional counties in the Florida panhandle will the enable existing community-based volunteer monitoring program to fill data gaps identified by local governments and organizations.

This project trained citizen scientists to collect and process water and sediment samples for microplastics. Data can be viewed in an interactive online map.

Following Hurricane Irma, this project removed debris from the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park; re-planted native species; and rebuilt boardwalks and other infrastructure.

This project developed video documentaries of the climate adaptation success stories from the NAS funded capacity building grant and made them broadly available. It also produced videos for specific target audiences regarding the benefits of green infrastructure and how it can help mitigate the impacts of future storms.

These outreach videos highlight coastal community resilience and marine debris projects, emphasizing success stories and providing inspiration for other coastal communities.

These outreach videos highlight coastal community resilience and projects, emphasizing success stories and providing inspiration for other coastal communities.

In collaboration with the Gulf of Mexico University Research Collaborative, the Alliance provides three independent, conflict-free scientific reviews of projects proposed to the RESTORE Council for funding through Buckets 2 or 3.

This project focused on neonate sea turtles found in pelagic habitat off of Venice, Louisiana; junvenile and sub-adult sea turtles in nearshore habitat in the Big Bend region of Florida; and sub-adult and adult turtles found on foraging grounds near the Marquesas Keys, Florida.

The City of Covington identified the need to accurately notify residents of flash flood events and educate them about appropriate flash flood responses. This project included creation of a flood preparation and response plan, educational materials for residents, and a workshop to share lessons-learned with neighboring communities.

The goal of this project was to improve drainage system maintenance efforts to reduce flood losses to existing development and improve related CRS scores for the City of Covington.

This project used the four Resilience Indices (Community Resilience Index, Ports Resilience Index, Tourism Resilience Index, and Fisheries Resilience Index) within the Morgan City, Louisiana community to develop a cross-sector evaluation of overall community resilience.

Recognizing that effective adaptation and resilience require knowledge and understanding of successful methods, this project develops a six-month training course for resource managers and decision-makers across the region. Course topics include vulnerability, adaptation, overcoming barriers, and communicating solutions.

This project will create a stakeholder driven conservation plan for diamondback terrapins, a species of concern in the Gulf of Mexico. The conservation plan will create a central source for terrapin information in the Gulf based on the best available science and expert input. The plan will also include recommendations to prevent and reverse declines in terrapin populations and their habitats; these recommendations can be used to inform conservation and restoration efforts across the region.

Focusing specifically on harmful algal blooms (HABs), this project will quantify the linkages between economic outcomes and Gulf of Mexico coastal health. Economic metrics representing tourism, housing sales, and fishing activity will be collected and analyzed and GIS data will be used to enhance temporal resolution of HAB data impacts. A dashboard tool will be developed to allow resource managers easy access to high quality HAB data and economic outcomes. The team will also host a workshop and webinars to share the dashboard and project results.

As part of the Embrace the Gulf awareness campaign, this project includes social media management, website updates, and public relations. Embrace the Gulf is an education and awareness campaign that highlights the value of the Gulf of Mexico in 2020.

This project updates and upgraded the GOMAportal to better support new standards, and enhanced the interface to be more user-friendly.

This project studied the dolphins of Galveston Bay in the immediate after math of Hurricane Harvey. The dolphins were studied to determine when and which dolphins returned to the bay post-hurricane; the presence of calves; changes in distribution; and the development of skin disorders and other health problems.

This project extended harmful algal bloom (HAB) observation glider deployments to identify, evaluate, and predict the initiation of blooms in northwest Florida, the most common location of initial development. This information is critical for improving the seasonal forecast.

This project generates new models and information about the stormwater infrastructure in the Tatumville Gulley watershed. With this information, the city can design appropriate flood mitigation measures.

This project educated decision-makers on state-based mitigation programs, policies, and tools to promote resilient building practices and train them in the FORTIFIED Home Program, helping homeowners become more resilient by strengthening their home against severe weather.

Supporting shorebird conservation work along the Upper Texas Coast, this project rebuilt the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory’s field house following Hurricane Harvey. The field house stores equipment and houses the laboratory where field biologists conduct studies and rehabilitation of injured shorebirds.

The Gulf of Mexico Monitoring Community of Practice (MCoP) provides a collaborative forum for sharing and coordinating monitoring knowledge with the larger restoration community. The group is specifically focused on improving coordination, accessibility, and comparibility of habitat and water quality information.

