INDEX:
---EDITOR'S NOTE---

---EDITOR'S CHOICE---

WA: Legislature Breathes New Life Into Wetland Banking
GAO Report: Corps of Engineers Needs to Evaluate Its District Office Practices in Determining Jurisdiction
House Subcommittee to Hold Wetlands Hearing
Technical and Financial Assistance Available for Watershed Protection Efforts in Coastal Ecosystems
How Are You Celebrating American Wetlands Month This May?

---NATIONAL UPDATES---

West Faces Drought, Wildfires - NOAA
International Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership Launched
US Army Corps Must Curb Wasteful Spending - Activists
USDA to Provide $84 Million to Protect Farm and Ranch Land
USGS Report: America's Water Use in 2000 Virtually Unchanged Despite Growth
USDOI $61 Million in Grants to States to Support Wildlife and Habitats
Duck Hunters Win One For Isolated Wetlands — Or Do They?
DU, Partners Awarded NAWCA Grants to Conserve and Restore Key Wetlands
Administration Negotiates Ceding Wildlife Refuge To State
Appeals Court Revives General Electric Challenge Of Superfund Law
Federal Agencies Talk About Protecting Minnow, Flycatcher
The Bush Administration's Scientific Distortions Threaten The Environment
Huge Missouri River Management Plan Unveiled

---LEGISLATIVE UPDATES---

Salt Cedar And Russian Olive Control Act Passes House
FY05 Budget Resolution in Development
International Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership Launched

---STATES NEWS---

VA: Embrey Dam Demolition Frees Rappahannock River
San Francisco Bay: Project Manager, Engineers Picked For Salt Pond Project
San Joaquin: Bird Population Soars As Waterfowl Habitat Fully Floods
DEP signs Panhandle wetlands permitting deal with St. Joe
Gift from Agricultural-Processing Giant ADM Aids Kansas Wetlands Project
CA: Biologists Find Cows Make Good Company For Some Rare Critters
Tennessee Governor Plans To Restore Wetlands Funds
Everglades Mining Project Poses Greater Threat to Dade County’s Drinking Water than Previously Thought, Government Studies Show

---PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES---

Thematic Review on Coastal Wetland Habitats and Shrimp Aquaculture
NOAA Releases New Manual On Coastal Habitat Restoration Monitoring
Audubon, NRCS Launch Backyard Conservation Website
GAO Report: EPA Actions Taken Against Nonprofit Grant Recipients in 2002

---POTPOURRI---

M.S. Research Assistantship: Wetland Habitat Enhancement
Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistantship – Deer Herbivory on Wetland Plant Communities
Everglades Undergrad Summer Research Opportunity

---MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES---

For a rolling calendar of meeting, conferences, and other events visit the ASWM calendar.

EDITOR'S NOTE

Dear friends and colleagues,

Many of you will be in Washington DC this week with Jeanne Christie and Jon Kusler for an invitation-only meeting.  I will not be able to participate this year but do send my best regards, trusting those in attendance to improve the plight of US wetlands.  However, I am not completely restricted to the Land Trust Alliance office or to my home; for instance I will be joining many of our New York state colleagues at the New York State Wetlands Forum meeting on March 31-April 1 in Rochester (http://www.wetlandsforum.org/).  I think.  I hope!  Even if I am shackled to my desk and can’t attend, I encourage you to go.  The NYSWF has pulled together another show-stopper, and there will be plenty to talk about during and after.

Bill Wilen, Director, National Wetlands Inventory Center, reminded us that the National Wetlands Inventory web site has been revised.  Located at http://www.nwi.fws.gov/, some major additions include “Wetlands Links – Other Organizations,” “Kids and Educators” page, publications page, etc.  This site, including the Wetlands Interactive Mapper, has been invaluable to regular joes and GIS power users alike.  ALAS:  since last week parts of the USFWS internet services have once again been taken offline due to “security holes in its computer system that put at risk payments owed to Native Americans.” ((ENS) World News March 19, 2004).  Please stay tuned, though – the down time will no doubt be used to improve the site even further. 

Many thanks to our venerable contributors, including Bill Wilen, USFWS; Vivian Newman, Sierra Club; Earle Cummings, California guardian; and Scott Hausmann, WI DNR.

Finally, congratulations to the venerable Professor William Mitsch, one of two honored with a 2004 Stockholm Water Prize (http://www.siwi.org/press/presrel_04_SWP_Winner_Eng.htm).  His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden will present the Prize in the Stockholm City Hall on Thursday, August 19, 2004. The Laureates will also share the USD 150,000 Prize sum.  We couldn’t imagine a more deserving recipient, and are honored to call him our friend.

Until next time,

Jennifer Brady-Connor
Editor, Wetland Breaking News

EDITOR'S CHOICE

WA: Legislature Breathes New Life Into Wetland Banking

WA Dept. of Ecology news release, 3/12/04. OLYMPIA - Efforts to create and preserve wetlands in Washington got a boost from the state legislature as part of the newly adopted supplemental budget. With support from developers and environmentalists, lawmakers provided $120,000 so the Department of Ecology (Ecology) can revive a proposed "wetland banking" regulation that was shelved two years ago due to budget cuts.  The 2004 supplement budget directs Ecology to coordinate a pilot project on wetland mitigation banking and to develop and implement a wetland banking rule. 

Ecology will create an advisory committee representing other state agencies, the Army Corps of Engineers, businesses, mitigation-banking organizations and environmentalists to provide guidance on the pilot project and the new wetland-banking rule.  Three or four wetland banks will be developed and evaluated as part of the pilot project.  Information gleaned from the project will be used in developing the final rule, which would be adopted only if funding is provided in the 2005-07 state budget. http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2004news/2004-052.html

GAO Report: Corps of Engineers Needs to Evaluate Its District Office Practices in Determining Jurisdiction

The Government Accounting Agency has released a new report, Waters and Wetlands:  Corps of Engineers Needs to Evaluate Its District Office Practices in Determining Jurisdiction.  GAO-04-297, February 27. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-297 Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d04297high.pdf

“The GAO recommends that the Corps, in consultation with [EPA]: (1) survey district office practices in making jurisdictional determinations to determine if significant differences exist, (2) evaluate whether and how these differences need to be resolved, and (3) require districts to document their practices and make these decisions publicly available.”

House Subcommittee to Hold Wetlands Hearing

NRCS Legislative Summary for March 22, 2004. “The Water Resources and Environmental Subcommittee (Chairman Duncan, TN) of House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing on the inconsistent regulatory environment for wetlands created by varied rulings of district courts. The variations in the decisions cause uncertainty in knowing how the same regulatory standards will apply from one area to the next. March 30 10:00 a.m. 2167 Rayburn Building” More information regarding the hearing will be posted at the committee's website, as well as information concerning whether there will be a live broadcast of the hearing.  Visit  http://www.house.gov/transportation/

Technical and Financial Assistance Available for Watershed Protection Efforts in Coastal Ecosystems

March 9, 2004 issue of LGEAN Update.  “The U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are offering technical and financial assistance to coastal communities for 2004 through its Coastal Program. The Coastal Program partners with coastal communities to improve the health of their specific watersheds benefiting fish, wildlife and the community. Individual coastal programs have varying deadlines. For more information, click on the following URL: http://www.lgean.org/html/whatsnew.cfm?id=719”

How Are You Celebrating American Wetlands Month This May?

Leah Miller, IWLA.  American Wetlands Month is a wonderful opportunity for communities to conserve wetlands and help educate others about their importance. Each May, thousands of Americans celebrate the uniqueness, beauty and importance of wetlands through on-the-ground projects, activities and events. If you are organizing a wetland or watershed event in May (or anytime throughout the year), please take this opportunity to advertise your event on the Izaak Walton League's Web site at www.iwla.org/sos/awm/events. This is the official site for American Wetlands Month events. As the coordinator of American Wetlands Month, the Izaak Walton League directs volunteers and reporters from across the country to this page to find local events.  In addition to the calendar of events, the League also offers an American Wetlands Month kit to assist local groups in initiating projects. The kit includes fact sheets on wetlands, project ideas, case studies of projects from across the country, step-by-step information on how to coordinate specific projects, and links to many informative wetland sites. Access the kit on-line at www.iwla.org/sos/awm.

