Waterview Consulting

Partnering on a new five-year project to evaluate fishery catch shares

waterviewconsulting — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:15:51 +0000

Peter Taylor of Waterview Consulting has joined the core team for the five-year Evaluating Catch Shares Project (ECSP), which is analyzing the economic, social, and ecological effects of fishery catch shares in New England and the U.S. West Coast. ECSP will provide a set of neutral, scientific indicators that can be used by fisheries managers, fishermen, and other interested parties to determine how catch shares have affected fishing communities, fishing businesses, and fish stocks. Waterview Consulting is developing and implementing a communication plan for ECSP’s scientific program. MRAG Americas is leading ECSP, and scientists from the University of Washington, Northern Economics, and AECOM also serve on the project’s core team. ECSP is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Gulf of Maine Council releases its 2012-2017 Action Plan

waterviewconsulting — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:19:20 +0000

The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment today released its 2012–2017 Action Plan, which describes the initiatives that the Council is pursuing during this five-year period toward the long-term vision of a healthy and resilient Gulf of Maine.

Waterview Consulting worked with the Council to refine its draft Plan into a set of clear, compelling goals and activities that accurately reflect the Council’s role and capabilities in the region. This process is especially challenging for a large, bi-national partnership such as the Council. Once the language was finalized, we designed and produced web-based and pdf versions of the Action Plan under a very tight production schedule. Both versions contain an abundance of embedded hyperlinks that enable the reader to dig deeper into the initiatives outlined in the Action Plan. Our partner Jim Cradock at Yellahoose set up the Action Plan microsite on the Council’s website. In addition to the Action Plan, Waterview Consulting produced several associated documents on the Council and its habitat restoration program.

Tomorrow morning, Peter Taylor of Waterview Consulting will participate through webinar technology in the Council’s semi-annual meeting in New Brunswick. He will provide the Councilors with an overview of the final Action Plan microsite and document.

NOAA and The Nature Conservancy announce release of Marshes on the Move guidebook on sea-level rise

waterviewconsulting — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:12:09 +0000

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) announce the release of Marshes on the Move: A Manager’s Guide to Understanding and Using Model Results Depicting Potential Impacts of Sea Level Rise on Coastal Wetlands. Waterview Consulting wrote and designed the publication in collaboration with staff from NOAA and TNC.

The scientific community is generally in agreement that global sea level is rising and coastal marshes are changing as a result. Understanding where and how coastal environments could change, however, is a complex challenge dependent on many factors. Many models and methods are being used for this purpose, but interpreting model results and using the information appropriately can be challenging.

Marshes on the Move is intended for people who use model outputs for decision-making but do not build models themselves. This publication provides a basic understanding of the parameters and uncertainties involved in modeling the future impacts of sea level rise on coastal wetlands.

This publication provides readable information for practitioners about:

• The types of wetland migration questions models can help answer
• Using models appropriately and communicating uncertainty
• Key dynamics affecting wetland responses to sea level rise and associated input parameters and data needs for modeling
• Complicating factors
• Good questions to ask about model results

Marshes on the Move is available on the NOAA Coastal Services Center website and The Nature Conservancy’s Coastal Resilience website.

Marshes on the Move will be featured in a NOAA webinar on December 7, 2011.

Waterview Consulting analyzes impact of EBM tools for Packard Foundation

waterviewconsulting — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:51:01 +0000

Funded by a grant from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Waterview Consulting recently completed a study of the use of ecosystem-based management (EBM) tools for marine and coastal management. The study investigated the impact of EBM tools on management outcomes in the Philippines, Fiji, Dominican Republic, and three locations in the United States (Texas, South Carolina, New York).

In the study, we

• analyzed how the use of EBM tools affected management,
• identified factors that contributed to successful integration of EBM tools into management processes, and
• developed guidance for people who develop, use, or provide funding for EBM tools and want to maximize the tools’ impact.

Publications based on the research will be posted here as they become available.

Sargasso Sea Alliance debuts its logo

waterviewconsulting — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:01:36 +0000

Formed in 2010, the Sargasso Sea Alliance is a partnership led by the Bermuda Government, in collaboration with scientists, international marine conservation groups and private donors, who all share a vision of protecting the unique and vulnerable ocean ecosystem that is the Sargasso Sea. The Alliance aims to mobilize support from a wide variety of national and international organizations and governments to ensure legal protection for this critical ecosystem and to provide insights for the establishment of other marine protected areas (MPAs) on the high seas.

Waterview Consulting was honored to be selected to design the logo for the new Sargasso Sea Alliance. The logo has debuted on the organization’s recently launched website and on a brochure about the Alliance, which we edited and designed.

The Science of Marine Reserves: PISCO Releases European Version

waterviewconsulting — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 23:42:50 +0000

The Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Ocean (PISCO) has released a European version of The Science of Marine Reserves, an educational booklet originally published in 2002 and updated in 2007. The booklet is now presented in four versions: a U.S. version in English and Spanish, an international version in English, a Latin American and Caribbean version in English and Spanish, and a new European version in English. These resources provide the latest scientific information about marine reserves in an understandable and accessible format. They are designed to be used by natural resource managers, government officials, scientists, and the interested public.

Peter Taylor of Waterview Consulting was the science writer for the original and updated versions of The Science of Marine Reserves, and he was the science writing consultant for the new case studies in the European version.

Northeast Ocean Data Portal Supports Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning

waterviewconsulting — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:07:13 +0000

Developed to enhance regional ocean planning efforts, the new Northeast Ocean Data Portal (www.northeastoceandata.org) contains regional spatial data on human activities, natural resources, and jurisdictional information for New England’s coasts and ocean waters.

Waterview Consulting developed the Portal website with the exception of the Data Viewer mapping application. We worked closely with members of the Northeast Ocean Data Portal Working Group to plan the navigational structure and content. We wrote and edited the content, and we designed and built the site using a semi-customized WordPress theme, which provided low-cost development and easy site maintenance.

In addition to the website, we produced a Portal fact sheet and a PowerPoint template with consistent branding.

The Northeast Ocean Data Portal Working Group is led by Massachusetts Ocean Partnership, Northeast Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observing Systems, The Nature Conservancy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, and Applied Science Associates.

Multi-Part Report on the State of the Gulf of Maine

waterviewconsulting — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:22:05 +0000

The State of the Gulf of Maine Report is a modular, living document made up of a context document and a series of theme or issue papers. The context document, The Gulf of the Maine in Context, provides an introduction to the natural and socioeconomic environment of the Gulf of Maine. It provides an overview of the Gulf of Maine, particularly for those readers who are not familiar with the region. The theme papers provide a more in-depth look at important issues within the Gulf, based on priority areas identified by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment. They are being developed incrementally through 2011 and after that will be regularly updated at time intervals appropriate to each issue.

Waterview Consulting created the visual identity for the State of the Gulf of Maine Report. We have designed The Gulf of the Maine in Context document and several theme papers on topics such as climate change, invasive species, and coastal ecosystems and habitats. We also designed a 32-by-90-inch display banner (shown below) and a 5-by-7-inch piece to be used as a handout at workshops and conferences.

Bridging the Divide Between Science and Planning: New Report from PlaceMatters

waterviewconsulting — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:52:56 +0000

This report examines six ecosystem-based planning efforts across the United States: the Mission-Aransas Ecosystem Management Plan in Texas, community wildfire plans in Colorado, the Creating Resilient Communities project in South Carolina, the Pelekane Bay Watershed Restoration Project in Hawaii, the Long Island Coastal Hazard Mitigation Plan in Long Island, and the Sanford Conservation Plan in Maine. The report identifies six key lessons, including the importance of early stakeholder engagement, the value of earning credibility for the scientific and technical tools, and maintaining feedback loops throughout the process.

Waterview Consulting’s Peter Taylor was a contributing author on the report, which was released by PlaceMatters in March 2011. Based in Denver, Colorado, PlaceMatters works throughout the United States to support the creation and maintenance of sustainable, vibrant communities by improving decision-making.

Download:

Bridging the Divide Between Science and Planning: Lessons From Ecosystem-Based Management Approaches to Local and Regional Planning in the United States (PDF, 1.7 MB)

Three-State Collaborative Releases Publications on Science and Conservation of Rainbow Smelt

waterviewconsulting — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 13:46:08 +0000

Three-State Collaborative Releases Publications on Science and Conservation of Rainbow Smelt

A century ago, streams in the northeastern United States teemed each spring with small silvery fish called rainbow smelt. Over the last ten to fifteen years, rainbow smelt have declined in abundance for reasons that are not well understood, and the U.S. government in 2004 listed rainbow smelt as a federal Species of Concern. The state governments of Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire are collaborating to understand the rainbow smelt’s status and threats, and to plan a regional conservation effort for the species. The Interagency Species of Concern Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) recently released a four-page brochure and a two-page fact sheet on the science and conservation of rainbow smelt.

Working with the TAC, Waterview Consulting wrote and designed the publications, and we are creating a related website.