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

---EDITOR'S CHOICE---

·	New Dates for 8th National Mitigation & Conservation Banking Conference: April 18-21, 2005
·	State Moves To Protect Central New York Wetland
·	Illinois Wetlands Remain Vulnerable
·	MA: Wetlands Rules Could Change

---NATIONAL UPDATES---

·	Voluntary Recovery Plan for Vernal Pool Species Released for Review
·	Analysis: Southwest Wetlands In Danger
·	Scientists Hunt For Acid Rain And Methane In Wetlands
·	USFWS Announces Coastal Wetland Grants to Protect Wildlife and Habitat in 10 States
·	Call for Nominations for 2005 National Wetlands Awards

---LEGISLATIAVE NEWS---

·	Natural Resources Defense Council's LEGISLATIVE WATCH
·	Endangered Species Act Reform Likely

---STATES NEWS---  

·	NJ: Cranberry Bog Gets Makeover In Burlington County
·	Species-Threatening Snails Found in Colorado
·	Controlled Flood Set at Grand Canyon
·	CA: Lawsuit Wins Habitat for Threatened California Salamander
·	Fl: Converted Wetlands Lead To Harsher Freezes
·	CA: Group Could Be Wetlands’ Last Chance
·	Louisiana Volunteers Treat Agricultural Runoff
·	UMD Scientists Turn Farmland Into Wetlands
·	AK: Wetlands Restoration Project Announced
·	Hurricanes Flood Florida's Lake Okeechobee, Experts Fear Long-Term Problems
·	EPA Takes Action To Protect Puerto Rico's Shrinking Wetlands
·	LA: State Supreme Court Reverses $1.3B Oyster Habitat Damage Ruling

---PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES---

·	EPA Solicits Applications for Environmental Exchange Network
·	EPA Issues New Water Quality Trading Handbook
·	NWF Releases Great Lakes Invasive Species Report
·	CT Announces New Stormwater Quality Manual
·	MD Report: Nutria Will Hurt Economy, Marshes, Unless Controlled Now
·	What's Bugging Melaleuca?
·	NatureServe: Global Amphibian Assessment [pdf]
·	Welcome To The November 2004 Edition Of The Playa Post!
·	EPA’s Nonpoint Source News-Notes Issue #74, November 2004

---POTPOURRI---

·	Turtles Offer Kids A Lesson On The Bay
·	Refreshing the Bay By Restoring Bogs
·	Zedler Formulated Plan For Wetland Restoration
·	State/Tribal Environmental Outcome Wetland Demonstration Program Grant Pilot (WDP)
·	The Delaware Estuary Program Mini-Grants Are Back
·	Awards to Recognize Coastal Management Efforts; Nominations Sought

---EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND INTERNSHIPS---

·	Survey Technician/Construction Manager [Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Stevensville/Annapolis, MD]
·	Visiting Scientist Awards for 2005, Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences
·	Conservation Internship, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
·	Herpetologist / Wetland Ecologist Position Available
·	City of Eugene Natural Resources Section hiring “Park Specialist 3”

---MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES---

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

EDITOR'S NOTE

Dear friends and colleagues,

In case this is your only source of outside information, the United States has once more concluded the presidential elections, and George W. Bush will continue his presidency for another four years.  It was so weird pulling this issue of WBN together and reading all of the e-mails from October 25-November 2 - urging people to vote, discussing the issues, and championing the merits of the respective candidates.  The mood in my house was a little strained whenever the elections were discussed or the debates were on (my husband and I are of different political persuasions).  Just for fun I loosely applied a couple of bumper stickers on our car supporting my candidate and mocking the other candidate; the first bumper sticker ended up in the landfill and the second . . . who knows.  As a show of conciliation, I invited individuals of his political persuasion to the house to watch the debates with us just to even things up a little.  I couldn’t help being more knowledgeable than they were about the various issues, I just was!  But, it’s all over now.  Really over.