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NATIONAL UPDATE

West Faces Drought, Wildfires - NOAA

PlanetArk World News, 3/22/04. WASHINGTON – “Drought conditions blanketing much of the Western United States are not expected to improve this spring, leading to more potential for "large, destructive" fires in some areas, U.S. government weather forecasters said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned in its spring weather outlook, which covers the April-June period, that above average precipitation during the winter has done little to improve multi-year drought conditions in Western states such as Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho and Montana . . . “ http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/24373/story.htm   

International Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership Launched

The Nature Conservancy news release, 3/22/04. - The Gillette Company, The Nature Conservancy and the United Nations Foundation today announced the launch of the International Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (ICWRP), an innovative private-public initiative to restore wetlands and other aquatic habitats around the world.  The Nature Conservancy, Gillette and the UN Foundation are providing $750,000 for the ICWRP's inaugural project to conserve freshwater, marine and coastal resources in and around Mexico's Sian Ka'an World Heritage/Ramsar site, a wetland of vital importance located just south of Cancun. http://nature.org/pressroom/press/press1379.html

US Army Corps Must Curb Wasteful Spending - Activists

PlanetArk World News, 3/19/04.  WASHINGTON – “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to spend $12 billion on more than two dozen unneeded projects because of pressure from special interest groups and individual members of Congress, two activist groups said yesterday.  The Corps, the agency responsible for building federal dams and designating flood plains, has been criticized in recent years for frivolous spending and rigging data to justify projects that create jobs at the expense of the environment . . . “ http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/24358/story.htm

USDA to Provide $84 Million to Protect Farm and Ranch Land

USDA news release, 3/16/04.  Secretary Veneman announced that $84 million will be available to protect farm and ranch land through USDA’s Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP). Through NRCS, FRPP protects productive agricultural land by purchasing conservation easements to limit conversion of farm and ranch lands to non-agricultural uses. NRCS will accept proposals from interested state, tribal and local governments and non-governmental organizations until the end of April 2004. The Request for Proposals was published in the Federal Register, on March 17, 2004. http://www.usda.gov/Newsroom/0107.04.html

USGS Report: America's Water Use in 2000 Virtually Unchanged Despite Growth

USGS news release, 3/11/04.  Despite growing population and increasing electricity production, water use in the United States remains fairly stable, according to a new report released today by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).  The USGS report shows that in 2000, Americans used 408 billion gallons of water per day, a number that has remained fairly stable since 1985 and a sign that conservation is working. In the report, Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000, USGS researchers found that the chief water users for the Nation are power generation, agriculture and public water supply. The USGS report also finds that the personal use of water is rising, but not faster than population change. The full report is available online at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/circ1268/.

USDOI $61 Million in Grants to States to Support Wildlife and Habitats

USFW news release, 3/10/04.  Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will award $61.2 million in wildlife grants to state and territorial wildlife agencies. The State Wildlife Grant program is designed to assist states in the development and implementation of programs that benefit wildlife, including species not fished or hunted, and their habitats.  The funds are made available through annual appropriations. http://news.fws.gov/

Duck Hunters Win One For Isolated Wetlands — Or Do They?

ENN Daily News for 3/9/04.  By Joseph B. Verrengia, Associated Press. MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – “When conservationists decided to fight for the wetlands, they called in their big gun. Perched at President Bush's elbow for an hour-long White House meeting was John Tomke, president of Ducks Unlimited, the nation's largest waterfowl hunting group with 1 million members. It looked like a cozy gathering. George W. Bush's father is the organization's most celebrated member since John Wayne. When you telephone its headquarters, you're likely to hear a recorded message by the former president instead of Muzak. But this meeting was no social call . . . ” http://www.enn.com/news/2004-03-09/s_13818.asp

DU, Partners Awarded NAWCA Grants to Conserve and Restore Key Wetlands

Memphis, TN, March 8, 2004 –“The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (MBCC) ** (http://realty.fws.gov/mbcc.html) approved 17 NAWCA wetland conservation projects this past week. Ducks Unlimited (DU) is the ‘grantee’ for five of these projects, and will serve as a ‘partner’ for five others. The United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) will distribute $4,893,310 to DU over the next two years for the five wetlands habitat conservation grants garnered in this federal funding cycle . . . “  http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release-m.asp?objid=%7C%7CD1D1364B000000FB2C74E1DCF323D070

Administration Negotiates Ceding Wildlife Refuge To State

PEER news release, 3/4/04.  Washington, DC – “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in discussions to surrender management of a national wildlife refuge and turn it over to a state agency, according to an agency email released today by the Blue Goose Alliance and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The groups are expressing concern about both the legality and wisdom of dismantling the National Wildlife Refuge System in a letter they also released today . . . “ http://www.peer.org/press/436.html

Appeals Court Revives General Electric Challenge Of Superfund Law

Devlin Barrett, Associated Press Writer, 3/4/04.  WASHINGTON (AP) – “A federal appeals court has revived a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the 1980 Superfund law that allows the government to assess polluters for cleaning up toxic waste sites. The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals directs a lower court judge to reopen General Electric Co.'s suit against the Environmental Protection Agency arising out of a planned $500 million cleanup of the upper Hudson River . . . “ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/03/04/financial1816EST0362.DTL 

Federal Agencies Talk About Protecting Minnow, Flycatcher

3/3/04.  By Patricia L. Garcia, Associated Press. ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – “Representatives from three federal agencies met with state and local officials for the first of a series of meetings on the fate of the endangered silvery minnow and the Southwestern willow flycatcher. About 50 people, including tribal representatives, city officials and environmentalists, rekindled talks with the representatives Monday about the species and long-term management of the Rio Grande River . . . Environmentalists have filed lawsuits in an effort to protect both species — something made more difficult in recent years by New Mexico's drought and the need to provide water under interstate contracts. . . “ http://www.enn.com/news/2004-03-03/s_13661.asp

The Bush Administration's Scientific Distortions Threaten The Environment

Daily Grist “Muckraker” column, by Amanda Griscom, 3/2/04.  “In late February, after a star-studded, bipartisan lineup of Nobel laureates and leading American scientists accused the Bush administration of misusing and distorting science to serve political ends, the initial response from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. was flat-out denial. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy chief John Marburger dismissed the scientists' complaints as a 'conspiracy report' that cobbled together 'disconnected issues that rubbed somebody the wrong way.' Marburger told the press he had no intention of conducting an internal investigation or passing the report along to higher-ups. Perhaps he should have dropped them a memo . . . “ http://www.gristmagazine.com/muck/muck030204.asp?source=daily

Huge Missouri River Management Plan Unveiled

PlanetArk World News, 3/1/04.  KANSAS CITY, Mo. – “In what may become one of the largest federally funded habitat construction programs in the country's history, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last week unveiled a 30-year, $1.3 billion plan to restore the Missouri River. Initial reaction indicated the plan satisfied no one involved in a years-long dispute over the future of the historic river, including environmentalists, farm and barge shipping interests and states that rely on the water . . . “ http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/24040/story.htm

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LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Salt Cedar And Russian Olive Control Act Passes House

NRCS Legislative Summary for March 8, 2004.  “On Tuesday, February 24, 2004, the House passed, by a vote of 367-40 (HR 2707), the Salt Cedar and Russian Olive Control Assessment and Demonstration Act. This legislation would direct the Forest Service to provide an assessment of the invasion of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive in the West and a demonstration program to assess potential water savings. The bill would authorize $25 million annually for  demonstration projects from fiscal 2005 through 2010. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (Chairman Domenici, NM) has approved a similar bill (S. 1516) that would authorize up to $50 million for a pilot program.”

FY05 Budget Resolution in Development

Natural Resources Defense Council's LEGISLATIVE WATCH, 3/12/04.  “The House and Senate have begun developing the FY05 budget resolution, which lays out spending limits for the 13 appropriations bills that Congress must pass each year. Republican leaders are using President Bush's budget request as the blueprint for the budget resolution. The president's request would shortchange environmental programs across all government agencies, with the Environmental Protection Agency particularly hard hit with a nearly seven percent cut compared to last year's budget. For more information on the Bush administration's proposed FY05 budget, see NRDC's budget statement, and NRDC's analysis of the budget. http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/040204b.asp

High Prices Make Energy Bill Likely

PlanetArk World News, 3/23/04.  SAN ANTONIO, Texas – “High energy prices make the passage of a comprehensive energy bill more likely, the chairman of the U.S. House energy and commerce committee said. The bill, supported by President Bush, needs the agreement of only two more senators to bring it before the full Senate for consideration, said Rep. Joe Barton, a Texas Republican . . . The final version of the bill has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The Republican majority in the Senate is expected to pass it if comes up for a vote . . . “ http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/24397/story.htm

STATES NEWS

VA: Embrey Dam Demolition Frees Rappahannock River

American Rivers news release, 3/23/04.  (Fredericksburg, Virginia) As conservationists cheered, a military demolition team blasted a 100-foot section out Embrey Dam today – allowing the Rappahannock River to flow unimpeded from its headwaters in the Blue Ridge Mountains to its mouth in the Chesapeake Bay for the first time since 1910.  The aging structure no longer served any purpose, had become a safety hazard, and sealed off the river from several fish species that once used the Rappahannock and its tributaries to spawn. “This is the culmination of nearly two decades of grassroots advocacy,” said John Tippett, executive director of Friends of the Rappahannock. “It’s a true testament to the power of persistence and the influence of constructive community partnerships.” http://www.americanrivers.org/index.php?module=HyperContent&func=display&cid=2699

San Francisco Bay: Project Manager, Engineers Picked For Salt Pond Project

San Jose Mercury News - 3/9/04. “Government efforts to restore thousands of acres of industrial salt ponds ringing the South Bay shoreline back to wetlands for fish and wildlife have taken a new step forward, with the announcement of a project manager and engineering team.  The California Coastal Conservancy, the state agency overseeing restoration of 15,100 acres of South Bay ponds that the state and federal government purchased last year from Cargill Salt, has selected Steve Ritchie as executive project manager . . . The conservancy also selected an engineering team . . . State and federal officials have begun holding public meetings and conducting studies as part of a five-year plan to turn the salt ponds into a mix of wildlife habitats by diluting salt water and removing some levees, while protecting neighboring areas against flood risk.” For more information go to http://www.southbayrestoration.org/

San Joaquin: Bird Population Soars As Waterfowl Habitat Fully Floods

Associated Press - 3/9/04, Seattle Post Intelligencer.  DELANO – “Record numbers of ducks, ibises, egrets and other waterfowl are wintering in a wildlife refuge in the southern San Joaquin Valley, thriving in restored wetlands that have been fully flooded for the first time since the refuge's creation four decades ago.  Covering the Kern National Wildlife Refuge's 6,500 acres of wetlands in water after decades of only having enough resources to water a third of the area has turned the marsh into ‘an oasis in the desert,’ said Ducks Unlimited biologist Chris Hildebrandt . . . “ http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Bird%20Heaven 
DEP signs Panhandle wetlands permitting deal with St. Joe

