PROJECT TITLE:

Project title: 50 Ways to Save the Gulf of Maine (Public Education Booklet)

Short description of project, its aims and approach:

Develop a brochure/booklet outlining 50 things that could be done by school children to reduce the impact of land-based activities on the Gulf of Maine. The aim was to develop the booklet and then find resources to distribute it through the school system.

Current status of project:

The booklet had difficulties. Technical content has been questioned and some technical input ignored; GPAC agreed to consolidate comments for one last revision. The original cost of revising the product was estimated at $13,800 but any cost to GPAC was unacceptable. The ownership of the product is still in question. According to the CEC, the information is public, since it was paid for by the CEC which is funded by the three participating governments. FWO has no copyrights under the contract with the CEC and the product is owned by the CEC, whose policy is to make all its information products freely available to the public. A final attempt was made to re-draft it to address some of the outstanding concerns. Comments were sent in but have not yet been consolidated for final review.

Core people (GPAC members) and other participating people and/or organizations:

John Clarke; Pam Person; Meg Danley; Judith Swan, Foundation for the World’s Oceans; Debbie Avalone-King, Maine

Next steps: What is needed to ensure continuity and incorporation into existing regional activities or organizations:

Complete revisions. Consolidate comments ASAP (John Clarke), forward to Swan for vetting, final review by group.
Distribute booklet - ownership/copyright may be an issue here (see above)
Option 1 - Let FWO seek funding for publication and distribution - GPAC members may be able to assist with contacts and suggestions
Option 2 - GPAC make the booklet available on a web site as a downloadable file, for free access. Since the GPAC web site is not easily found by the public (hidden on the CEC web site because it is not in the three CEC languages), we may want to explore having it put on the GOMC (and other?) web sites.

GPAC May 2001: 50 Ways to Save the Gulf Booklet - Next Steps

Some of the highlights of the reporting and discussion on this Project included:

concerns for the technical accuracy of the draft to date
concerns over the length of the document
Recommendations to use the material (once validated) in a shorter brochure, poster, newspaper insert, etc.
recommendations to publish material on a GPAC website
use by the GOMC institute without walls.

Next Step 1. Refer Document to GOMC - GOMMEA for interest, suggestions, action on editing for accuracy, reworking format (poster, brochure etc.) and publication

Lead: John Clarke to David Keeley

Timing May 2001

Next Step 2. Identify Contractor to edit and rewrite existing draft

Lead: John Clarke

Timing: June 2001

Costs: Potential NOAA support