WIN!!!

It is written... Today, March 30, 2009 close to 3:30 pm, President Barack Obama signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 into law! The package includes many important initiatives that oceans folks like me have been working to realize for a very long time including ocean exploration, NOAA undersea research, ocean and coastal mapping integration, the integrated coastal and ocean observation system, federal ocean acidification research and monitoring, coastal and estuarine land conservation, and more! Congratulations everyone! This is a historic day. The news is encouraging and now we must stay vigilant as there is plenty more to be done. Finally, on a personal note... After so many years of hard work, this goes out to Sea Grant Fellows past and present, the good folks inhabiting NOAA's Silver Spring offices, and all the incredible staffers I know working tirelessly on these issues behind the scenes in our nation's capitol.