A new year: reflections and resolutions

October 15, 2012 by NOAA Marine Debris Program | 1 Comment

By: Nancy Wallace, Director, NOAA Marine Debris Program

Happy New Year!

Those of you who work for or with the government know that we celebrate the fiscal new year on October 1, not January 1. As with any new year’s celebration, it is a good time to reflect on the past year and make resolutions for the next.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program recently completed its FY12 Accomplishments Report. As you will see in the report, our major focus was responding to the debris generated by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011. While this was a daunting effort, we were also able to make great strides in the areas of marine debris research, prevention, and removal.

Looking forward to 2013, we have a number of resolutions:

1) Continue to focus on regional efforts, so that we can strengthen each region’s unique approach to addressing marine debris.

2) Spend more time on prevention activities, so we can stem the marine debris problem at its source.

3) Find innovative ways to solve the problem.

4) Continue to work with our established partners and make some new ones.

On a personal note, this was my first full fiscal year as the Director of the Marine Debris Program. I am honored to work on such an important issue and with a team of dedicated and passionate individuals. I look forward to the year ahead and to continue making strides in reducing the impacts of marine debris across our nation.