A key component of ABSI is to involve stakeholders in a meaningful consensus-building process for development and implementation of an ecosystem-based oyster management and restoration plan. The Community Advisory Board (CAB) assembled by FSU is tasked with providing input into that initiative. The 24 members of the CAB include watermen, local government officials and business owners, people in the seafood and recreational fishing industries, and environmental groups.
February 24, 2021 -- 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Public Meeting Dates TBD (Delayed Due to COVID) - These meeting will provide opportunities for the public to ask questions, share ideas, and identify concerns related to the Apalachicola Bay System Initiative. Dates & locations will be posted here.
Due to COVID-19, all CAB meetings until further notice will be virtual. Members of the public are welcome to listen in. Public comment will occur in an allotted time slot at the end of the meeting.
Virtual Meeting Participation Process Guidelines
Call: +1 646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 925 9680 1765
Members of the ABSI Community Advisory Board represent stakeholders whose lives are inextricably tied to the health of the Apalachicola Bay System, businesses that depend on the economic stability of the county, and the agencies responsible for the management and conservation of the region. Represented are those in agriculture, real estate, economic development, tourism, environmental groups, citizens, local government, recreational fishing, the seafood industry, and state government. Not only are the members critical to development of restoration and management plans for the Bay, but they serve as ambassadors for ABSI. Meet the members by clicking here.
With meeting design and facilitation guided by Jeff Blair and Bob Jones of FSU FCRC Consensus Center, members described desired outcomes they hoped would follow from the Community Advisory Board process, including:
Most Recent Meeting Materials
January 13, 2021 - (1) Agenda, (2) Strategies Worksheet, (3) Summary Report, (4) Video Recording of the Meeting, (5) TALKS: ABSI Science and Data Collection Update (S Brooke, FSU); Apalachicola Bay Wild Oyster Harvesting Closure Update - NWFW Cultch Map (J Estes, FWC); Overview of Apalachicola Bay Mapping Project (R Grizzle, Univ. of New Hampshire & ABSI Science Advisory Board)
CAB POLICIES & GUIDELINES (By Jeff Blair and Robert Jones)
STAKEHOLDER ASSESSMENT REPORT (Sept. 2019). By Robert M. Jones & Jeff A. Blair.
ABSI COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD QUESTIONNAIRE SUMMARY (Oct. 2019). By Robert M. Jones & Jeff A. Blair
