News Archive: April - June 2008

CICEET Publishes SWMP Regional Syntheses

Teams of researchers from 20 National Estuarine Research Reserves have completed and published four regional syntheses of data collected by the System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) to address priority coastal management issues.

With funding from the NOAA/University of New Hampshire Cooperative Institute for Coastal & Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET), the researchers in each region summarized and interpreted SWMP data, relevant research, and monitoring datasets at the scales of the individual reserves and of the regions.

The studies also included data collected from other regional programs, demonstrating the benefits of coordinating SWMP data with other regional research and monitoring datasets. The regions were the Pacific Coast (California, Oregon and Washington), Southeast (Carolinas, Georgia and Florida) Mid-Atlantic (New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) and Northeast (Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Ohio).

Results from these studies will help researchers manage and analyze vast quantities of environmental data at reserves, as well as provide necessary assessments of regional water quality and habitat trends, and clarify the impacts of natural processes and human activities on coastal ecosystems. The reports for these studies are now available online.

The System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) provides collects long and short-term weather and water quality data at each of the 27 reserves to support coastal resource management at the national, regional, and local levels.

CICEET has been an engaged partner in SWMP since 1998, supporting data synthesis and integration, monitoring infrastructure, technology demonstrations, habitat analyses, coordination with the Integrated Ocean Observing System, and capacity building workshops.

Contact: Dwight.Trueblood@noaa.gov; NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (CICEET, ERD)

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CICEET-Sponsored Researchers Publish Findings in Various Journals

With support from the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET), researchers are advancing the state of scientific understanding related to the prevention of nonpoint source pollution through enhanced stormwater treatment systems and the detection of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Their contributions to advancing knowledge in the field can be found in a variety of academic and professional journals.

Contact: Dwight.Trueblood@noaa.gov, NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (CICEET, ERD)

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Public Comment Period Opens for Update of CELCP Guidelines

On April 9, OCRM’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) published a notice announcing a 60-day comment period for interested parties to provide comments or suggestions for revisions to the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) guidelines.  After five years of implementing CELCP under the 2003 guidelines, NOAA plans to update the program guidelines to clarify certain provisions and consider other changes, recognizing also that CELCP authorization bills are currently pending in the House and Senate. The notice will be distributed to coastal states, NGOs, and other interested members of the conservation community.  Comments are requested by June 9, 2008. 

Contact: Elaine.Vaudreuil@noaa.gov; NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (NPED)

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Guánica Watershed Pilot Project

OCRM staff participated in a field assessment during April 8 -11, 2008 for the Guánica watershed in Southwestern Puerto Rico.  The assessment was part of a project funded by the NOAA Coral Program to enhance the effectiveness of local efforts to address land-based sources of pollution that threaten coral reef ecosystems.  The assessment team, including contractors from the Center for Watershed Protection, staff from the Puerto Rico Coastal Zone Management Program and Forestry Department, and NOAA OCRM, met with local agency representatives and other local stakeholders and toured the watershed – from Guánica Bay, up the Rio Loco, to the mountain top coffee plantations – to learn about watershed conditions, concerns, and threats. 

The field assessment will feed into a watershed plan of action for the Guánica area.  Data from field surveys will be compiled along with information from previous and on-going studies on the Guánica Forest and Guánica Bay to develop a watershed plan that is aimed at improving water quality in the Bay and reducing sediment runoff and on surrounding coral reefs.

Contact: Jennifer.Kozlowski@noaa.gov; NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (CPD)

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NOAA Co-hosts Climate Change Workshop for Caribbean Reef Managers

From April 18-21, NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program co-hosted a climate change workshop in the Florida Keys to increase the ability of Caribbean coral reef managers to anticipate and respond to coral bleaching events, and to build resilience into management plans.  Partners included The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and Mote Marine Laboratory.  Thirty reef managers from Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida, Jamaica, Honduras, Colombia, Bahamas, Bonaire, Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize attended.  Utilizing A Reef Manager’s Guide to Coral Bleaching, the participants initiated coral bleaching response plans for their home sites and engaged in significant discussions on how to integrate and build both social and ecological resilience in the face of climate change.