On a lighter note, I hope you enjoyed your thanksgiving holiday.  We did, though it got off to an awkward start.  I was assigned the simple task of cooking four pounds of frozen broccoli and driving it to my uncle’s home for dinner at 2:00.  The turkey finished cooking at 1:00 pm, everyone sat down to eat at 1:30 pm, and I walked into the house at 2:10 pm with more broccoli than my family eats in a year.  Bummer.  But, there was plenty of food left for us to eat, and desserts, too.  We were blessed with family, and friends, and great little kids who remind us why all the toil and trouble are worthwhile.

Special thanks to the contributors of this edition, including Marguerite Whilden, The Terrapin Institute; Leah Miller, Izaak Walton League; Julie Sibbing, National Wildlife Federation; Carlene Bahler, TetraTech; Grace Bottitta, Ducks Unlimited; Stephen O. Wilson, Hudson River Environmental Society; and Eric Wold, City of Eugene, Oregon.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Jennifer Brady-Connor Editor, Wetland Breaking News

PS: I’m making a switch from my full-time position with the Land Trust Alliance to become the new LTA Standards and Research Program Associate.  If you or anyone else is interested in replacing me there as the Northeast Program Coordinator, or are interested in any other job with LTA for that matter, please visit http://www.lta.org/resources/ltajobs.htm. Spread the word - thanks!

EDITOR'S CHOICE

New Dates for 8th National Mitigation & Conservation Banking Conference: April 18-21, 2005

April 18-21, 2005 (new dates) - Environmental Banking & Beyond, the 8th National Mitigation & Conservation Banking Conference, Charlotte, N.C.  The semi-final program is now available at www.mitigationbankingconference.com.  Join us for this cutting-edge conference, offering sessions on emerging markets (stream mitigation, conservation banking, multi-credit banks, water quality trading, agriculture), sessions on standards and sustainability, tracking progress, case studies, sales & marketing and more.  Field Trips (urban & rural), a new Banking Primer Workshop, the Regulators' Forum facilitated by the Corps and Bankers' Forum by NMBA.  Plus a Federal Update, special guests, and the inside track on what's happening with the EEP in North Carolina.  Enjoy Exhibits, Posters, Networking Opportunities and much more. Register early and save!  More information at www.mitigationbankingconference.com or call (703) 548-5473.

State Moves To Protect Central New York Wetland

Attorney General Eliot Spitzer news release, 11/15/04.  NY Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced legal action to protect a sensitive 19-acre wetland in Onondaga County.  The move by Spitzer's office is a direct challenge to the Bush administrations interpretation of federal wetlands protection rules. The move is also an effort to address flooding problems in Central New York. The Corps says that the specific wetland in question -- which is slated for development -- is not a protected wetland because it is not connected directly to another water body.  The Attorney General's office has filed a Notice of Intent to sue the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency. The law requires that the agencies have 60 days to respond before a lawsuit is filed.  http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2004/nov/nov15a_04.html

Illinois Wetlands Remain Vulnerable

By BASS Times Staff Report, BASS Times, Oct. 2004. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – “For the fourth year in a row, Illinois lawmakers have failed to pass legislation that would set guidelines on when and how wetlands can be developed. The bill most recently rejected, by a 5-3 vote, in the Senate Environment and Energy Committee would have established guidelines for the protection and development of isolated wetlands in Illinois counties that don't have rules. Counties in northeast Illinois, which already have their own development rules, would have been allowed to keep them, while developers targeting wetlands in other areas would have been required to obtain permits from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Not surprisingly, business interests opposed the bill, arguing that new rules would increases costs for development . . . “ http://espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/s/b_fea_bt_0410_new_Illinois_wetlands.html

