Dokken, Herrera meet in Mexico about summit
This winter GMF Executive Director Dr. Quenton Dokken traveled to Veracruz, Mexico, to
meet with officials to discuss possible opportunities for Veracruz Governor Fidel Herrera Beltrán to host the next State of the Gulf
Summit. Dokken was joined by Dr. Robert Furgason of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (HRI). Governor Herrera is considering hosting
a similar summit in 2009 in collaboration with the GMF and HRI. The State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit 2006 was held at the HRI.
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America's Sea – Keep It Shining! |
PARTNERSHIPS
Forum focuses on sustainability
GMF's President Paul Kelly speaks during an Industry Forum hosted by the GMF in Houston in Nov. |
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November 2007 -
On November 6, the Gulf of Mexico Foundation hosted an Industry Forum
luncheon at the Houston Petroleum Club for more than 70 representatives of
industry. The event was sponsored by the GMF CEO Council partners who include BP, Marathon, Oceaneering, Rowan, Transocean and Shell.
The focus of the forum was the economic and environmental sustainability
of the Gulf of Mexico. Speakers included Director of the
EPA’s Gulf of Mexico Program Bryon Griffith, GMF Board President
Paul Kelly, and
GMF Executive Director Quenton Dokken. Masters of Ceremony were
Ian Hudson of Transocean and
Marti Powers of BP.
The forum provided an opportunity for oil and gas
industry reps to become better acquainted with GMF activities.
Dr. Dokken pointed out that as major stakeholders in the Gulf of Mexico,
energy industries have a unique opportunity and ability to provide
leadership toward a sustainable future for both economic and
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ConocoPhillips donates $50,000 to teacher education
 February 2008 -
GMF's Executive Director Dr. Quenton Dokken (left) accepted a check for $50,000 from Dan Smallwood
of ConocoPhillips in Houston. The money will support the GMF's 2008 coral
reef education program aimed at educators called "Down Under, Out
Yonder," which takes teachers diving to the Flower Garden Banks National
Marine Sanctuary.
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GMF hosts GOMA regional meeting,
welcome reception
December 2007 - The GMF hosted the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) Community Resiliency Group meeting in Corpus Christi December 11-13.
 As part
of GOMA, the Community Resiliency Group works closely with the Alliance’s Regional Restoration Coordination Team on issues relevant
to habitat and wetlands restoration and conservation. The GMF, with the support of the Port of Corpus Christi, hosted a welcome
reception at the OMNI Hotel for the members of the Community Resiliency Group on the eve of the start of their workshop. The
evening provided an opportunity to network and socialize for the meeting participants prior to the start-up of their discussions.
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DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Foundation forms new partnerships, programs progress
February 2008 - We are now firmly into 2008 and the year is starting off with a
bang!
Marathon Oil, Inc. has joined our CEO Council of supporters
and several other companies, including Petrobras and Anadarko, are
considering corporate memberships. BP America, Inc.
is going to be the lead sponsor of the GMF
Science & Spanish Club
Network Student
Environmental Leadership Conference in May. This level of
sponsorship will expand the SSCN program significantly with
student and teacher training programs and scholarships for
students following technical career paths. In the not too distant
future participating clubs will ring the Gulf of Mexico.READ MORE |
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EDUCATION
S&S; Club students raise awareness of marine debris
February 2008 - The "river dragon"
makes it way up and down the Texas Coastal Bend on Feb 16 as GMF
Science & Spanish Club members marched in the 3rd Annual Dairy Queen Redfish
Bay Trash Parade in Ingleside and Aransas Pass. More than 180 students braved
the windy day and proceeded to participate in the Texas General Land
Office's Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup and marsh grass transplanting restoration at
Goose Island State Park.
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RESTORATION
CRP Update: eight new projects underway
January 2008 - the GMF kicked off its seventh year of
administering the Community-based Habitat Restoration Program, a
partnership with NOAA and the EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program, by funding
six Gulf of Mexico projects and two Caribbean projects. The grant
program awarded $298,000
to restore 241 acres of wetland and coastal habitat.
