Heidi's Presentation to VIMS Board of Directors

Legislative fellow (and mom-to-be) Heidi presented to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) Board of Directors the tools she learned as a Ph.D. student there that prepared her for her fellowship.

To find out how field research in Antarctica is like working on Capitol Hill check out the video, and then scroll down for more tidbits on the other VA fellows...

Misconceptions and Complexity: Listing Endangered Species

Recent stories in the news and in various nonprofit blog articles have compelled me to articulate my thoughts on protecting endangered species and the power of communication.  After working diligently day after day to understand how my coworkers are involved in the many stages of listing a species under the Endangered Species Act, I was admittedly crestfallen when I learned from Oceana that the government “failed, again” to protect sea turtles from harm.  What concerns me here is that federal agencies’ work in this arena is negatively portrayed to the public by conservation organizations.  This is an example of the how agencies, organizations, and the media interact nowadays.  In short, why do we highlight shortcomings where we could instead support one another by promoting success stories?    

After I got over my immediate disappointment, the article helped me realize a few things.  First, that it is very easy to grossly oversimplify and confuse any policy process.  And naturally, we can’t appreciate what we don’t understand.  In this case, even other conservation organizations do not fully grasp the complexity and time-intensive process of protecting a species.   (Petitions are received and reviewed, NOAA or USFWS drafts decision documents, public comments are reviewed, changes are made, and then the decision is reviewed by agency, policy, and budget leadership).  The whole process can last a year (often longer), largely due to the number of people, programs, and departments that must approve the action, not to mention the transparency and evidence demanded at each step of the way.  What Oceana was in fact writing about was NOAA’s announcement that they are simply taking more time to sort through disagreement between the managing agencies about the actual data underlying the decision.

Endangered Hawaiian monk seal.

Second, not only is resource protection necessarily time-consuming, but it is carried out and furthered by people, not agencies.  It is your neighbor, your aunt, your best friend, and the suit and tie that sits beside you on the metro that coordinate and drive these efforts.  Would you really say to any one of them that they had “failed”?   Along the same lines, the burden of conservation does not fall solely on government.  Federal agencies are responsible for implementing a set of diverse (and sometimes conflicting) policies that are put into place by Congress.  If and when a species is listed as endangered, it only becomes illegal to harm it.  For turtles, this means that a lot of other people and actions have to fall into place before populations receive a reprieve and can begin to recover.  The same is true for marshlands, forests, coral reefs, birds, and controversial species such as salmon or bluefin tuna: laws pave the way for stewardship, but it is people who take action one way or another.   So, I would argue that it is far more complex than government “failing” a species.

In light of the current budget climate where the funding for these activities is naturally outpaced by the demand, it seems that we are in need of a more innovative and productive communication strategy.  Rather than pointing a finger at top-down failure and further hindering the process with costly lawsuits, perhaps nonprofit organizations could find ways of bolstering public support and understanding from the ground up.  While the presence of watchdogs such as Oceana is important, it certainly seems that the power of communication within the media can and should be used to spread word about all of the hard work that often successfully gives rise to more efficient resource management. 

In the spirit of this post, I would welcome (constructive) comments to any of the above issues, because from what I’ve learned about resource management – there’s always a second opinion.  

Celebrating World Oceans Day

On June 8th of every year, ocean supporters all over the world come together within their communities to celebrate our relationship to the seas around us in honor of World Oceans Day.  This year, countless people and organizations worked to show the public how much we use the ocean and its products each and every day.  Whether it is from the foods we eat, various toiletries we use, products imported from abroad, getting peace of mind on the beach, and even down to the very air we breath, we owe the ocean some serious appreciation!  Originally proposed by Canada at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992, the day was officially recognized by the U.N. three years ago in 2008 and we have been celebrating every year since. 


As you might imagine, our nation's capital was an excellent place to celebrate the occasion.  As a highly engaged community, Washington naturally made this day into a whole week of festivities.  Knauss fellows volunteered at Surfrider clean-ups on the Potomac, attended Smithsonian lectures including "Demystifying Sea Food" and "The Last Wild Places," and lined up at the Dept. of Commerce headquarters for the much anticipated NOAA Fish Fry.  This latter event indeed drew quite a crowd.  Hungry fellows were joined by NOAA employees and guests for an evening of sampling delicious seafood, enjoying live music, and making new friends.  Vendors came from all over the country to show off their morsels and it was nearly impossible to see and taste it all.  Many fellows debated about favorites, but the Gulf of Mexico shrimp and grits was among the most popular.  At the end of the evening, everyone was smiling, steamed in the summer heat, and stuffed to the brim.

Of course, World Oceans Day wasn't only fun and frivolity.  Leaders and decision-makers also gathered near the Capitol for a four day symposium to highlight research, policy, and outreach at the forefront of ocean management.  But more to come on that later.  At the end of the week, I was excited about all the new things I had learned but also a bit sad because I wish we could celebrate our oceans all year long - I know I do!  Check out the events that happened in your state (or country) as part of this years theme, "Youth: The Next Wave for Change" and make sure to put World Oceans Day on your calendar for next year!

Knauss Brown Bag June 16th: Turtles!

Ask Andy all about these cute creatures!

It's Turtle Day in our ongoing lunch time Brown Bag seminar series!  This Thursday, we'll hear from two more Sea Grant fellows who are eager to share their graduate research with the NOAA community.  First, Andy Coleman (U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard) will tell us about his work on the Biology and Conservation of the Diamondback Terrapin in Alabama salt marshes.  Second, we'll hear all about how Katrina Phillips (Communications Office, NOAA OAR) has helped unlock the mysteries of loggerhead sea turtle nesting and offshore foraging through the use of satellite tagging.  

Ask Katrina what all these little dots are!

Come on over to the NOAA Central Library at noon to hear these guys wow us with their expertise on these species that are important to the southeast and Gulf of Mexico areas. Contact the Brown Bag Committee or view the NOAA Seminar Page for remote access information.




Looking forward to seeing everyone there!