What's in the News . . .

CICEET Awards Funds to Advance Low Impact Stormwater Practices (January, 2009)

The UNH/NOAA CICEET has awarded $466,000 to develop new tools to advance low impact development (LID) stormwater practices in coastal areas as part of its Environmental Technology Demonstration and Development Program. Escalating development along the coast has exacerbated the need for effective ways to manage the quantity of stormwater runoff and its impact on water quality.

LID techniques, such as rain gardens and permeable pavements, are potentially powerful tools to address this need. However, several barriers limit their use, including misperceptions about the effectiveness of LID stormwater systems, an inability to articulate the economic benefits of their use, and regulations that encourage traditional structural approaches to stormwater management, such as detention ponds.

In Maryland increasing development along the coast has escalated the need for effective ways to manage the quantity of stormwater runoff and its impact on water quality. The Center for Watershed Protection is adapting the Watershed Treatment Model, which tracks pollutant sources and the effectiveness of various watershed treatment options to the geography of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains. They also are developing case studies of communities that have successfully implemented LID practices. Investigators will work with local communities to refine these tools, evaluate current regulations and zoning, and identify barriers and opportunities to change. The research team will use existing networks developed by the Center and Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials to collaborate with communities and disseminate the tools to the 15 states that encompass these coastal plains. 

Contact:  Dwight.Trueblood@noaa.gov, UNH/NOAA CICEET, 603-862-3580 

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Western Coastal Zone Managers Meet (January 2009)

NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resources Management (OCRM) hosted the annual Western Coastal Managers Meeting at the Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s (BCDC) office in San Francisco, CA, January 26-28.  CZM staff from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii attended the meeting, as well as representatives from Sea Grant and NOAA’s Coastal Services Center, National Marine Sanctuaries, and National Estuarine Research Reserve System.  The meeting was timed to allow participants to attend the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USGS/USFWS) Climate Change Conference January 29-30.

Climate change adaptation activities in the western state, marine alternative energy siting and permitting, and place-based management tools and initiatives were the leading topics of discussion.  Managers also created a list of the most pressing research and information they need to achieve their climate change adaptation goals.  Part of this list was shared through a presentation given by BCDC at the USGS/USFWS conference. Attendees also went on a field trip to two large wetland restoration projects, one in the early stages of completion, and the other successfully implemented.  Working with federal and local agencies, both sites used dredge material from the San Francisco Bay to form their wetlands. OCRM staff also held a question-and-answer session for the states on CZMA Performance Indicators.

Contact: Matt.Gove@noaa.gov (301) 563-1185, OCRM (CPD)

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OCRM Hosts Annual Program Managers Meeting (February 2009)

The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management hosted its annual Program Managers Meeting of 34 coastal programs, 27 national estuarine research reserves and the marine protected areas center in Washington, DC, February 23-26, 2009. The annual meeting provides an opportunity for NOAA and state agency leaders and staff to discuss issues of common interest. The focus of this year's meeting was on climate change, coastal hazards, and coastal smart growth. The meeting included participation by Mary M. Glackin, Acting Deputy Under Secretary of NOAA and John H. Dunnigan, NOS Assistant Administrator, in a leadership forum with more than a dozen state agency leaders. The weeklong series of meetings culminated in the development of a strategy for moving forward together in addressing the common issues facing all of the programs.

The annual Program Managers Meeting is the only opportunity for NOAA's OCRM to interact as a group with the state coastal programs and national estuarine reserves and the marine protected areas center. The meeting allows for technical information and legislative information exchange and provides an opportunity to jointly solve problems of emerging issues.

Contact: Patmarie.Nedelka@noaa.gov , OCRM (NPED) 301-563-1127

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OCRM Launches Climate Change Webpage (February 2009)

OCRM has launched a Climate Change Webpage on the OCRM Website, http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/climate.html. Designed as a resource for coastal managers, as well as to inform the public about the effects of climate change on coastal habitats and communities, the site includes discussion of such climate change impacts as sea level rise, ocean acidification, and changing species distribution. A section on OCRM activities explains some ways OCRM is helping coastal and NERRS managers address climate change. Another section features case studies of NOAA state and local partners’ climate change projects around the country. Visitors to the site also will find links to other climate information sites, including other NOAA sites, in the Resources section, http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/climate.html#climateeight.

Contact: Ellen.Ternes@noaa.gov , OCRM 301-713-3155 x173

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U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Meets in Washington (February 2009)

The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) held its 21st meeting, Wednesday February 25, in Washington D.C.  The meeting, officially hosted by the U.S. Department of the Interior, was co-chaired by Acting NOAA Administrator Mary Glackin on behalf of NOAA.  As the first USCRTF meeting in the new administration, the meeting emphasized the importance of coral reef conservation, highlightedconservation strategies and successes in member jurisdictions, and promoted an enhanced vision for how the USCRTF and its members can work to meet the challenges facing coral reefs and local communities.

Governors from four member jurisdictions provided remarks: Governor Togiola, American Samoa; Governor Camacho, Guam, Governor Fitial, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and Governor deJongh, U.S. Virgin Islands.  Opening remarks also were made by U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Nancy Sutley.  Dr. Richard Aronson, of the Florida Institute of Technology and President of the International Society for Reef Studies, delivered the keynote address.  An evening reception, hosted by non-governmental partners at the National Aquarium in the U.S. Department of Commerce, followed the Task Force meeting.

The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force is co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and of the Interior, and includes leaders of 12 federal agencies, seven U.S. states and territories, and three freely associated states. The mission is to lead, coordinate, and strengthen U.S. government actions to better preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems.

Contact:  Beth.Dieveney@noaa.gov, (301) 563-1129, OCRM (CRCP)

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Marine Protected Areas Center Receives Nominations to National System of MPAs (February 2009)

Nearly 200 MPAs were nominated to join the national system in the first round of nominations, which closed on February 13.  The first group of sites included all 13 National Marine Sanctuaries, four National Estuarine Research Reserves, the Papaha-naumokua-kea Marine National Monument, National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and sites managed by nine coastal state and territorial governments.  The nominated sites will be published in the Federal Register for a 30-day public comment period.  Following review of public comments, the final nominations will be formally accepted as charter members of the national system later this spring. 

Contact: Lauren.Wenzel@noaa.gov , 301-713-3100 x 136, OCRM (MPAC)

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