National Sea Grant College Program Seeks Input on its 2024-2027 Strategic Plan

March 21, 2022

The National Sea Grant College Program is currently developing its strategic plan for 2024-27. Previous plans as well as the current one can be downloaded from the Sea Grant website. In order to inform its 2024-27 strategic plan, Sea Grant is hosting a series of listening sessions, many of which will focus on a different goal from the current strategic plan. There will also be several listening sessions to hear input on the plan overall. A virtual comment card is also available to share your ideas.

The webinars are open to anyone who is interested in attending. Please use the various links below to register and then join the webinar.

Broadly Focused Webinars

Please use the links below to register and then join the webinar. The following listening sessions are for the strategic plan as a whole.

Wednesday, March 30, 5:00 pm Eastern, 2 pm Pacific, 7 am Guam, Register here

Wednesday, April 13, 1:00 pm Eastern, 11 am Pacific, 3 am Guam, Register here

Wednesday, May 4, 3:30 pm Eastern, 12:30 pm Pacific, 5:30 am Guam, Register here

Topic Specific Webinars

Please use the links below to register and then join the webinar. The following listening sessions are for specific topics within the strategic plan.

Habitat, ecosystems and the services they provide are protected, enhanced and/or restored. (Healthy Coastal Ecosystems Goal)

Tuesday, March 29, 5:00 pm Eastern, 2 pm Pacific, 7 am Guam, Register here

An environmentally literate public that reflects the range of diversity of the nation’s coastal communities is informed by lifelong formal and informal learning opportunities. (Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development Goal)

Thursday, March 31, 5:00 pm Eastern, 2 pm Pacific, 7 am Guam, Register here

Water resources are sustained and protected to meet existing and emerging needs of the communities, economies and ecosystems that depend on them (Resilient Communities and Economies Goal)

Tuesday, April 5, 5:00 pm Eastern, 2 pm Pacific, 7 am Guam, Register here

Fisheries, aquaculture and other coastal and freshwater natural resources supply food, jobs and economic and cultural benefits. (Sustainable Fisheries & Aquaculture)

Thursday, April 7, 5:00 pm Eastern, 2 pm Pacific, 7 am Guam, Register here

Coastal communities use their knowledge of changing conditions and risks to prepare for and adapt to extreme weather and environmental events, economic disruptions and other threats to community well-being. (Resilient Communities and Economies Goal)

Tuesday, April 12, 5:00 pm Eastern, 2 pm Pacific, 7 am Guam, Register here

A diverse and skilled workforce is engaged and enabled to address critical local, regional and national needs (Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development Goal)

Thursday, April 14, 5:00 pm Eastern, 2 pm Pacific, 7 am Guam, Register here

Natural resources are sustained to support fishing communities and industries, including commercial, recreational, subsistence fisheries and aquaculture (Sustainable Fisheries & Aquaculture Goal)

Tuesday, April 19, 5:00 pm Eastern, 2 pm Pacific, 7 am Guam, Register here

Land, water, and living resources are managed by applying sound science, tools and services to sustain ecosystems. (Healthy Coastal Ecosystem Goal)

Thursday, April 21, 5:00 pm Eastern, 2 pm Pacific, 7 am Guam, Register here

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.