APRIL 21, 2017--Teams who train together play better. This spring OR&R and the Texas General Land Office again put that thought into action with our annual joint Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Technique (SCAT) team member class.

The class was held at a location in the Lower Coast, on Mustang Island, near Corpus Christi, TX. SCAT is a systematic approach that uses standard terminology to collect data on shoreline oiling conditions and supports decision-making for shoreline clean-up. It is a critical component for conducting an effective response, as it drives operational decisions and deployment of assets during the response. Members of a SCAT team typically are drawn from multiple federal and state agencies, including United States Coast Guard, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, the Texas General Land Office, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Agency responders from across Texas, and Southwestern Louisiana participated in this three-day field class, providing a cadre of trained SCAT team members ready to respond to spills in the region. This year the highlights of the class included a trip to the Animal Rehabilitation Keep, and a chance to visit with some sea turtles.

For additional information, please contact Paige.Doelling@noaa.gov.

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