Ocean and Coastal Highlights

The sea otter diet includes a variety of shellfish. Both rely on healthy watersheds to survive.

NEWSWAVE articles will keep you informed about Interior’s wide range of stewardship responsibilities including maritime heritage, scientific findings, and the latest news from our Regional leadership. In this issue you can read about exploring the deep sea, benefits of restoration activities, watershed partnerships, actions related to managing invasive species and much more.

The Watershed Partnership Initiative (WPI) helps communities reduce land-use practices that impact coral reef health in offshore areas, such as sediment-laden runoff that creates sediment plumes. Guanica Bay, is an existing WPI site in Puerto Rico. Photo: Tom Moore, NOAA.

In October 2011, Interior’s Coral Reef Task Force Co-Chair and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Eileen Sobeck, joined other experts to discuss coral reef issues and management strategies with invited members of the media. Organizers with the Coral Reef Task Force, the Reef Resilience Workshop and the Society of Environmental Journalists held the event to increase media awareness.

Both Interior and NOAA manage ocean and coastal resources in south Florida including National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, and National Marine Sanctuaries. In October 2011, the Interior Department hosted NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco on a visit to the Dry Tortugas National Park, which is located within a National Marine Sanctuary. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Eileen Sobeck, and Park Superintendent, Dan Kimball, provided an historical tour of Fort Jefferson and a chance to snorkel on the adjacent coral reef ecosystem.