Overview

The National Sea Grant Program recently launched a program to create research plans for U.S. coastal and Great Lakes areas. Sea Grant Programs from the South Atlantic region of the coastal USA (NC, SC, GA, FL) are working together to identify priority regional-level research needs and then develop an action plan to address these needs. The project involves coordination with NOAA laboratories, state and federal agencies, and academic partners, as well as participation from politicians, representatives from industry, and other stakeholders from throughout the region. (For more information, continue reading about the SARRP Approach, below.)

News

Governors Establish the South Atlantic Alliance

The formal announcement was made in Charleston on October 19th at a meeting of the Coastal States Organization. Representatives from the four partner states each had an opportunity for comment, and the federal government was represented by Mr. Michael Boots from the White House Council on Environmental Quality. GCRC staffer and SARRP Coordinator, Christine Laporte was also present: she is a member of the Alliance Executive Planning Team (representing SARRP).

"The mission of the South Atlantic Alliance is to significantly increase regional collaboration among South Atlantic states, with federal agency partners and other stakeholders, to sustain and enhance the environmental (coastal/marine), natural resource, economic, public safety, social, and national defense missions of the respective states and the South Atlantic region."

The Governors of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida signed a Partnership Agreement in May 2009 establishing the Governors South Atlantic Alliance (SAA). The Governors’ South Atlantic Alliance: A Call To Action Framework (June 2009) describes the SAA priorities. To learn more about the four Priority Areas identified by the SAA please see SARRP-South Atlantic Alliance Governors Framework (January 2009) which aligns the SAA Priority areas with SARRP's work. Christine Laporte (GCRC staff and coordinator for the South Atlantic Regional Research Project) is a member of the Alliance Executive Planning Team, representing SARRP.

South Atlantic Alliance website: http://www.southatlanticalliance.org/

In the Press: States plan to work together (Charleston Post and Courier), 4 states in Southeast form coastal alliance (AP news: Miami Herald)

Strategy Teams Workshop

The next phase of the SARRP project took place on April 21st and 22nd. The Organizing Committee has identified a slate of Strategy Team members, including our Regional Advisory Group and other experts representing coastal interests from throughout the region. We met in Savannah as a group and in teams for two days of strategic planning. See the overview of the workshop and our results (PDF).

Stakeholder Survey

The Stakeholder Survey closed October 1st, and the responses have been compiled. Please visit the Survey page.

Previous Announcements

A meeting of the Regional Advisory Group was held December 6th, 2007 at the Coastal Georgia Center in Savannah, Georgia.

Agenda | Logistics | Background Memo | DPSIR Model (examples)

The draft list of research priorities and the compilation of documents examined are available on the Documents page.

Approach

The project is being managed by the Georgia Coastal Research Council (GCRC, www.gcrc.uga.edu) in association with the Georgia Sea Grant program. Our approach is to construct a needs assessment that will be used as the basis for identification of priority research needs, and then establish technical strategy teams with appropriate expertise to develop draft action plans that address each priority. We have established a Regional Advisory Group with high-level representation from each part of the region to help guide the project and ensure that it is well-coordinated with other efforts. Public input is being solicited (through a survey and other means) and there will be a focused outreach effort to educate stakeholders about the plan. We will also coordinate this effort with NOAA's Southeast and Caribbean Regional Team (SECART) program. In addition to the Final Regional Plan, we will establish a South Atlantic Coastal Research Council that will ensure the transfer of technology and information to the appropriate end users, and serving as a platform for coordination, collaboration, and resources sharing among participants.

Organizing Committee