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ANEP Update

March 2001

LEGISLATIVE UPATE

Last session Congress approved a reauthorization, which substantially increased funding levels for the National Estuary Program. S. 835 also authorized $35 million annually for the National Estuary Program.  Congress may consider increasing the appropriations for the National Estuary Program.  Representative Jim Saxton (R-NJ), who was the chief cosponsor in the House for legislation to reauthorize the NEP, and Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), plan to circulate a "Dear Colleague" letter to their fellow members seeking signatures on a letter to the VA/HUD appropriations subcommittee chair James Walsh (R- NY) and senior Democrat Alan Mollohan (D-WV), urging full funding of the NEP at the authorized level of $35 million.  The letter will point out that Congress specifically authorized the NEP to utilize funding to implement and develop Comprehensive Conservation Management Plans (CCMPs).

NEP Directors Nancy McKay, Dick Eckenrod and Richard Ribb, along with Rich Innes who assists ANEP in Washington DC, recently met with the senior staff to the appropriations committee in both the House and Senate to provide an update on NEP programs.


NEP NEWS

Delaware Inland Bay: Examples of 2001 "State Penalty $100K Funds" Projects: 1) Volunteer Phytoplankton Monitoring Program - In collaboration with others - phytoplankton monitoring by trained volunteers. $8K  2) Agriculture Inputs of N & P Relative to Best Management Practices: A model will be developed to provide specific load reductions in nitrogen and phosphorus where agricultural BMPs are implemented.  $24K  3) Understanding Chattonella: This project will isolate the algae Chattonella and study the organism's nutrient physiology resulting in recommendations for possible biological control measures.  $15K 

Albemarle-Pamlico NEP worked in collaboration with Battelle and EPA to hold a recent two-day workshop to discuss the development of an APNEP comprehensive monitoring plan for the region's estuaries, rivers and sounds.  This workshop brought many of North Carolina's top researchers and scientists together to discuss resource quality, existing monitoring efforts and future monitoring needs. The APNEP's Coordinating Council will review the workshop's findings and decide whether to initiate the development of monitoring plan at its next meeting.

1) The Charlotte Harbor NEP Management Conference is pleased to award six more Restoration Partners and seven more Mini-Grant projects. The Technical Advisory Committee reviews and recommends Restoration Partners proposals, which are to serve as models for addressing habitat improvement and resource management challenges, for the Management and Policy Committees to consider. The Citizens Advisory Committee does the same for Educational Mini-Grants, which are to serve as models for addressing environmental education and resource management issues. The Restoration Partners projects total $75,000 and the Mini-Grants total $17,650. With these awards, the Charlotte Harbor NEP has now supported 45 projects with its partners. 2) Working with world-renowned photographer Clyde Butcher, the Charlotte Harbor NEP will soon have a television public service announcement against littering. The "Keep it Picture Perfect" PSA has already been filmed and is expected to be released shortly. Contact Maran Hilgendorf, mhilgendorf@swfrpc.org for more details.

Pelican Island Restoration Project: Pelican Island, the nation's first wildlife refuge, is located in the Indian River Lagoon near the City of Sebastian.  Due to erosion, the island has shrunk more than 50% in recent years. When established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903, the island encompassed approximately 6 acres. Today, Pelican Island is less than 3 acres. Despite this decrease in size, Pelican Island continues to be an important rookery and roosting site for a number of pelicans, wading birds and a variety of other species. With the approaching centennial of the National Wildlife Refuge system, preservation of this historic site gains even more importance. To protect and restore Pelican Island, a partnership involving the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Indian River Lagoon Program and Florida Inland Navigation District was established. These partners, with the cooperation and support of a variety of other agencies, private interests and concerned residents, joined together to develop, fund and implement a plan to protect and restore Pelican Island.  The Pelican Island project will be subject of ongoing monitoring to determine the success of this project. This project may also serve as a model for other efforts to stabilize eroding shorelines. While the cost of airlifting materials was expensive ($4,000 per hour), the savings in time and effort along with the avoidance of damage to valued resources appeared to balance this cost. Contact Troy Rice, troy_rice@district.sjrwmd.state.fl.us, for more information.

Sarasota Bay NEP had a ground breaking on February 26, 2001, for the first phase of a multi-year project to provide central sewers to nearly 13,000 septic tank users within the Phillippi Creek drainage basin area. The Phillippi Creek drains into lower Sarasota Bay, and they suspect that it is helping keep the lower portion of the Bay from achieving the same success as the upper reaches of our SBNEP. SBNEP is accomplishing this $104 million project with a combination of Federal, state and local funds. Please contact Mark Alderson, Mark_Alderson@ci.sarasota.fl.us, for more information.

A new Long Island Sound Study (LISS) report recently issued documents improvements in the Sound's water quality and in efforts to restore habitat. Sound Health 2001: Status and Trends in the Health of Long Island Sound characterizes the health of Long Island Sound using 19 different indicators of environmental health and highlights the progress made in water quality improvements and habitat restoration. More than 460,000 copies of the report will be published and inserted into coastal newspapers in Connecticut and New York on Sunday, April 1, 2001. The LISS hopes that readers find the report interesting and informative. Please call (203) 977-1541 if you would like additional copies of the report.

Tampa Bay NEP Celebrates 10th Anniversary: On Saturday, April 21, TBEP is sponsoring a variety of bay restoration and cleanup activities as part of its "Give A Day For The Bay" celebration. Volunteers can clean trash from several locations around the bay, help build an oyster bar, mark storm drains with anti-pollution messages, or take a guided walk at a nature preserve. Participants will receive a special "Give A Day For The Bay" t-shirt and a commemorative 10th Anniversary poster, featuring a painting by well-known St. Petersburg artist Diane Rome Peebles.  TBEP also is sponsoring a "Party at The Pier" in St. Petersburg on Friday, April 20 to thank its many public and private partners for their support of the Program since its inception in 1991. The event will feature several bay-related displays, including a collection of historical photographs and a "Personal Reflections" board where guests will be invited to place photos representing their own involvement with or perspective on Tampa Bay. For more information, contact Nanette Holland at nanette@tbep.org.

CONFERENCES/ WORKSHOPS/ SYMPOSIUMS

Barataria-Terrebonne NEP will be holding its 17th Management Conference Meeting. It will be held at Peltier Park, Thibodaux, LA on April 19, 2001 at 9:30am. For more information, contact Sandra Helmuth at 1-800-259-0869.

The Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program (NC), in concert with EPA, is holding a two-day workshop entitled, "Tools for Watershed Management: A Workshop for Local Government" on May 9th & 10th,   , 2001, in Greenville, NC.  The workshop is intended to assist local governments in protecting watershed resources by providing information on innovative zoning ordinances, land acquisition techniques, and other regulatory and non-regulatory management approaches.