Regional Ocean Partnership Awards

For fiscal years 2022 to 2023, $20.5 million will be used to fund 13 awards under the Regional Ocean Partnerships provision of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These awards are designed to address regional interstate and intertribal ocean and coastal management issues in several ways, including improved data sharing and integration. Four awards will go to tribal entities, four to regional ocean partnerships, and five to the regional associations that represent the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).

Award descriptions are below.

• Tribal Awards
• Regional Ocean Partnership Awards
• Regional Association Awards

Tribal Awards

The following projects are recommended for funding through the “Tribal Engagement in Regional Ocean Partnership Priorities” Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Enhancing the Makah Tribe’s Engagement in Regional Ocean Planning and Management

Recipient: Makah Indian Tribe

Period: January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025

Recommended Federal Funding*: $240,724 (FY 2022: $118,726; FY 2023: $121,998)

Congressional District(s): WA-6

Summary: The goal of this award is to enhance the Makah Tribe’s ability to execute regional ocean planning initiatives by increasing their mapping capabilities. The Makah Tribe is an active participant in the West Coast Ocean Alliance. However, limited staffing capacity affects their ability to analyze the impacts of projects and programs that could affect their ocean and coast-related treaty rights and resources. This funding will attempt to address this by 1) hiring an ocean mapping specialist; 2) identifying Makah information needs and gaps in the West Coast Ocean Alliance Data Portal; and 3) developing data products, sharing lessons learned, contributing to tribal-focused data products, and identifying needs for future research. As a strong partner of the West Coast Ocean Alliance, the Makah Tribe’s efforts will also provide immediate and tangible benefits to the alliance.

Quinault Indian Nation Participation and Engagement with the West Coast Ocean Alliance, a Regional Ocean Partnership

Recipient: Quinault Indian Nation

Period: January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025

Recommended Federal Funding*: $100,000 (FY 2022: $50,000; FY 2023: $50,000)

Congressional District(s): WA-6

Summary: This award will be used to enhance the Quinault Indian Nation’s ability to engage with federal and state agencies on ocean usage by providing the means for tribal leadership and staff to participate, in person, in West Coast Ocean Alliance efforts. This tribe has been a member of this regional ocean partnership since the partnership’s inception. Tribal leadership has been attending meetings remotely due to the pandemic, but the gradual return to in-person activities, and even more importantly, the increasing demand for ocean resources, makes it imperative that Quinault Indian Nation leadership attend in person to properly engage as decisions are being made regarding ocean use in their territory. With this funding, the Quinault Indian Nation will host one West Coast Ocean Alliance-related meeting, and tribal leadership and staff will be able to attend the annual meeting, as well as other ancillary forums, such as the tribal caucus meeting, the data portal meeting, and other tribe-related meetings.

Quileute Indian Tribe Real-Time Hypoxia Monitoring Moorings

Recipient: Quileute Indian Tribe

Period: January 1, 2023 to January 1, 2025

Recommended Federal Funding*: $400,000 (FY 2022: $200,000; FY 2023: $200,000)

Congressional District(s): WA-6

Summary: This funding will be used to better understand and predict hypoxia events along the Washington shelf. To do this, the Quileute Tribe and the Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, will improve real-time hypoxia monitoring and prediction by refurbishing and redesigning the two existing monitoring systems and building one new system. These systems will measure and report existing near-bottom oxygen concentration, and will predict the movement of hypoxic conditions. Data processed through the laboratory will supply critical information needs identified through the West Coast Ocean Alliance and the West Coast Ocean Data Portal.

Enhancing Data Management Capacity among the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, its Four Member Tribes, and the West Coast Ocean Alliance

Recipient: Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

Period: January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025

Recommended Federal Funding*: $400,000 (FY 2022: $200,000; FY 2023: $200,000)

Congressional District(s): WA-3 and OR-3

Summary: This award will enhance the ability of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and its four member tribes to participate in regional data sharing and upgrade their existing data management and sharing infrastructure. In addition to more tribal engagement with West Coast Ocean Alliance data activities, the funding will be used to improve the tribes’ centralized data management systems to include enhanced user interfaces, more thorough metadata, improved data exchange standards, and the inclusion of more traditional ecological knowledge fields. Additional tribal data sets will also be added. Additionally, the project will increase the capacity of the tribes to effectively share data with regional repositories like the West Coast Ocean Data Portal.

