Gulf of Mexico Program Large Aquatic Ecosystem (LAE) EPA COUNCIL OF LARGE ^AQUATIC EOeSYSTEMS The Gulf of Mexico Program was initiated in 1988 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a non-regulatory program. Modeled after the National Estuary Programs and founded on the threefold principles of partnership, science-based information, and citizen involvement, the Gulf Program joined the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay Programs as flagships of the nation's efforts to apply an adaptive management approach to large coastal freshwater and marine ecosystems. The mission of the Program is to facilitate collaborative actions to protect, maintain, and restore the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico in ways consistent with the economic well-being of the Region. The Program provides a broad geographic focus on the major environmental issues in the Gulf, and from its inception, was envisioned as a multiagency partnership endeavor based on the simple premise that no one agency or institution alone has the technical skills, financial resources, or legislative authority needed to resolve the environmental or natural resource problems confronting an ecological system the size of the Gulf. The Program's success comes from its ability to engage many people across the Gulf region for leadership and to implement projects that move in an environmentally and economically sound direction. In 2004, as a result of a shared vision for a healthy and resilient Gulf of Mexico coast, the Governors of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas formalized the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. Thirteen federal agencies committed to supporting the Alliance and formed a new Federal Workgroup with EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration serving as co-leads. The Alliance released the Governors' Action Plan in 2006 which was intended to be a dynamic starting point to set the stage for a long- term regional partnership. Developed using input from Gulf citizens and supported by specific state and federal agency resource commitments, the Action Plan set out projects to deliver significant on-the-ground results. Challenges The Gulf of Mexico is a vast and productive body of water that is of tremendous value in ecological, economic, and social terms. The Gulf's vastness and diversity often mask the fundamental relationships between the living and the non-living workings of this magnificent ecological system. The physical magnitude of the Gulf is both its strength and its weakness. Its size and diversity contribute to its productivity, yet they also contribute to a sense of complacency with regard to day-to-day human activities and their unintended consequences. There are four major challenges to healthy and resilient communities in the Gulf region: (1) Sustaining the Gulf Economy; (2) Improving the Gulf Ecology; (3) Mitigating Impacts of Climate Change, and (4) Mitigating Harmful Effects of Coastal Water Quality. Priorities The Gulf of Mexico Alliance identified issues that are regionally significant and can be effectively addressed through increased collaboration at the local, state, and federal levels. These priorities represent an initial focus for action through the Alliance and align with the Gulf of Mexico Program priority issues: • Water Quality for healthy beaches and shellfish beds. • Habitat conservation and restoration. • Ecosystems integration and assessment. • Nutrient reduction and nutrient impacts. • Coastal community resiliency. • Environmental education. ------- Accomplishments The Gulf of Mexico Program reflects upon 20 years of collaboration and environmental accomplishments to the benefit of the Gulf communities. With the cooperation of its partners, the Program successfully implements water quality and ecological recovery programs. The Program's cooperative approach includes: • Delisting approximately 109 rivers and streams from EPA's list of polluted waterways. • Supporting the Gulf States with 543 projects in characterizing some of the most difficult environmental issues confronting coastal waters and in implementing a wide variety of demonstration projects and studies that offer solutions to those problems. • Protecting over 25,000 acres of coastal marine habitat. • Designating all six Coastal Education Learning Centers, one in each Gulf state and in Veracruz, Mexico. • Assisting the Gulf Alliance to fulfill 99 percent of the 2006 Governors' Action Plan. • Commemorating the people and agencies working together to protect the Gulfs ecosystems through 170 Gulf Guardian Awards. • Supporting international efforts by implementing integrated binational (U.S. and Mexico) early-warning detection systems for coastal community management of harmful algal blooms. • Supporting the goals and actions identified in the GulfHypoxia Action Plan. Future Direction The Gulf of Mexico Region is experiencing the power of regional collaboration and partnerships. The results of the first Governors' Action Plan exceeded initial expectations, identifying specific actions needed to improve the health of the coastal areas and to improve the quality of life for the Gulfs citizens. Significant accomplishments have been achieved and lasting partnerships were established; however, the Gulf coast ecosystems are still at risk with challenges for years to come. To build on the success of the partnerships, the Governors' Action Plan II is under development as a far-reaching, five-year regional blueprint for 2009-2014 to increase the health of the ecology and economy of the Gulf and address the most pressing issues affecting the Gulf Region. The Gulf of Mexico Program will continue to enhance and expand effective working partnerships to identify and resolve environmental issues in the Gulf ecosystem. We will continue creating a Gulf that flourishes in all its natural richness and variety, while embracing the needs and desires of its people. „ Nil 7111 The Gulf of Mexico Program Facts Watershed Size: ~2 million square miles Waterbody Size: Gulf Region covers ~600,000 square miles Population: 44.2 million people in 1995 and may increase to an estimated 61.4 million in 2025 EPA Regions: 4 and 6 Director: Bryon Griffith The Gulf of Mexico Program was designated a member of the US Environmental Protection Agency's Large Aquatic Ecosystem Council (LAE) in 2008. The Gulf of Mexico Program joins nine other geographic-based efforts that focus on protecting and restoring the health of critical aquatic ecosystems. The LAE Council seeks to merge geographically-based efforts with national water programs to advance the health of the Nation's large aquatic ecosystems and strengthen national water programs. LAE Program Websites Chesapeake Bay Program www.chesapeakebay.net Columbia River Basin www.epa.gov/region10/columbia Great Lakes www.epa.gov/glnpo Gulf of Mexico Program www.epa.gov/gmpo Lake Champlain Basin Program www.lcbp.org Long Island Sound Study www.longislandsoundstudy.net Pacific Islands Office www.epa.gov/region09/islands Puget Sound - Georgia Basin (Under Construction) San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary (Under Construction) South Florida Geographic Initiative www.epa.gov/Region4/water/southflorida Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/ partnerships/large_aquatic.html October 2008 irfie Aquntie Ecosystems ------- |