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Watershed News
May 2009
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Watershed News is a publication of EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds. It is designed to provide timely information to groups working at the watershed level.
In this month's newsletter
1) Dissolved Oxygen Environmental Benefit Fund2) Region 7 Wetlands Program Development Grants
3) Klamath River Watershed Restoration Program
4) Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act: National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program
5) Healthy Watersheds Initiative
6) Seven Wetland Stewards Win 2009 National Wetlands Awards
7) May is American Wetlands Month
8) Center for Watershed Protection Announced New Webcast Series Beginning on May 14th
9) Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder Contest 2009
10) The EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program (GMP) Announces the Gulf Guardian Awards
11) Year of Science Celebration
12) Healthy Watersheds Web site
13) Lake Como Texas
14) 5th National Conference for Nonpoint Source and Stormwater Outreach: "Achieving Results with Tight Budgets"
15) World Environmental and Water Resources Congress
16) Nonpoint Source Pollution Conference
17) River Network's National River Rally
18) StormCon '09
Funding/Technical Assistance
Dissolved Oxygen Environmental Benefit Fund 
The trustees of the Dissolved Oxygen Benefit Fund through the Fish and Wildlife Foundation are sponsoring a grant program to restore the habitat and improve the water quality of Western Long Island Sound and Jamaica Bay. Approximately four million will be available for projects and studies in the region. Eligible applicants include federal, state and local government, interstate entities, non-profit organizations and educational institutes. Applications are due May 2, 2009.
Region 7 Wetland Program Development Grants
Wetland Program Development Grants provide eligible applicants an opportunity to conduct projects that promote the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction and elimination of water pollution. states, tribes, local government agencies, interstate agencies and intertribal consortia are eligible to apply. Projects for awards under this RFP must occur within the states and other areas of EPA Region 7. Applications are due by May 5, 2009.
Klamath River Watershed Restoration Program
The Department of Interior Mid-Pacific Region Bureau of Reclamation has issued a request for funding opportunity applications. This grant programs is focused on improvement of the fish and wildlife habitats affected by reclamation projects. federal, state, and public or private agencies and organizations are eligible to apply. Applications are due by May 15, 2009..
Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act: National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program
The National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides States with a means of protecting and restoring the valuable resources of wetlands. Projects can include: (1) Acquisition of real estate property interests in coastal lands for long-term conservation or (2) restoration, enhancement, or management of coastal wetlands for long-term conservation. Eligible applications are any agency or agencies designated by the Governor of coastal states. Applications due by June 26, 2009.
News
Healthy Watersheds Initiative
EPA has launched a new initiative called "Healthy Watersheds" that emphasizes protection and conservation of aquatic ecosystems. The initiative is being introduced on a new Web site, Healthy Watersheds, which provides information on tools to identify and protect healthy watersheds and their components. The Web site provides critical information for making strategic decisions to both protect and restore our nation's waters.
While significant progress has been made in protecting and restoring water quality under the Clean Water Act, the nation continues to lose healthy aquatic ecosystems. Preserving healthy watersheds will provide the critical natural infrastructure needed to restore water quality. EPA's new initiative is predicated on the simple truth that it is much more cost-effective to protect the many benefits provided by healthy watersheds than it is to restore them once they become impaired.
Seven Wetland Stewards Win 2009 National Wetlands Awards
Seven citizens have been recognized for their on-the-ground wetland conservation efforts and decades-long dedication to protecting these important natural resources. A diverse panel of wetland experts assembled at the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) to select the winners of the 20th Anniversary National Wetlands Awards. This year's Award winners hail from all regions of the country and exemplify the extraordinary commitment and innovation that is so instrumental to conserving wetlands in the nation's communities. This year's winners are: Peter Bahls, Ken Brunswick, Richard Gitar, Carol Johnston, Melissa Samet, Richard Thieriot, and Susan Vincent. Collectively, the award winners have conserved tens of thousands of wetland acres and have mobilized hundreds of individuals to contribute to wetland conservation.