Contact:  Christy.Loper@noaa.gov, NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (CRCP)

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GTM NERR Volunteer Named NOAA Environmental Hero

Tom Barry, a retired Navy captain who contributes his time to nearly all the environmental programs at Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve in Florida, is the latest reserve system volunteer to be named an Environmental Hero by NOAA.
NOAA’s Environmental Hero Awards were established in 1995 to commemorate Earth Day by honoring volunteers who help NOAA carry out its mission. "Thousands of people across the country join forces with NOAA each year and the Environmental Hero award is our way of saying 'thank you' to several of those individuals that have made a significant impact," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "Tom is an outstanding volunteer — in just three years he has contributed more than 1,200 hours of his time to the Reserve’s Outreach and Education programs."

Barry has been an instrumental part of the Reserve’s environmental programs since the new environmental education center opened in the fall of 2005, supporting the research, education, and stewardship functions by volunteering with a variety of key programs.

Barry serves as the archaeological expert of the Reserve’s cultural resources, and he coordinates and manages information obtained from current and past cultural resource inspections on site. He supports endangered species protection through annual monitoring programs. He has supported the Reserve’s education program by developing and adapting interpretive literature, and he serves as a school programs instructor and guide for the education center exhibit hall displays and programs.

"Tom Barry is an invaluable contributor to the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve," said Reserve Manager Mike Shirley. "Without him, many of our programs and accomplishments would not be possible. We can always count on Tom when a Reserve program needs a helping hand."

Barry is the 10th person to be honored as an Environmental Hero for volunteer work in support of reserve programs since NOAA established the awards in 1995.

Contact: George.Cathcart@noaa.gov, NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (ERD).

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Nearly 800 “Dive Into Oceans” at Rookery Bay Reserve

Nearly 800 people, including students from nine area middle schools, participated in Dive Into Oceans, a 3-day event at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve on April 10 - 12.  The "Be A Diver" pool, temporarily installed on the grounds of the Environmental Learning Center, invited kids and adults to try SCUBA for free, many for the first time. Other activities provided by Reserve staff included geocaching, which introduced kids to the use of GPS units, a sampling station, a plankton lab which showed just how much microscopic life actually exists in local waters, and a touch tank that gave visitors a close encounter with native marine life including mollusks, sea stars and crabs.

Outside, Collier County Sea Grant provided a Casting for Conservation station where kids learned casting techniques and ethical angling practices such as catch and release. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Law Enforcement allowed kids get up close with a live baby alligator while learning about fishing and hunting regulations. 

Underwater films in the auditorium included introductions by director of photography and former Cousteau crew member Chuck Davis.  Broadcast crews from the local CBS station and Azteca America, the local Univision (Hispanic) television station, as well as from Collier County Public Schools, helped reach a much broader audience with this message of ocean fun and conservation.

Contact: Erica.Seiden@noaa.gov, NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (ERD).

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NOAA co-sponsors Brownfields 2008

On May 5-7, 2008, NOAA co-sponsored Brownfields 2008, which brought together over 5000 participants in Detroit, MI, and provided a national forum on the clean up and reuse of real properties where redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived contamination.  NOAA assisted with the development of a Marketplace of Ideas roundtable session on port communities and contaminated sediments.  Participants included David Ashton of the Port of Portland, OR, Karen Rodriguez of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Andy Seth of the American Waterfront Revitalization Coalition. 

Contact:  Kenneth.Walker@noaa.gov, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (NPED)

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MPA Center Unveils Marine Protected Areas Inventory on www.MPA.gov

On May 19, 2008, the MPA Center unveiled the new Marine Protected Areas Inventory (MPA Inventory) on www.mpa.gov.  The MPA Inventory is based on the previously developed Marine Managed Areas (MMA) Inventory, which was active from 2001-2007. MMAs are a more inclusive category of place-based management than MPAs. Now, the draft definition of "MPA" used in the Revised Draft Framework for Developing the National System of Marine Protected Areas is being used as the criteria for inclusion in the MPA Inventory. The MPA Inventory contains information on nearly 1,800 sites and is the only such dataset in the nation. This unique, comprehensive inventory provides governments and stakeholders with access to information to make better decisions about the current and future use of place-based conservation.  The MPA Inventory will be updated as necessary when the Framework becomes final in Summer 2008. It will be a key information resource for nominating eligible sites to the national system.

