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 membershipfrom 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 movementbuilding metrics:

Team leaders
●

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
●

Seek to expand current Core Team roster from 7 to 9 members. Stagger terms of Core
Team members
organizations, e.g. Bluefin Tuna project with Pew Charitable Trust.
Seek relationships with non-traditional organizations, e.g. Kahea, the HawaiianEnvironmental 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.