Currently, there are numerous data catalogs that point users to available datasets, but there is no one source that provides easy to use data all in one place. This project will create an open data platform that makes it easier for users to discover, understand, and use standardized habitat data. As a pilot proof-of-concept, the project will include existing state and local seagrass distribution datasets to demonstrate the platforms ability to bring together data from multiple providers.

Gulf TREE was created to fulfill the need for guidance in climate tool selection, allowing users to find the right tool for their needs using an interactive decision-support search engine.

Leveraging against an existing U.S. Geological Survey and EPA project, this project developed a plan to assess additional seagrass resources throughout the Gulf region. Comprehensive and current information and data on seagrass resources is needed to inform restoration plans.

This project repaired and upgraded medical and surgical areas of the Texas Sealife Center as a result of damage caused by Hurricane Harvey. In addition, the project increased the holding capacity and acquisition of additional heaters for the hospital pools.

This project engages with regional stakeholders in developing a comprehensive data inventory, identifying gaps, and discussing data sharing challenges. It supports the efforts of GOMA and other organizations to enhance the capacity for data sharing and integration.

This project installed four floating aquatic plant islands in three community lakes following Hurricane Irma. The floating islands aided in reducing nutrient pollution from phosphorus, nitrates, and nitrites.

This project incorporated socio-economic and ecosystem service indicators into the existing Community Resilience Index (CRI) in order to capture the benefits that communities receive from their natural features and potential projects, such as living shorelines.

This project supports printing the recently revised Homeowner Handbooks for each of the Gulf states, providing a valuable resource to help homeowners become more resilient by strengthening their property against severe weather.

This project focused on redefining the Coastal High Hazard area for a category one storm at current sea level and two future sea level scenarios. This information meets a need for high-resolution data and will help identify assets under current and future risk.

Bringing together scientific researchers, planners, floodplain managers, and other local decision makers, this project facilitated a deeper understanding of resilience issues along the Texas coastal bend.

To enhance the success of current and future living shorelines, this project identified habitat datasets across the Gulf states and gaps in coverage. The data were compiled into a publicly-available geodatabase.

This project repaired and stabilized a living shoreline damaged by Hurricane Irma at DeSoto National Memorial in Bradenton, Florida. Over 100 volunteers planted 350 mangrove plants, enabling the restoration of approximately 0.5 acres of mangrove habitat.

This project developed a living shoreline suitability model for Tampa Bay, Florida, predicting where natural shoreline restoration techniques would be most successful.

This project establishes a citizen science volunteer monitoring program at the Lakefront Learning Lab along the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain, LA to sample for algal pollution and microplastics and tracks public engagement.

This project filled a critical water quality monitoring gap in coastal Louisiana by establishing a new transect from the coast into the open Gulf. These data improved understanding of baseline conditions for restoration, water quality dynamics, and changes in the Gulf dead zone.

This project completed several phases required for the Louisiana Sediment Availability and Allocation Program, a planning tool being developed for the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. Data needed for the tool were compiled and evaluated, and then piloted for the Barataria Basin.

Encouraging volunteers to clean up sites in northwest Florida, this project collected marine debris and data tracking the items removed.

This project engaged high school and college students in the data collection and monitoring of marine debris and sediment microplastics in Louisiana. Students researched, collected, and analyzed marine debris data and prepared action items to stop it at the source.

This project used oyster shell in cultch sacks to repair a storm breached area of shoreline that separates Salt Lake from Matagorda Bay. The project also used oyster sacks to enhance existing oyster habitat and supplement oyster recovery in the area.

Expanding an intuitive and interactive online mapping interface used to catalog monitoring sites and management areas, this project will begin by expanding the current Florida-focused Terra-CAT and Water-CAT platforms to Alabama, with a vision of growing to cover the entire Gulf region.

This project educated and trained students in conservation field techniques that can be used to pursue jobs in the conservation industry and/or generate interest in seeking environmental or conservation college degrees. Specifically, the project focused on increasing awareness of the losses and degradation of coastal habitats caused by invasive species.

The city identified a strong need to protect New Port Richey from future flood events. This project purchased equipment that diverts water to and from large retention areas, helping residents and businesses with flooding issues.

This project added Florida, Alabama, and Texas to an existing social and civic engagement survey conducted by the Hypoxia Task Force to determine social values associated with reducing nutrients in stormwater runoff. The Hypoxia Task Force also conducted the survey for the states along the Mississippi River, including Louisiana and Mississippi.