MA: Wetlands Rules Could Change

By Jon Brodkin/ Staff Writer, Westwood Press.  11/11/04. “In the face of criticism from environmentalists and conservation commissions, the state apparently plans to scale back a proposed regulation that some feared would lead to increased damage of wetlands.  The proposal would create a fast-track review process for construction that takes place between 50 and 100 feet away from a wetland. Currently, all projects within 100 feet of a wetland must undergo a full review by the community's conservation commission.  Many observers balk at the plan, saying limiting municipal oversight could lead to wetland damage.  The state Department of Environmental Protection, which made the proposal earlier this year, has not announced yet what changes it will make before issuing a final rule.  But several members of an advisory committee reviewing the rule said state officials apprised them of their plans . . . “ http://www2.townonline.com/westwood/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=124453 [The Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions has posted electronic versions of a total of 78 wetland bylaws and ordinances, 47 sets of related regulations, and 5 wetlands policies on its Web site at http://maccweb.org/bylaws/bylaws_frameset2.html]

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NATIONAL UPDATE

Voluntary Recovery Plan for Vernal Pool Species Released for Review

USFWS news release, 11/18/04.  The USFWS released a draft strategy for voluntary cooperation with landowners to recover 20 threatened or endangered species of plants and animals that occur within seasonal wetlands throughout California and southern Oregon. The Vernal Pool Ecosystem Recovery Plan covers 33 species of plants and animals that occur exclusively or primarily within vernal pools or swales in California and southern Oregon. The 20 federally listed species include 10 endangered plants, five threatened plants, three endangered animals, and two threatened animals. The draft plan also outlines actions to conserve 13 other "species of concern."  The plan can be viewed or downloaded at http://pacific.fws.gov/ecoservices/endangered/recovery/vernal_pool/index.html

Analysis: Southwest Wetlands In Danger

By Phil Magers, UPI, November 11, 2004.  DALLAS – “Some wetlands in Texas and other Southwestern states are in danger because of a federal directive that exempts them from the Clean Water Act, a conservation group's survey says. The directive from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency expanded a loophole created by a 2001 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the National Wildlife Federation said in a white paper released this week. Federal Clean Water Act protection was removed from so-called isolated waters, which included wetlands, ponds and lakes not connected to streams. An estimated 20 million acres of waters were removed from jurisdiction, the study said. Although the directive to field offices had national implications, it was more critical to the Southwest, where many states are battling prolonged drought and state laws in some cases are too weak to take up the slack, the study says . . . “ http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20041111-055936-9282r

Scientists Hunt For Acid Rain And Methane In Wetlands

Science Daily, 11/8/04.  Recently scientists from NASA and Open University in the United Kingdom set out to study how acid rain affects the methane gas that comes from wetlands in the U.S., England and Sweden.  Inland wetlands are most common on floodplains along rivers and streams. Scientists have discovered that acid rain actually inhibits a bacteria found in swamplands from producing methane, a greenhouse gas. Inland wetlands include marshes and wet meadows dominated by herbaceous plants, swamps dominated by shrubs, and wooded swamps dominated by trees.  Scientists went into natural wetlands because although most methane is produced by human activities, a large amount actually comes from natural wetlands. The concern with methane is that it's a greenhouse gas that contributes to warming our planet.  The researchers discovered that low levels of sulfate, which is in acid rain, actually block some bacteria found in wetlands from producing methane . . . “ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041108024536.htm

USFWS Announces Coastal Wetland Grants to Protect Wildlife and Habitat in 10 States

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service news release, 10/28/04.  The USFWS will award more than $13 million in grants to 10 states to conserve, restore and protect coastal wetlands. States awarded grants for fiscal year 2005 under the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program are Alaska, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.  The grants provide funding for 16 projects and will be supplemented with nearly $13 million from state and private partners. The grants will be used to acquire, restore or enhance coastal wetlands for long-term conservation benefits to wildlife and habitat. Partners in this year's projects include state and local governments, private landowners and conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited, the Trust for Public Land and the Wildlife Forever Foundation. http://www.fws.gov/cep/cwgcover.html

Call for Nominations for 2005 National Wetlands Awards

Nomination forms for the 2005 National Wetlands Awards Program are now available. The deadline for submitting nominations is December 15, 2004.  The Awards program recognizes six categories; they are: Education and Outreach, Science Research, Conservation and Restoration, Landowner Stewardship, State, Tribal and Local Program Development, and Wetland Community Leader. Organizations and federal employees are not eligible. A committee of wetland experts representing federal and state agencies, academia, conservation groups, and private sector organizations selects the Award winners. For a copy of the 2005 National Wetlands Awards nomination form, visit ELI's website at http://www.eli.org/nwa/nwaprogram.htm and download the form.

