Southeast Florida Reef News

Kick-off Meeting Held for Project Aimed at Improving Protection of Coral Resources

By Joanna Walczak
Assistant Manager/ Maritime Industry & Coastal Construction Impacts Project Coordinator

Kick-off Meeting Held for Project Aimed at Improving Protection of Coral Resources
At a kick-off meeting held on December 3, 2009, two federal Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) partners agreed to lead the completion of MICCI Combined Project 5, 10, 12: Presentation of resource protection information to the coastal construction industry to improve protection of coral resources. Melody White, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) member of the MICCI Team, is currently completing a six-month training detail with MICCI Team Federal Navigator, Jocelyn Karazsia, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Habitat Conservation Division. With guidance from the project team, White will plan and facilitate a meeting aimed at transferring resource protection information between invited participants from the coastal construction industry and local, state, and federal agency representatives. The objective of this project is to educate project developers, managers and contractors about alternative coastal construction practices that enhance coral reef protection. For example, fully surveying reefs prior to submitting a permit application provides agencies with the necessary information to appropriately review proposed project permits using best management practices and emerging technologies for coastal construction. The goal of this project is to avoid or minimize damage to coral reef resources during the project planning stage, rather than seeking ways to do so after the project application has been submitted.

Annual Maritime Industry and Coastal Construction Impacts Focus Team Meeting Keeps Members Informed
On October 7, 2009, the SEFCRI Maritime Industry and Coastal Construction Impacts (MICCI) Focus Team held its annual meeting at the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center (NSUOC) in Dania Beach. Twenty-two MICCI Team members, five Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) staff, and fifteen observers were present. The purpose of the meeting was to update the MICCI Team on the status of all ongoing MICCI projects, as presented by project contractors and project co-leads, as well as a status update on Land-Based Sources of Pollution projects. The final eleven MICCI projects from the 2004 SEFCRI Local Action Strategy (LAS) are now underway and all are scheduled for completion by July 2010.



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