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

---EDITOR'S CHOICE---

Supreme Court Declines to Review Three Wetland Cases
Michigan Wetlands: Celebrating 25 Years Of Protection
Recipients of 2004 National Wetlands Awards Announced
Anticipated Soon: National Wetland Mitigation Action Plan Products
Northwest: Clean Water Act Now Protects Some Canals and Ditches Too
Call For Papers; Submission Deadline June 1 For Wetlands 2004
Hearing on Inconsistent Regulation of Wetlands and Other Waters
California Responses to SWANCC

---NATIONAL UPDATES---

U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy's Preliminary Report Calls For Immediate
Action
OMB Modifies Peer-Review Proposal
Military Renews Drive To Reshape Environmental Laws
Federal Judge Upholds Wetlands Protections
EPA Faulted on Clean-Water Violations
EPA Blames Bay States For Poor Coastal Rating

---LEGISLATIVE UPDATES---

MN: ATVs May Be Allowed In State Wetlands
MI: Congressman Stupak Requests Hearing On Beach Dooming Bill
SC: Bill Outlines Regulations For Freshwater Areas

---STATES NEWS---

SC: Bill Outlines Regulations For Freshwater Areas
4 Million Acres Critical Habitat Proposed for Red-Legged Frog
Ranchers, Conservationists Agree On Idaho Wilderness Plan
Watering Restrictions Sweep Colorado
WI: State Water Policy Web Site Debuts
MD: Criminal Charges Filed In Recent Wetlands Case
CA: State Lands Commission Votes to Preserve Wetlands and Opposes Offshore
Oil Drilling
U.S. EPA, NRCS Announce Strategy To Protect Hawai'i's Coral Reefs
CA: Environmentalists Target Bond Funds To Buy Boats, Ocean Land
Wetlands Reserve Program Protects Rare Florida Fern
Flexible Approach to River Water Withdrawals Needed to Protect Salmon
USDA Announces $3.5 Million for New Salmon Habitat Restoration Initiative
USDA Releases $15 Million and Interim Final Rule for Conservation Innovation
Grants
Diversions Could Hurt Louisiana Wetlands
VA: Northern Neck Wildlife Sanctuary Adds Acreage
Supreme Court Dodges Major Ruling In Everglades Pollution Case

---PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES---

New "Getting In Step" Watershed Outreach Guides Available
April 2004 Edition of the Playa Post Available Online
EPA OWOW Launches New Website
"Low-Volume Roads Engineering: Best Management Practices Field Guide"

---POTPOURRI---

Request for Participation in Mitigation Wetlands Case Study Survey
Frogwatchers Fear Bush Pesticide Proposal
MO Dept of Conservation Seeks Resource Scientists
Wetland Employment Opportunities
WI: Wetland Specialist Position at Bad River NRD

---MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES---

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

EDITOR'S NOTE

Dear friends and colleagues,

After some reflection on the path my own life has coursed, it has become
clear that I and most of our colleagues didn't go to college to pursue a
career in the work we are doing today in our day to day jobs.  Many dreamed
of wandering through fields and fen, studying critters or plants or both,
and pursued degrees in wildlife conservation, ecology, botany, and biology.
I bet there wasn't a single person there who pursued a degree in "liberal
arts - regulator and regulated" or "independent studies - the intricacies of
bureaucraticness."  I myself have a degree in biology, though my work
involves endless amounts of computer time and much of the biology I reflect
upon these days is of aged, indescribable items in the lower left drawer of
the refrigerator.

