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September 2004
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Marine and Coastal:
 Ocean Commission Report Released and Senate Holds Hearing
The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy delivered its final report to the President and Congress on September 20th. Copies of the Report were mailed to the Governors and are available at http://www.oceancommission.gov. The Chair of the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Jim Connaughton, contacted CSO to affirm that the Administration was looking forward to reviewing the recommendations and welcomed additional feedback from the Governors. CEQ has been asked to lead an interagency effort to assist in preparing the President's response and recommendations which are due within 90 days. CEQ has set up a website, http://www.ocean.ceq.gov, which describes the activities of the Interagency Ocean Policy Group as the Administration prepares and ultimately submits its response to the U.S. Congress. It also provides an up-to-date accounting of the programs and policies already in place that are supported by the Administration to help manage, protect and conserve our ocean and coastal resources. Among other changes, the final report has been amended to further emphasize the important role of states, and to clarify that the Commission favors a balanced - not ‘top down' - approach of shared responsibility to coastal and ocean issues.
The following day, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on the Final Ocean Commission Report. Ten witnesses participated in the hearing, which included Representative Sam Farr (D-CA); Admiral James Watkins, Chair of the Commission; Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, NOAA Administrator and Governor Frank Murkowski (AK). Governor Murkowski testified on behalf of the National Governors Association (NGA) in his role as the new chair of the NGA Natural Resources Committee. Comments made by the Governor were generally consistent with NGA and CSO's policies, particularly the need for a true partnership that respects state sovereign and public trust responsibilities, no unfunded mandates and support CZMA reauthorization and federal consistency. The testimony of Governor Murkowski and the other witnesses can be found at: http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1316.
Nutrient and Sediment Pollution Concentrations Declining in some of the Non-tidal Portions of Chesapeake Bay Rivers
The USGS and the Susquehanna Basin Commission monitor nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment concentrations at non-tidal river input sites in the Bay's major rivers, and throughout the non-tidal portion of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. An examination of data collected between the 1980s and 2003 show that flow-adjusted concentrations of nutrient and sediment pollution are decreasing in about half of the river input stations and in many more sites monitored in the Susquehanna. Flow-adjusted concentration trends are largely independent of annual variability in stream flow and are useful in evaluating the success of point and nonpoint source management programs on a watershed-wide scale. However, not all trends are improving or unchanged: the Potomac River shows an increasing trend in phosphorus and the Pamunkey (a tributary to the York River) shows increasing trends in all three pollutants. The updated indicators can be viewed at the Chesapeake Bay Program web site: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/status.cfm?sid=77, http://www.chesapeakebay.net/status.cfm?sid=120,
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/status.cfm?sid=121.
Contact: Steve Preston 410-267-9875 or Nita Sylvester 410-267-5711
Ocean Policy Network Issues Letter to President
The Ocean Policy Network sent a letter to the President urging him to address three major issues emphasized in the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Preliminary Report. The letter called on the President to articulate a national ocean policy and underlying guiding principles, to elevate ocean affairs to the highest policy level and harmonize the work of the many federal agencies, and to significantly increase funding for the oceans. Members of the Ocean Policy Network that signed the letter include: The Nature Conservancy, The Ocean Conservancy, Center for Sea Change, Estuarine Research Federation, several universities and the American Association of Port Authorities among others.
Benthic Community and Habitat Condition Indicate Areas of Concern
According to recently released 2003 data, more than 50% of the benthic community and habitat in the middle Bay mainstream, and in tidal portions of the Patuxent, Potomac, Rappahannock, York and James rivers did not meet benthic restoration goals. In many areas of the Bay, benthic communities were marginally to moderately impaired and are expected to respond quickly to moderate improvements in water quality. However, in the mid-Bay mainstream and in the Potomac River, large areas were severely degraded (40% and 70% respectively). Low levels of dissolved oxygen, which are ultimately caused by excessive nutrient inputs to the Bay, are the primary cause of benthic degradation. Some small embayments such as the Elizabeth and Pagan rivers, however, have good bottom dissolved oxygen but stressed benthos due to toxic contaminants. Other areas, such as Baltimore Harbor, have a combination of problems.
