The draft report of the Ocean Policy Task Force was released for public comment on September 17. The draft report is available online, as is a place to submit your comments.
Thanks to the comments from the community earlier in this process, education shows up in a few places in this draft document, i.e.:
* Principle 6 (pg 16) addresses education: “United States policies, programs, and activities should enhance formal and informal education about the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes and their uses to build a foundation for greater understanding and improved stewardship, and build capacity to produce future scientists, managers, and members of a dynamic and innovative workforce.”
* Page 32 on the plan says: “The Plan Should Address: Challenges, gaps, opportunities, and effective strategies for training and recruiting the current and next generation of disciplinary and interdisciplinary scientists, technicians, operators, managers, and policy makers, with a particular focus on the needs of disadvantaged or under-served communities; and Identification of successful formal and informal education and public outreach approaches, including their application toward a focused nation-wide campaign to build public awareness, engagement, understanding, and informed decision-making, with specific emphasis on the state of ecosystems. “