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Council Monitoring Assessment Workgroup (CMAWG)

About the CMAWG

The CMAWG is a collaborative workgroup with scientific experts representing the RESTORE Council Member agencies.

It was established through the Council Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) Guidelines (2019 MAM Guidelines) to help Council members address MAM responsibilities, lay the groundwork for collaborating on MAM tasks, and provides recommendations to the Council regarding monitoring parameter guidelines, monitoring plan formats, reporting requirements, and use of Best Available Science. CMAWG activities are guided by annual Council Steering Committee approved CMAWG workplans (FY20-21 Workplan, FY21-22 Workplan, FY22-23 Workplan and FY23-24 Workplan).

Data Collection and Management

All projects and programs awarded funding by the Council are required to provide an Observational Data Plan (ODP). ODPs provide the Council information relevant to project or program monitoring data collection and compilation activities undertaken to evaluate if funded projects and programs are meeting their goals and restoration targets. ODPS also contain information relevant to project or program data management and delivery, and help ensure that project/program data will be compatible and comparable with data collection efforts for the Council throughout the Gulf of Mexico region.

In 2020, the Council updated its ODP Guidelines and electronic ODP forms (ODPeforms). Revised resources include:

Science and Data Tools and Resources

The following science and data tools and resources have been developed through Council-funded efforts and are available to support comprehensive ecosystem restoration in the Gulf of Mexico region.

  • Gulf Coast Monitoring and Assessment Portal - Inventory of Gulf Coast habitat monitoring, mapping, and water quality programs and assessments compiled by the RESTORE Council Monitoring and Assessment Program (CMAP), as well as related documents and reports. This tool was funded under the 2015 Initial FPL, and sponsored by DOI/USGS and DOC/NOAA. 
  • Strategic Conservation Assessment Tool Suite - Suite of tools to assist land conservation planners in 1) understanding existing priorities of conservation plans, 2) evaluating ecological and socioeconomic co‐benefits of proposed land conservation projects, and 3) prioritizing areas for land conservation within the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastal region. This tool suite was funded under the 2015 Initial FPL, and sponsored by DOI/USFWS. 
  • Baseline Flow Modeling Tools - Online mapping and assessment tools to support streamflow management and estuary restoration along the Gulf Coast. These tools were funded under the 2015 Initial FPL, and sponsored by DOI/USGS.
  • USGS RESTORE Tableau Dashboard - Interactive tool for exploring dataset of segments (e.g., phrases, sentences, paragraphs) associated with ecological values, human community values, stressors, or restoration strategies found within Gulf Coast state management plans and restoration project descriptions. This tool was funded under the 2017 CPS FPL, and sponsored by DOI/USGS.
  • Gulf-wide Data Synthesis for Restoration Planning: Utility and Limitations - Analysis that examines a process of synthesizing available data in order to maximize environmental, societal, and financial benefits of work planned to be done as a result of Deepwater Horizon settlement funding. This work was funded under the 2017 CPS FPL, and sponsored by Louisiana CPRA.
  • BOEM Offshore Sand Inventory - Work is being conducted to digitize analog geophysical data and geotechnical data, and identify gaps in the BOEM Offshore Sand Inventory for the Gulf of Mexico. This information may be used to inform the availability of sand resources in the Gulf of Mexico for future projects such as beach and barrier island restoration. This work was funded under the 2017 CPS FPL, and sponsored by DOI/BOEM.