A number of stakeholder meetings on the new National Ocean Policy are currently being held around the country. Organized by NOAA or Regional Ocean Partnerships, these meetings provide a great opportunity to learn about the new policy, including government efforts to: ensure clean waters and beaches; protect ocean and coastal habitats; and advance ocean literacy.

The meetings also provide information on Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP), including ways that stakeholders, scientists and members of the public can participate. And of course, time to ask questions and provide comments. For a schedule of upcoming events around the country, please visit: http://www.msp.noaa.gov/events.html

For those who live on the West Coast, state level workshops are being held in CA (Nov 12), OR (Nov 15), and WA (Nov 16). Sponsored by the West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health, these public meetings will help identify roles and partnerships for implementation of Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) on the West Coast. More information can be found at http://westcoastoceans.gov/

These meetings provide a great opportunity for Surfrider Foundation to build collaboration with regional and national efforts to protect our coasts. Please contact Pete at pstauffer@surfrider.org for more info on how to engage.