People of the Restoration Center

Sean Meehan

Habitat Restoration Specialist: St. Petersburg, Florida

I work in St. Petersburg, Florida, as part of the Restoration Center’s Community-based Restoration Program as well as the Damage Assessment Remediation and Restoration Program. I’m focused on the southeast coast of Florida and the Florida Keys since my background is shallow water tropical ecosystems such as seagrass and coral communities. In addition, I am the NOAA Fisheries unit dive supervisor for this region and a small boat operator. As such, I deploy to help with a variety of needs within NOAA.

What is it that you like most about your job? Simply put, I like the fact that I am helping the ocean.

What is the hardest part of your job? It’s sometimes hard to stay on top of restoration when there is so much to do. In some places, our coral reefs and coastal estuaries are in rough shape. It’s up to me and my colleagues to help fix some of these areas and restore them back to their natural state.

How long have you been with the Restoration Center, and what interested you in working for NOAA? I moved to the Restoration Center from Assessment Restoration Division of NOAA’s National Ocean Service in October 2005. Given my background in shallow water tropical ecosystems, I was interested in focusing more on restoring these valuable places.

What advice would you give young people thinking about becoming a habitat restoration specialist? I think NOAA in general is a fantastic place to work. The Restoration Center itself is an excellent broadly-applied career choice for anyone interested in coastal ecosystems. It provides the freedom to pursue habitat restoration niches that are more focused for individual’s strengths, while still being part of a larger team and focused on the greater good of the ocean.