NOAA AWARDS OVER $1 MILLION TO FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded a grant totaling $1.05 million to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. NOAA is an agency of the Commerce Department.

The funds from this grant will provide for the construction of educational, science and office facilities at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) National Estuarine Research Reserve portion of the Guana River State Park site. The GTM Reserve Environmental Education Center will contain classrooms, environmental displays, a reference library with computer access, wet labs and a large auditorium with full audio-visual capabilities. In addition, there will be administrative offices for staff and volunteers and a visitor center.

“NOAA and the Bush Administration are working to improve the understanding of our environment to strengthen local and regional initiatives such as the construction of an educational center at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas Research Reserve,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “This grant to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will help advance knowledge critical to those efforts in Florida.”

Each year, NOAA awards approximately $900 million in grants to members of the academic, scientific and business communities to assist the agency in fulfilling its mission to study the Earth’s natural systems in order to predict environmental change, manage ocean resources, protect life and property and provide decision makers with reliable scientific information. NOAA goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities of science and service to the nation for the past 33 years.

The Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. To learn more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA Administrator, Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D.:http://www.noaa.gov/lautenbacher.html

Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) National Estuarine Research Reserve: http://nerrs.noaa.gov/GTM/welcome.html