nerrs.noaa.gov - Stewardship

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is a partnership of NOAA and coastal states to study and protect vital coastal and estuarine resources.

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Reserve research and monitoring programs provide a robust foundation for effective national, regional, and local coastal zone management.

System-Wide + Overview of Research & Monitoring + System-wide Monitoring Program + NERRS Science Collaborative Opportunities + Graduate Research Fellowships		Resources + Research & Monitoring Data + Research Monitoring Products + Research Partners + Contact Research Coordinators Reserve-based + Reserve Research

Graduate Fellows use reserves as living laboratories to address coastal management needs in the natural and social sciences.

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Reserves provide educational & outreach activities that advance estuary literacy and engage educators, students and the general public to practice coastal stewardship.

System-Wide + Education Network + Estuaries.noaa.gov Opportunities + K-12 Education Programs + Community Education + Public Outreach + How You Can Help		Resources + About Estuaries + Videos & Games + Real-time Data & Maps + Publications Reserve-based + Reserve Education

The Coastal Training Program provides science-based information and training to support those who make decisions that affect coastal resources.

System-Wide + Overview + Audiences + Coastal Management Issues Opportunities + Key Partners + Training Calendar		Resources + Case Studies + Training Profiles + Publications Reserve-based + Reserve CTP

Reserve Stewardship programs integrate science, monitoring and communities to protect, manage, and restore coastal habitats.

System-Wide + Ecological Changes + Water Quality + Habitat Alteration Opportunities + Restoration + Mapping + Land Acquisition		Resources + Habitat Mapping and Change + Restoration Science + Land Acquisition + Publications Reserve-based + Reserve Stewardship

- News and listings of events, activities and achievements from throughout the National Estuarine Research Reserve System.
  
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The National Estuarine Research Reserve System protects more than 1.3 million acres in 28 reserves in 22 states and Puerto Rico.

Northeast + Wells, ME + Great Bay, NH + Waquoit Bay, MA + Narragansett Bay, RI + Hudson River, NY Mid Atlantic + Jacques Cousteau, NJ + Delaware + Chesapeake Bay, MD + Chesapeake Bay, VA Southeast + North Carolina + North Inlet-Winyah, SC + ACE Basin, SC + Sapelo Island, GA + GTM, FL		Great Lakes + Old Woman Creek, OH + Lake Superior, WI Caribbean + Jobos Bay, PR Gulf of Mexico + Rookery Bay, FL + Apalachicola, FL + Weeks Bay, AL + Grand Bay, MS + Mission-Aransas, TX West Coast + Kachemak Bay, AK + Padilla Bay, WA + South Slough, OR + San Francisco, CA + Elkhorn Slough, CA + Tijuana River, CA

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Stewardship

Habitat Alternation

Land Use and Habitat Change

The reserves are addressing habitat alteration within their boundaries by targeting and attempting to minimize impacts from land use in the watersheds. Reserve watersheds are extremely diverse with respect to size, geomorphology, land uses, and population density. Hence, the watersheds of reserves are living laboratories to examine the impacts of land use on estuarine habitats and the effectiveness of various strategies to address these impacts. Reserves are working with farmers and ranchers in Ohio, Washington State, Puerto Rico, and California to develop and monitor effects of best management practices for agriculture. Other reserves are applying decision support tools to their GIS data bases to support watershed management planning by examining the impacts of proposed plans on estuarine water quality and habitat integrity.

Stewardship Stories

Examples of how reserves work with individual land owners in the watershed

Padilla Bay - Agricultural Demonstration Farm
Old Woman Creek - Agricultural Demonstration Farm
Jobos Bay - Agricultural Demonstration Farm
Elkhorn Slough - Work with Ranchers and Farmers
Wells - Work with Individual Land Owners - SWIM Project

Last Updated on: Wednesday, October 28, 2009


Reserve Stewardship ACE Basin, SC Apalachicola, FL Chesapeake Bay, MD Chesapeake Bay, VA Delaware Elkhorn Slough, CA Grand Bay, MS Great Bay, NH GTM, FL Hudson River, NY Jacques Cousteau, NJ Kachemak Bay, AK Mission-Aransas, TX Narragansett Bay, RI North Carolina North Inlet-Winyah, SC Old Woman Creek, OH Padilla Bay, WA Rookery Bay, FL San Francisco, CA Sapelo Island, GA South Slough, OR Tijuana River, CA Waquoit Bay, MA Weeks Bay, AL Wells, ME Ecological Changes Invasive Species Species of Concern Fire Management Water Quality Water Quality Monitoring Watershed Management Habitat Alteration Habitat Mapping Habitat Restoration Land Use & Habitat Change Restoration Restoration One-Pager Mapping Land acquisition Habitat Mapping and Change NERRS Mapping Plan Classification System Classification Scheme Implementation Protocols Restoration Science Land Acquisition Publications
	For more information contact Nina.Garfield@noaa.gov