Regional Ocean Partnership Awards

The following projects were selected through the Regional Ocean Partnership Funding Program’s Request for Applications.

Building Partnerships for a Healthy and Resilient Gulf Coast

Recipient: Gulf of Mexico Alliance

Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024

Federal Funding: $3,926,466 (FY 2022: $1,963,233; FY 2023: $1,963,233)

Congressional District(s): Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas

Summary: The goal of this award is to improve the health of the ocean and coastal ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico, enhance the resilience of coastal communities, and increase regional data access and sharing. The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is a regional ocean partnership led by the states. Membership includes federal agencies, academic organizations, businesses, and other non-profits. This funding will help the alliance achieve the goals expressed in the organization's five-year strategic plan, to include cross jurisdictional collaboration; ocean and coastal data sharing and accessibility; operation, administration, and capacity-building for the regional ocean partnership; and increased tribal engagement.

Coordinated Inter-Jurisdictional Ocean Management and Planning in the Mid-Atlantic Region through the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean

Recipient: Coastal States Stewardship Foundation

Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024

Federal Funding: $3,925,020 (FY 2022: $1,962,785; FY 2023: $1,962,235)

Congressional District(s): Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia

Summary: The goal of this award is to advance the work plan (2022 to 2024) collaboratively developed by the regional ocean partnership, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO). The work plan is focused on the management of ocean resources through regional ocean planning, data sharing, and collaborative efforts. The Coastal States Stewardship Foundation will use this funding to work with this organization to 1) support inclusive regional ocean planning through interagency coordination and stakeholder engagement efforts; 2) identify opportunities for collaboration, to include focused stakeholder engagement and identifying regulatory efficiencies, where applicable; 3) provide the best available spatial data and information; and 4) increase this regional ocean partnership’s ability to meet 2022 to 2024 work plan objectives. Outcomes will include increased interagency coordination and stakeholder engagement, and new data and information.

Implementation and Coordination of Ocean and Coastal Management Priorities for the Northeastern United States via the Northeast Regional Ocean Council

Recipient: Coastal States Stewardship Foundation

Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024

Federal Funding: $3,924,563 (FY 2022: $1,962,144; FY 2023: $1,962,419)

Congressional District(s): Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island

Summary: This award will advance Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC) priorities for ocean and coastal management. With this funding and support from other funding sources, priorities include improving water level monitoring; using water level data to make planning decisions; expanding green infrastructure implementation; expanding a regional network for monitoring ocean and coastal acidification; increasing engagement with the commercial fishing industry; and expanding the organization’s operational and administrative capabilities to engage Native American tribes, federal agencies, states, and regional stakeholders in the identification and implementation of regional coastal and ocean priorities.

Regional Ocean Partnership Funding to Support the West Coast Ocean Alliance

Recipient: West Coast Ocean Alliance

Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024

Federal Funding: $3,926,120 (FY 2022: $1,962,964; FY 2023: $1,963,156)

Congressional District(s): California, Oregon, Washington

Summary: The goals of this award are to advance the priorities of the West Coast Ocean Alliance (WCOA), to develop a strategic plan to guide this regional ocean partnership’s activities for the next five years, and to fund new projects based on objectives developed for this strategic plan. The West Coast Alliance provides a unique engagement forum for federal, state, and tribal governments regarding ocean uses and cross-jurisdictional ocean management. The funding will strengthen the alliance’s approach to regional collaboration, refine the focus of the regional priorities and preferred project outcomes, and grow capacity for the organization to effectively engage with its members and stakeholders.