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LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Natural Resources Defense Council's LEGISLATIVE WATCH

November 24, 2004.  [http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp (the web version links to the text of bills and congressional web pages).] ”Congress passed a huge omnibus spending package before recessing for Thanksgiving. The House and Senate will reconvene on 12/7 to consider the proposed intelligence reform bill before formally adjourning the session. ”Unable to finish work on the nine remaining spending bills for FY05, House and Senate appropriators rolled them into a huge $388 billion omnibus spending bill (H.R. 4818). The House passed the omnibus on 11/20 by a vote of 344-51, and the Senate approved the bill on the same day, 65-30. The bill includes funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the departments of Energy, Interior, Transportation, State and Agriculture. During a marathon weekend and late-night negotiating session, appropriators grappled with tight budget figures by cutting 0.8 percent across the board from all spending bills in the omnibus. The result is that most agencies that deal with environmental issues saw some level of budget cuts for FY05. ”Congress cut the EPA's budget by $277 million, the first such cut in many years. The bulk of the cuts will be felt in the Clean Water State Revolving Funds program. This highly successful program, which gives low-interest loans to communities for wastewater infrastructure projects, was cut by nearly 18 percent. Also receiving significant cuts were the EPA's science and technology programs. The Superfund program, which funds clean-up at the most contaminated waste sites around the country, received the same funding as last year. ”The Interior section of the bill funds the Department of the Interior and other agencies, including some forest management programs, at a level of $19.5 billion. This is down $500 million from FY04, although the Department of the Interior itself received a slight increase over last year's budget. The National Park Service will see an increase of $75 million to $1.7 billion. The Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is used to purchase and preserve national monuments, wildlife habitat and other environmentally or historically important lands, received $466 million, more than $50 million less than the president's request. The Department of Agriculture received a total of $87 billion for FY05, but spending on farm conservation programs was cut by $500 million and funding for most conservation programs is well below levels authorized by the 2002 farm bill. ”Congress increased total funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to $3.9 billion. Although this figure includes new funding for a program to help implement recommendations from the National Ocean Commission report on the declining health of ocean ecosystems, key wildlife and water quality programs and agencies, such as the National Marine Fisheries Service, were cut or did not receive additional funding. ”Omnibus spending bills often contain anti-environment policy provisions that are inserted at the last minute with little public debate; H.R. 4818 is no exception. The bill contains a rider that will expedite the handover of more than 100,000 acres of important wildlife habitat in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge to a corporation that wants to drill for oil on the land. Another rider excludes from environmental review the renewal of grazing permits for many allotments in national forests. Another provision limits judicial review and public input in connection with logging projects within the Tongass National Forest. Other riders remove three roads within Georgia's Cumberland Island Wilderness Area from wilderness protection and codify the Bush administration's rule to double snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park this winter. Environmentalists were able to block two proposed riders that would have undermined the Endangered Species Act. If successful, these measures would have completely exempted the principle law regulating pesticides in the United States from the Endangered Species Act and would have made it far easier for mining, logging and other harmful activities on federally designated critical habitat to go forward.”

Endangered Species Act Reform Likely

Policy News from ESA's Public Affairs Office Ecological Society of America, November 12, 2004. “As Republicans look toward larger majorities in both the House and Senate, as well as continued control of the White House, changes to the E.S.A. are becoming more likely. Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK) and Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), who chairs the Wildlife Subcommittee with oversight of E.S.A., have both committed to work toward E.S.A. reform. Senate aides said roundtable discussions among Hill staff, environmental groups and private stakeholders have begun in an effort to share information and reach consensus on key points. These new commitments to E.S.A. reform in the Senate bring added momentum to an effort that has largely been championed by one lawmaker, House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA). Mr. Pombo has made efforts to raise the hurdles that scientists must clear to ensure a government determination that a species is endangered and cut back the amount of critical habitat required.  House Resources spokesman Brian Kennedy has said critical habitat plans and peer review will continue to be a target of that committee. President Bush has spoken in broad terms of a need to revamp E.S.A., though he has not detailed what sort of legislation he would support, nor moved to champion any of the efforts made on the Hill last year.”