Contact:  Lauren.Wenzel@noaa.gov, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (MPAC)

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International Workshop Kicks Off Socioeconomic Monitoring Training Program

Part of a larger program, this workshop presented socioeconomic monitoring strategies based upon the SEM-Pasifika manual, the socioeconomic monitoring guidelines for the Pacific region.  The workshop was held May 5-9 in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI); its content was aimed at U.S. reef jurisdictions and the Freely Associated States.  Successful applicants to the SEM-Pasifika Training Program (Program), including representatives from Hawaii; American Samoa; Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; Chuuk; Yap; Pohnpei; Kosrae; Palau; and the RMI, received travel funds to attend the workshop, a small amount of seed funds to start a socioeconomic monitoring study at their home site, and will receive technical support, including a site visit from a technical advisor. 
The training workshop was the first of thee for the SEM-Pasifika training program and resulted in:

The Program is conducted by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, The Nature Conservancy-Micronesia, the Pacific Islands Marine Protected Areas Community, and the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

Contact: Christy.Loper@noaa.gov, (301) 713-3155 x155, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (CRCP) and  Meghan.Gombos@noaa.gov, (808) 532-3961, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (CPD).

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CRCP Hosts NSTA Web Seminars

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and Centers for Operational Oceanic Products and Services this week concluded a series of training sessions on using tidal and geodetic datums for staff members of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS).

Tidal and geodetic datums are spatial reference points used by scientists for precise mapping on both horizontal and vertical scales. The training, which was coordinated by NOAA’s Estuarine Reserves Division, was designed to introduce concepts of elevation and its relevance to research and monitoring related to the impact of changes in local sea level to habitat change, restoration, and conservation. 

Staff from 24 of the 27 estuarine reserves participated in the training. Participants included 67 reserve system participants and about 35 others, including National Marine Fisheries Service, the National Weather Service Training Center, two regional river forecasting offices, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protections, an NEP in Maine, and a representative from private industry.

Participating reserve staff members included stewardship, Coastal Training Program, education and research coordinators, managers, as well as technicians and staff from NOAA’s Estuarine Reserves Division.

Contact: Nina.Garfield@noaa.gov, NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (ERD), 301.713.3155 x171.

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MPA Federal Advisory Committee Delivers Recommendations to NOAA and DOI

Last week, the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee (MPA FAC) formally transmitted a set of recommendations to Under Secretary of Commerce Conrad C. Lautenbacher and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior Kaush Arha.  The recommendations were developed by the MPA FAC during their April 2008 meeting.  Recommendations included: 1) management principles regarding compliance and enforcement of MPA regulations; and 2) collective comments from the MPA FAC on the Revised Draft Framework for Developing a National System of Marine Protected Areas.  The recommendations are intended to assist both the Department of Commerce and the Interior with developing an effective National System of MPAs.  A complete copy of the recommendations will soon be available on www.mpa.gov.

Contact:  Lauren.Wenzel@noaa.gov, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (MPAC)

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Gulf of Mexico Regional Collaboration Team Meets in Biloxi

On May 15-16, 2008, staff from the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management attended the NOAA Gulf of Mexico Regional Collaboration Team meeting in Biloxi, MS. The meeting focused on sharing information about regional projects and finalizing the team's FY08-09 work plan. Presentations included an overview of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), the Northern Gulf Institute, and a NASA Mobile Bay land cover change project. Coastal Programs Division staff presented recent efforts on the Water Quality component for a Gulf of Mexico Integrated Ecosystem Assessment. These efforts include OCRM's collaboration with the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Nutrient Reduction Team, the National Centers for Coastal and Ocean Science (NCCOS), and the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC) to address water quality issues in the region including eutrophication, hypoxia, and harmful algal blooms. The National Weather Service also demonstrated a regional web portal under development for the team that will be called iGulf. The team will work across line offices to add NOAA information to the portal over the next several months.

