Ocean and Coastal Highlights

On December 6, South Fork Wind delivered the nation's first offshore-wind-generated power to the grid. Less than a month earlier, Empire Wind in New York became the sixth commercial-scale offshore wind energy project to be approved in the U.S., following Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project (the nation's largest offshore wind project so far) which was approved in October. These projects continue to move the U.S. closer to the goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has prevented the extinction of hundreds of iconic American species and protected their habitats and the ecosystems that support them. This landmark conservation tool is celebrating its golden anniversary. Each of these species is a part of the web of life, with unique cultural and biological communities essential to our combined well-being. When we invest in conservation, we invest in our own future; ensuring healthy air, land and water and a world rich with biodiversity.

The National Park Service and the NOAA Marine Debris Program are raising awareness about the sources and impacts of marine debris. Together, they developed and installed educational exhibits in coastal national parks to encourage individuals to take action to prevent marine debris.

Improve your photo skills with tips and best practices from BLM photographer using examples from the picturesque California Coastal Monument.

From trout streams to coastal waters, hands-on angling instruction through a partnership between the International Game Fish Association and the National Park Service emphasizes responsible recreation and environmental stewardship. The program is an extension of the Junior Ranger: Let’s Go Fishing! activity book and Junior Ranger Angler badge.

Traditional knowledge can be defined as a body of evolving practical knowledge based on observations and personal experience of indigenous residents over an extensive time period. It includes extensive understanding of environmental interrelationships and can provide a framework for determining how resources are used and shared. Through DOI’s relationships with Indigenous organizations and Tribal governments, we can incorporate traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) frameworks into resource management practices to improve our ability to address climate change, environmental sustainability, and resource management.

PFAS or Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals,” are emerging contaminants of concern that are found in our air, rain, lakes, rivers, groundwater, soils and in products we use everyday. The Chesapeake Bay Program has concerns about how these PFAS compounds will affect the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. A new report summarizes findings and recommendations from a workshop that can help guide next steps.

This summer and fall, a catastrophic ocean-heat wave occurred in Florida and spread quickly to the rest of the western Atlantic and Caribbean. A massive coral bleaching event occurred across the region as a result. USGS scientists shaded individual corals that represent unique genetic lines that are thought only to exist in certain National Parks in an emergency effort to help them survive until the fall when temperatures cool down.

The first national Great American Outdoors Act Strike Force brought 19 talented USFWS maintenance professionals from all over the U.S. to repair two boardwalks; increasing safety and accessibility at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland. The Legacy Restoration Fund projects are an historic investment in our public lands; improving public access and wildlife viewing.

As a co-chair of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force and through funding provided through the Office of Insular Affairs’ Coral Reef and Natural Resources Program (CRNR) grants, DOI is supporting coral reef ecosystems, and important research to inform their management and that of related resources. This includes work in the territories and the freely associated states. “Coral reefs are important income generators for tourism and food industries in island economies; and while coral reefs protect and harbor fish and other coastal resources, they also provide islands with critical protection from erosion and wave action from storms,” said Assistant Secretary Cantor.