December 2023 Desk of the Director - Holiday Edition

December 2023 Desk of the Director – Holiday Edition

December 20, 2023

Dear Sea Grant Colleagues,

I hope that your transition towards winter has been excellent so far and that things will slow down just a bit for you as we head towards the Holiday Season. I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate the addition of so many new staff across the Sea Grant network – Welcome! – and to thank each and every one of you for your tireless efforts on behalf of Sea Grant! You all are the essential ‘magic’ that makes the National Sea Grant College Program the impactful program that it is!

To close this final letter of 2023, I want to again share the NSGO Holiday Card with you, and to send each of you my warmest regards. On behalf of all of us in the National Sea Grant Office, I wish you all a peaceful and joyful Holiday Season.

Warm regards,

Jon

Group of people removing ghost nets from a beach.

Alabama

Biden-Harris administration invests $27 million to support community-driven marine debris solutions through Investing in America agenda

Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced $27 million in funding for projects to prevent and remove marine debris in coastal and Great Lakes communities as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

This funding will support innovative research and foster local coalitions to address urgent marine debris issues by using NOAA Sea Grant’s partnered approach to bring science together with communities for solutions that work.

Shoring up the future, together: Collaborative efforts in coastal resilience across the Mid-Atlantic

Community members and city leaders gathered during a listening session to identify key climate readiness needs in Erie, Pennsylvania during June of 2023. (Photo by

Biden-Harris Administration invests $60 million to build a climate-ready workforce through Investing in America agenda

Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced $60 million in funding to help train and place people in jobs that advance a climate-ready workforce for coastal and Great Lakes states, Tribes and Territories as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda under the Inflation Reduction Act. To date, awards like these from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda have created more than 270,000 jobs across the country.

The funding will support nine projects around the nation, with $50 million going directly to the projects and $10 million for technical assistance to support the grantees.