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The University of California Marine Council (UCMC) was established
to provide leadership and direction to the University to perform
a major role in the coordination of marine policy, research, education
and public service and the exercise of responsible stewardship of
the State's marine resources. The Council members represent the various marine research, policy, and education programs
at the University. See Charge.
UCMC fosters interaction and communication among marine research,
education, policy and public service programs within UC and facilitates
intercampus marine research and education programs. UCMC will provide
advice to local, regional and California State Governments, and
to governmental agencies pertaining to California's ocean-related
concerns. One of the Council's first actions, at the request of
a state legislator, was to appoint a select committee drawn from
UC scientists to review the scientific information associated with
the proposal to decommission offshore oil production facilities
and to prepare a comprehensive decommissioning report on the ecological impacts of platform removal
in order to inform future decision making.
Collectively the University of California campuses have marine research and education capabilities that are unparalleled in the nation. The University continues to fulfill an important responsibility in the study of California's ocean issues and problems, and the UC Marine Council plays a major role in coordinating these efforts.
The UC Marine Council has developed a Directory of Marine Sciences that includes a listing of approximately
650 faculty and researchers conducting marine research within the
University, as well as descriptions of the marine research and education
programs on each UC campus. The directory can be searched by name,
research area or campus.
In 2000, the Marine Council was successful in developing an initiative, the Coastal Enviornmental Quality Initiative (CEQI), that was funded by the state legislature
at $1.5 million annually. Information on the research program, opportunities for research and conference grants, together with a listing of projects funded, may be found on the CEQI website. This program is administered jointly by
the Marine Council and the Office of the President, and through
a close interaction with the State Resources Agency, has developed
a set of priorities and a process for reviewing and funding research
proposals focused on California's coastal ocean issues and problems.
The objective is to address California's coastal issues in ways
that will not only contribute to increasing our scientific understanding
of both natural processes and human-induced changes, but that are
also useful to legislators, public policy makers and managers who
must make the decisions required for the long-term sustained health
of California's ocean.
UCMC is developing a strong public outreach component and works with campus Federal Government Relations Officers as well as UC staff in Sacramento, in representing the interests and needs of UC's marine research programs and to provide unbiased scientific information on the oceans to California legislators.
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