INDEX:

---EDITOR'S NOTE--

---EDITOR'S CHOICE---

·	NRCS and Corps Withdraw from Ag MOA; Work on New Guidance
·	Report Available: Fourth Stakeholder Forum on Federal Wetlands Mitigation
·	A Wetland in Your Inbox - Sign Up Today!
·	Unique Wetlands Conserved On World Wetlands Day 2005
·	2005 Regional Wetland Technical Conference, Corpus Christi, TX

---NATIONAL UPDATES---

·	EPA Wetland Program Development Grants RFP Published
·	EPA Call For Proposals: Targeted Watersheds Grants Program
·	USFWS Issues Call For Proposals To Tribes For Grants To Conserve Fish And Wildlife On Tribal Lands
·	Having a Blast Creating Wetlands
·	White House Releases Response to Ocean Commission Report
·	A Little Development Can Cause Big Harm
·	Wildlife Scientists Feeling Heat

---LEGISLATIAVE NEWS---

·	House Streamlines Appropriation Subcommittees
·	Budget Language Endangers Environment
·	Bush Seeks Nearly Six Percent Cut in Environment Funding

---STATES NEWS---  

·	FL DEP Notice of Proposed Changes To The Intent Section Of The Uniform Mitigation Assessment Method Rule
·	Partnership Protects Aurora Wetlands (OH)
·	MA: Ruling Backs EPA In Clash Over Wetlands
·	MI: 3 Guilty Of Violating Clean Water Act
·	King William Reservoir Would Destroy More Virginia Wetlands Than Any Permitted Project Ever
·	2 Wetlands Sites Picked For Scripps In Florida
·	WRP Provides $10.7 Million To Restore And Protect Wetlands In Illinois
·	FL: "Melapaleuza” Event Takes Aim At Invasive Melaleuca Trees
·	FL: Moth Released To Curb Spread Of Climbing Fern
·	NC Areas Eyed For New 'Unique Wetlands' Designation
·	EPA Orders Galt Developer To Stop Filling Calaveras County Creeks And Wetlands
·	MA: Developers Plan To Appeal Fines
·	IN: Company Fined For Filling
·	Nebraska: Salt Creek Tiger Beetle Proposed for Federal Endangered List
·	EPA Awards $140,000 For Central California Coastal Wetlands Assessment
·	NM: Bill Seeks To Limit State's Water Regulations
·	OR: Seizing Their Chance, Conservationists Join Forces To Push Bills

---PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES---

·	Report on Isolated Wetlands Published by NatureServe
·	New Document: “Wetlands and Fish - A Vital Link”
·	Now On-line "Growth and Water Resources" Training Module
·	Local Planning and the Connections to Wetland Policy
·	Conference Proceedings:  Actions Toward A Sustainable Great Lakes
·	Final Recommendations for Actions as a result of the Special Session on the Tsunami and Coastal Wetlands

---POTPOURRI---

·	GAO Report: EPA Still Has Work to Do on Publicizing and Characterizing Grant Opportunities
·	FL: Crane Restoration Partners Pledge to Continue Efforts
·	SWS Providing Fellowships to Undergrads for Attendance at SWS Conference in SC
·	Bids Sought for Pilot Streamside Planting Project in Greene County, NY (Due March 8)

---EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ---

·	National Wildlife Federation Seeks Wetlands Legislative Representative
·	Paid Internships: Wetland Ecology and Monitoring Techniques with the Washington State Department of Transportation
·	UC Davis Seeks Restoration Ecologist for Assistant Professorship in Plant Sciences
·	ASFPM Announces New Position of Deputy Executive Director (Closing Date April 1, 2005)
·	East Carolina University Seeks Coastal Landscape Ecologist
·	RK&K (Baltimore) Seeks Environmental Planner/Scientist
·	NC: MA Engineering Consultants, Inc. Seeks Environmental Scientist
·	University of North Carolina's Institute of Marine Sciences: Openings In Marine Ecology
·	University of North Carolina's Institute of Marine Sciences Seeking Research Technician

---MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES---

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

EDITOR'S NOTE

Dear friends and colleagues,

There are no groceries in the house (we haven’t shopped for food in weeks) but we’ve finally caught up on a month of laundry and a couple weeks of dirty dishes.  Everyone, even my five-year old daughter, has been working almost daily at the theater/restaurant to get things moving, and it’s absorbed our free time.  And why not?  After five years of trying to have another child it was time to move on to something new, a challenge that would occupy our minds and time as we begin the next phase of our lives together. The last thing we expected was intervention by fate (along with a little biology).  Yes, at 34 and one-half years old I find myself pregnant.  I am temporarily overwhelmed and off-balance  (at least this will take Autumn’s mind off of getting a rabbit for her birthday) and simultaneously embracing this opportunity, to care for this baby, and myself and take actions to give this kid the best start it can have.  Oh!---and still do everything else!  How do other working mothers wrestle with these tricky twists of fate?

