Restore America’s Estuaries Launches Coastal & Estuarine Summit Focused on Protecting and Restoring Lands and Waters
First full day of sessions begins with plenary presentations on the Chesapeake Bay, Tribal Restoration Efforts, and the importance of waterways.
October 8 – Arlington, VA – Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation kicked off its first day of the 2024 Coastal and Estuarine Summit with a roster of high-level speakers under the theme of “Capitalizing on Our Coasts.” Today’s call to action focused on celebrating the inherent value of our coasts and estuaries as sources of cultural heritage and sustainable economic growth.
President and CEO of REA Daniel Hayden opened by recognizing the Summit’s 57 sponsors including lead sponsor NOAA, highlighting the largest-ever participation of coastal and estuary experts and applauding the focus this year on innovation and collaboration.
Alison Prost, VP for Environmental Protection and Restoration at CBF provided the opening address that highlighted inclusion, climate, and innovation. She underscored the opportunities of engaging in projects that bring value to all potential watershed beneficiaries and not just some, as well as taking into account the impacts of climate change in project design and leveraging new and innovative techniques in the sector.
Jainey K. Bavishi, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy Administrator of NOAA took the stage to talk about NOAA’s investments to support coastal areas in climate adaptation, recognizing investments of over $6 billion to meet communities at a diversity of stages and capacities with the technical assistance process. While “climate change multiplies risks,” Bavishi sees “cascading benefits” if we can commit to more meaningful engagement with nature and underserved communities.
Carrie Selberg Robinson, Director, Office of Habitat Conservation, NOAA Fisheries then presented the 2024 Dr. Nancy Foster Award Winner to Damon Moore, Founder of Oyster River Ecology. Moore was recognized for his work championing environmental stewardship in and around the Tampa Bay region for over 20 years. While his work has made a tremendous impact on the ecology of the area, he still takes time to appreciate the progress that has been made and encourages others to do the same. “Stand up, look around, and smile,” Moore said, “you’ve done a lot of good stuff.”
The morning panel focused on, “Tribal Efforts to Protect and Restore the Chesapeake,” and created a platform for tribal voices to speak about models for protecting and restoring ecosystems on tribal lands and partnership opportunities for economic development and conservation. “We don’t care what you know, we want to know that you care” shared Dana Adkins, Tribal Environmental Director of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe
The Summit then broke into parallel tracks, giving attendees a chance to dive deeper into topics such as coastal restoration, recovery from cyclonic events, government engagement, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, blue carbon, oyster research, and more.
After sessions concluded, attendees convened in the Poster and Expo Hall for a night of networking and fellowship. Over 100 poster presenters shared their research as attendees mingled through the crowd to visit sponsor booths, reconnect with colleagues, and vote for their favorite poster.