Presentation forNOAA SAB Working Group on

Extension, Outreach and Education

Usha VaranasiScience and Research Director

Northwest Fisheries Science CenterNOAA Fisheries Service

July 24, 2007

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Provide the science needed to conserve & manage living marine resources & their ecosystems in

the Pacific Northwest

Northwest Fisheries Science CenterNorthwest Fisheries Science Center

Science that is: Science that is: • relevantrelevant• responsiveresponsive• reliablereliable• respectedrespected• innovativeinnovative

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Goal: Educate, Excite, and Empower people to understand earth systems and be stewards of our planet

Value of Outreach, Education, & Extension

• Allow managers/policy makers to make sound decisions

• Foster a diverse, and interdisciplinary Foster a diverse, and interdisciplinary workforce workforce

• Help create a well-informed and motivated public

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

• Ecosystem-based management and “Sound Science” in Puget Sound

• Seafood dilemma - a way forward

• Oceans and Human Health Center

Three examples

Puget Sound:Puget Sound:Ecosystem-basedEcosystem-based managementmanagement

Challenges:Challenges:•Science is complex, Science is complex, fragmentedfragmented•Science needs to be open Science needs to be open and sharedand shared•Science needs to be Science needs to be understood, valued and understood, valued and usedused

““Sound Science”Sound Science”

• Accessible descriptions - ecosystem goods and services

in Puget Sound- connections between species,

habitats, humans and specific locations

- current and future threats to species and habitats

- key science needs for promoting a healthier Puget Sound

• Foundational document to inform on-going and future management of Puget Sound

• Collaborative- Over 30 authors from 12

institutions engaged 100 scientists to produce and review the document

Sound Science Signing CeremonySound Science Signing CeremonyJanuary 16, 2007January 16, 2007

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Puget Sound

Partnership

Puget Sound

Partnership

NOAA West

Translation of Science into Translation of Science into ActionAction

Science collaboration

Science collaboration

Outreach & education

Outreach & education

Puget Sound ecosystem recovery

Puget Sound ecosystem recovery

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

NOAA Regional Collaboration – 8 RegionsNOAA Regional Collaboration – 8 RegionsNOAA Regional Collaboration – 8 RegionsNOAA Regional Collaboration – 8 Regions

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Hurricane Katrina, an example of Hurricane Katrina, an example of

readinessreadiness

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

NATURE NATURE Volume Volume 437(22), September (22), September 20052005

Seafood Dilemma - Challenges

• Weighing benefits -vs- risks

• A changing seafood supply:

domestic -vs- foreign (wild -

vs- cultured)

• Improving the flow of

information

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

The need for good information

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Managing the seafood dilemma

Recommendations:Recommendations:• Establish national seafood assessment programEstablish national seafood assessment program

• Better monitoring, tracking and labelingBetter monitoring, tracking and labeling

• Standardized regulatory measures among federal agenciesStandardized regulatory measures among federal agencies

• Increase analytical capability to measure risks and benefitsIncrease analytical capability to measure risks and benefits

• Provide user friendly data management and improve communicationProvide user friendly data management and improve communication

• Provide program oversightProvide program oversight

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

OHH Strategy: Goals & Outcomes

Humans

Environmental Variability & Climate

Sentinels(fish & marine

mammals)

Sentinels(fish & marine

mammals)

Seafood(shellfish & fish)

& Water Quality

Seafood(shellfish & fish)

& Water Quality

OceansPathogensBiotoxins

Toxic Chemicals

-- Better able to mitigate threats to human health from key stressors and contaminated seafood

-- Better able to evaluate risks and benefits of eating different seafood products

-- Better understand how key stressors influence human health

-- Better able to forecast threats to human health

Public opinion polling in Public opinion polling in 2006:2006:

an awareness probleman awareness problem• 97%97% believe that ‘a healthy

Puget Sound is a legacy that we must leave to our children’

• Only 25%25% rate the health of Puget Sound as ‘not so good’ or ‘poor’

pugetsoundpartnership.org

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

OceanOcean HumansHumans

Environmental Quality Environmental Quality MonitoringMonitoring

Public HealthPublic Health

RecreationRecreation

Seafood Supply Seafood Supply & Safety& Safety

Healthy Healthy EcosystemsEcosystems

Climate and Weather Climate and Weather MonitoringMonitoring

Coastal Hazards Coastal Hazards InformationInformation

Ballast Water Ballast Water ManagementManagement

EutrophicationEutrophication

Habitat Habitat Restoration Restoration

Natural Disasters Natural Disasters & Spills& Spills

Making the ConnectionsMaking the Connections

Sentinels/VectorsSentinels/Vectors

Water QualityWater Quality

• Visiting scholarsVisiting scholars• TraineeshipsTraineeships

• EducationEducation• OutreachOutreach

• External partnersExternal partners

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

OHH Products & Activities

Educator workshops & middle school internship

College seminar series

Informationalone-pagers Community events

WebsitePartnering to reach

stakeholders

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

• Partnering good scientists and communicators

• Need tools for measuring success

• How do we get biggest bang for our buck?

Challenges to Outreach, Education, & Extension

NWFSC Communications TeamScience backgroundEducation expertise

Informal K-12 Informal K-12 educationeducation• Educator workshops• NOAA Science Camp

Outreach Outreach MaterialsMaterials• Briefing books• One-pagers

Media Media RelationsRelations• Press releases• Web articles

StakeholdersStakeholders• Community talks• Science Symposium

PartnershipsPartnerships• Seattle Aquarium• Pacific Science Center

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Lessons LearnedLessons Learned

• Ensure science is relevant, easily Ensure science is relevant, easily understood, and used by publicunderstood, and used by public

• Take a leadership roleTake a leadership role

• Leverage existing resourcesLeverage existing resources

• Use partnerships to reach constituentsUse partnerships to reach constituents

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

RecommendationsRecommendations

• Make wise investmentsMake wise investments

• Develop smart performance measuresDevelop smart performance measures

• Recognize and capitalize on opportunitiesRecognize and capitalize on opportunities

THANK YOU

Transition slide extras

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Questions to ponderQuestions to ponder

• Focus on Central -vs- Regional programs?Focus on Central -vs- Regional programs?

• Who will staff extension, outreach and Who will staff extension, outreach and education?education?

• Should funding for extension, outreach & Should funding for extension, outreach & education be separate or come from education be separate or come from programmatic funds? programmatic funds?

NOAA West Line OfficesNOAA West Line Offices

• National Environmental Satellite, Data, and National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)Information Service (NESDIS)

• National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

• National Ocean Service (NOS)National Ocean Service (NOS)

• National Weather Service (NWS)National Weather Service (NWS)

• Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO)Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO)

NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center

The West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health

…initially focused on state governments of Washington, Oregon, andCalifornia. A new federal interagency group is now working with thestates to identify ways to collaborate.

Partners

…co-chairs the federal workgroup and has formed a subgroupunder the NOAA Western Region to coordinate internally.NOAA

…touch on a broad range of issues, including ecosystemmanagement, habitat protection / restoration, ocean and coastal science, coastal and offshore development, and ocean literacy.

Priorities

Oceans and Human Health - Oceans and Human Health - AudiencesAudiences

Outreach to ConstituentsOutreach to Constituents• NOAA and DOC• Congress• Scientific Community• Resource Managers• Public Health Managers• Beach Managers• Shellfishers, Fishers• Utility workers

Public• Civic groups• Coastal residents and visitors

Outreach to Regionaland Local Governments• Community planners• Sea Grant• Education providers• Regulators• Policy makers

Education• Graduate students• Undergraduate• Teachers• Students