On the wetlands front, Migratory Bird & Wetland NewsLink is now on-line.  To read the January - February 2005 issue please go to: http://www.birdsandwetlands.com/.

Special thanks to this edition’s contributors, including: Donna An, US EPA; Mark Vian, NYCDEP; Judy Bailey, US EPA; Tosha Hershey, RK & K Engineers; Maria Placht, Environmental Law Institute; Susan Marie-Stedman, NOAA; Rebecca Dils, US EPA; Leslie Collins, Watershed Science Centre, Trent University, ON; Stephen O. Wilson, Hudson River Environmental Society; Connie Bersok, FLDEP; and Lisa C. Gandy, Whitenton Group, Inc.

Until next time, Jennifer Brady-Connor Editor, Wetland Breaking News

EDITOR'S CHOICE

NRCS and Corps Withdraw from Ag MOA; Work on New Guidance

(from Jeanne Christie)   In 1994, the Departments of Agriculture, Interior and Army and the Environmental Protection Agency entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) concerning the delineation of wetlands for purposes of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Food Security Act (FSA). The MOA was developed to streamline the wetland delineation process on agricultural lands, to promote consistency between the CWA and the FSA, and to provide predictability and simplification for USDA program participants.   The 1996 and 2002 FSA amendments changed the wetland conservation provisions, producing inconsistency between them and the CWA, and making the 1994 MOA obsolete and illegal for NRCS to follow. Specific reasons for withdrawing from the MOA are listed on page 2 of this document.  USDA withdrew from the MOA on January 18, 2005 and the Corps of Engineers (COE) withdrew from it on January 24, 2005.  NRCS has been working with the COE to develop joint guidance for both agencies to use when conducting wetland determinations. This will replace the procedures in the former MOA.  More information on the reasons for withdrawal and the content of the guidance under development can be found at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/compliance/pdf_files/2-28-05_NewGuidance_Wet_Det.pdf

Report Available: Fourth Stakeholder Forum on Federal Wetlands Mitigation

From Maria Placht, Environmental Law Institute. The final report on the Fourth Stakeholder Forum on Federal Wetlands Mitigation is now available on ELI's website at http://www2.eli.org/research/wetlandsmitigationforum2004.htm.  The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) hosted the Forum in Tampa, Florida in September 2004. The meeting was designed to inform efforts to improve federal compensatory mitigation by providing a forum for a broad range of stakeholders to comment on and discuss the National Mitigation Action Plan (MAP) process, products in development, and anticipated work.  This report is intended as a representative record of the issues discussed at the mitigation forum. It can serve as a resource for those interested in improving compensatory mitigation under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.  It can also serve as a foundation for federal and state agencies and others to develop specific and concrete actions for improving mitigation success.  For more information about MAP visit www.mitigationactionplan.gov .  For more information about the forum report, please contact the Environmental Law Institute.

A Wetland in Your Inbox - Sign Up Today!

The Izaak Walton League of America is offering a unique opportunity for you to experience wetlands through the Internet. Wetland Sights and Sounds is a series of eight email news flashes to help you get ready for American Wetlands Month in May www.iwla.org/sos/awm/events. You will receive one issue per week in March and April. Each issue of Wetland Sights and Sounds will highlight a wetland function or value. Issues will include educational information, pictures, sound cards, conservation project ideas, and links to other resources. Sign up today to receive Wetland Sights and Sounds by sending a blank email to join-friends@list.iwla.org. By joining this list, you also will receive periodic updates from the Izaak Walton League on exciting conservation initiatives.

