INDEX:

---EDITOR'S NOTE--

---EDITOR'S CHOICE---

·	Dan Willard Receives ASWM Wizard Of Oz Award As We Bid Him Farewell
·	World Wetlands Day, February 2—Celebrate by Taking A Picture of a Wetland for our Website and do it again in May, August and October
·	Indonesia to Replant Mangroves in Tsunami Defense
·	TX: Draining the Swamp: A Scorched-Earth Management Philosophy Is Sucking The Life Out Of Our Region's Wetlands
·	USFWS Conservation Library Posts Wetland Publications Online
·	Army Corps Agrees NY Wetland Deserves Federal Protection
·	WI: Wetlands Conference Looks At Green Bay
·	Minnesota's Wetlands Disappear Despite Protection, Studies Say
·	Agriculture Wetland Habitats” Call for Papers

---NATIONAL UPDATES---

·	Large Permanent Drop Discovered In Huron, Michigan Lake Levels
·	Puget Sound Environmental Report Yields Mixed Results
·	MOU Links USDA, Fisheries Society For TSP Work
·	EPA-NOAA Form Partnership to Work on Coastal Community Development
·	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Public Comment on Non-Native Bird Species

---LEGISLATIAVE NEWS---

·	Effort Under Way to Weaken US Endangered Species Law

---STATES NEWS---  

·	EPA Approves Pollution Control Plan for Everglades
·	Two Companies Penalized for Filling Virginia Wetlands
·	MS: Charges Against Wetlands Developers Mapped Out
·	DE: State Official Admits Soiling Wetlands
·	Study Encourages Everglades Land Purchases
·	Poll Shows Louisiana’s Coastal Land Loss is a National Concern
·	Ducks Unlimited Helps Protect Key Duck Habitat in St. Louis Area
·	Chevron To Repair Texas Wetlands, Marsh
·	North Carolina Aquariums Added to Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers
·	CA: EPA Orders Sacramento Companies to Restore Damaged Wetlands
·	MA: CCPs are available for the Assabet River, Great Meadows, and Oxbow National Wildlife Refuges
·	New York to Get Easements on 104,000 Acres of Adirondack Forest
·	Arizona Rivers Flowing After Storms

---PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES---

·	Georgia Awarded Grant for Wetland Education
·	OH EPA Releases Amphibian Index of Biotic Integrity for Ohio Wetlands
·	Natural Habitat Integrity Indices discussed in Ecological Indicators Journal
·	Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series
·	Ohio Lake Erie Commission’s North Coast Newsletter Now Available Online
·	January 2005 edition of the Playa Post!

---POTPOURRI---

·	EPA Solicits Nominations for 2005 Environmental Quality Awards
·	Grants, Grants, And More Grants
·	USFWS Seeks Proposals For Funding Through The Private Stewardship Grants Program
·	RFP for the Assessment and Watershed Protection Program Grants
·	EPA Wetlands Funding Available for Local Governments in New England
·	USDA Releases Final Rule And Provides Up To $15 Million For Conservation Innovation Grants
·	MA Engineering Consultants, Inc. Seeks Environmental Scientist, Cary, North Carolina
·	Summer Jobs in the Sierra Nevada!  Amphibian Field Assistants Wanted

---MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES---

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

EDITOR'S NOTE

Dear friends and colleagues,

It has been very busy here in the Connor household, and the rumpled, cluttered rooms indicate how little time we have been spending at home. We are starting a new business with another couple, reopening a restaurant that just happens to show full-length feature films during dinner.  It is quite exciting but draining all at the same time.  I recall telling my husband in December that once January 1 arrived, I’d be home every day at 3:15, get my daughter off of the school bus, go into the house and prepare heart-healthy meals while reviewing her schoolwork and giving her praise for work well-done – we’d have a routine!  Of course, reality banged into my head like a rock and we’ve completed this goal twice – only twice! – in all of January.  It seems I’m either at the theater, or helping a friend, or tackling WBN, or taking long naps to escape it all.  We’re all caught up in the excitement, though, and my husband never really expected me to work full-time, get this place ready for opening by late February, and maintain a Stepford-Wives home.  Did he?

