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Getting to Restoration via Natural Resource Damage Assessment

JULY 24, 2015-- Seventy-six people tuned into a public webinar on Tuesday to learn about getting to restoration via Natural Resource Damage Assessment.

Speaking live from Silver Spring and Seattle, Tom Brosnan from the Office of Response and Restoration and the Restoration Center’s Jason Lehto gave a public overview of the process outlined the process and highlighted opportunities for public comment as well as challenges and opportunities to get involved. The webinar also featured two case studies - the Athos I oil spill and Commencement Bay hazardous waste sites. These case studies provided clear illustrations of how assessing damages helps bring restoration to communities that have lost ecosystem services due to pollution.

The presentation was followed by questions and answers from the audience. Questions included why the burden to prove damages falls to trustees, whether other groups could participate in stewardship programs like Earth Corps does in Commencement Bay, and how public scoping is conducted.

Restore America’s Estuaries provided webinar capacity and Consortium for Ocean Leadership helped to promote the event. A copy of the presentation is available to NOAA staff on the Outreach Google Site, and a video will be available in the near future.

OR&R hopes that this event will provide a template for future webinars to teach a broad public audience about OR&R’s services and opportunities to engage in our work. Attendees included academics, non-profits, and other NOAA offices.

To see a copy of the presentation or for further information, contact Meg.Imholt@noaa.gov.

Go back to OR&R Weekly Report.

process flow diagram
Natural Resource Damage Assessment process. (NOAA/Kate Sweeney)
Last updated Tuesday, November 8, 2022 1:53pm PST