Regional Association Awards

The following projects were selected through NOAA Funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Enhance Sharing and Integration of Federal and Non-Federal Data

Recipient: Alaska Ocean Observing System

Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024

Federal Funding: $737,000 (FY 2022: $368,500; FY 2023: $368,500)

Congressional District(s): Alaska

Summary: This award will enhance data sharing and integration while prioritizing programs with a strong diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility component, including Alaska Native programs. The Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) works to improve the state’s ability to collect, deliver, and use ocean information. This funding will expand the organization’s capacity for increased engagement by hiring two new employees with extensive experience working with Alaska Native communities and in science translation. Through the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, two interns will also be hired to participate in an internship supporting observation system activities. Additional funded activities include 1) working with local fishers to develop a tool to deliver much-needed information from remote locations relative to rapid changes in ecosystems, fisheries, and species of concern; 2) providing critical funding to continue collecting and sharing information about the ice thickness on trails used by the Utqiaġvik whalers; and 3) developing a low-bandwidth data product using existing data.

Improving the Availability of CARICOOS Data and Information by Hardening the Observing System and Enhancing Products Tailored to Coastal Communities

Recipient: Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System

Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024

Recommended Federal Funding*: $737,000 (FY 2022: $368,500; FY 2023: $368,500)

Congressional District(s): Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands

Summary: The goal of this award is to make pertinent data and information, originated by the federal government and partners, available to regional resource managers and stakeholders. For this project, the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS) will identify information voids regarding potential coastal hazards. These voids will be addressed via new data products, including a regional compound inundation product, and by “translating” available products, such as the USGS Coastal Inundation Dashboard and NOAA’s Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper, for local use. The latter will be introduced, particularly to underserved communities, in focused educational meetings and other outreach efforts. A pilot project will explore the feasibility of working with middle and high school students as a means of educating the community. The construction and operation of a platform dedicated to providing easy access to coastal hazard information will complement the aforementioned initiatives.

Infrastructure Investments in the Great Lakes Observing System

Recipient: Great Lakes Observing System

Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024

Federal Funding: $737,000 (FY 2022: $368,500; FY 2023: $368,500)

Congressional District(s): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

Summary: This award supports the priorities identified in NOAA’s Regional Data Platform Scoping Study, including year-round monitoring of new bathymetry data and improved data sharing, especially with underserved communities. The Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS), the integrated ocean observing system association for the Great Lakes, is a bi-national nonprofit that provides the data services that support science, policy, management, and industry in the U.S. and Canada. This project will focus on mapping high-density areas along the Great Lakes, as well as additional data collection, processing, and sharing. The project will further other organizational goals, such as improving the region’s ability to monitor environmental conditions, showcasing how to use data for management purposes, and exploring the use of new and innovative technologies. Supporting a partnership approach for these tasks, especially with underserved and Indigenous communities, is another priority. Phase two of the Indigenous-led Smart Great Lakes initiative, for example, will be a workshop series focused on data sovereignty and knowledge sharing.

To Enhance Associated Sharing and Integration of Federal and Non-Federal Data to Inform the Most Pressing Regional Coastal and Ocean Management Challenges

Recipient: Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System

Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024

Federal Funding: $737,000 (FY 2022: $368,500; FY 2023: $368,500)

Congressional District(s): American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii

Summary: This award will enhance the sharing and integration of federal and non-federal data by advancing the priorities of the local coastal resource manager. The Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) provides accurate and reliable coastal and ocean information, tools, and services that are easy to access and use. This project will increase these data holdings, using the documented needs of the region’s coastal zone managers as a guide. Part of this project will include working with these partners to identify data gaps and needs, collect and manage the data, and provide training opportunities regarding how best to use these data and data tools.

Enhance Data Sharing and Integration of Federal and Non-Federal Data

Recipient: Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association

Period: December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024

Federal Funding: $737,000 (FY 2022: $368,500; FY 2023: $368,500)

Congressional District(s): Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina

Summary: This award will sustain and enhance data accessibility in the region, with a focus on high-priority coastal and ocean management issues as prioritized by the coastal zone managers in the southeast. The Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA) prioritizes, gathers, manages, and distributes observation data. The project has three focuses: 1) data and product development to support high-priority regional issues, including improved access to regional ecological data, the expansion of water level monitoring in underserved communities, and increased regional ocean data sharing web presence; 2) establishing communities of practice to address regional ocean data sharing needs by coordinating use of surface elevation tables and drones; and 3) supporting resilience planning in the southeast through the Southeast and Caribbean Disaster Resilience Partnership.