1) Jane Lubchenco joins “US Science Envoy for the Oceans”

“WASHINGTON, D.C. – Building on a new commitment to improved marine protection and management, the U.S. Department of State has chosen Jane Lubchenco as the first Science Envoy for the Oceans.

Officials today named the fourth cohort of the U.S. Science Envoy Program, which was begun by President Obama in 2009. For the first time, one of the eminent scientists involved in the initiative has a specific focus on the world’s oceans.” Read more. 

2) West Coast (Pre) RPB Sets Public Meeting for January 2015 in Portland, Oregon

In advance of the West Coast Ocean Summit, a governance summit for the federal family, West Coast States and tribal nations, what I am calling the West Coast (PRE) RPB will host its first ever in-person public meeting the day before, January 12. It will be co-located with the Summit (which is the following two days January 13-14).

Link to Agenda and Registration: http://www.westcoastmarineplanning.org/rpbmeeting/

3) MARCO Executive Director to leave in January 2015

MARCO announced that their new Executive Director Kris Ohleth is leaving in January of next year. In the interim, Michelle Lenox is now Assistant Director. Read more.

4) MARCO set to begin tribal outreach this month

“Engaging the Native American tribes indigenous to the Mid-Atlantic region on ocean planning is a critical component towards furthering the development of a comprehensive and robust Regional Ocean Action Plan by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body (MidA RPB). The tribes of the Mid-Atlantic have used and relied on ocean resources for countless generations. The coast and the ocean itself are part of their rich heritage, and the tribes provide a deep and substantial knowledge base and cultural memory to the collective understanding of this special marine region.” Read more.