Speaking of women who can – or try to – do it all, our NYS Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, Erin Crotty, is resigning from her position effective in February.  Acting Commissioner will be Lynette Stark, former Deputy Director.  Both of these women helped the Land Trust Alliance secure funding for and manage its land trust grants program in NYS. Congratulations, Lynette, and best wishes for the future.  Thanks for many years of hard work and service, Erin!

Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this Edition, including Jeanne Christie; Dr. Aimlee Laderman; Ralph Tiner; John Mack; Jill Woodyard; Pat Riexinger; Julie Sibbing; Jon Kusler; and Andrew Sipocz.

Happy Groundhog’s Day!

Jennifer Brady-Connor Editor, Wetland Breaking News

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Dan Willard Receives ASWM Wizard Of Oz Award As We Bid Him Farewell

From Jeanne Christie, Executive Director, ASWM—In mid-January we learned that a dear friend and well-loved wetland/watershed scientist Dan Willard was very ill and under hospice care.  For those of you who don’t know Dan, he was a retired professor from Indiana University, an Everglades expert, a very active member of the Sycamore Land Trust, a mentor to many and an inspiration to us all.  We also knew his life encompassed much more than wetlands; he was an avid opera buff—visiting the Metropolitan Opera many years and singing in the opera choir in productions at Indiana university.  He was also a lifelong fan of Frank Baum and the Wizard of Oz books (as well as the movie).  At an ASWM conference in Niagara Falls years ago he was inspired to revise an entire speech to draw parallels between watershed management and the Wizard of Oz.  We at ASWM wanted to do something to recognize his important contributions and to make him smile.  On January 17 the ASWM Board voted to give Dan the following ASWM HONORABLE WIZARD OF OZ AWARD FOR DAN WILLARD ·  For being our friend and helping us over many years, ·  For being an excellent and challenging scientist, ·  For bringing practicality and good sense to our science and thinking, ·  For helping us laugh and not take ourselves too seriously, ·  For helping us realize we have everything we need right here, and ·  For reminding us there is nothing like friendship and no place like home. Jon Kusler called Dan’s wife that afternoon and she let Dan know he had received the ASWM Honorable Wizard of Oz Award. She said he loved the award and we did make him smile.  He passed away that night.  At his memorial service this past Saturday over 200 people celebrated Dan’s life with stories, music, and tears.  The Wizard of Oz Award was read aloud by Jim Parks, a fellow professor and longtime friend, who commented that this passage truly summed up who Dan was and will be to all of us.  For those of you who knew Dan and would like to do something in remembrance, the family has requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions could be made to the Dan Willard Student Fellowship fund (contact Susan Johnson of SPEA sumjohns@indiana.edu) or to the Sycamore Land Trust,. P.O. Box 7801, Bloomington IN. In closing, I am reminded that at ASWM we barely had time to try to show Dan that he had made a difference for us before the opportunity was lost forever.  So if you have a mentor, a teacher, a friend, or a relative or someone in your life that has enriched and broadened your horizons, don’t wait, take time this winter to visit, make a call, drop a card or somehow let them know they did something important for you.   You can always do it twice, make sure to do it once.

World Wetlands Day, February 2—Celebrate by Taking A Picture of a Wetland for our Website and do it again in May, August and October

From Jeanne Christie, ASWM.  February 2 each year is World Wetlands Day. It marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar.    The Ramsar Conventions allow countries to nominate wetlands in their respective country to become Wetlands of International Significance.  In many countries, identifying wetlands of international significance has been the first step in developing support for wetland conservation.  In this country the Clean Water Act, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and other significant pieces of legislation have raised public awareness about the importance of wetlands so Ramsar has not had similar significance here.  Beginning in 1997, World Wetlands Day has provided a reason to celebrate wetlands and undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular. For more information about Ramsar visit http://ramsar.org/.

To Celebrate World Wetlands Day in the United States this year, ASWM is encouraging individuals to photograph a wetland and send it to us to post on the internet.  Okay, okay, we know that February is not the optimal time for photographing wetlands throughout much of the U.S. (my wetland photo will be of a wetland under 12 inches of snow)—but, if you take a picture of the same wetland in May, August in October and send those to us as well, we will have a collection of wetland pictures in every season to share to celebrate World Wetlands Day.  If you would like to submit a picture, please send it to us as a 100 (or less) kilobyte jpeg file and send it to photos@aswm.org.  Please identify the photographer, the location of the wetland and a sentence or two about the wetland to post with the picture(s).  We will remind you through Wetland Breaking News when it is time to take another picture.