STATES NEWS

NJ: Cranberry Bog Gets Makeover In Burlington County

11/24/04.  Cherry Hill Courier Post - Cherry Hill, NJ, USA.  “Hopscotching over piles of soil and sand, Emile DeVito stepped on drying clumps of cranberry vines. His feet landed with a solid thud, in a spot just inches from a newly dug pond. ‘It's hard as concrete,’ DeVito said, tapping the surface with his heel. ‘The modern cranberry bog is like a pool table, with pipes underneath.’ A few yards away, New Jersey Conservation Foundation staffers Louis Cantafio and Tim Morris stripped out the circulatory system of the former A.R. DeMarco Co. cranberry farm, hoisting plastic irrigation pipes with the same blue-green hue as the day they were buried in 1997. When it purchased the 9,400-acre DeMarco property late last year, the conservation foundation inherited one of the bigger problems with freshwater wetlands violations in New Jersey: a 22-acre bog that cranberry grower J. Garfield DeMarco built in the late 1990s . . . They hope to bring back the Pole Branch of the Wading River, once famed among naturalists as the home of rare plant and animal species . . .” http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m112404m.htm

Species-Threatening Snails Found in Colorado

November 24, 2004 — By Associated Press. BOULDER, Colo. " “Tough and tiny snails that threaten to crowd out native species by hogging all the food have shown up in a Colorado creek for the first time, state wildlife biologists said Tuesday. New Zealand mudsnails, native to the Southern Hemisphere, were found in Boulder Creek. How they got there is a mystery, since their nearest known location was in northeastern Utah, at least 200 miles away . . . The snails are just 2 to 5 mm long -- so small they cannot be skimmed from waters and can even pass unscathed through a fish's digestive tract. They can spread while clinging to wildlife, boats, boots, waders, nets and other fishing gear. They can survive several days out of water and a wide range of temperatures. They reproduce by giving birth to well-developed clones, so one snail can start a colony in a stream or river. The snails have also been found in Montana, California, Arizona, Oregon, Wyoming -- including Yellowstone National Park -- and in Lake Ontario between New York and southeastern Canada . . .” http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=446

Controlled Flood Set at Grand Canyon

November 22, 2004 — By Beth DeFalco, Associated Press.  PHOENIX " “Environmentalists have complained for years that the Colorado River below a manmade dam was washing away natural sediment in the Grand Canyon, wiping away beaches and native fish and plants. On Sunday, a simulated flood will allow scientists to see whether the Glen Canyon Dam -- the root cause of many of the problems -- can also help fix them. Officials plan to release a controlled flood, opening four giant steel tubes at the base of the dam and sending a torrent down the Colorado and into the canyon. An estimated 800,000 metric tons of sediment will be stirred up during its 90-hour run . . . “  http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=422

CA: Lawsuit Wins Habitat for Threatened California Salamander

USFS news release, 11/18/04.  In response to a lawsuit, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced it has designated 11,180 acres as critical habitat for the Federally threatened California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) in Santa Barbara County.  Most of the critical habitat acreage is privately-owned, although small amounts of land are owned by Santa Barbara County. In this final action, the Service excluded 2,740 acres from the 13,920 acres that were proposed as critical habitat in January 2004 because landowners worked cooperatively to develop conservation strategies protecting the salamander and its habitat. More precise mapping also reduced acreage from the original proposal.  A copy of the critical habitat rule can be downloaded from: http://ventura.fws.gov/

