Draft 2015 Mat Work Plan

Revised 1/29/15

2015 MARINE ACTION TEAM WORK PLAN

GOALS AND STRATEGY

Our overall strategy for 2015 is to increase the capabilities of the Marine Action Team (MAT) for carrying out its mandate to protect and restore marine wildlife and habitats. We will do this by undertaking actions to increase the breadth, depth, and capacities of the Team, and its visibility within the Club and the broader ocean conservation movement. While our long-standing goal of protecting marine wildlife and habitat remains relevant, we recognize the need to address the challenges posed by climate change, and the advantages of adopting an ecosystems-based framework for our efforts as called for in the National Ocean Policy.

We will leverage the capabilities of our small Team by taking full advantage of Club resources available to us and through partnerships with ocean conservation groups, and some non-traditional partners such as indigenous peoples and leaders of communities impacted by climate change impacts.

Specific activities and tactics for achieving our strategy include the following:

● The MAT has submitted an application for a 2015 Grassroots Network Grant. Assuming we succeed in obtaining our grant, in early 2015 we will sponsor a Club-wide contest to select two volunteer leaders and provide them with transportation, lodging, and registration fees for them to join with members of the Core Team to participate in the Blue Vision Summit and related events, including one day of lobbying on Capitol Hill. The BVS will take place in Washington, DC from May 11-14, 2015, culminating with the Lobby Day on May 14. We will have some Sierra Club-only meetings prior to the start of the Summit, during which we will meet with DC staff, provide training in lobbying techniques, and promote team building.

● We will use Club communication resources to reach as many volunteer leaders as possible, including use of the Grassroots Network. This will also help raise the visibility of the Team within the Club. In selecting the contest winners we will seek to expand the diversity of our Core Team, including geographical diversity.

● Participation in the BVS will help achieve our goals for building Team capacities, as participants will hear presentations by leaders in the marine conservation movement—including top governmental officials, scientists, artists, writers, NGO leaders, and representatives of stakeholder groups—identifying challenges and opportunities, and a vision for addressing them.

● Participation in the BVS will also help achieve our goals by facilitating networking with other marine conservation activists to help identify partners for implementing projects of common concern.

● Contestants in the BVS contest will be required to identify a project related to MAT goals, and commit to carrying out the project over the remainder of 2015. This will yield some specific conservation outcomes during that period. ● If we do not receive a Grassroots Network Grant, we will revise our Work Plan accordingly.

WORK PLAN ELEMENTS AS RELATED TO MAT CHARGE DOCUMENT

Activities for Meeting Team Expectations

1 ) Engage Activists, Develop Leaders The team is expected to enlist a wider circle of activists (participants in activities promoted by the team) and develop leaders (someone who can speak for the Team, coordinate Team efforts, and/or mobilize other volunteers). ● A major thrust of our 2015 Work Plan will be to widen the circle of activists participating with our Team, including recruitment of two additional Core Team members from geographic areas not currently represented on the Core Team, and a doubling of the Grassroots Network membership-from 38 in 2014 to at least 76 in 2015. We will continue with the Co-Team Leader approach taken in 2014, with Doug Fetterly replacing Dave Raney as one of the Co-Team Leaders and Patricia Matejcek serving the second of a two-year term. In addition, we have three previous Core Team members (David Dow, Judy Lang, and Vivian Newman) serving in advisory roles. ● We will develop and maintain a Co-Team Leader Handbook, and adopt by-laws as necessary, to facilitate operation of the Team and annual transitions in Core Team leadership.

2 ) Informational Materials Develop informational materials for the Sierra Club that are available online to help others understand the team’s issues as well as pros and cons of various proposed solutions. ● As a national issue Team, we focus largely on regional and national actions affecting more than one Chapter. This provides opportunities for us to seek to discover, and document, lessons learned from various case studies, and to facilitate communications and coordination within Club entities so as to promote a “One Club” perspective on marine conservation issues. We see this as especially important for issues involving adaptation to climate change and promoting ecologically sound approaches to the siting, construction, and operations of clean energy projects in coastal waters. We will develop informational materials and make them available online from our Grassroots Network Marine Action Team site and sub-Team sites (e.g. Marine Protected Areas) sponsored by the MAT, and will seek other venues for making such materials accessible. The following section provides more detail on planned informational materials, organized by Charge Area:

Marine Action Team in General ● Post Team Charge, 2014 Annual Report, and general information regarding the Team’s issues, strategies, tactics, and current activities on the MAT webpage Fisheries Management ● In cooperation with Pew Environmental Trust and the Center for Biologicial Diversity, post information on the status of the endangered Bluefin tuna, and campaigns to promote its recovery ● In cooperation with Pew Environmental Trust and relevant Chapters, post information on the status of forage fish populations (e.g. herring, sardines, anchovy, and menhaden) and campaigns to promote protection and recovery of those populations ● In cooperation with leading ENGOs, post information on the status of the Atlantic cod and campaigns to promote its recovery ● Update work on marine aquaculture issues and opportunities, including shellfish restoration and aquaculture projects ● Monitor and support campaigns to protect and restore krill populations