May is American Wetlands Month
This May will mark the 19th anniversary of American Wetlands Month, a time when EPA and its partners in federal, state, tribal, local, non-profit, and private sector organizations celebrate the vital importance of wetlands to the Nation's ecological, economic, and social health. The EPA is placing special emphasis on encouraging Americans to: Learn about wetlands, explore the wetlands near you and to take action to restore and protect wetlands. The EPA website will provide information about local wetlands events and please visit American Wetlands Month 2009 Events to share information about events near you.
A special Webcast will be held on May 28th on Wetlands - Reconnecting Youth with Nature. Speakers will include Richard Louv with the Children & Nature Network, Suzanne Pittenger-Slear of Environmental Concern Inc. and Davon Kenneth Johnson with the Earth Conservation Corps. Registration will open in approximately two weeks. Visit Watershed Academy Webcast Seminars.
Center for Watershed Protection Announced New Webcast Series Beginning on May 14th
The Center for Watershed Protection is pleased to announce its new webcast series. Attendees can now save time, travel expenses and, perhaps most importantly, carbon emissions, by attending the CWP training workshops over the Web. The debut webcast focuses on Municipal Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping, which is one of the minimum management measures associated with Phase II of the NPDES MS4 permit program. Join speakers from CWP, as well as guest speakers from state and local government as they share their experiences with developing municipal pollution prevention programs. If your community suffers from unruly roadways, horrendous hotspots, and lackluster landscapes, and is wondering how to manage its municipal operations to better protect water quality, then this webcast is for you.
Although the concepts behind municipal pollution prevention/good housekeeping are relatively easy to understand, communities across the country have found that the process of developing a comprehensive pollution prevention/good housekeeping program can be both confusing and intimidating. Fortunately, it's not as difficult as it seems. This webcast will feature practical guidance on developing and implementing an effective municipal pollution prevention/good housekeeping program. You'll hear about simple methods that can be used to assess and improve your municipal operations and about how to make the most of your pollution prevention/good housekeeping efforts.
You can sign up for this webcast and find out about other upcoming CWP webcasts by going to Watershed Academy Webcast Seminars .
Date and Time: Thursday, May 14, 12-2pm Eastern Time
Cost: $99
Registration closes 5/07/09
Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder Contest 2009
The EPA, Generations United, the Dance Exchange and the Rachel Carson Council, Inc., are hosting a poetry, essay, photo and dance contest "that best expresses the sense of wonder that you feel for the sea, the night sky, forests, birds, wildlife, and all that is beautiful to your eyes." Entries will be judged on how the use of intergenerational teams made the entry special and how the project brought teams in touch with the natural world. Entries are due by June 10, 2009 and the winner will be announced in September.
EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program (GMP) Announces the Gulf Guardian Awards
The award is a way to recognize the businesses, community groups, individuals and agencies that are taking steps to keeping the Gulf of Mexico healthy, beautiful and productive. A first, second and third place award will be given in each of the seven categories: Business, Civic/Non-profit Organization, Partnerships, Youth/Education, Individual, Government, and Bi-national. All 21 winners will receive an impressive marble and glass memento, press coverage on their project and recognition by their peers. The Gulf Guardian Awards is an important way in which we can recognize those whose stewardship for the environment has benefited us all. Application deadline is May 15, 2009.
Year of Science Celebration
The Year of Science 2009, sponsored by the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS), is national, year-long celebration of science and its value fo society. The COPUS network includes more than 430 universities, scientific societies, government agencies, science centers and museums, educators, schools and others. The goal is to improve the public's understanding of how science works, who scientists are, and why science matters. The year-long month celebration includes monthly themes, including a focus on Sustainability and the Environment in May. June will be dedicated to Oceans and Water.
Watershed Tool of the Month
Healthy Watersheds Web site
The EPA is pleased to announce the release of the new "Healthy Watershed Initiative." The Web site provides critical information to state and local governments for making strategic decisions to both protect and restore our nation's waters. While significant progress has been made in protecting and restoring water quality under the Clean Water Act, the nation continues to lose healthy aquatic ecosystems. Preserving healthy watersheds will provide the critical natural infrastructure needed to restore water quality. EPA's new initiative is predicated on the simple truth that it is much more cost-effective to protect the many benefits provided by healthy watersheds than it is to restore them once they become impaired. Learn more at Healthy Watersheds.
