ANEP: Publications- ANEP Update

Publications:
ANEP Update

September 2003

NEP NEWS

Contents:

Indian River Lagoon | Click Here
Morro Bay | Click Here
Albemarle-Pamlico | Click Here
Coastal Bends Bay & Estuaries | Click Here
Massachusetts Bay | Click Here
Santa Monica Bay | Click Here
San Francisco Estuary | Click Here
Delaware Estuary | Click Here
New Hampshire Estuaries | Click Here

Meetings and Conferences | Click Here

Indian River Lagoon

Minimizing the impact of development pressures on the Indian River Lagoon is no mean feat. Where do the problems lie? Is it in the disappearance of natural habitats in the 156-mile-long estuary? Stormwater discharges from heavily urbanized areas? Harmful freshwater discharges into a water body requiring a balance of fresh and saltwater? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has partnered with two FL water management districts to find long-term solutions for restoring and protecting the lagoon. The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Feasibility Study, a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), is authorized by the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1996.

The study has been divided into two separate feasibility studies - IRL-North and IRL-South ¾ to accommodate different natural resource restoration targets and non-federal sponsors. Both studies focus on salinity, muck, water quality, wetlands and water supply problems within the IRL. IRL-South was completed in August 2002 and was sponsored by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and USACE. IRL-South encompasses lagoon's watershed in Martin and St. Lucie Counties.

The recommended plan includes reservoirs, stormwater treatment areas (STAs), natural storage and treatment areas, floodplain restoration, hydrologic diversions, muck removal and creation of artificial habitat. Additional information on IRL-South can be found on http://www.evergladesplan.org. IRL-North began in August 2002 and is sponsored by the St. Johns River Water Management District and the USACE. The IRL-North study area includes the IRL watershed in Volusia, Brevard and Indian River Counties. The federally constructed project which ties IRL-North into CERP is Canal 54, originally constructed as a component of the Central and South Florida flood control project. In addition, the federally constructed Intracoastal Waterway runs the north - south length of the Study area.
Among the goals of IRL-North Study:

Reducing excessive freshwater inflows and pollutant loadings, improving water quality and lagoon habitats, with an emphasis on seagrass

Maintaining and improving water supply and flood protection

Improving opportunities for tourism, recreation, and environmental education

Improving fisheries and associated industries

IRL-North will build upon and incorporate previous and ongoing projects including the Surface Water Improvement Management Plan, the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), implemented stormwater projects, muck removal from Crane and Turkey creeks in Brevard County, reconnection of impounded wetlands, removal of harmful exotic vegetation, mangrove planting and the Canal 1 rediversion project. An interagency Project Delivery Team has been convened to assist and coordinate the progress of IRL-North.

Potential alternatives for restoration of IRL-North include reservoirs, STAs, natural storage and treatment areas, hydrologic diversions, and muck removal. IRL-North is scheduled for completion in August 2007 in order to be included for consideration for Congressional authorization in WRDA 2008. The current status and calendar of upcoming meetings for IRL-North can be found on the CERP website at http://www.evergladesplan.org.

Morro Bay National Estuary Program

The California State Coastal Conservancy has awarded $1.5 million to the Morro Bay National Estuary Program for a major conservation easement aimed at protecting the estuary's watershed. The MBNEP entered into an agreement with the land-owners last year to purchase an easement on the 1860-acre Maino Ranch, located on the eastern boundary of the City of Morro Bay. The Conservancy's grant, combined with money from The Nature Conservancy and the MBNEP, provides the necessary funding for the purchase. The conservation easement keeps the land in private ownership while provisions maintain the large site's rural look and use as a "working landscape." The easement protects large swaths of different habitats including woodlands, grasslands, chaparral, serpentine outcroppings, springs and streams. The easement also significantly reduces the development presently permitted on the property while allowing for continued ranching using good management practices that reduce erosion and pollution. The easement and its provisions will run with the land in perpetuity.

Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program

North Carolina's Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program (APNEP) Regional Councils have recently completed the Phase I review and selection process for demonstration project proposals in the region. Three of the five Regional Councils (Neuse, Tar-Pamlico, Pasquotank) decided on the following:

1) Tar-Pamlico River basin

A) Landscape Demonstration Projects for Runoff Control and Public Education at the NC Estuarium. Given its educational mission, the Estuarium sets positive stewardship examples in all areas of operation, and in doing so, helps the public realize that there are many techniques they, as individuals, can employ to contribute to healthier estuaries.

B) Stormwater Wetland at Pactolus Elementary School. This project seeks to create a stormwater wetland on a parcel located adjacent to Pactolus Elementary School in Pitt County.

C) Bunn HS Bio-Retention Area. This project, the design, construction and implementation of a bio-retention area on the campus of Bunn HS in Franklin County, is an infiltration device that combines stormwater treatment with landscaping.

2) Neuse River basin

A) Low Impact Development and Education for the Upper Neuse River basin. This project will provide necessary stormwater best management practices to a recently started project.

B) Citizens' Oyster Gardening Program for North Carolina. This demonstration project will develop a program for oyster gardening in NC modeled after the successful programs in other states, yet using culture methods that are legal for NC.

3) Pasquotank River basin

A) Effectiveness of Phragmites australis Removal from Brackish Marshes of the Albemarle Sound. Through cooperation by multiple agencies, this project focuses its work of Phragmites australis removal from brackish marshes in a comparative manner.

B) Water Quality and Quantity on the Outer Banks: Partnership with the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Islan. This project proposes the use of rainwater collection tanks, properly designed and managed, that can function as stormwater detention devices and a source of water to help Outer Banks communities reduce runoff, water consumption and improve water quality.

For more information contact Joan Giordano at (252) 946-6481, or joan.giordano@ncmail.net

Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program

There is a new way to observe the many species of birds at the Connie Hagar Wildlife Sanctuary - a $3,000 high-powered telescope. The Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, the city of Rockport and the Friends of Connie Hagar Foundation on Wednesday unveiled the new high-powered telescope, which is next to a newly built parking lot along Highway 35 in Rockport and free to the public. "It had actually been in the works for the past three years," said Monika De La Garza, public relations and outreach manager for the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program.

There are 600 species of birds in North America and there are 480 species in Texas. The viewing area also offers a bulletin-type board with pictures and information about a few of the most commonly sighted birds in the area. Rockport Mayor Todd Pearson said members of the Friends of Connie Hagar Foundation first brought up the idea. The Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program paid for the scope and the city of Rockport paid for the parking lot, Pearson said. Hagar, who became known as the bird woman, moved to the Rockport area in the 1930s and in 1943 Little Bay was named the Connie Hagar Sanctuary. "She died about 40 years ago but she left behind a legacy," said Pearson. "(People) flock to Rockport, it's one of the most popular birding areas in Texas." Pearson said he believes the viewing spot will not only offer a better look of the birds to enthusiasts, but also help to create interest in birding. "Frankly, the location of it lends itself to introducing people to birding," he said. "Ecology, wildlife and all of the activities on our bay are so important to the city of Rockport. We are very pleased when any group wishes to make that more convenient, a little bit nicer and a little bit more educational." Contact Sara Lee Fernandez at 886-3767 or fernandezs@caller.com Copyright 2003, Caller.com. All Rights Reserved.

Select above image to view in larger scale

Massachusetts Bays Program

Between August 3rd and August 9th 2003 a contingent of internationally recognized scientists conducted a rapid assessment survey of aquatic invasive species along the northeastern U.S. coastline. Coordinated by the Massachusetts Bays Program and MIT Sea Grant and funded by the EPA, the scientific crew followed a grueling schedule of three site visits per day followed by evening lab work as they traveled from Maine through New York Harbor. A total of eight NEP's participated in the project with the aim to develop a baseline inventory of species in the coastal waters, to identify organisms that have been recently introduced into the ecosystem, and to assist managers in preventing and controlling future invasions. Public interest was high as numerous newspapers, local television stations, curious onlookers, and The National Geographic Society (which filmed the team for two days for a segment in an upcoming "Explorer" television program) visited the scientists over the course of their 20 site visits.

Santa Monica Bay NEP

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From left (seated): State Senator Sheila Kuehl, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom, and Regional Board Member H. David Nahai join Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss (standing) at the press conference on the Santa Monica Pier.

At a press event held July 31st, 2003, the Santa Monica Bay NEP formally announced transformation of the Bay Restoration Project (SMBRP) to the new locally-based, independent state organization known as the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission (SMBRC). The transition is the result of the passage of California State Senate Bill 1381, authored by CA Senator Sheila Kuehl, co-authored by Assembly Member Fran Pavley, and signed by Governor Gray Davis in September of 2002. The Commission continues the mission of the Bay Restoration Project, but with greater ability to realize full and effective implementation of restoration and protection efforts, and now directs the expenditure of over $25 million in state bond funds appropriated through Prop 12 and Prop 50, to implement priority actions of the Santa Monica Bay CCMP. The press event was led by LA City Councilmember
Jack Weiss, who now serves as the new Chair of the Commission's Governing Board, the SMBRC's chief policy body. The event was attended by local and state elected officials, business owners, non-profit organizations, and local, state, and federal agencies, and received coverage on KNX 1070, KFWB 980, KABC, KCAL, KCBS, KTTV, and the Los Angeles Times. For more information on the new Commission, go to www.santamonicabay.org.

San Francisco Estuary Project

The San Francisco Estuary Project participated in the 9th Annual Aloha Festival held August 2nd and 3rd at the Presidio Fairgrounds in San Francisco, CA. The Pacific Island Cultural Association (PICA) hosts the festival each year to celebrate Pacific Islands' arts and culture. The festival is intended to bring Pacific Islanders in Northern California together to celebrate the histories, cultures and tradition of all Pacific Islanders. This year the education component included ocean conservation and protecting the Bay, which enabled SFEP to participate for the first time in this event. The estimated attendance was over 30,000, many of which stopped by our booth to pick up materials and view the video - "What's an Estuary"---- NOW THEY KNOW!!!!!

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

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The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary hosted their 7th Annual Delaware Estuary Teachers Institute from July 14 - 18th. During that week, 20 of the Estuary region's elementary, middle, and high school teachers were introduced to a host of resources enabling them to incorporate Estuary-related curriculum into their classrooms. The participant's toured New Jersey American Water's state-of-the-art water pumping station, learning the various ways water is treated and delivered to households. They cruised the Delaware River on Philadelphia City Sail, where onboard, teachers participated in mapping activities, water quality testing, and saw Philadelphia and Camden from the river's perspective. They visited DeCou Orchards, where a local farmer talked about current water conservation methods in agriculture and the struggle between achieving a good end product and minimizing the use of pesticides and fertilizers. They also visited the Cape May Bird Observatory, the University of Delaware's College of Marine Studies, and Stroud Water Research Center. To find out more about the Institute, please call us at 1-800-445-4935.

New Hampshire Estuaries Project

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Aerial picture of Hampton-Seabrook Harbor.
Photo credit: NHCP

The New Hampshire Estuaries Project (NHEP) funded Dr. Robert Roseen and Dr. Thomas Ballestero of the University of New Hampshire to apply remote sensing technology to identify intertidal groundwater discharge zones and estimate associated nutrient loading rates in the state's Hampton-Seabrook estuary. Using thermal aerial photographs the researchers were able to distinguish contrasts in water temperature down to 0.08 degrees Celsius, thereby illustrating groundwater discharge zones. Follow up field verification and water quality analysis for nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants allows scientists to accurately estimate groundwater seepage and nutrient loading rates. The study yielded surprising results. "Intertidal groundwater discharge," wrote Dr. Roseen in a recent NHEP report, "is extremely limited in Hampton Harbor due to the presence of a large impermeable salt marsh." Very few discharge sites were identified and each was within sandy deposits associated with the coastal dune features, not within the harbor. Thus, the researchers conclude that there is almost no groundwater derived nutrient loading within Hampton Harbor. To explain this unexpected phenomenon, Dr. Roseen hypothesizes that groundwater discharge is limited strictly by hydrology and is most likely occurring at a location beyond the study. In addition to discovering a relatively unique feature of the Hampton/Seabrook estuarine system, the results of the study will assist the NHEP and other resource managers in locating, reducing, eliminating, and preventing the discharge of pollutants into New Hampshire's estuaries.

Meetings & Conferences

The 6th Biennial State of the Estuary Conference - The San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary: Changes and Challenges will be held on October 21,22 and 23, 2003 at the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, CA. The conference provides a forum for assessing the environmental health of the Bay-Delta Estuary --- its waters, wetlands, wildlife and watersheds. This year's conference marks the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). For more information please contact Debbi Nichols at dln@rb2.swrcb.ca.gov or 510-622-2304.

"State of the Estuaries Conference", October 20 and 21, Portsmouth, NH. - The New Hampshire Estuaries Project and the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve are hosting this technical conference that highlights key environmental health indicators and future management needs of New Hampshire's estuarine systems. Presentation topics include microbial source tracking, Asian Shore Crab in New England, impervious surface impacts, groundwater sustainability, salt marsh restoration and resource mapping. The new 2003 State of the Estuaries Report will be released during the conference. For more information go the NHEP website at http://www.nhep.unh.edu