Fl: Converted Wetlands Lead To Harsher Freezes

By LEE BOWMAN, Scripps Howard News Service, November 19, 2004. Former wetlands converted to agricultural use are more susceptible to severe freezes, a NASA-sponsored study of land use changes in Florida suggests. Using satellite data, historical data on land use, weather records and a computer model that simulates freeze events, researchers found that areas of South Florida, particularly south and west of Lake Okeechobee, that had been drained for farming during the early part of the 20th century experienced more severe freezes than they would have if left alone . . . Over the past century, the citrus industry has been steadily moving south to try and avoid freezing temperatures in the winter, yet this move into former wetlands in the Kissimmee River valley and around Okeechobee seems to have made those same areas more vulnerable to freezes . . . “ http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=WETLANDS-FREEZE-11-19-04&cat=AN

CA: Group Could Be Wetlands’ Last Chance

11/11/04.  By Harry Saltzgaver, Executive Editor.  “In what may be a last-ditch effort to save $7 million in state money to help buy the Los Cerritos Wetlands, the City Council approved pursuing a new Joint Powers Agreement on Tuesday night. Partners in the agreement would include the city, the Lower Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, the state Coastal Conservancy and the city of Seal Beach. The motion was made by Third District Councilman Frank Colonna, who also is the chair of the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. Colonna has been attempting to save the wetlands since he was elected six years ago . . . “ http://www.gazettes.com/wetlands11112004.html

Louisiana Volunteers Treat Agricultural Runoff

NRCS “This Week,” 11/10/04.  An NRCS “all-star” team of local conservationists, Earth Team volunteers, and the wetlands team from the Central National Technology Support Center (CNTSC) in Fort Worth, Texas, joined together to assist Louisiana State University (LSU) agricultural researchers in designing and building a constructed wetland system to treat agricultural non-point source runoff.  http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/2004/041110/etlsuwetlands.html

UMD Scientists Turn Farmland Into Wetlands

Posted on Tue, Nov. 02, 2004. ASSOCIATED PRESS.  “In the 1950s, frozen-food mogul Jeno Paulucci had a lot of ditches dug to drain parts of the vast swamps northwest of Duluth to grow vegetables in the moist soil for his Wilderness Valley Farms venture. Today, scientists from the University of Minnesota Duluth are turning his creation back into a wooded swamp and peat bog, plugging the ditches at what's now the Fens Research Facility near Zim, about 45 miles from Duluth. [The fens] project is the first in the United States to provide a mix of wooded swamp and peat bog, according to the soil scientist who spearheaded the project, Thomas Malterer of the Natural Resources Research Institute at UMD. Most of the mitigation credits from the project have been spoken for . . . “ http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/local/10076248.htm

AK: Wetlands Restoration Project Announced

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2004 - $7 million will help restore about 11,200 acres of Arkansas River Valley wetlands.  Funding is through the NRCS Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), a voluntary conservation program that offers landowners the opportunity to protect, restore and enhance wetlands on their property. Called the England Joint Venture, the project consists of a large riparian area off the Arkansas River, small fragmented woodlands and marginal cropland.  It is directly across the river from the Woodson Joint Venture, a WRP project of 7,186 acres that created a four-mile long riparian area along the river.  Together, these two projects will make up more than 18,000 acres of restored wetland habitat by the winter of 2007.  Only a few areas in the southeast United States have this many acres of contiguous wetland suitable for migratory birds. http://www.usda.gov/2004/10/0484.xml

Hurricanes Flood Florida's Lake Okeechobee, Experts Fear Long-Term Problems

October 28, 2004 — By Coralie Carlson, Associated Press.  ON THE WATERS OF LAKE OKEECHOBEE, Florida – “Standing on an airboat, state biologist Donald Fox surveyed the dying, bare stalks peeking out of the coffee-brown lake water. This past summer, the vegetation here was lush enough to conceal a boat of duck hunters, Fox said, the result of four years of intense conservation efforts. But four hurricanes in six weeks shredded the plants and left the water several feet too high, chasing off small wading birds, who need shallow water to forage for food. ‘Basically, we're back to square one,’ Fox said. ‘It was very devastating.’ Lake Okeechobee felt the effects of all four hurricanes that swept over Florida in August and September. It took direct hits from Frances and Jeanne; a near hit from Charley, which drenched the Kissimmee basin that drains into the lake; and was soaked again by the remnants of Ivan . . . “ http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=264

