Gulf of Mexico Alliance

Community Input Workshop

YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED! Please join us on December 15, 2008, from 2-5pm at Mote Marine Laboratory and contribute to this important Regional project!

As a citizen with interest in the economic and environmental health of the Gulf of Mexico, we invite you to share your expertise and perspectives on Gulf issues.

In 2005, Florida's Governor took a leadership role by helping to establish the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, a federal-state partnership initiated by the five Gulf States. The common goal of the Alliance is to significantly increase regional collaboration in order to enhance the economic and environmental health of the Gulf. The Alliance released the first Governors' Action Plan in 2006, which was endorsed by the Gulf State governors and the White House. Today, over 90% of actions defined in the 2006 plan have been completed or are now in progress. A second Action Plan that will guide Alliance priorities and projects for the next five years is under review and will be released in 2009.

The purpose of this Alliance Community Input Workshop is to: · Re-engage community members and organizations, · Provide updates on Alliance accomplishments, · Review the 2009 Draft Plan, and · Identify potential future collaborative efforts. To successfully implement Action Plan II, strong and continued support from a diverse constituency will be critical, and active participation in the 2008 workshops will play an important role in developing networks and holistic solutions for a healthy Gulf of Mexico.

Where & When Monday December 15, 2008

2-5pm

Mote Marine Laboratory

1600 Ken Thompson Parkway

Sarasota, Florida 34236

Register Online

Registration closes December 10.

This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

We'd like your involvement in this update of a workshop held in 2005 (see below for details). To help in planning, we ask that you register for this workshop by completing this form. Thank you.

First Name

Last Name

Organization

Title or Involvement (such as member)

Email Address

Area Code and Phone Number

Street Address

City

State

Zip

For More Information

Please see www.supportthegulf.org for additional information about the role of Community Input Workshops.

For more information about the sponsors please visit

Gulf of Mexico Alliance www.gulfofmexicoalliance.org

Sarasota Bay Estuary Program www.sarasotabay.org

Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program www.chnep.org

Mote Marine Laboratory www.mote.org

This Community Input Workshop is hosted by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, Mote Marine Laboratory, Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance released the Governor's Action Plan for Healthy and Resilient Coasts in March of 2006. Follow the link below to Gulf of Mexico Alliance to read the report.

Plan to Strengthen Protection of the Gulf of Mexico

Help to identify priority needs to improve the health of the Gulf of Mexico

Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program hosted a community-focused workshop to solicit public input on how best to restore, protect and improve the Gulf of Mexico’s health. The workshop was held on Wednesday, September 14, 2005, at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota with approximately 120 people participating.

Workshop Agenda

Ideas Generated during the Workshop and Workshop Evaluation:

Individual Participant Issues

Challenges from Local Perspectives: Brainstorming Possibilities

Results of Charlotte Harbor Hearts: Develop Specific Actions for Implementation

Workshop Evaluation

This is one of many stakeholders workshops being held throughout the Gulf on behalf of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, a multi-agency partnership that is inviting input from residents, businesses, scientists and interest groups for inclusion in a formal action plan.

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest water body in the world, accounting for half the wetlands in the United States and teeming with sea life, ranging from killer whales to unexplored deepwater corals living thousands of feet below the surface. With some 3,400 miles of shoreline from Cape Sable, Florida to the tip of the Yucatan peninsula, the Gulf is bordered by Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas to the north, Mexico to the west and the island of Cuba to the southeast.

Representatives from the White House, the five Gulf States and U.S. federal agencies met at Rookery Bay in Naples in June 2005 to kick off the discussion that will culminate in the release of the long-term Action Plan at a November Summit in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is the Gulf States’ response to the U.S. Ocean Commission report and subsequently the U.S. Ocean Action Plan released by the White House in December 2004. These reports noted certain ocean-related problems nationwide and among other solutions, called for an integrated management approach for the Gulf of Mexico, led by surrounding states.

In 2004, hosted by Florida, the five Gulf states and the federal government came together as the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and began outlining a shared ecosystem-based approach for improving the health of the more than 3.7 billion acres of Gulf water through coordinated coastal research, ocean education and water quality safeguards.

The Alliance outlined five priorities as a starting point for restoring, protecting and improving the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. White papers (background papers) are available on each priority by clicking on each priority description above.

The community workshop is an important opportunity to add your voice to this international effort. If you are unable to attend the workshop, please consider submitting an e-comment form at www.gulfofmexicoalliance.org.

“Our marine resources are the foundation for Florida’s quality of life and ocean-based economy,” said DEP Secretary Colleen M. Castille. “Florida is committed to working with our government partners and the residents of all five Gulf states to establish a comprehensive framework for the long-term protection of the Gulf of Mexico.”

For additional information: