[Coral-List] Fwd: FL Legislature and SEAKEYS

[Todd Barber]

What about making it a private system and charge for the data?  You
could see a "license" to use the data to various universities, even
government entities on a pay as you go system.  That would make the
system self sustaining in the long run.

Thanks,

Todd R Barber
Chairman, Reef Ball Foundation
609 PORTIA N ST, NOKOMIS, FL 34275

941-484-7482 (Direct)
941-720-7549 (Cell & Goggle Voice)
toddbarber Skype

www,reefball.org (Reef Ball Foundation)
www.artificialreefs.org (Designed Artificial Reefs)
www.reefbeach.com (Reefs for Beach Erosion)
www.eternalreefs.com (Memorial Reefs)
www.reefball.com (Reef Ball Foundation)



On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 12:24 PM, Billy Causey <billy.causey at noaa.gov> wrote:
> Jim ...
> First of all, I need to correct something here.  Nearly half of the SEAKEYS
> stations are in State waters.  The Tortugas Station and Sand Key are for
> sure and several others are close.  But that's not the question when we are
> all suppose to be using an ecosystem approach to management.  Anyway ....
> it's good to hear so many people care about the fate of SEAKEYS.
>
> I have been following this SEAKEYS thread with great interest and as you
> well know a feeling of desperation.  I won't go into a full history of the
> SEAKEYS concept, it's development and it's champions... but suffice it to
> say there have been many, but John Ogden stands out among the rest!
>
> In 1988-89, a group of scientists and managers held a workshop at Ian
> Koblick's Marine Resources Development Foundation in Key Largo.  A side
> note is that it was the infamous workshop where it was announced by a
> scientist that the corals in the Keys would be dead in 10 years and it was
> on the heels of massive Caribbean-wide coral bleaching events with the Keys
> receiving the brunt of a number of major catastrophic perturbations.  The
> workshop produced a proceedings and "A Blueprint for Action" was part of
> the title of the proceedings that were edited by James Miller, previously
> the editor of the first NOAA Dive Manuel.  Way too much detail!
>
> Among the recommendations from the workshop was that we needed measurements
> of the oceanographic parameters along the Florida Keys. The coral bleaching
> vs nutrients debate was in full-swing and we needed answers as to why the
> reefs had turned stark white twice (1983 and 1987) in the Florida Keys, and
> elsewhere.  John Ogden, the fairly recently appointed Director of the
> Florida Institute of Oceanography, took the recommendation seriously and
> submitted a proposal to the MacAruthur Foundation who funded the start-up
> and operations of SEAKEYS for the first 3 years.  After that, finding
> the funding was always a challenge from year to year, but we used South
> Florida Ecosystem Restoration funds, periodic funds from National Marine
> Sanctuaries, funds from ship groundings when it could be linked back to
> specific reefs, and an alphabet soup of other funders and sources.  SEAKEYS
> has been on the chopping block many times, and each time we were able to
> find the funding to move over to FIO who has been the very capable and
> long-term sponsor of the project.
>
> The need has not gone away .... and it is good to see how many people care
> about and utilize data from the SEAKEYS system. However, I am concerned
> that funding will not come in time to save SEAKEYS.  When the IOOS era
> began emerging, I always thought we were home free ..... because SEAKEYS
> had been in place well over a decade and a half when the IOOS initiatives
> became popular. Where-else could we demonstrate the need and effectiveness
> of ocean observing systems?  Yet, funding did not flow toward FIO to
> maintain the largest array of oceanographic stations along the east coast..
>
> I don't have an answer at the moment, but I am concerned for coral reef
> managers and scientists all over South Florida and the Wider Caribbean and
> hope we can cobble together another "life-ring" for SEAKEYS.  Who wants to
> step up and be a champion?
>
> Cheers, Billy
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 7:27 AM, Jim Hendee <jim.hendee at noaa.gov> wrote:
>
>> Coral-Listers,
>>
>>   The (previous) Field Operations Manager of SEAKEYS, Jon Fajans, sent me
>> a reminder about why the State of Florida has declined supporting the
>> continued maintenance of the network:
>>
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From: Jon Fajans
>> Date: Wed, Mar 7, 2012 at 12:31 PM
>> Subject: FL Legislature and SEAKEYS
>> To: Jim Hendee <Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov>
>>
>> Hi Jim,****
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> The State of Florida has been asked repeatedly for funding for the SEAKEYS
>> program, and each time they have declined, pointing out that the stations
>> (and the reef for that matter) are in federal waters outside the State’s
>> three mile boundary.****
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> Jon Fajans****
>> _______________________________________________
>> Coral-List mailing list
>> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Billy D. Causey, Ph.D.
> Regional Director
> Southeast Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Region
> NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
> 33 East Quay Road
> Key West, Florida 33040
>
> Office:  305 809 4670 (ex 234)
> Mobile: 305 395 0150
> Fax:     305 293 5011
> Email:  Billy.Causey at noaa.gov
>
> Will Our Grandchildren Remember Us For What We Conserved and Protected or
> For What We Let Slip Away?
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>
>