EPA Takes Action To Protect Puerto Rico's Shrinking Wetlands

EPA Region 2 news release, 10/27/04.  NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Continuing its work to protect critical wetlands in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken action against seven entities in Puerto Rico that have illegally filled wetlands to build houses, a warehouse for a hardware business and an industrial park.  The actions involve violations of wetlands protection laws established under the federal Clean Water Act.  EPA has fined several developers a total of $150,000, and is seeking an additional $330,000 in penalties from other developers for the violations.  In addition, EPA has required the developers to make restitution for the ecological loss by creating new wetlands in Puerto Rico.  The cases were referred to EPA by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which also enforces wetlands regulations.  In all of the cases, EPA believes the respondents knew their obligations under the law, and went ahead with illegal construction nonetheless.  www.epa.gov/region2

LA: State Supreme Court Reverses $1.3B Oyster Habitat Damage Ruling

GREENWIRE, Wednesday, October 20, 2004.  “State Supreme Court reverses $1.3B oyster habitat damage ruling Louisiana oystermen are not entitled to compensation from the state following a coastal reclamation project that damaged the ocean and estuary bottoms they lease, the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday. The ruling reverses a 2000 settlement in which 130 oystermen received $1.3 billion on the grounds that all but 12 signed leases that renounced legal claims to damages from projects such as the 1991 operation that channeled fresh water from the Mississippi River to Breton Sound. The remaining 12 oystermen did not file their cases in time for them to be considered, the court said (Janet McConnaughey, AP/Biloxi Sun-Herald http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/state/9960750.htm, Oct. 19). The decision removes one of the major obstacles to the $14 billion decades-long program to shore up the state's coast from erosion (Jeffrey Meitrodt, New Orleans Times-Picayune http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1098253856150260.xml, Oct. 20).  ‘We recognize the vitality and importance of the oyster industry to the state and nation, and for the long-term benefit of the industry we must continue our aggressive pursuit to save our coast and the estuaries which nurture this industry,’ said Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D) (Joe Gyan Jr., Baton Rouge Advocate http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/102004/new_oyster001.shtml, Oct. 20).  Plaintiffs in the original suit said their contracts guaranteed them the right to productive salty ocean bottoms. ‘There was nothing in it to tell us the state was going to destroy our leases,’ said oysterman Kenneth Fox. ‘We had a legal binding contract with the state of Louisiana’ (Janet McConnaughey, AP/San Francisco Chronicle online http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/10/19/financial1438EDT0230.DTL, Oct. 19). – CD”

 

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PUBLICATIONS and RESOURCES

EPA Solicits Applications for Environmental Exchange Network

The CSO Weekly Report, October 22, 2004.  EPA is soliciting applications for the Fiscal Year 2005 Environmental Information Exchange Network Grant Program.  The Exchange Network is a nationwide information systems network that facilitates the electronic reporting and exchange of environmental data.  The Network makes it easier for EPA, state, tribal, and territorial partners to obtain data when making decisions concerning the environment and human health.  Coastal states have been using the Network to support their beach monitoring and public notification activities, as well as exchanging water quality data between states.  The grants will be provided to states and territories to develop the information management and technology capabilities they need to participate in the Network.  The deadline for applications is January 15, 2005.  For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/Networkg.