2/25/04, Associated Press. PANAMA CITY, Fla. – “State officials approved an unprecedented agreement Wednesday to free The St. Joe Co. from the usual permitting process for developments involving wetlands.  Critics called it a "giveaway" to Florida's largest private land owner and the Panhandle's biggest developer.  Company officials, some environmentalists and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, however, hailed the agreement as a model for regional growth that will preserve, rather than destroy, wetlands vital as bird and wildlife habitats. The Ecosystem Management Agreement covers more than 31,350 acres of St. Joe-owned property in Bay and Walton counties between Chocatawhatchee and West bays. West Bay is part of the St. Andrew Bay system. DEP officials said the plan will conserve 20,760 acres . . . “ http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8040912.htm

Gift from Agricultural-Processing Giant ADM Aids Kansas Wetlands Project

By Darrin Stineman, The Salina Journal, Kan. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. Feb. 20 - McPHERSON, Kan. -- A $200,000 donation from Archer Daniels Midland Co. to Ducks Unlimited will help secure a grant of more than $1 million that should be enough to finish restoring the McPherson Valley Wetlands, a Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks official said Thursday. ‘The goal was to get 5,000 acres. This should get us there,’ said Randy Clark, a regional public lands superintendent for Wildlife and Parks. ‘This will allow us to apply for a North American Wetlands Council grant. This would be our fifth and would finish up the project or get us real close.’”

CA: Biologists Find Cows Make Good Company For Some Rare Critters

ENN Daily News for 2/17/04.  By Juliana Barbassa, Associated Press. GALT, Calif. – “Fairy shrimp, the rare tiger salamander, the solitary bee — rare critters who live in seasonal rainwater pools in California's grasslands — may actually benefit from having large, heavy-footed cattle grazing around their habitat. Several biologists looking closely at what happens in these vernal pools say the diversity of the ephemeral fauna and flora in the water increases when cows keep weedy nonnative grasses under control. ‘The plants and the shrimp are very delicate, but it works,’ said Jaymee Marty, an ecologist at the Cosumnes River Preserve, which was created to prevent further development along the only undammed river that flows from the Sierra Nevada into California's Central Valley. When cows munch on the invasive Mediterranean grasses that blanket the surrounding hills, vernal pool natives like the frothy white Meadowfoam and the tiny yellow Goldfields are more likely to bloom, Marty said. http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-17/s_13169.asp

Tennessee Governor Plans To Restore Wetlands Funds

 2/16/04.  By ANNE PAINE, Staff Writer, The Tennessean - Nashville,TN. “Gov. Phil Bredesen says he wants to restore temporarily slightly more than half of the $17-million-a-year fund that pays for wetlands, local parks and other land acquisitions. Groups that don't often agree with each other are having the same responses to that development: delight and concern. Environmental groups, fishing and hunting organizations and farming advocates are generally united in wanting all the money to flow where the legislature intended it to go when the fund was created . . . “ http://www.tennessean.com/government/archives/04/02/47020104.shtml?Element_ID=47020104

Everglades Mining Project Poses Greater Threat to Dade County’s Drinking Water than Previously Thought, Government Studies Show

NRDC news release, 2/16/04.  MIAMI, FL – Three environmental groups are releasing the results of recent government testing showing that a massive mining project surrounding Miami Dade County’s largest wellfield poses a significant and undisclosed threat to the area’s drinking water, as well as violates wellfield protection laws. The mining industry plans eventually to dig up 15,000 acres of wetlands around the wellfield.  Together with the existing pits, the mining project would encompass 22,000 acres, an area of the Everglades equal in size to the City of Miami. Sierra Club, NRDC, and NPCA are challenging the permits in federal court in Miami.  http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/040216.asp

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NEW PUBLICATIONS and RESOURCES

Thematic Review on Coastal Wetland Habitats and Shrimp Aquaculture

Posted to Mangrove list-serve, 3/5/04.  “The following publication and all associated annexes can now be accessed at the link provided. Lewis, R.R. III, M.J. Phillips, B. Clough and D.J. Macintosh.  2003.  Thematic Review on Coastal Wetland Habitats and Shrimp Aquaculture. Report prepared under the World Bank, NACA, WWF and FAO Consortium Program on Shrimp Farming and the Environment. Work in Progress for Public Discussion. Published by the Consortium. 81 pp.” http://www.enaca.org/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?cid=56&lid=157