Indonesia to Replant Mangroves in Tsunami Defense

January 18, 2005 — By Andrew Quinn, Reuters. JAKARTA — “Indonesia will replant huge swathes of mangrove forest along its vulnerable coastline to help provide a buffer against possible future tsunamis, the forestry minister said. Environmental experts say Southeast Asia's mangroves -- many of which have been ripped out to make room for shrimp and fish farms -- could have helped slow the Dec. 26 tsunami by providing a barrier between the killer waves and land. Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban said Indonesia would revive its mangrove coastal defenses, earmarking some 600,000 hectares of mangrove across the country for revitalization . . . “   http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=6953

TX: Draining the Swamp: A Scorched-Earth Management Philosophy Is Sucking The Life Out Of Our Region's Wetlands

BY JOSH HARKINSON, houstonpress.com, originally published: January 13, 2005. The mud stretches for 200 acres, a shimmering paddy of rutted black gumbo. It is flanked by a highway and a gravel road, real estate signs and an overpass. The developers look at it and envision an Italian village, an ambitious League City subdivision called Tuscan Lakes. But John Jacob prefers the mud. Standing in the clingy loam, his boots caked past his ankles, the Texas A&M University soil scientist scoops up a handful of muck. He squishes it between his fingers and approvingly watches it ooze out like a sun-baked chunk of Nestlé's Crunch. This thick clay soil once formed a bed of the Brazos River, which shifted 30,000 years ago and left a thriving wetland. ‘It's irreplaceable,’ Jacob says of the old riverbed. ‘It's a geologic legacy, a gift . . . ’" http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2005-01-13/news/feature.html

USFWS Conservation Library Posts Wetland Publications Online

From Ralph Tiner, USFWS. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Conservation Library at Sheperdstown, West Virginia has posted a number of recent wetland publications online at: http://library.fws.gov.  Users must click on the "online publications" then do a word search for "wetlands" and they will be able to locate numerous publications including some local wetland trends studies (e.g., Hackensack Meadowlands, NJ; Narragansett Bay, RI), watershed assessments (e.g., Nanticoke River, DE/MD), and wetland status reports (e.g., Boston Harbor Islands, MA).  As the FWS produces NWI reports for special projects in the Northeast, they forward pdf documents to the Conservation Library for posting on the web.  Some of the publications contain links to detailed maps and photos and therefore may take some time loading.

Army Corps Agrees NY Wetland Deserves Federal Protection

January 21, 2005 — By Associated Press. ALBANY, N.Y. — A floating pingpong ball and the threat of a lawsuit convinced the Army Corps of Engineers that a small wetland qualifies for federal protection. New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer threatened to sue in November after the corps said a proposed housing project near the 19-acre wetland in Lysander was not subject to the Clean Water Act since the swamp did not drain into a large body of water covered by the law. On Thursday, the corps reversed its stance, after a pingpong ball that Spitzer's staff placed in the wetland floated to the Seneca River.  http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=6977

WI: Wetlands Conference Looks At Green Bay

By Carli Allen, For The News-Chronicle, 1/28/05. “The cloudy waters in the bay of Green Bay drew plenty of discussion at this year's 10th annual Wetland Science Forum in Green Bay hosted by the Wisconsin Wetlands Association and Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. The event drew a bigger crowd than ever before. The reason, said Wisconsin Wetlands Association Outreach Programs Director Laura England, was likely the topic, ‘Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands.” http://www.greenbaynewschron.com/page.html?article=129723

Minnesota's Wetlands Disappear Despite Protection, Studies Say

1/19/05. BY CHRIS NISKANEN, ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. ST. PAUL – “Minnesota continues to lose thousands of acres of wetlands to drainage or filling, despite laws designed to achieve no net loss of those lands, according to two new state reports. The reports, one by the Department of Natural Resources and the other by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, support long-held suspicions by wildlife managers and conservationists that laws aren't fully protecting Minnesota's wetlands. . . The Wetland Conservation Act was the subject of the DNR analysis. The statute requires destroyed wetlands to be replaced at an acre-to-acre ratio and, in some cases, at a 2-to-1 ratio. But the DNR study shows that since 1995 about 11,000 wetlands acres have been reported destroyed and only 6,000 replacement acres have been created. Exempted wetlands were responsible for half of the lost acreage, the study shows . . . “ http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/local/10679182.htm

Agriculture Wetland Habitats” Call for Papers

Would you like an excuse to travel to Spain?  A session titled "AGRICULTURAL WETLAND HABITATS: Assessment, mapping, revitalizing, naturalizing" is being planned for the Society for Ecological Restoration International [SERI] annual meeting September 12-18, 2005 in Zaragosa, Spain.  Topics may include cranberry, rice, forested and other wetland areas; formerly drained/tiled/flooded sites; and related regulatory, cultural and societal issues. If you wish to present a paper or poster in this session, please send suggested title[s] to Aimlee Laderman alader@cape.com before Feb 15.  Send brief description or abstract before Feb. 25.  Be sure to include author[s] contact information. Aimlee D Laderman, Ph.D., Director, Swamp Research Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole MA 02543  USA, 508-548-5618.

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NATIONAL UPDATE

Large Permanent Drop Discovered In Huron, Michigan Lake Levels

TORONTO, ONTARIO, January 24, 2005 (ENS) “Shoreline alteration, historical aggregate riverbed mining and navigation dredging are resulting in ongoing erosion at the bottom of the St. Clair River and have resulted in the permanent and continuing lowering of water levels on Lakes Michigan and Huron, according to a new report issued today.  Lower lake levels impact the amount of cargo that ships can transport through the lakes, the access and value of property along the shores, and the quantity and quality of habitat for wildlife . . . “ http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2005/2005-01-26-11.asp

Puget Sound Environmental Report Yields Mixed Results

1/20/05 — By Craig Welch, The Seattle Times — “Many of Puget Sound's declining herring populations have rebounded, the acres covered by the invasive grass spartina are half what they were a few years ago and sites once contaminated with heavy metals are slowly being cleaned up, according to a biennial report by the state on Puget Sound's health. The Action Team's report is timed to coincide with the beginning of the state's two-year legislative-budget cycle and forms the backbone for a work plan and a $31.5 million budget request to continue monitoring and cleanup in the Sound . . . “  http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=6965

MOU Links USDA, Fisheries Society For TSP Work

January 2005 issue of BufferNotes newsletter.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the American Fisheries Society (AFS), giving conservation program participants the option to obtain technical assistance in fisheries resources and aquatic habitat from certified technical service providers (TSPs).  The 2002 Farm Bill expanded the availability of technical assistance to private landowners by encouraging the use of TSPs to allow for more conservation technical assistance services to farmers, ranchers and others. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Bruce Knight and AFS Executive Director Ghassan Rassam signed the five-year MOU at an event at USDA-NRCS national headquarters. http://nacdnet.org/buffers/05Jan/new.htm#m

EPA-NOAA Form Partnership to Work on Coastal Community Development

EPA web page. EPA and NOAA have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that creates a formal partnership between the two agencies supporting state and local development innovations. The EPA-NOAA Partnership will provide: training for local government staff and officials; outreach and education on successful policies, ordinances, and initiatives; and assessments of local development rules and policies. This partnership follows on the heels of the successful Portfields MOA that NOAA and EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response signed earlier this year.  http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/noaamoa.html

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Public Comment on Non-Native Bird Species

USFWS news release, 1/5/05.  The USFWS has published in the Federal Register for public comment a draft list intended to clarify which species of birds found in the United States are non-native, human-introduced species and therefore not Federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The list, required under the 2004 Migratory Bird Treaty Reform Act, covers birds whose biological families are referred to in bi-lateral treaties that underlie the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, but which were human introduced and are not considered to be native to the United States.  While a 2001 court ruling required the Service to protect the mute swan, which is generally considered to be non-native, the Service has traditionally excluded non-native species from the MBTA. The notice is available on the Internet at http://migratorybirds.fws.gov.

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LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Effort Under Way to Weaken US Endangered Species Law

1/11/05.  DENVER – “For the first time in three decades, critics of the Endangered Species Act are building momentum to rewrite the law implemented to save America's threatened flora and fauna, from the star cactus to the grizzly bear. Weakening the law has been a priority for Republican Western governors, and a second Bush term provides critics of the act a prime opportunity to push the US Congress for changes that would help open up vast stretches of wilderness for development. Rep. Richard Pombo of California, chairman of the House of Representatives natural resources committee, is expected to introduce legislation this session to revamp the law . . . “ http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/28903/story.htm

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STATES NEWS

EPA Approves Pollution Control Plan for Everglades

January 27, 2005 — By Neil Santaniello, South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week approved the bulk of a controversial state rule designed to curb phosphorus pollution in the Everglades. The EPA found Florida's Everglades cleanup target in compliance with the federal Clean Water Act, over the objections of environmental groups and the Miccosukee Indian Tribe. The federal agency approved provisions of the rule that can extend a December 2006 cleanup deadline up to 10 years, provided pollution controls show continued progress and the best cleanup technology is used. The EPA said it intends to examine, case-by-case, requests for variances that might come from the South Florida Water Management District, the cleanup coordinator . . . “ http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7015

Two Companies Penalized for Filling Virginia Wetlands

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, January 27, 2005 (ENS) – “[EPA] has settled a Clean Water Act case against two companies over filling federally protected wetlands in Newport News, Virginia. In an EPA consent agreement, J. Denbigh Associates, Inc. and Howard B. Hankins, Inc. have agreed to pay a $2,556 penalty and restore the 2.5 acres of affected wetlands at a property located off Jefferson Avenue, south of Industrial Park Drive, in Newport News, Virginia. In addition, these parties have agreed to preserve an additional 4.1 acres of wetlands near Grafton Ponds, place deed restrictions protecting the remaining 25 acres of wetlands on the site, and buy six acres in a wetlands mitigation bank . . . . As part of the settlement, the parties neither admitted nor denied liability for the alleged violations . . . “ http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2005/2005-01-27-09.asp#anchor7

MS: Charges Against Wetlands Developers Mapped Out

By KAREN NELSON, Sun Herald, 1/26/05. GULFPORT – “An Environmental Protection Agency aerial photography expert told jurors Tuesday more than 650 lots in Big Hill Acres have wetlands on them. Peter Stokely also used a series of aerial photos and satellite photos to show how the wetlands on the 2,600-acre development in Vancleave drain to nearby waterways and eventually to the Mississippi Sound. His testimony is key to the federal case against the developers of Big Hill Acres because septic systems there have failed and are failing, allegedly sending untreated sewage to the Gulf . . . “ http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/local/10734690.htm

DE: State Official Admits Soiling Wetlands

By SEAN O'SULLIVAN / The News Journal, 01/25/05. – “A former state natural resources official pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to violating the federal Clean Water Act. William Daisey, 53, of Milton, who was chief of operations for the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control's Division of Soil and Water Conservation Program in Lewes, acknowledged in court that he directed employees to drain a container with harmful liquids ‘into a pit that drained into a wetlands.’ The crime is a felony. Daisey faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he appears again before Judge Sue L. Robinson for sentencing in several weeks . . . “ http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2005/01/25stateofficialad.html

Study Encourages Everglades Land Purchases

January 26, 2005 — By Coralie Carlson, Associated Press. MIAMI - “The state and federal governments should buy more land, and do so quickly, in order to restore the Everglades before the property becomes developed or too expensive in coming years, according to a new report. The report released Monday is the seventh and final in a series by the National Academy of Sciences to advise federal and state agencies and others engaged in restoring the greater Everglades. The government is already spending $100 million to $200 million each year to buy land for the restoration, according to the report . . . “ http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7007

Poll Shows Louisiana’s Coastal Land Loss is a National Concern

By Campaign Staff, America's WETLAND: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana, 1/25/05.  BATON ROUGE, LA – "Americans care deeply about the effects of coastal land loss in Louisiana."  This is the sentiment expressed in the results of a national poll conducted by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc., a national polling firm based in Washington, DC.  ‘This poll demonstrates the deep concern that Americans throughout the country have for our disappearing wetlands,’ said Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco . . . “ http://www.americaswetland.com/article.cfm?id=186&cateid=2&pageid=3&cid=16.

