Field Trip!

As part of my NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship with the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission's Adapting to Rising Tides program, I am leading the Hayward Resilience Study.  The study has conducted sea level rise vulnerability and risk assessments for two parks, extensive marshes, utility lines and transportation assets along the Hayward, California shoreline.  The entire shoreline area is at low elevation (less than 48" above current mean higher high water) and is vulnerable to sea level rise impacts before 2100.  

Erosive fringing marsh at Hayward Regional Shoreline

After we completed the interviews and research for the vulnerability and risk assessment, we went on a field trip to look at the landscape together and think about connections between different agencies and assets.  Working group members had the opportunity to share their own key vulnerabilities such as eroding marsh fronts, levees with overdue maintenance, and water sensitive electronics within the flood plain.  The field trip helped ART staff and working group members understand which adaptation strategies they can do alone and why, for long term resilience, they need to work together to find a shoreline-wide solution.

Hayward Resilience Study working group members

For more information on my fellowship or the Adapting to Rising Tides Program please visit www.adaptingtorisingtides.org or contact me at maggiew@bcdc.ca.gov

A great year as a Knauss Fellow

What a year it’s been!  With my fellowship coming to an end this month, I can say that the Knauss Fellowship exceeded all of my expectations.

It was a busy year getting to know the DC area and my fellow fellows, and getting immersed in the ocean community here.  I also got to meet an astronaut – Kathy Sullivan (see photo), who leads the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and became the first American woman to walk in space.

And oh yes, there was also quite a bit of learning at work as well.  At the Office of Marine Conservation at the Department of State, I worked with a group of very smart, talented and committed colleagues.  They were terrific in involving me in the office’s day-to-day duties while also allowing me the opportunity and flexibility to pursue my own interests.

I got to work on projects to raise awareness of marine debris by involving U.S. embassies in beach cleanup activities, create a public-private partnership that will develop mobile phone applications to improve the sustainability of small-scale fisheries overseas, and plan a speakers’ panel for an international oceans conference.

I also had the chance to participate in U.S. delegations to international fisheries negotiations.  I participated in delegations to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission in Japan, the North Pacific Fisheries Commission in Taiwan, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas in South Africa, the Yukon River Panel in Canada, and the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO) in Ecuador.  Each negotiation was very different and a terrific learning experience.

At SPRFMO, which took place during the second-to-last week of my fellowship, I served as the sole State Department representative to the delegation, which also included NOAA representatives from headquarters and the Pacific.  Because SPRFMO is still a new organization, many of the discussions focused on developing measures to monitor the activities of fishing vessels, ensure compliance with conservation measures, and gather data about the resource.  It was an up close and personal view of how distant water and coastal fishing nations are responding to United Nations resolutions to improve their cooperation with respect to the conservation and management of marine resources in international waters.

I’m very thankful for the opportunity provided by the fellowship and the Office of Marine Conservation, which gave me a unique introduction to the international ‘fish world.’  I’ve loved it.  Not only does it involve iconic species like tuna and salmon, but it touches on international law, cutting-edge science, social and economic systems, and the individual choices of people in many nations.

I would strongly encourage students interested in marine policy and science to apply for the Knauss Fellowship.  The experience and the people you meet are fantastic.

Dave Gershman

Knauss Marine Policy Fellow

(2/2013 – 2/2014)

gershman@umich.edu

First week as a Knauss Fellow

Well, I'm all moved in and unpacked. I've already learned some valuable lessons about living in DC:

• First, on-street parking requires permits- especially for big moving trucks. I tried to time my move so that I could show up in DC before rush hour and get a parking spot, but it didn't work out. The parking permit folks feel no sympathy for unaware out-of-towners, so I had to risk parking a 17ft moving truck without a parking permit (which requires 72hrs prior notice to get! How do you do that before you move here?). It all worked out and I made it through without a ticket!
• Second, things labeled as "close to the metro" or "ample street parking" seem to be sales gimmicks used by folks posting housing ads on Craigslist (which, by the way, are mostly scams, so beware). I moved into the city and commute to NOAA in Silver Spring. My apartment seemed close to the metro on Google Maps, but it didn't turn out to be so true. Luckily the bus system here is excellent and I don't need to take the metro rail. I hop on a bus (half the price of the metro rail! Really adds up when you commute 5 days a week) and get to work in a half an hour.
• Reddit has excellent information for those moving to the DC area, but I didn't find it until after I moved here. Here is the link, it also has lots of good information for once you're here: http://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/

Now, lets talk about my position...

Here's my office: DOC > NOAA > NMFS > Office of Management and Budget. Peg Brady, my boss, is the NOAA policy liaison to both the National Invasive Species Council and the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, in addition to many other duties. I'm working with her team on invasive species issues and am already loving my job. I've been reading like a madman to get caught up on their management plans, strategic plans, and cross-cut budgets. Meetings have been interesting so far, as everyone seems to talk a different language because of all the acronyms they use. I have a few papers pinned above my desk that spell out most of the acronyms they use, but it is going to take some time to figure it all out!

The resumes of the people I work with are impressive. The assistant administrator of NOAA was the first American woman to travel to space- try topping that! I'm looking forward to the next year, and am sure I'll have a lot more to report on next time!

Clarence
Knauss Marine Policy Fellow
(2/2014 – 2/2015)
Fulla1cd@cmich.edu

Wisconsin Sea Grant Fellowship Podcasts

Tis' the season of fellowships! Check out these three audio podcasts featuring the Wisconsin Sea Grant director and two Wisconsin Sea Grant Knauss Fellows sharing their thoughts and insights on the fellowships and fellowship process!

Wisconsin Sea Grant: On Fellowships

Knauss Placement Week 2013

Hi all!

I'm back from a long week in DC! That's right, placement week is over and all the finalists (you're a finalist until placed, then you become a fellow) have been placed in various offices. I'm an executive fellow and am happy to say that I've accepted a position with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as an aquatic invasive species specialist.

The process was long. Many of the fellows were stressed out. They tell you to trust the system and be open to many different offices (which you should!), as they rarely end up with a fellow in a position that they don't love. Still, it was difficult to decide because there are so many projects that can take you in so many different directions. Through it all I kept calm and enjoyed the week and took advantage of the opportunity to get to know all the different people from the various host offices. I interviewed and met with people from the National Science Foundation, the Department of State, the US Department of Transportation, the Army Corps of Engineers, and tons of folks from NOAA's various offices. I've already made some great contacts and I was only in DC for a week!


Placement week in a nutshell:

Dinner Sunday night to get to know each other and hear about what's in store for the week. After a few dozen presentations on Monday, I scheduled 16 interviews and finished them up over the next few days. As hard as it was whittling my list of favorites down to 16, at the end I had to call back my top 3 host offices and tell them they were my favorites. On Friday morning we saw how the host offices ranked us and we went through the placement process. Those at the top got to choose first and select the offices they like the most. Though that may sound intimidating, it works out well for all since even if you aren't at the top, it is likely that the people ahead of you select other positions and open up the list to you. More likely than not you'll be near the top of at least a few lists, especially your call-backs. Mixed up in that whole process is a slew of dinner/happy hour socials where you get to meet with other to-be-fellows, past/current fellows, and host offices. You rarely have time to sit and relax during the day, and get even less time to do so at night while you're mingling. That may sound busy, but it was tons of fun! I stuck around for an extra half-day and rented a bicycle, which was well worth it. Then before I knew it I was back on the metro, back on a plane, and back in freezing-cold Michigan.

I was very fortune to end up in a position where I can continue working in the field of aquatic invasive species. I'm an aquatic ecologist and study food web impacts of invasive species in the Great Lakes region and am happy to stay in that field. My host office is excited to have me on board because of my Great Lakes experience, so all of the worrying I did over my lack of marine coastal experience was for nothing!

Last thing...I'm wrapping up my M.S. at Central Michigan University right now, but all my name tag said was "Michigan." What do people think when they read that? U of M of course. I got lots of "Go Blue!" to which I quickly replied, "Go Buckeyes!" That's right, I'm an OSU graduate and a Columbus, Ohio native. I was blown away at how many people in the offices I interviewed at have degrees from OSU, and it turned out to be an easy ice-breaker that led me through some of my best (and salvaged some of my worst!) interviews.

Thanks for reading!
Clarence Fullard
Knauss Marine Policy Fellow
(2/2014 – 2/2015)
Fulla1cd@cmich.edu