Webcast
Spotlight: Watersheds at Work
Lake Como Texas
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) banned people from possessing fish taken from Lake Como because the tissues of these fish contained high concentrations of potentially harmful chemicals. The fish possession ban prompted the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to include Lake Como on the state's 1996 Clean Water Act section 303(d) list of impaired waters. In response to the water quality problem, local, state and federal agencies implemented a range of best management practices (BMPs) in the city of Fort Worth. Recent risk analyses by the DSHS have shown that fish tissue pollutant levels have diminished sufficiently to rescind the fish possession ban. The TCEQ determined that Lake Como is fully supporting its fish consumption use and removed the lake from the 2008 303(d) impaired waters list.
Upcoming Conferences and Workshops
5th National Conference for Nonpoint Source and Stormwater Outreach: "Achieving Results with Tight Budgets"
Registration is now open for the Fifth National Conference on Nonpoint Source and Stormwater Outreach May 11-14 in Portland, Oregon. Learn more about the conference, jointly sponsored by EPA and USDA CSREES, at: About the Conference.
The first 150 registrants will receive a $100 discount. The registration page is online at: Conference Registration.
Monday, May 11, is reserved for pre-conference workshops. There are 3 full-day workshops:
- Changing Public Behavior Workshop - Learn to Apply Social Assessment to Water Management Strategies
- Getting in Step - A Workshop on Conducting Effective Stormwater/NPS Outreach Campaigns
- Eyes on the Prize - Morning Session: An Evaluation Primer for NPS and Stormwater Programs. Afternoon Session: Overview of Social Indicators Evaluation System and Applied Survey Development Skills and 1 half-day workshop: Onsite Wastewater Education - Research-based Outreach Strategies to Help Minimize NPS Pollution Risks
On Wednesday evening, May 13, the conference will host the People's Choice Awards to spotlight the best new radio and TV public service announcements. The deadline for submitting PSAs has been extended from March 2 to March 13. More information on the People's Choice Awards is available at: People's Choice Awards at Meriwether's Restaurant.
World Environmental and Water Resources Congress
May 17-21, 2009. Kansas City, MO. Organized by EWRI and ASCE, this Congress' central theme is the great rivers of the world and the engineering challenges of balancing environmental and development issues while achieving a sustainable future. It is imperative that those working on the front lines - at the environmental/water engineering nexus - share insights from research and practical experience in the field to generate best practices for the future on issues such as river system management, environmental issues, watershed management and restoration, dam safety, hydraulic structures, and so much more.
Nonpoint Source Pollution Conference
May 18-20, 2009. Portland, ME. Organized by New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. The three-day conference brings together all those in New England and New York State involved in NPS pollution management, including participants from state, federal, and municipal governments, private sector, academia, and watershed organizations.
River Network's National River Rally
May 29-June 1, 2009. Baltimore, MD. Baltimore, Maryland will play host to the 10th National River Rally. And, like the nine River Rallies preceding it, River Rally 2009 is sure to be an event you won't want to miss. Highlights include:
- A series of intensive, 4-hour workshops on Friday afternoon
- Over 70 additional workshops covering topics of interest to staff, volunteers and board members of river conservation organizations
- Office hours, mentoring sessions and real life, in-person conversations with funders and exhibitors
- The River Heroes Banquet: a memorable and inspirational night of celebrating our own leaders
- Unsurpassed networking opportunities
StormCon '09
August 16-20, 2009. Anaheim, CA. In addition to serving municipal and government professionals, StormCon offers sessions on sediment and erosion control practices for contractors, and techniques for special sites, such as airports and ports. StormCon offers non-technical stormwater sessions that will benefit those completely new to stormwater, as well as advanced sessions for seasoned professionals.