Dear MARACOOS Friends,

I am writing to you about our upcoming Celebration of and your Support for our Mid-Atlantic and National IOOS Partnership.

CELEBRATION

On May 22, MARACOOS partners and friends will gather in Washington, DC to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of our amazing IOOS regional partnership!

Many of you were instrumental in the establishment and development of MARACOOS from its earliest days.  As the partnership expanded, existing projects were strengthened, new projects and partners were added, and new communities and partners benefitted from your work and expertise.  It is the expertise of all of you, along with your efforts and your collaborative spirit that formed the foundation and grew the enterprise that serves more than a quarter of US population.

Please join us on May 22 in Washington DC for the celebrations!  We have a welcome event on evening of May 21, an afternoon session in the House of Representatives on May 22, followed by an evening VIP reception in the US Senate.  We also will offer support for visits to House and Senate offices for interested MARACOOS friends.

Additional logistical information will be sent out shorty.  Please reach out with any questions and let us help you make this a great experience!

SUPPORT

As you heard, the President’s Budget for FY25 proposes to cut IOOS by 77% (From $42.5 million to $10 million). This would utterly decimate the program, resulting in major cuts to services, project support and personnel. As we work with congress to avoid these cuts, it is very important that your representatives and senators hear directly from you in support of IOOS. This includes signing onto the support letters that are currently being circulated in the community. We ask you to sign on and if possible, have other colleagues sign on as well. It is a critical time for IOOS and it is important that all of our partners and supporters stand up and be heard.

Add your name to one of the sign on letters by clicking one of the following:

IOOS, and the eleven regional associations have enjoyed strong bi-partisan support from Congress since IOOS was officially established in 2009.  We need to let Congress know that you and the communities you serve can not sustain any cuts to the budget. It is time that we all stand together as one and reaffirm to our leaders and decision makers how important your work is to our nation!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We will provide email/letter templates, talking points, and any other assistance you or your colleagues may need.

Thank you!

Gerhard 

Gerhard F. Kuska, PhD

Executive Director