The term "benthos" describes the wide variety of organisms that live on or in the bottom sediments. Clams, crustaceans, and worms are some of the animals that make up the benthos, many of which are a food source for many fish and crabs. Benthos also filter plankton and organic particles from the water column, and are excellent indicators for pollution and low dissolved oxygen levels. Oysters and other hard bottom dwelling organisms are also part of the benthos, but are not used in assessing the health of the benthic community. The updated indicator can be viewed at the Chesapeake Bay Program web site: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/status.cfm?sid=104
Contacts: Steve Preston 410-267-5875 or Jackie Johnson 410-267-5729
Watershed Partnership Seminar
The exciting two-week intensive watershed training entitled Watershed Partnership Seminar: Collaboration for Environmental Decision Making is scheduled for November 8 – 20, 2004 in Aurora, Colorado. The Seminar is designed to provide you with training in the natural and human aspects of the watershed process so that you understand their importance, and have the confidence to go back to your watershed and participate in developing and implementing an ecologically sustaining watershed strategy. This course, developed by EPA and the Office of Personnel Management, is for people from local, state, federal and tribal governments, non-profit organizations, the business community, and citizens involved in watershed management.
The Seminar uniquely and holistically demonstrates how leadership skills, partnerships and science are the building blocks for solving water quality and land use problems. Participants will work on an actual watershed case study wherein they'll apply a watershed management model that incorporates relevant natural and social science and policy topics. The Seminar includes experiential training in
1. self-assessment, stakeholder analysis, partnership building, communication skills, conflict resolution, and organizational development,
2. watershed assessment tools, urban and rural impacts issues, habitat restoration, TMDLs, monitoring and data, and GIS, and
3. time to exchange ideas and lessons learned regarding your own watershed experiences.
The seminar is a lot of work, but it's also fun and very rewarding! Past participants from novices in watershed management to long-time, experienced volunteers and staff have gained new insights, tools, and colleagues to support them in their watershed protection efforts. You too will leave with the ability to develop and implement management strategies for TMDLs, source water protection goals, Section 319 planning requirements, USDA/EQUIP programs, and other watershed protection efforts.
Participation is limited and the registration deadline was September 17th. The total cost for tuition, lodging, food and all course materials is $3900. For more details, go to http://www.leadership.opm.gov/content.cfm?CAT=WP. Or call Julianne Gatewood (OPM) at 304-870-8064/1-888-676-9632, julianne.gatewood@opm.gov, or Theresa Trainor (EPA) at 202-566-1250, trainor.theresa@epa.gov.
Estuary Habitat Restoration Council Meeting
The Estuary Habitat Restoration Council will hold their next meeting on Wednesday, October 6, 2004 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m (69, Federal Register, p. 56045, September 17). The public meeting will include election of the Council Chairperson, update on the National Estuary Restoration Inventory, reports on the Federal Symposium on Coastal Habitat Restoration and ongoing projects, and discussion of proposed focus areas for the future. Any persons interested in attending the meeting must pre-register with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by October 4, 2004. For more information, please contact Ellen Cummings at (202) 761-4750 or Cynthia Garman-Squier at (703) 695-6791.
NEP:
USGS Briefing on 2003 National Estuary Program (NEP) Leveraging Results
On August 30, 2004 Tim Jones and Gustavo Rubio of OWOW's Coastal Management Branch briefed the USGS Eastern Region State Liaisons on the 2003 NEP leveraging results. They reported that the NEPs leveraged approximately $17 million in base funding to generate nearly $200 million. These funds were used to protect and restore nearly 118,000 acres of habitat and reduce point and nonpoint sources of pollution threatening the 28 national estuaries. They discussed how the NEPs obtained these funds through finance planning and strategic partnerships with private, local, State, and Federal stakeholders. They also described the criteria used to count leveraged dollars. Finally, they reviewed the results of their multivariate analysis of the factors that affect leveraging amounts, such as number of NEP staff. The USGS liaisons had many questions which led to a lively discussion of NEP leveraging. This briefing was part of the OWOW Sustainable Finance Team's outreach to external stakeholders on innovative funding strategies. (Tim Jones, 566-1245)
National Estuaries Day Celebrated
EPA held a variety of community events celebrating National Estuaries Day which helped to educate people about the importance of protecting the estuaries. Over one hundred thousand students primarily in the US, but also in Europe and even Japan, took a live webcast journey through seven estuaries that are part of EPA's National Estuary Program or NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserves. Trained naturalists and educators guided the internet expeditions through estuaries in North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington, Alabama and Massachusetts. Students took an upclose look at different estuarine habitats, including wetlands and eelgrass beds, saw many interesting estuarine species such as sea stars, scallops, and brown pelicans, and learned about the importance of estuaries.
Visit www.estuaries.gov to see what a national estuary program is doing near you. To find out about these programs click on http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries.
Education and Involvement:
Senate Staff Updated on Proposal to Introduce Nonnative Oysters to Chesapeake Bay
Representatives from a variety of federal agencies and Virginia academic and nonprofit organizations participated in an August 31 congressional staff briefing for Ann Loomis (Sen. John Warner - VA) and Charlie Stek (Sen. Paul Sarbanes - MD) on the ongoing development of an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the MD/VA proposal to introduce nonnative oysters to Chesapeake Bay. NOAA staff, on behalf of NOAA, EPA, and FWS, presented a detailed analysis of outstanding research needed to support a risk assessment and alternatives analysis in the EIS. Scientists from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science voiced support for the federal agency analysis, as did Corps technical staff. Because of apparent disagreements between the federal and state partners over the scope and duration of essential background data gathering and research, EPA, NOAA and FWS are concerned that MD and VA may not sign cost-share agreements with the Corps for the EIS. The states could potentially issue a DEIS of their own, despite 2004 federal legislation that authorized the Corps to lead the EIS. EPA, NOAA, and FWS stressed the outstanding research needs, and expressed a strong desire to seek a commitment to a federal-state science-based process that will include checkpoints at which, together, all the stakeholders will judge the adequacy of supporting information. This process would replace a predetermined timeline for a DEIS. The federal partners noted that they view it as of paramount importance to make every possible attempt to keep the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership together on this issue.
Contact: Mike Fritz 410-267-5721
EPA:
World Water Monitoring Day
Benjamin Grumbles, Acting Assistant Administrator for Water, and Roberta Savage, President of America's Clean Water Foundation, held a press conference on September 3, 2004 to announce the Second World Water Monitoring Day at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
From Sept. 18 to Oct. 18, people around the world will be taking to their local waters to sample water quality and post their data as part of World Water Monitoring Day events. Monitoring activities and events will culminate on World Water Monitoring Day, Oct. 18, 2004-- which is the 32 anniversary of the Clean Water Act. EPA is partnering with America's Clean Water Foundation and others to encourage participants to use a simple test kit to take water quality samples of local streams, lakes bays or wetlands, enter their data into an international database, and take part in activities that educate us all about our role in protecting clean water. For more information on ordering water test kits and to register your monitoring location, visit
http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org .
Funding and Grants:
NOAA and NFWF Issue Joint Coral Reef Conservation Grants
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the funding of 26 grants – with a total value of more than $2.4 million – through the jointly managed Coral Reef Conservation Fund. The grants will go to conservation organizations and local governments in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to help restore damaged coral reef ecosystems and to prevent further negative impacts to reefs. Special emphasis was placed on projects demonstrating a hands-on, measurable approach to reducing land-based pollution or to improving the effectiveness of management in coral reef protected areas. Of the 26 grant awards, 15 will take place in the Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean region, nine in the North Pacific, and one each in the South Pacific and Atlantic. One million dollars in federal funds will leverage an additional $1.4 million in matching contributions for these projects. For information on the award winners, visit http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2004/sep04/noaa04-r472.html.
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