Unique Wetlands Conserved On World Wetlands Day 2005

GLAND, Switzerland, February 2, 2005 (ENS) – “World Wetlands Day, celebrated on February 2 each year, marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. This year is the beginning of a 10 year cycle - an International Decade of Water - that will be launched on World Water Day March 23 . . . The United States celebrated World Wetlands Day 2005 by designating two Wetlands of International Importance in California - the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR) and Grasslands Ecological Area . . . “ http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2005/2005-02-02-02.asp

2005 Regional Wetland Technical Conference, Corpus Christi, TX

2005 Regional Wetland Technical Conference, Corpus Christi, TX. May 17-19, 2005. “Wetland Science & Conservation: Tools for Future Challenges and Success.” The Arkansas Multi-Agency Wetland Planning Team, on behalf of the states of AR, LA, TX, OK, and NM will be hosting a 2½ day conference at the OMNI Marina Tower on Corpus Christi Bay. Deadline for abstract submission is March 18, 2005. Abstracts can be submitted on line at www.awrims.cast.uark.edu or contact Kenneth Colbert at (501) 682-1608 or Kenneth.colbert@arkansas.gov . For additional information on the conference, registration fees ($100 before March 18, 2005), hotel reservations, exhibitors, and sponsorship opportunities visit www.awrims.cast.uark.edu or contact Debby Davis at (501) 682-3830.

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NATIONAL UPDATE

EPA Wetland Program Development Grants RFP Published

From Donna An, USEPA. EPA Office of Water has released the Wetland Program Demonstration Program (WPDG) Request for Proposals for the Headquarter competition for non-governmental organizations.  It can be found online at http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/grantguidelines The Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDGs) provide eligible applicants an opportunity to conduct projects that promote the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution. While WPDGs can continue to be used by recipients to build and refine any element of a comprehensive wetland program, priority will be given to funding projects that address the three priority areas identified by EPA: Developing a comprehensive monitoring and assessment program; improving the effectiveness of compensatory mitigation; and refining the protection of vulnerable wetlands and aquatic resources. States, Tribes, local governments (S/T/LGs), interstate associations, intertribal consortia, and national non-profit, non-governmental organizations are eligible to apply.

EPA Call For Proposals:  Targeted Watersheds Grants Program

Federal Register, 2/18/05.  EPA announces the Call for Nominations of watershed proposals under the Targeted Watersheds Grant Program, a competitive grant program designed to support the protection and restoration of the country's water resources through a holistic watershed approach to water quality management. For fiscal year 2005, Congress has appropriated a total of $18 million for the Program of which $10 million will be directed to nation-wide projects for improving water quality and the remaining $8 million will be directed toward projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The deadline for EPA receipt of nominations, both in hard copy and in electronic form, is May 19, 2005. http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/initiative/

USFWS Issues Call For Proposals To Tribes For Grants To Conserve Fish And Wildlife On Tribal Lands

USFWS news release, 2/3/05. The Interior Department’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today issued a request for proposals from federally recognized Tribes to conserve and recover endangered, threatened and at-risk species and other wildlife on Tribal lands under the Tribal Landowner Incentive (TLIP) and Tribal Wildlife Grant (TWG) programs.  Similar to the agency’s Landowner Incentive and State Wildlife grants programs, these grant programs are designed to support efforts to conserve and restore the habitat of threatened, endangered and at risk species on tribal lands. Grants in the two programs are awarded through a competitive process.  TWG has $ 5,917,000 available for grants that will benefit wildlife and its habitat, including species that are not hunted or fished. The maximum award under this program is $250,000.TLIP has $ 2,126,000 available for federally recognized Indian Tribes to address protection, restoration and management of habitat to benefit species at risk, including federally listed endangered or threatened species, as well as proposed or candidate species. Up to 75 percent of the costs associated with each project funded under this program may be covered by Federal funds.  The maximum award under this program is $150,000. For grant application kits, please visit http://grants.fws.gov/tribal.html or contact Patrick Durham, Office of the Native American Liaison (202) 208-4133.