The projects, located in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Puerto
Rico and US Virgin Islands, include the restoration of dune, beach, coastal marsh,
oyster bar and mangrove habitats. This
year's projects will leverage more than $500,000 in non-federal match
funding and will contribute over 5,500 volunteer hours to restoration
projects. READ MORE |
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HOME OWNERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
CRP project focus: Galveston shoreline restoration
The Isla Del Sole Property Owner’s
Association in Galveston, Texas, completed its shoreline protection and
marsh restoration project
CRP #5007 in
 August
2007. In June 2006 the GMF awarded $50,000 to the association to
utilize sediment from maintenance dredging of the community’s boat channel to
fill geo-textile fiber tubes, which were placed offshore to restore 12
acres of protected marsh habitat. (See photo right.) Homeowners and volunteers from the
surrounding community got involved by planting marsh grass along shorelines.
Isla Del Sol Home Owners Association President Joe Santangelo said
about the project: "This
project really pulled the subdivision together. We are all very proud
and happy to complete this restoration project, both for the canal and
the environment. The birds that have
been brought in by this project are phenomenal, and people go out to
the fishing pier just to watch them.”
For more information on the success of this project, please
visit
Isla Del Sol online.
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STAFF
Ryan Fikes steps in as new GMF Project Coordinator
GMF's Ryan Fikes, right, joins GMF Science & Spanish Club members in the field.
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January 2007 - Ryan Fikes joined the
Foundation staff as Project
Coordinator in January, taking the place of Kathryn Tunnell. Previously,
Fikes worked as a lab assistant at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf
of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where he will receive his Master’s degree in biology in May
2008. “I am very excited to be working with the Gulf of Mexico
Foundation," Fikes said, adding, "For many years I have been studying
the ecology of coastal habitats. Now I have the opportunity to take
a proactive role in making sure those habitats are around for future
generations to enjoy.” Fikes got his feet wet right away, as one of his
first tasks at the GMF was to help out with a restoration project at Goose
Island State Park near Rockport, Texas, joining middle school students from the
GMF's Science &
Spanish Club Network. Together, they transplanted salt marsh grass
plants, Spartina alterniflora, into the area. Although it
operates under other funding sources now, the Goose Island marsh
restoration project continues the work initiated by
CRP Project #3007
funded by the GMF in 2004.
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BOARD
Board of Directors meets in Brownsville Feb 27-28
Science & Spanish Club faculty sponsor Carson Crook, center, gives GMF Board members and staff an update
on the project that his students from Brownsville, Texas, are involved in. The students have been cultivating black mangrove seedlings as part of
the Bahia Grande Restoration Project.
Feb 2008 – The GMF held its first
2008 Board of Directors meeting at the
Rancho Viejo Resort in Brownsville, Texas, on Feb 27 and 28. The meeting
included a visit to one of the GMF's Science & Spanish Club
Network nearby projects in which students are raising mangroves to
transplant as part of the Bahia Grande Restoration Project. The
GMF hosted a reception for local business people and university
representatives and a roundtable, where members of oil and gas, ports and other industries came
together to discuss ways that their employees could volunteer for GMF projects.
The director of the Port Isabel-San Benito Navigation District spoke
to the board about the social
challenges faced in the Brownsville area and described the impacts to
the area from the expanding offshore oil and gas developments. Other
speakers briefed the board about the problem of abandoned vessels and
structures along the Texas Coast.
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Board welcomes new member Marcus Allen
 Feb 2008 – Marcus J. Allen joined
the GMF's Board of Directors this year. He has been President of
Marathon Oil Company since 2007. Previously, he held several different
roles since joining Marathon in 2002 including director of the company's
Subsea Project, in which he ran several concurrent deep-water projects.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Texas A&M
University in College Station, graduating summa cum laude. His interests
include spending time with wife and two sons, running, outdoor
activities and community programs.
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Gulf Guardian Awards applications
available online
 February 2008 - Entry forms for the Gulf of Mexico Program's
2008 Gulf Guardian Awards are now available online in both Spanish and English.
The deadline for applications is May 1, 2008. This marks the ninth year for the awards program, which recognizes and honors the businesses, community groups,
individuals, and agencies that are taking positive steps to keep the Gulf healthy, beautiful and productive.
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© 2007 Gulf of Mexico Foundation. All rights reserved. E-newsletter design by
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