On July 29, 2025, the natural resource Trustees for the Ciba-Geigy case released a Final Restoration Plan Amendment / Environmental Assessment that provides an update on completed restoration activities, a Consistency Evaluation regarding proposed site-specific restoration projects that were evaluated in the 2017 Final Restoration Plan and Programmatic Environmental Assessment, and an evaluation of a new proposed restoration action: feral swine management on state-owned lands–including land that was acquired by the state as a result of the settlement. These actions will restore habitat and natural resources injured as a result of contaminants released at the site.

In July, 45 middle school students gathered for Washington Sea Grant’s NOAA Science Camp at the NOAA Western Regional Center in Seattle, Washington. Campers spent the week investigating whale entanglement data and were given demonstrations from experts across various NOAA offices, showcasing the work they do and how it relates to the student’s data exploration. Students visited with the NOAA Marine Debris Program within OR&R, which hosted an educational discussion about how marine debris impacts the environment and how long-term monitoring can help. followed Students then participated in a mock Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP) survey on the lawn, where they evaluated the debris from their survey to explore its possible origins, considered the different impacts based on shape and size, and applied their newfound knowledge of whale entanglements to identify which debris items were more likely to become entangled around animals.

Every month, OR&R’s Emergency Response Division provides scientific expertise and services in support of spills and other coastal and ocean emergencies. In June alone, we provided response support for 23 new incidents in 14 states, plus one outside the U.S. exclusive economic zone in the North Pacific. Eighteen of the new incidents were actual or potential oil spills; one was a chemical spill; and four were categorized as “other” incidents. Incidents ranged from a vessel fire offshore Adak, Alaska to a diesel spill into the Patapsco River, Maryland to a possible-biological sheen detected by Coast Guard aircraft east of San Clemente Island, California.