So it is through this lens that I thought of a creative activity for my daughter's fifth birthday.  An interpretive nature walk, focusing on the five senses: touch, smell, sight, hearing, and tasting.  What could be more interesting to a group of four and five year olds than to explore my daughter's back yard with this theme as a framework?  Nineteen kids gathered around as I blew a whistle, anticipating something exciting and fun.  The boys and girls dropped down to the ground and closed their eyes as I encouraged them to listen for the serenade of spring peepers and wood frogs from a nearby vernal pool.  And - as so often happens - nature did not perform as I'd predicted. After the kids giggled at the sound of a few "woofs" from the neighbors yard [clearly not a frog], we admitted defeat and moved on to the next stop, whereupon one-half of the kids broke free to the safety and security of the swing set.  Including my daughter.  The kids filtered in and out of the 20 minute walk, and regrouped when we got to the final stop - smell.  And what could be more exciting to a kid than a healthy whiff of skunk cabbage?  What better way to send the kids fleeing to my husband and the piñata he was wielding triumphantly?  So, next year we'll rent a bouncy-bounce and play musical chairs.  And I'll keep my day job.

Special thanks to this edition's contributors, including Debbie Slobe, Playa Lakes Joint Venture; Earle Cummings; Oscar Balaguer, CA SWRCB; Judy Bailey, EPA; John Mack, OH EPA; Kirsten Cahow, Bad River Natural Resources Department; Julie Sibbing, National Wildlife Federation; and Jeanne Christie, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.

Happy Earth Day!
Jennifer Brady-Connor
Editor, Wetland Breaking News

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Supreme Court Declines to Review Three Wetland Cases

National Wildlife Federation news release, 4/5/04. The U.S. Supreme Court decision not to review three lower court decisions asserting Clean Water Act protection for waterways that are connected only through ditches or intermittently "is a major setback for industry efforts to strip Clean Water Act protection for many of the nation's waters," says National Wildlife
Federation (NWF) Counsel Jim Murphy. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear two decisions by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (United States v. Deaton and Treacy v. Newdunn) and one decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (United States v. Rapanos). All three decisions held that Clean Water Act protections can appropriately be extended to waters connected to navigable waters through ditches or
intermittent surface flow. http://www.nwf.org/news/

Michigan Wetlands: Celebrating 25 Years Of Protection

Michigan Wetland Action Coalition "e-Newsletter," 03/26/04. "[A special conference is being planned to] honor the 25th anniversary of the Wetland Protection Act. The event will include a plenary session on Great Lakes coastal wetlands; presentations by many of the state's leading experts in wetland science and management; concurrent sessions on wetland restoration, local government options for wetland management, natural history, wetland education, wetland monitoring and assessment, and wetland regulatory protection programs; GIS technology demonstrations; field trips; vendor and non-profit exhibits; and a number of social and networking opportunities. . . For details visit www.michigan.gov/deqworkshops (follow the link and click on "workshops") . . . "

Recipients of 2004 National Wetlands Awards Announced

Environmental Law Institute news release, 3/26/04.  Six wetlands educators, scientists, and conservationists were selected as recipients of the 2004 National Wetlands Awards for exemplary contributions in conserving or restoring the Nation's wetlands. They will be honored at a presentation on May 20th in the United States Senate Caucus Room in Washington, DC. This year's awardees are: Peg Bostwick [go, Peg!] (Michigan), Jack Branning (Mississippi), Norman Brunswig (South Carolina), Francis Golet (Rhode Island), Sky Lewey (Texas) and Barbara Salzman (California). For more information on the National Wetlands Awards Program, the 2004 awardees, or for information on the awards presentation visit the NWA website at www.eli.org/nwa/nwaprogram.htm.

Anticipated Soon: National Wetland Mitigation Action Plan Products

The federal agencies are continuing to work on the various products of the National Mitigation Action Plan.  In the coming weeks there will be public notices published in the Federal Register soliciting public comment on the following products: On Site/Off Site & In-kind/Out-of-kind Guidance; Stream Mitigation Compendium; Analysis of Existing Performance Standards Research/Literature.  To keep up-to-date on the status of the NMAP, visit http://www.mitigationactionplan.gov and the page that contains the status of
various guidance documents, as well as links to completed items:
http://www.mitigationactionplan.gov/actionitem.html.

Northwest: Clean Water Act Now Protects Some Canals and Ditches Too

By Elizabeth Shogren, LA Times Staff Writer, 4/9/04.  WASHINGTON - "The Army Corps of Engineers' regional office covering Oregon and Washington state has agreed to extend Clean Water Act protections to irrigation canals and drainage ditches that are connected to navigable or interstate waterways. As part of a settlement resolving a legal challenge by an environmental group, the wetlands and streams that flow into these artificial channels also will be granted protection from being polluted or filled by developers . . . The settlement follows the Supreme Court's rejection Monday of developers' appeals contesting decisions by corps districts to assert Clean Water Act jurisdiction over ditches leading to larger waterways . . . " http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-wetlands9apr09,1,3422051.story?coll=la-home-nation

Call For Papers; Submission Deadline June 1 For Wetlands 2004

The Association of State Wetland Managers invites you to submit a paper to present at the National Symposium: Wetlands 2004: Protecting Wetlands of International Significance to be held on October 19-20, 2004 at the Hilton Kansas City Airport, Kansas City, Missouri.  An optional field seminar will also be held to Great Bend Kansas on October 21 and 22. The deadline to submit abstracts is June 1, 2004. This symposium and field seminar (optional) will be held along the Central Flyway to help build the capacity of states, local governments, federal agencies, and others to help monitor, assess, protect and restore wetlands of international significance. The symposium will primarily focus on the protection and restoration of wetlands of international significance in the U.S. However, a portion of the program will be devoted to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. A major emphasis of the symposium will be to develop improved cooperation between wetland and bird protection groups. A broad host of other issues will be addressed as well. For details visit http://www.aswm.org/calendar/wetlands2004/agenda2004.htm

Hearing on Inconsistent Regulation of Wetlands and Other Waters

On Tuesday, March 30 the US House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure - Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on the inconsistent regulation of wetlands and other waters by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (Corps) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The hearing focused on inconsistent determinations by these agencies of what is, and is not, subject to Federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act (CWA). For testimony highlights, visit
http://www.house.gov/transportation.  For more information and copies of the
witness testimony visit www.house.gov/transportation/water/03-30-04/03-30-04memo.html

California Responses to SWANCC

Text from 3/23/04 e-mail from Oscar Balaguer, CA SWRCB.  California is considering several steps to address SWANCC.  The Schwarzenegger Administration's "Action Plan for California's Environment" directs "all relevant state agencies to fill any gaps in wetlands protection". Responding to a statutory requirement, the State Water Resources Control
Board (SWRCB) submitted a report to the State legislature titled "Regulatory Steps Needed to Protect and Conserve Wetlands Not Subject to the Clean Water Act".  The legislative report considers waters not regulated under the Clean Water Act, either because they are by definition not "waters of the US"; receive discharges from activities exempted from the CWA; or are threatened by activities which do not involve a discharge.  The report reviews the legal and technical issues relating to protecting such waters, discusses the onsite and watershed-level services that they provide, and identifies a range of administrative, regulatory, and legislative steps the State could take to protect them.

The SWRCB has compiled data on California waters affected by SWANCC, based on jurisdictional disclaimers issued by the three US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) districts in the State.  From January 2001 through September 2003, USACE disclaimed jurisdiction over more than 439 acres of waters of the state, including 247 acres of wetlands, 121 acres of riparian area, and 71 acres of other waters (these numbers are minimums because of substantial data gaps in USACE documentation).  USACE districts in California have interpreted SWANCC relatively narrowly, but continue to disclaim waters
pursuant to federal guidance.

Two SWANCC-related bills have been introduced in the California Senate. SB 1447 (Kuehl) would declare that it is the policy of the State to regulate the dredging or filling of wetlands not regulated under the Clean Water Act. SB 1477 (Sher) would direct the SWRCB to implement a number of the administrative and regulatory measures identified in the SWRCB's legislative report, and would amend the State Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act to require the SWRCB to regulate activities which could adversely affect
wetlands, even in the absence of a discharge.

In April 2004, the SWRCB may consider adopting a general permit, "Statewide General Waste Discharge Requirements for Dredged or Fill Discharges To Waters Deemed by The U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers to Be Outside of Federal Jurisdiction".  The general permit could authorize discharges of up to 0.2 acre and 400 linear feet (for fill and excavation) or 50 cubic yards (for dredging), subject to approval by the appropriate Regional Water Quality
Control Board.  Eligibility would require compliance with 404(b)(1) mitigation sequencing; compensation for unavoidable permanent impacts to wetlands, riparian areas, and headwater streams; and compliance with other specified conditions.  If the general permit is not adopted, or when a Regional Board does not approve its use, discharges would continue to be subject to individual water quality permits.  However, the Regional Boards
have been hard-pressed to assume the additional workload imposed by SWANCC during a period of shrinking agency budgets.

Legislative report and draft general permit:
http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/cwa401/index.html. Pending bills:  http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html.

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NATIONAL UPDATE

U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy's Preliminary Report Calls For Immediate
Action

Commission on Ocean Policy news release, 4/20/04. Washington, D.C. - "The Preliminary Report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy was released on April 20. The Commission's report provides a blueprint that will chart a course for a coordinated, comprehensive national ocean policy for the 21st century. The report's recommendations will present workable solutions that balance use with sustainability for America's oceans, Great Lakes and coastal areas and their important resources . . . "
http://www.oceancommission.gov/newsnotices/welcome.html

OMB Modifies Peer-Review Proposal

By Rick Weiss, Washington Post Staff Writer, 4/16/04; Page A19. "Responding to a chorus of criticism from science advocacy and citizen groups, the White House Office of Management and Budget yesterday released a revised version of proposed guidelines aimed at standardizing the way federal agencies release and use scientific information. The revisions mark a partial retreat in what proponents -- led by OMB chief of regulatory affairs John Graham -- have said was a central strategy in the war against 'junk science' . . . "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15852-2004Apr15.htm

Military Renews Drive To Reshape Environmental Laws

4/7/04, By John Heilprin, Associated Press.  WASHINGTON - The Defense Department wants the government to ease environmental laws to avoid costly cleanups of military ranges and give states more time to handle air pollution from training exercises. The proposed changes were submitted to Congress on Tuesday, part of the Pentagon's renewed drive to ease several environmental laws in the name of military readiness. Since 2002, the Bush administration has sought more flexibility in complying with the laws,
claiming that environmental restrictions are compromising training and readiness. http://www.enn.com/news/2004-04-07/s_22563.asp

Federal Judge Upholds Wetlands Protections

Earthjustice news release, 3/31/04. Washington DC - In a victory for strong protections for our nation's waters, a federal judge today rejected industry challenges to a key Clean Water Act rule that protects wetlands and streams from unpermitted destruction. The ruling from Judge James Robertson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia will help to prevent damage to the country's wetlands and streams resulting from landclearing, ditching, and mining. The suit, Natl. Assn. of Home Builders v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DDC Civ. ##01-274 JR, was decided by Judge James Robertson in the
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/display.html?ID=809

EPA Faulted on Clean-Water Violations

By Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post Staff Writer, 3/31/04; Page A08.  "The Environmental Protection Agency is failing to act against widespread violations of the Clean Water Act by plants and factories across the country, the U.S. Public Research Interest Group said yesterday based on a study it conducted. More than 60 percent of all major facilities in the
United States, or 3,700 out of 6,184, exceeded their Clean Water Act permit limits on discharges into waterways at least once between January 1, 2002, and June 30, 2003, according to the report. The facilities include manufacturing and electronic plants, as well as wastewater treatment and sewage plants . . . "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A37356-2004Mar30&notFound=true

EPA Blames Bay States For Poor Coastal Rating

Capital News Service, 3/30/04. "Coastal water conditions in the Northeast fell from fair to poor in the last three years, and the Chesapeake Bay is the main reason why, according to a new report. The draft National Coastal Condition Report released earlier this month by the Environmental Protection Agency said that coastal waters in the nation as a whole remained the same or improved during the period. Only the Northeast and Puerto Rico declined. And the Northeast does not stand much chance to improve its standing unless
bay states change environmental policy, EPA officials said . . . "
http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2004/03_30-28/TOP

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LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

MN: ATVs May Be Allowed In State Wetlands

Duluth News Tribune, 4/15/04. ST. PAUL - "A bill to grant broader wetlands access to all-terrain vehicles is headed for the Minnesota House floor. The House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would allow driving on all wetlands on private property and those classified as peat bogs on public lands. The measure would allow driving on other public wetlands when they are frozen . . . "
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/local/8435945.htm
[MARK Martell: "Protect wetlands from off-highway vehicles" Op-ed from MN Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/4722637.html]

MI: Congressman Stupak Requests Hearing On Beach Dooming Bill

Michigan Wetland Action Coalition "e-Newsletter," 03/26/04. "Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak, traditionally a friend to Michigan's environment, has unfortunately requested a hearing on a bill he has written that would force the US Army Corps of Engineers to relax wetland regulatory standards and lead to increased coastal wetland destruction. The bill (HR 2687) would require the Corps to conduct a rulemaking proceeding for the issuance of a general permit in Michigan to conform with the recent "beach maintenance" amendments to the State's Wetland Protection Act . . . Read the MWAC Bill Analysis at: www.michiganwetlands.org/hr2687_fact_sheet.html."

SC: Bill Outlines Regulations For Freshwater Areas

BY JESSICA FLATHMANN, The Island Packet; 3/29/04. "A bill working its way through the General Assembly would allow the state to regulate what happens to some isolated freshwater wetlands. Supporters say that since all isolated freshwater wetlands are now unregulated as a result of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2001, the state needs at least some rules for what can be done while still protecting personal property rights. Others say the bill is a starting point for the debate about the size of wetlands to be regulated. But opponents say the bill doesn't go far enough to protect freshwater wetlands because it doesn't allow regulation of wetlands under 5 acres . . .
" http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/3459003p-3074505c.html

STATES NEWS

4 Million Acres Critical Habitat Proposed for Red-Legged Frog

HerpDigest Volume  # 4 Issue # 341, 4/18/04. "Under Court Order USFWS Has Reluctantly Proposed Designating Over 4 Million Acres As Critical Habitat For The Red-Legged Frog says the Contra Costa Times, AP 4/13.  If finalized, the proposal "would be the largest critical habitat  designation in California and one of the largest in the nation," encompassing parts of 28 of the state's 58 counties.  An earlier designation, also made under court order, was successfully challenged by developers on procedural grounds and the new proposal opens the way for a new analysis of the designation's economic impacts.  Barring further litigation, the final critical habitat designation is expected to be final by November 2005."

Ranchers, Conservationists Agree On Idaho Wilderness Plan

4/15/04, by Chuck Oxley, Associated Press. BOISE, Idaho - "An unusual alliance of ranchers, politicians, and environmentalists rolled out a plan on Tuesday to preserve a half-million acres of wilderness in southwest Idaho's spectacular high desert. The Owyhee Initiative would set aside 511,000 acres in six separate parcels for protection by Congress. The land straddling about 390 miles of the Owyhee, Bruneau, and Jarbidge rivers is home to falcons, eagles, bighorn sheep, antelope, cougars, and the rare redband trout . . . " http://www.enn.com/news/2004-04-15/s_22848.asp

Watering Restrictions Sweep Colorado

4/15/04, by Jon Sarche, Associated Press. DENVER - "After yet another disappointing Colorado snow season, Denver water utility officials voted Wednesday to restrict water use for the third straight summer. Denver Water's 1.2 million customers will have to limit use beginning May 1. Restrictions also are on the way for four other cities, including Colorado
Springs . . . Weather and water experts have warned of a summer that could be as dry as 2002, when reservoirs were drained, crops withered, and wildfires swept through hundreds of thousands of acres. Some utilities were unprepared for conditions that year after hot, dry spring weather melted the snowpack early . . . " http://www.enn.com/news/2004-04-15/s_22843.asp

WI: State Water Policy Web Site Debuts

4/15/04 e-mail from Travis Olson, WI DOA. The "Wisconsin Water Policies Inventory (WPPI)" debuts this Earth Day, providing citizens with a new, web-based tool for navigating the state's major policies on any aspect of water including use, protection, quality, and management. It enables Wisconsinites to focus on State policies by topic, using keywords and browser features. The URL is http://www.aqua.wisc.edu/waterpolicy.

MD: Criminal Charges Filed In Recent Wetlands Case

By Rona Kobell, The Baltimore Sun, 4/11/04. "The Maryland attorney general's recent prosecution of a developer charged with filling in tidal wetlands in south Anne Arundel County is sending a message to activists about renewed enforcement of Maryland's environmental laws. The charges, filed last month, mark the first time in at least a decade that the county has pursued criminal prosecution for a grading permit violation. They come on the heels of a General Assembly effort to strengthen the Critical Area Act that has
been regulating development along the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries for 20 years . . . " http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.critical11apr11.story

CA: State Lands Commission Votes to Preserve Wetlands and Opposes Offshore
Oil Drilling

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 9 (AScribe Newswire) - "The California State Lands Commission voted today to grant the [USFWS] a lease for the construction of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Project. The project will restore 880 acres of oil fields to their natural wetlands habitat and will act as a haven to fish and wildlife. The restored wetlands will also serve as a recreation site for visitors and residents of Huntington Beach, California . . . "
http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/spew4th.pl?ascribeid=20040408.230405&time=07%2036%20PDT&year=2004&public=1
U.S. EPA, NRCS Announce Strategy To Protect Hawai'i's Coral Reefs

EPA Region 9 news release, 4/5/04. HONOLULU - EPA and the USDA NRCS have
facilitated the development of a strategy with state and local partners that will reduce pollution impacts to coral reefs and improve coastal water quality in Hawai'i. The Hawai'i Local Action Strategy will: reduce pollution to improve coastal water quality and coral reef ecosystem health; improve coordination between federal and state agencies, land managers and marine scientists; improve knowledge of how land management affects coral reef health and; increase awareness statewide of pollution prevention and control measures.  http://www.epa.gov/region9

CA: Environmentalists Target Bond Funds To Buy Boats, Ocean Land

The Mercury News, 4/4/04. SACRAMENTO, Calif. - "Environmentalists who successfully tapped taxpayer money to buy thousands of acres of California coastline to stop development are now targeting the Pacific Ocean, with a plan to curb human activity by buying boats, fishing permits and possibly underwater land. The idea is provoking a renewed struggle between some of the world's wealthiest and most powerful environmental groups and California fishermen who fear they gradually will be booted off the ocean they prowl for recreation and profit . . . "
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/8355059.htm?1c

Wetlands Reserve Program Protects Rare Florida Fern

NRCS This Week, 4/3/04. "Audubon officials have finished plans to restore the land where a local wildlife hospital plans an expansion and a botanist discovered a rare fern more than 15 years ago. Greg Braun, executive director of the Martin County Audubon Society, said work likely will begin this month to remove the exotic plants and restore the wetlands on 290 acres west of Loop Road and south of Interstate 95 . . . Audubon officials plan to
protect a small colony of rare ferns, which the late botanist Roy Woodbury discovered on the property more than 15 years ago and led fellow nature lovers to last year. Experts say it was the first discovery of the plant in the world.
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/2004/040324/wrpprotectsrarefloridafern.html

Flexible Approach to River Water Withdrawals Needed to Protect Salmon

National Academies news release, 4/2/04. "If Washington state issues additional permits for water to be diverted from the Columbia River for farm irrigation, it should do so only under the condition that withdrawals can be stopped if river flows become critically low for endangered and threatened salmon, says a new report from the National Academies' Water Science and Technology Board . . . " http://www.national-academies.org/morenews#tn0331

USDA Announces $3.5 Million for New Salmon Habitat Restoration Initiative

NRCS This Week March 31, 2004. "On March 30, 2004, Agriculture Secretary Ann
M. Veneman announced a $3.5 million new initiative to help restore and conserve salmon habitat as part of the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program. The fiscal year 2004 funds will be used for the new Salmon Habitat Restoration Initiative, which is available in Alaska, California, Maine, Oregon, and Washington. The new initiative, administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, will help landowners, including those in the
Klamath Basin, with projects that restore habitat for Pacific and Atlantic salmon." Full story: http://www.usda.gov/Newsroom/0127.04.html

USDA Releases $15 Million and Interim Final Rule for Conservation Innovation
Grants

NRCS This Week March 31, 2004. "Secretary Veneman released the interim final rule for Conservation Innovation Grants and announced that $15 million will be available to fund selected grant proposals. The interim final rule will be published in the Federal Register soon with a request for public comments. At the same time, NRCS will announce the nationwide grant competition through a request for proposals that also will be published in
the Federal Register and on the federal government's eGrant website." Full story: http://www.usda.gov/Newsroom/0117.04.html

Diversions Could Hurt Louisiana Wetlands

By Cain Burdeau, The Associated Press, 3/28/04. NEW ORLEANS - "A scientist is warning that before Louisiana moves to divert more water from the Mississippi River to replenish its dying coast, the state needs to do more study on the potential harm the nutrient-loaded river water would do to Louisiana's wetlands. Nancy Rabalais, a leading scientist on the disastrous effect of runoff from Midwestern farms and cities that is funneled into the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi, said coastal basins could see large
algae blooms if freshwater is diverted. . . "
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/sports/8295376.htm

VA: Northern Neck Wildlife Sanctuary Adds Acreage

By FRANK DELANO, The Free-Lance Star, 3/25/2004. " An 850-acre tidal marsh flanking a primary gateway to the Northern Neck is now part of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge paid $867,200 in February for the marsh on the southeast side of U.S. 360 near the Downing Bridge, according to Richmond County land records. The bridge connects the Northern Neck with Tappahannock . . . With the purchase of the marsh, the refuge has added 1,515 acres in the past year, bringing its total area to
6,359 acres . . . "
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2004/032004/03252004/1306476

Supreme Court Dodges Major Ruling In Everglades Pollution Case

3/24/04, By Gina Holland, Associated Press. WASHINGTON - "The Supreme Court, sidestepping a major decision on the government's power to regulate clean water, told a Florida court Tuesday to reconsider a pollution dispute involving the Everglades. The ruling extends a six-year fight between the 500-member Miccosukee Indian tribe and a water district the Indians accuse of illegally dumping pollutants into Florida's Everglades. The South Florida Water Management District's pump west of Fort Lauderdale dumps as much as 423,000 gallons a minute of polluted runoff from suburban lawns, farms, and industrial yards into the Everglades, including 189,000 acres the state leased to the tribe and promised to keep in its natural state . . . "
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-03-24/s_15239.asp

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NEW PUBLICATIONS and RESOURCES

New "Getting In Step" Watershed Outreach Guides Available

EPA announces a set of valuable new resources designed to assist local governments, watershed groups, watershed management agencies, and others to plan and conduct effective watershed outreach campaigns:
1) Getting in Step: A Guide for Conducting Watershed Outreach Campaigns (Publication # EPA 841-B-03-002), and
2) Getting in Step: A Video Guide for Conducting Watershed Outreach Campaigns (Publication # EPA 841-V-03-001)
For a free copy of this guide and its companion video visit www.epa.gov/nps/outreach.html.

April 2004 Edition of the Playa Post Available Online

The Playa Post is an electronic newsletter published by the Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) and is available online at
http://www.pljv.org/newsarchive/PlayaPost/post040401.html. In this issue:
1. PLJV Partners Awarded $1 Million in NAWCA Grants
2. PLJV Hires GIS Expert, Coordinates Planning with RBJV and USFWS
3. Rep. Neugebauer Introduces Playa Protection Bill
4. Waterfowl Research Gaining Ground in Texas
5. Focus Areas Active Across PLJV Region

"Low-Volume Roads Engineering: Best Management Practices Field Guide"