Ducks Unlimited Helps Protect Key Duck Habitat in St. Louis Area

DU E-newsletter, 1/19/05. “Ducks Unlimited (DU) recently completed two conservation projects along the Mississippi River in St. Charles County, Missouri. Thanks to conservation easements donated by Mallard Point Duck Club and Thousand Oaks Duck Club, approximately 370 acres of waterfowl habitat are now permanently protected near where the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers converge . . . The Mallard Point and Thousand Oaks easements, along with more than 650 acres owned by Wilkie Land Company that were protected in 2003, bring the total protected by Ducks Unlimited to over 1,000 acres in St. Charles County. Protected habitats include vegetated wetlands, seasonally flooded agricultural cropland, and bottomland hardwoods that benefit migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds and other wetland dependent wildlife . . . ”

Chevron To Repair Texas Wetlands, Marsh

Washington, DC, Jan. 13 (UPI) – “Chevron has agreed to repair damage caused by discharge of hazardous substances and oil in Port Arthur, Texas, the Justice Department said Thursday . . . Under the agreement being filed Thursday in federal court, Chevron primarily will be responsible for undertaking a variety of restoration actions to compensate for natural resource losses resulting from contamination at the refinery . . . “ http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050113-040547-7782r.htm

North Carolina Aquariums Added to Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers

Region 4 Environmental News, 1/13/05.  Today, Coastal America designated the North Carolina Aquariums as the 18th center in the United States to be part of the national network of Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers.  “America’s estuaries, wetlands, coral reefs, and mangrove forests are critical coastal habitats,” said Benjamin Grumbles, assistant administrator for water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  “We will continue to benefit from this abundant resource if we have a clear understanding of its health today.  This report will serve as a baseline to understand how we can move forward to protect these vital areas.” http://www.epa.gov/region04/oeapages/05press/011305.htm

CA: EPA Orders Sacramento Companies to Restore Damaged Wetlands

EPA Region 9 News Releases, 01/12/05. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently ordered Race Builders Inc. & MRM Marine, LLC to stop dumping dredged and fill material into wetlands bordering Magpie Creek in Sacramento, a violation of the Clean Water Act. In addition, the EPA ordered the companies to develop a restoration plan for the site, and a 5-year monitoring plan to ensure the restoration project succeeds. In November 2004, the EPA inspected the site at the request of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The agency found that Race Builders had used heavy equipment to re-contour a parcel of land, and to move dredged and fill material into a vernal pool adjacent to Magpie Creek. http://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/r9press.nsf/7f3f954af9cce39b

MA: CCPs are available for the Assabet River, Great Meadows, and Oxbow National Wildlife Refuges

Federal Register, 1/10/05.  USFWS announces that the final Comprehensive Conservation Plans are available for the Assabet River, Great Meadows, and Oxbow National Wildlife Refuges. The CCPs describe how the Service intends to manage the refuges over the next 15 years.  The extensive and regionally significant wetlands occurring on and adjacent to all three refuges, including their associated tributary drainages and headwaters, have been listed as a priority for protection under both the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) and the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-407.htm

New York to Get Easements on 104,000 Acres of Adirondack Forest

January 06, 2005 — By Chris Garifo, Watertown Daily Times. ALBANY, N.Y. — “The state will acquire easements on more than 104,000 acres of Adirondack forest lands in what is described as the third largest land acquisition in New York history . . . The deal covers the Sable Highlands region of Franklin and Clinton counties in the 6 million-acre park. The state will acquire easements on more than 84,000 acres of forest land that the Lyme Timber Co., Hanover, N.H., bought from Domtar Industries, a Canadian company, for $17.47 million. Lyme Timber will manage the property and harvest its timber while maintaining the property's current Forest Stewardship Council certification, considered the "gold standard" for sustainable forest management . . . ” http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=6882

Arizona Rivers Flowing After Storms

January 06, 2005 — By Arthur H. Rotstein, Associated Press. TUCSON, Ariz. – “For the first time in seven years, virtually every river in Arizona is doing what rivers usually do in most other places: flow with water. Winter storms last week and this week have pumped runoff from rain or snow into stream- and riverbeds across the state. And with more Pacific storms headed into Arizona by Friday and early next week, the flows should keep coming for a while. That's a rarity in Arizona, where most riverbeds normally are dry. Water has disappeared in recent decades due to a combination of factors. Principal among them: increased groundwater pumping because of population growth, and drought. Dams that capture runoff for flood control or irrigation projects have tamed even the state's mightiest river, the Colorado. And in some places, rivers like the San Pedro and the Little Colorado are barely more than a few car-lengths wide . . . “ http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=6879

Georgia Awarded Grant for Wetland Education

EPA Region 4 Environmental News, 01/04/05.  “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 announced today that it has awarded 15 grants totaling approximately $188,900 as a result of the 2004 competition for environmental education grants.  Among those 15 grants was one to DeKalb County Parks and Recreation Department in Georgia.  The intent of this project is to introduce students and teachers to the value of wetlands, particularly in an urban environment, for wildlife habitat, water quality and flood reduction . . . “  http://www.epa.gov/region04/oeapages/05press/010405.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PUBLICATIONS and RESOURCES

OH EPA Releases Amphibian Index of Biotic Integrity for Ohio Wetlands
INTEGRATED WETLAND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM. Part 7: Amphibian Index of Biotic Integrity (AmphIBI) for Ohio Wetlands (PDF 3,714K) is now available at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/wetlands/WetlandEcologySection.html#Reports. The November 4, 2003 technical report An Inventory of Ohio Wetland Compensatory Mitigation (PDF 816K) is now available electronically. Information on specific mitigation sites is available on the Wetland Mitigation Site Information page.
Natural Habitat Integrity Indices discussed in Ecological Indicators Journal
From Ralph Tiner, USFWS. Ecological Indicators 4 (2004): 227-243:  "Remotely-sensed indicators for monitoring the general condition of watersheds: an application for Delaware's Nanticoke River watershed."   The paper introduces a set of "natural habitat integrity indices" that can be used to document the condition of natural habitats (wetlands, uplands, stream corridors, wetland buffers) and habitat alterations (e.g., stream channelization, stream damming, wetland alteration, and habitat fragmentation) throughout a watershed and provide a useful set of metrics for revealing the general condition of these habitats mostly from a quantitative standpoint, and for monitoring changes and for comparing between watersheds and among subbasins.  A complete e-version of the paper can be accessed at: http://wetlands.fws.gov/Pubs_Reports/EcologicalIndicatorsTiner.pdf.
Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series
Center For Watershed Protection, January 2005.  It’s Finally Here: The latest installment in our Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series - Manual 4: Stream Repair Practices. It concentrates on practices used to enhance the appearance, stability, structure, or function of urban streams. An electronic version of the manual can be downloaded for free for a limited time by going here - http://www.cwp.org/USRM_verify.htm.  It’s Almost Gone: USRM Manuals 1, 8, 10, 11 are undergoing a facelift (changes include formatting and terminology changes for consistency purposes and a few fixes) and will be released by early February as Version 2.0. The downside of this news is that it marks the end of the free download period. Check our online store - http://centerforwatershedprotection.goemerchant7.com/ - in February to get these latest versions.
Ohio Lake Erie Commission’s North Coast Newsletter Now Available Online
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission’s North Coast Newsletter is now available online at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/oleo/ncn/ncn2005/janfeb05.pdf This first issue for 2005 includes articles about:
·	2005 Lake Erie Protection Fund Large Grant Cycle;
·	2005 Small Grant Cycle and Small Grants Awarded;
·	Ohio EPA’s Source Water Assessment & Protection Program;
·	Great Lakes Basin:  Challenges Face a Global Gateway for Commerce;
·	Ohio DOT Targets Pollution in Storm Water Runoff;
·	New Commission Chairman and Secretary Named for 2005; and
·	New Director at Ohio EPA.
Please visit the Commission web site for updates on all Lake Erie Commission programs including projects funded by Ohio’s Lake Erie License Plate Program featuring the Marblehead Lighthouse and Toledo Harbor Lighthouse plates (plates designed by Artist Ben Richmond.)
January 2005 edition of the Playa Post!
The Playa Post is an electronic newsletter published by the Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV). The PLJV's mission is to conserve playa lakes, other wetlands and associated landscapes through partnerships for the benefit of birds, other wildlife and people in the western Great Plains. PLJV partners consist of federal and state wildlife and natural resource agencies, non profit conservation groups and the private sector. In this issue: New PLJV Implementation Plan Gathers No Dust; State Partners Conduct Workshops on CRP and Playas; Playa Lakes Radio Series to Launch January 7 - Tune In!; Upcoming Funding Deadlines; Happenings Around the PLJV. http://www.pljv.org/newsarchive/PlayaPost/post0105.html

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