NOAA in the Caribbean Community Webinar

Join us for a series of presentations from NOAA and partners on projects and engagements in the Caribbean region.

Southeast

Details

Wednesday, September 23, 2020 9 AM – 12 PM ET

Webinar Recording

If you have any questions, please reach out to CaribbeanNews@noaa.gov.

Sessions Topics

Session 1 - Marine Ecosystems
- Coral Reef Monitoring in Puerto Rico and USVI, Michelle Scharer, Stacey Williams, and Leslie Henderson - Presentations can be found here and here.
  - Michelle Scharer: Graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology at the Univ. of Central Florida, a Master’s in Biology and a PhD in Biological Oceanography at the Department of Marine Sciences at the Univ. of Puerto Rico. Currently a researcher and scientific consultant at HJR Reefscaping working on diverse projects related to coral reef ecology, fish acoustics, fisheries, habitat restoration and MPA management in the US Caribbean. Also a board member on the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute and collaborator of the Center for Interdisciplinary Coastal Studies at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus.
  - Stacey Williams: Stacey is a benthic ecologist and co-founder of the Institute for Socio-Ecological Research and Coastal Survey Solutions in Puerto Rico. She has evaluated the coral reef health at more than 300 reefs in 15 Caribbean countries. She is the PI of the Diadema restoration project and runs the only land-based coral nursery in Puerto Rico. Contact Stacey at stcmwilliams@gmail.com.
  - Leslie Henderson: Leslie was born and raised in North Carolina but has spent the last 11 years living and working in the US Virgin Islands. She has worked in the field of coral reef research, management and conservation at the University of the Virgin Islands and the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. She currently serves as the USVI Coral and Coastal Management Liaison for Lynker/CSS on contract to NOAA's Office for Coastal Management. Contact Leslie at leslie.henderson@noaa.gov.
- Island Based Fishery Management Plans: Puerto Rico, St. Thomas/St.John, and St. Croix, Alida Ortiz-Sootmayer - Presentation can be found here.
  - Alida Ortiz-Sootmayer: First Ph.D. degree in Marine Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico. I have been an Educator in Environmental Education and Marine Sciences since 1968 at undergraduate and graduate levels. Retired from UPR in 2000 and at present, I am the Chair for the Outreach and Education Advisory Board of the Caribbean Fishery Management Council since 2012. Contact Alida at alida1ortiz.cfmc@gmail.com.
- Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD): Collaborative monitoring efforts in the wider Caribbean, Patricia Kramer - Presentation can be found here.
  - Patricia Kramer: Patricia Kramer is a coral reef scientist who has worked in the wider Caribbean for over 15 years. She is the Program Director of AGRRA, the Atlantic & Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment Program, which is an international collaboration dedicated to protecting coral reefs through science, conservation, and education. She is a board member of the Ocean Research and Education Foundation and co-founder and scientific advisor to the Healthy Reefs Initiative. Contact Patricia at perigeeenv@gmail.com.
Session 2 - Hazards and Climate Resilience
- Planning & Preparedness for Oil Spill Response in the Caribbean, Forest Willis - Presentation can be found here.
  - Forest Willis: Mr. Willis has been affiliated with the Coast Guard for 36 years, most of that time in some facet of emergency response. He is the Co-Chair along with EPA of the Caribbean Emergency Response Team. In his current position Mr. Willis has overall coordination responsibility for the S.E. United States and Caribbean for oil, hazardous materials, and disaster response. Contact Forest at Forest.A.Willis@uscg.mil.
- Nature-Based Solutions for Coastal Highway Resilience: An Implementation Guide, Eric Brown - Presentation can be found here.
  - Eric Brown: Eric Brown is a Senior Hydraulic Engineer with the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Bridges and Structures. Some of his current focus areas are culvert design, highway drainage, nature-based solutions for highway resilience, and the FHWA Rivers and Roads Connection Program to develop practical tools and training for transportation professionals to apply in riverine environments. Contact Eric at eric.r.brown@dot.gov.
- An Introduction to the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, Carlos Fuller - Presentation can be found here.
  - Carlos Fuller: Mr Carlos Fuller is the Regional and International Liaison Officer at the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre. His primary responsibility is to coordinate CARICOM Member States in the international climate change negotiations. He is presently the Chief Negotiator on Climate Change for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) under the Chairmanship of Belize. He is a member of the WMO Standing Committee on Climate Services (SC-CLI) and serves on the climate policy sub-committee of its Climate Coordination Panel (CCP). Contact Carlos at cfuller@caribbeanclimate.bz.
Session 3 - Broader Caribbean Engagement
- Facilitating partnerships to monitor and manage sargassum and oil spills in the Wider Caribbean, Leah Segui - Presentation can be found here.
  - Leah Segui: Leah Mupas Segui is a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow with GEO Blue Planet hosted by NOAA NESDIS Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division. She facilitates partnerships that bridge the gap between Earth observations data and services to deliver usable information to decision makers. Her work supports GEO Blue Planet's engagement with global policy frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the UN 2030 Agenda, and the UFCCC. Contact Leah at leah.segui@noaa.gov.
- Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS) Phase II: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Joe Bishop - Presentation can be found here.
  - Joe Bishop: I received an Honorable Discharge from the United States Navy. Went on to earn a degree in Ocean Engineering from Florida Atlantic University. My speciality is underwater acoustics which made me a perfect fit for the Ocean Acoustics Division (OAD) at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML). I have been with NOAA/ AOML for over 20 years. Contact Joe at joe.bishop@noaa.gov.
- NOAA's Marine Debris Initiatives in the Caribbean, Ashley Hill - Presentation can be found here.
  - Ashley Hill: Ashley Hill is the FL & Caribbean Regional Coordinator for NOAA's Marine Debris Program. She's based in St. Petersburg, FL and works with a variety of partners on marine debris related projects and activities throughout Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Contact Ashley at ashley.hill@noaa.gov.
- Tracking Ocean Acidification in Puerto Rico, Lee Carrubba - Video Presentation can be found here.