CMI Bulletin, 2004.  The "Low-Volume Roads Engineering Best Management Practices Field Guide" was produced by Conservation Management Institute/Virginia Tech and agency partners to provide an overview of the key planning, location, design, construction, and maintenance aspects of roads that can cause adverse environmental impacts and to list key ways to prevent those impacts. Best Management Practices are cost-effective by
preventing failures and reducing maintenance needs and repair costs.
http://www.cmiweb.org/newsletter/spring2004.pdf

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POTPOURRI

Request for Participation in Mitigation Wetlands Case Study Survey

From Jeanne Christie, ASWM. The ITRC (Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council) Mitigation Wetlands Team www.itrcweb.org is collecting case studies to use in the development of a Technical & Regulatory Guidance for "Design, Construction and Monitoring Mitigation Wetlands" using a web-based questionnaire (see below).  This is a follow-up guidance to the team's previous document, Technical and Regulatory Guidance Document for Constructed Treatment Wetlands (2003).  The web-based questionnaire will
allow the team to incorporate field experience into the pool of information used during the development of the guidance document.  The goal is to identify barriers and help overcome them by encouraging acceptance of successful techniques, processes and important performance measures.  Please go to http://www.itrcweb.org/common/surveys.asp?en=SU357678&vw=reset  and complete the questionnaire   as  accurately as possible by May 8th, 2004. Refer questions to Steve R. Hill at srhill1@mindspring.com

Frogwatchers Fear Bush Pesticide Proposal

WASHINGTON, DC, April 7, 2004 (ENS) - "A proposal by the Bush administration to allow the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to determine on its own whether pesticides will jeopardize threatened and endangered species poses a severe risk to the 21 amphibian species protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), conservationists say. The administration says its proposal revamps a broken regulatory process while maintaining protection for wildlife . . . The federal wildlife agencies are seeking public comment on their proposal, which can be found here: http://endangered.fws.gov/consultations/pesticides/"

MO Dept of Conservation Seeks Resource Scientists

The Missouri Department of Conservation has nine Resource Scientist positions open, including Resource Scientist (Bottomland Forest Ecologist) Job #2004-42 Position located in Puxico; Resource Scientist (Wetland Ecologist) Job #2004-43 Position located in Puxico; and Resource Scientist (Stream Community Ecologist) Job #2004-45 Position located in West Plains. April 23, 2004 for all positions. For an application and job description, contact the Missouri Department of Conservation, Human Resources Division,
573/751 4115.  Applications also available on Internet site at www.mdc.mo.gov/about/jobs/

Wetland Employment Opportunities

The Washington Department of Ecology may have openings for Wetland Specialist positions (possibly full and half-time) in their offices in Bellevue and Olympia, WA in the near future. These positions are responsible for conducting a wide range of wetland-related duties including technical assistance to local governments, permitting of wetland impacts, and review of local wetland plans and regulations.  Knowledge and skills in wetland
delineation, function assessment, mitigation, and local land use planning and regulation are necessary.  Salary range: $3460 - 4322/month with excellent benefits.  For more information contact Andy McMillan at anmc461@ecy.wa.gov or call 360/407-7272.

WI: Wetland Specialist Position at Bad River NRD

The Bad River Natural Resources Department located in northern Wisconsin, on the south shore of Lake Superior, 10 miles east of Ashland Wisconsin, is in the process of hiring a Wetland Specialist.  The Wetland Specialist will be in charge of a variety of projects and will be collaborating with other projects with their Water Resources Program ranging from wetland delineation &mitigation projects, a wild rice productivity project and a detailed
wetland nutrient investigation involving water quality sampling and lab work, vegetation surveys to the genus level and macroinvertebrate and diatom sampling.  The Wetland Specialist will also be working on testing and development of a variety biotic indices in order to develop a multimetric approach for biomonitoring.  Contact Jessica Bell or Kirsten Cahow for details at Bad River Natural Resources Department, Bad River Band of Lake
Superior Chippewa Indians, (715) 682-7123, water@badriver.com. Application deadline is May 5.

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