Contact:  Laurie.Rounds@noaa.gov, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (CPD)

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James Taylor Working in Concert with the Virginia Coastal Program

As a key member of the "Southern Tip Partnership," the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program (VA CZMP) has been working with a coalition that includes The Nature Conservancy, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation to protect critical habitat for migratory songbirds on Virginia's rural Eastern Shore.  Last Thursday a longtime friend of the environment and the Partnership, the singer-songwriter James Taylor, held a concert in Virginia Beach to kick off his summer tour.  A generous portion of the proceeds of this concert—an estimated $200,000—will be donated to the Partnership to help protect additional bird habitat. 

In an interview Taylor said he was drawn to helping birds because "their song is the music of the biosphere. They're the soul of the planet, really." 

Taylor’s donation, and the continued diligence of the VA CZMP and partners who have relied on multiple NOAA funding sources, such as the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation and Coastal Zone Management Programs, will ensure a bright future for the colorful avian flocks by balancing development and preservation on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.  (For video coverage of the event courtesy of the Virginia Pilot, see:  http://hamptonroads.tv/index.cfm?locvid=139838.

Contact: John.Kuriawa@noaa.gov, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (CPD)

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Wisconsin Governor Nominates Site for 28th Reserve

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle announced that he has nominated the St. Louis River in Northwest Wisconsin to become the 28th National Estuarine Research Reserve. Doyle announced in a press conference May 30 that he is submitting the official nomination papers to NOAA, which will determine whether to add the St. Louis River site to the National Estuarine Research Reserve System.

If NOAA approves the designation, the 15,000-acre St. Louis River site will become the second reserve in the Great Lakes. Ohio’s Old Woman Creek, on Lake Erie, was designated in 1980. The St. Louis River flowing between the cities of Superior, Wisconsin, and Duluth, Minnesota, is one of the largest freshwater estuaries on Lake Superior.

"We are taking another step towards the long term protection of our Great Lakes," Governor Doyle said.  "This designation promotes the appreciation, understanding, and protection of the unique freshwater estuary systems of Lake Superior, North America’s largest freshwater resource."

The nomination paves the way for a federal designation that will raise the national profile of Wisconsin’s Great Lakes resources and capture additional federal resources for the long-term study of the Lake’s unique estuarine habitats.  A future reserve will also provide education and outreach opportunities to local communities about the estuary and Lake Superior.

The St. Louis River was one of 35 sites evaluated by the state. The nomination is the culmination of several years of efforts by citizens, local and tribal governments, organizations and conservation agencies. The designation would include the development of a research center on Lake Superior’s south shore dedicated to making the area a regional leader in research and educational outreach related to freshwater estuaries.

The St. Louis River is the largest U.S. tributary to Lake Superior and forms the headwaters of the entire Great Lakes system.  Its waters and wetlands are nationally significant and provide critical habitat for birds, fish and plants.

To read Governor Doyle's news release, visit http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/journal_media_detail_print.asp?prid=3409&locid=19

Contact: Matt.Chasse@noaa.gov, OCRM’s Estuarine Reserves Division, 301.713.3155 x198.

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Nutrient Workshop Held During the First Annual Gulf of Mexico Alliance Monitoring Forum

Staff from the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management assisted in the development and implementation of a Gulf of Mexico Alliance workshop to review and further develop a regional Nutrient Criteria Research Framework. The workshop was held in conjunction with the first Annual Gulf of Mexico Alliance Monitoring Forum on June 3-5 in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Monitoring Forum brought together researchers and managers from the Gulf of Mexico to share information and identify important monitoring needs for the region. Forum participants were invited to help refine the draft Nutrient Criteria Research Framework. The draft framework was developed through the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to address state management needs for nutrient criteria to improve coastal water quality.

It proposes a standard approach to conduct nutrient source, fate, transport, and effects studies throughout the region. Workshop participants, representing a range of expertise, were able to refine the draft framework and identify indicators for the nutrient studies proposed under the research framework. The Gulf of Mexico Alliance will continue to finalize the Nutrient Criteria Research Framework and anticipates conducting a pilot implementation project in fall 2008.

Excessive nutrient levels is a common problem in Gulf of Mexico coastal waters that result in estuarine eutrophication and hypoxia and impacts coastal habitat and fisheries. Each state participating in the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) is required to establish nutrient criteria for their coastal waters. NOAA, in cooperation with the GOMA, is working with the Gulf States to design a research framework that will result in regionally comparable data and management tools including a nutrient classification system for estuaries, biological indicators for nutrient related impacts, and models to understand nutrient dynamics in coastal ecosystems.

Contact:  Laurie.Rounds@noaa.gov, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (CPD).

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Coral Reef Conservation Program delivers report to Congress

Implementation of the National Coral Reef Action Strategy: Report on U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Agency Activities from 2004 – 2006 highlights the activities of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) in 2004 to 2006 to promote understanding of coral reefs and to reduce the threats to these valuable marine ecosystems.  The report provides summaries and examples of the activities conducted by USCRTF members and their extramural partners to fulfill the goals and objectives of the National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs (2000) and the U.S. National Coral Reef Action Strategy (2002).

As called for by the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (Pub. L. No. 106–562; 16 U.S.C. § 6401 et seq.), the report addresses each of the 13 goals detailed in the National Coral Reef Action Strategy and charts annual funding by federal agencies for activities directly related to the National Coral Reef Action Strategy.  It also presents a brief analysis of the future opportunities and challenges facing coral reef ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.  Highlights of activities include designation of the co-managed Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, coordinated interagency response to the 2005 Caribbean coral bleaching event, listing of Acropora coral species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and a status assessment of coral reefs following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

Contact: Beth.Dieveney@noaa.gov.  This report will be available on-line at www.coralreef.gov (not currently available).

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OCRM Helps Plan the Next NOAA Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Workshop

On June 17th, staff from the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management participated in a meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Regional Team to help plan the next NOAA Integrate Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) workshop to be held in August. This will be the second in a series of IEA workshops that gather all the regional teams to exchange information that addresses the NOAA IEA initiative. The IEA Priority Area Task Team describes an IEA as a synthesis and quantitative analysis of information on relevant physical, chemical, ecological, and human processes in relation to specified ecosystem management objectives. The Gulf of Mexico Regional Team developed a draft agenda that will further efforts to develop and implement IEAs through the NOAA Regional Collaboration as well as highlight the region's priorities, capabilities, and needs.

Contact: Laurie.Rounds@noaa.gov, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (CPD) 

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Virtually "Dive" into Florida's Shipwrecks

The state of Florida recently released a new Internet feature, “Museums in the Sea,” which provides a virtual Web tour of Florida’s Underwater Archaeological Preserves.  Florida’s Underwater Archaeological Preserves combine heritage, ecological and recreational tourism opportunities at 11 shipwreck locations around the state which are popular attractions for snorkelers and divers.

Now, visitors can virtually “dive” into Florida’s “Museums in the Sea” by visiting www.museumsinthesea.com . Visitors can choose a shipwreck, take a guided underwater tour of the site, watch a narrated history of the vessel, and observe the marine life that lives in the wreckage.  Each section of the site has photographs and text to accompany the videos.  Visitors also have the opportunity to download and print the Underwater Preserve brochures and underwater guides.

NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, and the Florida Coastal Management Program have been partners in the development of this Internet feature.

Contact:  kris.wall@noaa.gov, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, (CPD) 301-563-1168.

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MPA Center Publishes Analysis Report on West Coast Marine Managed Areas

The MPA Center has published a report describing characteristics of west coast marine managed areas (MMAs), illustrating how these types of place-based conservation are widely used in the west coast region.  The report "The State of U.S. Marine Managed Areas: West Coast," summarizes how MMAs along the west coast of the U.S. are used to conserve marine resources and ecosystems.  The report contains the best available information on the purpose, management approach, and location of MMAs off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington.  This report, combined with other regional analyses, will provide the foundation for an effective national system of MPAs.  The report is available to download on www.mpa.gov.

Contact: Lauren.Wenzel@noaa.gov

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