EPA Issues New Water Quality Trading Handbook

EPA WaterNews for November 16, 2004.  “EPA recently published a new document on water quality trading to add to the ‘toolkits’ of water quality managers and watershed stakeholders to help make cost-effective pollutant reductions that achieve water quality standards. Using a hypothetical river basin, The Water Quality Trading Assessment Handbook illustrates an analytical framework that can be used in any watershed to evaluate the conditions and water quality problem(s) and determine if water quality trading might effectively address local conditions.  Order paper copies of the handbook at no charge from the National Service Center for Environmental Publications at (800) 490-9198 or via email at ncepimal@one.net (please refer to the EPA document number EPA 841-B-04-001).  Access and download the handbook at http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/trading/handbook For handbook questions, contact Lynda Hall (202) 566-1210 or Katharine Dowell (202)564-1515.”

NWF Releases Great Lakes Invasive Species Report

The CSO Weekly Report, October 22, 2004.  Last week, the National Wildlife Federation released a report titled Ecosystem Shock: The Devastating Impacts of Invasive Species on the Great Lakes Food Web.  The report focuses on the effect of invasive species of fish and other aquatic life on the Lakes’ food web, introduced by ballast water.  According to the report, some of the most destructive invaders are the alewife and round goby, as well as sea lampreys, Eurasian ruffes, spiny water fleas, and zebra mussels.  For a copy of the report, visit http://www.nwf.org/news/.

CT Announces New Stormwater Quality Manual

The CSO Weekly Report, October 22, 2004.  The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection announced their new 2004 Stormwater Quality Manual.  The Stormwater Quality Manual provides guidance on the measures necessary to protect the waters of the State of Connecticut from the adverse impacts of post-construction stormwater runoff. This is the first statewide manual to focus on site planning, source control and pollution prevention, in addition to standard stormwater treatment and erosion and sediment control practices. The manual is intended for use as a planning tool and design guidance document by the regulated and regulatory communities involved in stormwater quality management and addresses several Section 6217 urban management measures.  An electronic version of the manual can be found at: http://www.dep.state.ct.us/wtr/stormwater/strmwtrman.htm.

MD Report: Nutria Will Hurt Economy, Marshes, Unless Controlled Now

Tuesday November 16, 2004.  Annapolis, Md. (AP) – “A new study shows the state could pay a hefty price later if enough isn't done now to control rodents that are spreading through the Chesapeake Bay marshes. The study found that the rodents - called nutria - could destroy more than 35,000 acres of bay marshes in 50 years. And the losses to economy by the year 2054 could top $35 million a year. According to the findings, Maryland watermen would take the biggest economic blow. The report was commissioned by the state Department of Natural Resources and was conducted by Southwick Associates, an independent economic consulting group. Nutria are aquatic rodents native to South America. They became established in Maryland when a few animals escaped from a fur farm in the 1930s . . . “ http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1104/187985.html

What's Bugging Melaleuca?

ARS News Service, USDA Agricultural Research Service. By Alfredo Flores, 11/1/04.  “The spread of the invasive tree melaleuca is being thwarted in Florida, thanks to a cooperative program that includes enlisting the help of the tree's natural enemies in Australia . . . The effort is called the TAME Melaleuca Project, which ARS established in 2001 to help control melaleuca. Melaleuca quinquenervia was introduced to South Florida in the late 19th century as an ornamental plant, but this fast-growing, fast-spreading tree has displaced native plants and animals, dried up wetlands and created major fire hazards. TAME takes an areawide approach to managing this Australian pest on public and private lands. Paul D. Pratt, a research entomologist at the ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is the project's director, while entomologist Cressida Silvers serves as the coordinator. The purpose of TAME is to demonstrate the effective integration of biological control into other management strategies, including use of herbicides and mechanical removal of melaleuca, to achieve long-term results. Especially sought are control treatments that reduce existing infestations and prevent new ones, while minimizing risks to non-target organisms . . . “ http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2004/041101.htm

NatureServe: Global Amphibian Assessment [pdf]

The NSDL Scout Report for the Life Sciences -- November 26, 2004. http://www.globalamphibians.org/index.html Representing the expertise of over 500 herpetologists, the "Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA) is the first-ever comprehensive assessment of the conservation status of the world's 5,753 known species of frogs, toads, salamanders, and caecilians. This website presents