Environmental Protection Agency

Description

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) was created with the signing of Public Law 101-605, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act of 1990. Included in the Sanctuary are 2,900 square nautical miles of nearshore waters extending from Biscayne Bay to the Dry Tortugas. The 1990 Act directed the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Florida, in consultation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to develop a Water Quality Protection Program (WQPP) for the Sanctuary. The FKNMS is the first designated marine sanctuary required to have a WQPP. Beginning in 1991, the EPA and the State of Florida worked with NOAA and other federal, state, and local government agencies, university scientists, environmental groups, and the public to develop a WQPP for the Sanctuary. The “Final Water Quality Protection Program Document” was approved by the WQPP Steering Committee in September 1996 and contains the rationale and strategies to achieve the goals of the WQPP. The National Marine Sanctuaries Program Amendments Act of 1992 requires the EPA and the State of Florida to implement the WQPP in cooperation with NOAA. Special Studies assist in the identification and understanding of the processes that drive spatial and temporal changes occurring within the FKNMS ecosystem. Under this announcement, EPA seeks proposals addressing the Research Needs that have been identified as “High Priority” in the FKNMS Comprehensive Science Plan. Several of these High Priority Research Needs are listed below. However, you can view additional high priority areas eligible for funding consideration in the FKNMS Comprehensive Science Plan.

Who can apply

• Others

Contact

Ms. Morgan Jackson <br/>(404) 562-9393
jackson.morgan@epa.gov