Marine Protected Areas ● Maintain and update Information re: National Marine Sanctuary nomination process posted on GN webpage in 2014 ● In cooperation with the Lands Protection Program and Our Wild America campaign, work with coastal Sierra Club Groups and Chapters to encourage grassroots nominations for new or expanded National Marine Sanctuaries ● Post examples of successful (and unsuccessful) nominations for new or expanded National Marine Sanctuaries

Marine Wildlife and Habitat The scope of this Charge Area has been expanded from Marine Mammal Protection to Marine Wildlife and Habitat, to include MAT projects involving other species and their habitats, such as sharks, sea turtles, and related habitats ● Revise Sierra Club policies re: Marine Mammal Protection ● Assist marine mammal protection ENGOs (e.g., Humane Society of US; Defenders of Wildlife; Center for Biological Diversity; Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society) that support actions to protect the North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW), including measures to reduce ship strikes, entanglements with fixed fishing gear in the water column; and potential impacts from oil and gas exploration projects, large scale ocean wind farm projects; and other activities occurring within the recently expanded NARW critical habitat ● In general, support full implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Magnuson-Stevens Marine Conservation and Management Act to enforce critical habitat protections and avoid or reduce take of marine mammals as fisheries bycatch or through direct or indirect impacts of other activities in the marine environment. ● Begin developing approaches for our 2016 Work Plan that would include marine mammal species campaigns encompassing broader issues affecting marine mammals, like climate change, impacts of marine sonar and other military activities, and fish overharvesting

Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Protection ● Implementation of the National Ocean Policy ● Continue efforts to support implementation of the National Ocean Policy, including the specific actions listed below: ● Pollution, Ocean Acidification ● Circulate paper developed by MAT Core Team member Dr. Judith Weis (Ocean Acidification - the other CO2 Problem) and develop case studies and other materials to assist Groups, Chapters, and others in implementing the paper’s recommendations for addressing local acidification impacts through reductions in nutrient inputs and other local actions ● Climate Change Adaptation to Sea Level Rise, Storm Surges ● In cooperation with the GN Climate Change Adaptation Team, monitor and report on progress on climate change adaptation initiatives undertaken by coastal states and local governments, and Sierra Club Chapters and Groups, to address sea level rise, increased frequency and severity of storm surges, and other climate change impacts ● Develop and distribute, via the GN website and other channels, educational materials highlighting adaptation options that promote nature-based solutions where feasible and discourage solutions involving hardening of coastlines ● Include consideration of climate change impacts, especially sea level rise, in campaigns to protect and restore sea turtle populations and their habitats

3 ) Provide Assistance Provide assistance and consulting to others within and outside the Club who want to learn more or take specific action toward the goals the team is working for. ● Assist and consult with Southeast Florida Sierra Marine and Water Quality Team and the Sierra Club Florida Chapter on coral reef conservation, turtle nesting protection, water quality, and climate change adaptation issues ● Explore possible consultation with Washington State Chapter marine aquaculture, ocean acidification, and climate change adaptation issues (in process) ● Assist Hawai‘i Chapter and its Groups and with actions to urge state and local government and agencies to revise coastal zoning, permitting processes, flood hazard mitigation measures, and other tools as needed to take sea-level rise and storm water surge into account for future construction in vulnerable coastal areas.

4 ) Current Web Presence Maintain an active and current web presence, including annual report and periodic updates, as well as opportunities for involvement. ● Maintain, and expand as feasible, the MAT web site and MAT-sponsored GN Teams (marine wildlife and habitat protection, marine protected areas, marine and coastal ecosystems conservation, and fisheries management) ● Seek ways to better involve Grassroots Network MAT members through regular updates, action alerts, and “local reporter” postings

5 ) Roster and Key Movement-Building Metrics Maintain an up-to-date team roster, with at least four members and track (annually) the following key movement-building metrics:  Team leaders ● Seek to expand current Core Team roster from 7 to 9 members. Stagger terms of Core Team members  Participant activists ● Seek to involve Grassroots Network members on MAT projects ● Invite former MAT Core Team members and other experienced leaders to participate in advisory roles  Strategic relationships (allied organizations) ● Work with Coordinating Pair to identify and authorize projects involving MAT and allied organizations, e.g. Bluefin Tuna project with Pew Charitable Trust. ● Seek relationships with non-traditional organizations, e.g. Kahea, the Hawaiian- Environmental Alliance, participating in the marine conservation movement  Diversity ● Familiarize Core Team with Club’s Multi-Year Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Organizational Plan and related initiatives ● Expand geographic coverage of MAT Core Team, including linkages with the Puerto Rico Chapter ● Assure consultations as appropriate with Native American tribes, Native Hawaiians in the development of policies, projects, or public comments on marine conservation issues ● Include environmental justice considerations in the development of policies, projects, or public comments on marine conservation issues, e.g. climate change adaptation actions for urban areas affected by sea level rise.