NOAA Releases New Manual On Coastal Habitat Restoration Monitoring

NOAA news release, 2/26/04. - For the first time, NOAA compiled key restoration monitoring information applicable to coastal habitats nationwide. "Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats, Volume One: A Framework for Monitoring Plans Under the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000 (Public Law 160-457)" offers technical assistance, outlines steps, and provides useful tools for developing and carrying out monitoring of coastal restoration efforts. http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2004/s2176.htm

Audubon, NRCS Launch Backyard Conservation Website

NRCS This Week for March 3, 2004. You know where you live, but do you know your “ecological address?” Audubon At Home, a new program made possible in part by NRCS, is bringing conservation home through an exciting, interactive website designed to give visitors useful information on making their backyards more bird-friendly, and their homes healthier and safer for their families. It accomplishes this by helping users identify the natural characteristics of their property and its role in local ecology.  http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/2004/040303/audubonbackyard.html

GAO Report: EPA Actions Taken Against Nonprofit Grant Recipients in 2002

Grants Management:  EPA Actions Taken Against Nonprofit Grant Recipients in 2002.  GAO-04-383R, January 30. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-383R EPA identified at least one problem in almost half of its reviews of nonprofit grant recipients. Most Frequently Identified Problems with Nonprofit Grant Recipients, 2002, include:

- Technical issues (the grantee was behind in the progress of its work);
- Written procedures (the grantee’s written policies or procedures were either missing or inadequate);
- Procurement (The grantee lacked documentation to support sole-source contracts and did not report its efforts to encourage procurement from disadvantaged businesses);
- Progress reports (the grantee’s progress report was late, or it did not include all the necessary information);
- Personnel/payroll (the grantee did not track the amount of time its employees spent on specific grant activities or did not have appropriate staff resources to perform the grant activities).

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POTPOURRI

M.S. Research Assistantship: Wetland Habitat Enhancement

Posted to Ecology list-serve, 2/16/04. Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Graduate Assistantship.  Wetland Habitat Enhancement Masters Student Position Available May or June 2004.  This M.S. level project will evaluate the establishment and successional development of emergent wetlands developed adjacent to stabilized littoral zones of a 2,800-acre lake in southern Illinois.  Research will assess the wetland plant communities and wetland wildlife utilization associated with protected and unprotected littoral zone wetlands.  For more information, contact Jack Nawrot (jnawrot@siu.edu). http://www.siu.edu/~wildlife/.

Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistantship – Deer Herbivory on Wetland Plant Communities

Posted to Ecology list-serve, 2/25/04.  Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University.  STARTING DATE: August 2004 or negotiable.  This project is designed to study the impacts of white-tailed deer herbivory on wetland plant communities in Canaan Valley, West Virginia. Canaan Valley is a unique, high elevation, 15,000 ha watershed with a 3,400 ha complex of bogs, marshes, and swamps.  Canaan is recognized as the largest wetland area in the central and southern Appalachians and has national ecological significance.   It features numerous plant species that are at the southern or northern limit of their ranges.  The student will be working toward a Ph.D. in Forest Science (Emphasis in Wildlife and Fisheries Science) through the Wildlife and Fisheries Resources Program (Division of Forestry) at West Virginia University.  Contact Dr. James T. Anderson, West Virginia University, jander25@wvu.edu

Everglades Undergrad Summer Research Opportunity

Posted to Ecology list-serve, 3/19/04. Seeking an undergraduate student to work on a National Science Foundation-funded project in the Florida Everglades with researchers in the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program based at Florida International University in Miami.  The student will design and complete a research project related to Everglades ecosystem ecology. The student will be included in all phases of our research, from strategy meetings to publication. Also, funding will be provided for the student to present his or her research at a national meeting. Application deadline is April 15th, 2004 or until position is filled. Questions? E-mail: anne.hartley@fiu.edu.  Phone: 305-348-1693.

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MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES