SCAA’s Future Environmental Leaders Event and Northeast Regional Meeting and Mixer Recap

On June 13th, 2023, SCAA’s Future Environmental Leaders (FEL) Committee met in the morning before the Northeast Regional Meeting and Mixer that was held that afternoon.

The Future Environmental Leaders (FEL) Event – Stellwagen Bank National Maritime Sanctuary

The FEL Group in front of the Stellwagen Bank National Maritime Sanctuary

The FEL Committee event was hosted at the Stellwagen Bank National Maritime Sanctuary. Those in attendance heard from both Captain Peter DeCola, Superintendent of the sanctuary, and William “Willie” Whitmore, Scientific Support and Regional Preparedness Coordinator for the National Ocean Service in the Office of Response and Restoration. Captain DeCola opened the morning discussion by informing the attendees of the importance of the sanctuary and what the sanctuary does to help protect the wildlife in the area as well as some of the history of Stellwagen Bank. This “Underwater National Park" marine sanctuary was a direct result of the Oceans Act of 1992 and has been a site of protected Federal Waters since then. Captain DeCola also taught the group about the important tracking efforts that are put into place and the newest technologies involved with this, such as the “Whale Alert App” that reports, tracks, and alerts of whale activity in the area, as well as the sanctuary’s education and outreach programs.

Captain Pete DeCola presenting information on the Sanctuary

Willie Whitmore followed this presentation with one of his own. Willie covered the role of the Office of Response and Restoration in the event of emergency responses and highlighted some new technology and resources available to those in need of support. One of these resources Willie highlighted was the NOAA GNOME internet-based resource that can help track trajectories such as lost cargo containers and missing vessels and is utilized in over 200 incidents every year. He also talked about satellite observations (NESDIS) and the Environmental Response Management System (ERMA) and how both of these tools can be used in emergency response scenarios.

William “Willie” Whitmore’s presentation on the Office of Response and Restoration

Following the presentations, the group broke a quick tour of the facilities and a working discussion lunch that allowed members of the group to ask questions regarding potential response scenarios and what the best response tactics would be in the event of an oil spill in the sanctuary waters.

The Stellwagen National Maritime Sanctuary is currently celebrating its 30^th anniversary! If you’re in the area, check out the exhibit currently being held at the Boston Aquarium to commemorate this achievement.

To learn more about the Stellwagen Bank National Maritime Sanctuary and how to get involved, visit the following links!

https://stellwagen.noaa.gov/

https://stellwagen.noaa.gov/involved/

Download Whale Alert App: https://www.whalealert.org/

To learn more about the National Ocean Service, the Office of Response and Restoration, and the technology presented by William “Willie” Whitmore, check out the links below!

https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/response-tools/gnome.html

https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/

https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/resources/maps-and-spatial-data/environmental-response-management-application-erma

The Northeast Regional Meeting and Mixer – Scituate Maritime Center

Members at the Northeastern Regional Meeting and Mixer

In the afternoon of June 13^th, those that attended the morning meeting, as well as some additional attendees, made their way over to the Scituate Maritime Center to hear from Brian House, Executive Director, and Angie Martin, President, about key initiatives of SCAA and regulatory updates in our industry. This meeting covered several of the topics from the Annual Meeting, held in Jacksonville, FL this past April, as a recap for those who were unable to attend those sessions. Brian and Angie took turns covering topics regarding the purpose and objectives of regional meetings, current staff, Board of Directors, and Committee Chair roles, results of the polls taken at the annual meeting and where this organization should be focusing efforts based on these findings. Following this presentation, an open discussion to receive input from attendees and their thoughts on these items was held. This meeting concluded with a short mixer at the Maritime Center that allowed for engagement and social interaction between attendees.

Brian House and Angie Martin giving a presentation at the Regional Meeting

The feedback from members during the annual meeting gave insight into what the association’s membership is looking for from its leadership and this information was shared with the members who attended the meeting. What SCAA has heard is that the main focus of future objectives should be to create engagement opportunities and provide industry and regulatory updates. This FEL event and Regional Meeting and Mixer were a direct response to these requests and SCAA strives to continue to meet these requests with more educational, advocational, and engaging events in the future.