Ocean Springs is working with local businesses to develop continuity plans, a high priority need identified in the city’s Community Resilience Index conversations.

This project developed a Community Resilience Working Group (CRWG) for the City of Orange Beach, Alabama to initiate the development of a Program for Public Information (PPI) to enhance education and outreach efforts and increase the Citys Community Rating System (CRS) score under the National Flood Insurance Program.

This project aimed to reduce the use of single-use plastics and provide data showing this reduction.

Focused on improving community resilience for the Pointe-Au-Chien Tribe, this project assists the community in performing a self-assessment and implementing habitat restoration and resilience projects to address identified vulnerabilities.

Building on an existing GIS-based decision support tool that identifies sediment availability and distribution at sites in Louisiana, this project increases access to information on regional sediment sources across the northern Gulf of Mexico. This expanded tool will fill a critical need for information on sediment resources that can be used for creation and restoration of coastal habitats.

This project replaced the animal care equipment at a facility in the Florida Keys that was lost as a result of Hurricane Irma. This equipment was essential to the operation of the facility, especially to the animals that are geriatric or have special needs, such as rescued sea turtles with buoyancy disorders.

The last comprehensive seagrass assessment was conducted more than a decade ago and was limited in the type of data that was available at the time. The data pre-dated the destructive tropical events of 2004, 2005, and 2006. Based on recommendations from a recent Seagrass Workshop, the Habitat Resources Team recommended an update and reassessment of seagrass resources across the Gulf.

This project developed a Master Plan to identify and preserve aquatic habitats (such as wetlands and mangroves) that provide protection from sea level rise and storm surge.

This project identified specific conservation actions that could be prioritized in order to downlist or delist particular threatened or endangered species in the region. The prioritized actions will be included in regional restoration plans developed by state and federal agencies.

The Green Infrastructure Work Group of the Climate and Resilience Community of Practice compiled a catalog of available living shoreline resources to help stakeholders across the Gulf find information on design and construction, cost, and permitting. Target audiences include environmental consultants, engineers, and landscape architects; installation contractors and suppliers; realtors and property developers; researchers; resource managers and local land use planners; and property owners.

Tangipahoa Parish has experienced several major disaster declarations in the past decade due to its low lying land and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. This project conducted an assessment of stormwater management policies, updated enforcement protocols, conducted staff training, developed model ordinance language for flood protection, and provided best management guidance for improving stormwater programs.

This project installed an oyster bed surge protection system to preserve a culturally significant site sacred to a local Native American Tribe.

This project establishes a protocol for monitoring macro-plastics in the Houston-Galveston, TX area, incorporates this protocol into the Texas Stream Team water quality monitoring program, and trains community volunteers in macro-plastic monitoring and cleanup.

The goal of this project was to educate middle and high school students and teachers about the marine debris problem in coastal Alabama, showing students how technology can be used to study a problem, and developing an engineering/solution-based mindset that instills a sense of stewardship for their local waterway.

Focusing on fish, shrimp, and crab use of restored oyster reefs, this project updated resources, analyzes data, and develops a user-friendly guidebook summarizing key factors that affect their recovery following coastal habitat restoration projects.

This project updates the Homeowners Handbook for each of the five Gulf states with information on state-based mitigation programs, policies, and tools to promote resilient building practices to strengthen homeowners’ property against severe weather.

This project improved recognition and understanding of weather and climate related hazards in the coastal Gulf of Mexico region through 1) the updating of an existing and trusted source of information community resilience (the StormSmart Coasts Network), and 2) the addition of the citizen science suite of tools (MyCoast).

Since 2008, over 50 Gulf communities have used the Coastal Community Resilience Index to assess their vulnerabilities to future storm events. This project used community feedback to update the CRI to incorporate the linkage between ecosystem health and human well-being.

This project provided classroom and hands-on training to students at LeFlore High School in Mobile, Alabama, about issues impacting water quality, training them in water quality monitoring, and empowering them to become active environmental stewards in their local watershed.

This project developed and promoted innovative wind engineering tools to help identify opportunities to improve resilience, and to enable the building of smart, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure.

This project expands the application of a handheld genetic harmful algal bloom (HAB) sensor to other species of HABs. This is important because it allows: (1) more timely confirmation of less toxic or nontoxic species to provide managers with definitive criteria for response decisions, and (2) a rapid, sensitive method for quantifying toxic species which are notoriously difficult to differentiate.