Having a Blast Creating Wetlands

NRCS This Week. “As part of the NRCS Wetland Reserve Program, Rusty Knapp of Superior Blasting pushes the ignite button and four joules of electricity ignite 300 pounds of Ammonium Nitrate punching 88 dump truck loads of soil into the air. It takes moments for the soil to fall, raining down across the rangeland in large clods. The result, a 40 x 60-foot crater in the earth -- the making of a pond for wildlife habitat. Of course, excavation by means of backhoe can also used. However, landowner John Taft felt that, with seven large ponds to create on his land near Henry’s Lake in Yellowstone country, Idaho, blasting was the most efficient way. Ken Beckmann, NRCS district conservationist laid out the project. He says, ‘Blasting potholes is nothing new. The technique was used some 50 years ago to create extensive wetlands. This seemed to be a good fit for this landowner . . . ’” http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/thisweek/2005/020905/blasting.html

White House Releases Response to Ocean Commission Report

EPA WaterNews for February 1, 2005. “The White House released its response to the Ocean Commission report on Dec. 17, 2004.  The response, entitled U.S. Ocean Action Plan, summarizes the Administration's actions to advance ocean policy and also identifies new near-term and longer term initiatives that respond to recommendations in the  Commission report.  EPA collaborated with 13 other executive branch agencies and departments on the Administration's Interagency Ocean Policy Group to consider the Commission's recommendations and help formulate the Administration's response.  One of the elements of the Action Plan is an Executive Order establishing a Cabinet-level Committee on Ocean Policy, to be chaired by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).  The EPA Administrator will serve on the Committee, along with the heads of other agencies and departments with responsibilities relating to ocean and coastal policy and management.  A copy of the Ocean Action Plan is available at: http://ocean.ceq.gov.”

A Little Development Can Cause Big Harm

BY TOM HORTON, On the Bay, Originally published: February 11, 2005. “Finally, growth in your county is coming to the peninsula where you've lived in bucolic bliss, fishing and crabbing and bird watching along the edges of tidal river and bay.  As local officials and developers explain their plans, your spirits rise. They're showing more environmental sensitivity then anyone expected.  Not nearly as bad as you thought.  But think again, this time armed with emerging studies from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) near Edgewater. For the first time, the center is relating the ways we use land to specific changes in the tidewater environment, based on four years of research at dozens of locations the length of the Chesapeake . . . “ http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.horton11feb11.column

Wildlife Scientists Feeling Heat

February 10, 2005--By Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau, Washington -- Scientists in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say they've been forced to alter or withhold findings that would have led to greater protections for endangered species, according to a survey released Wednesday by two environmental groups. The scientists charge that top regional and national officials in the agency suppressed scientific information to avoid confrontations with industry groups or to follow the Bush administration's political policies. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/02/10/MNG7QB8O531.DTL [You can find a summary of the survey, its methodology, and a summary of results broken down by region here or by clicking on the link below: http://www.ucsusa.org/global_environment/rsi/page.cfm?pageID=1601]

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LEGISLATIVE NEWS

House Streamlines Appropriation Subcommittees

From CSO Weekly Report, February 18 --This week, the House Appropriations Committee approved a major reorganization plan, shrinking the number of subcommittees from thirteen to ten and shifting jurisdiction for several environmental and energy agencies.  During the committee’s first meeting of the 109th Congress, the full panel passed the reorganization plan on a party-line vote of 36-24.  The House plan distributes the agencies under the VA-HUD Subcommittee to five other subcommittees while eliminating the Legislative Branch and District of Columbia subcommittees. The VA-HUD Subcommittee had jurisdiction over U.S. EPA and White House Council on Environmental Quality, which will now be considered by the Interior and Environment Subcommittee. Budgets for agencies such as NASA, the National Science Foundation and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy will now be considered in the new Science, State, Justice, and Commerce (SSJC) appropriations subcommittee.  As part of Commerce funding, this subcommittee will also handle NOAA appropriations.  Some members have expressed concern that adding NASA to the SSJC Subcommittee portfolio will dilute funding available for other programs.   The move by the House sets up a mismatch among the jurisdictions of House and Senate Appropriations committees, a situation that lawmakers forecast will make it enormously difficult to complete appropriation bills this year. The Senate has made no decision on whether to adopt the reorganization strategy, and plans to begin the appropriations process under the existing 13 subcommittee structure.  For more information, visit http://appropriations.house.gov/ and the press release at http://appropriations.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=439&Month=2&Year=2005

Budget Language Endangers Environment

February 10, 2005, Excerpts from NRDC, Legislative Watch.  “ . . . On 2/7, President Bush sent his FY06 budget request to Congress. Overall domestic spending would be cut for most domestic programs, with disproportionate cuts to environmental programs. The budget proposal also includes language that would authorize drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The House and Senate Budget committees now begin the process of writing their budget resolutions. A more complete analysis of the president's budget request is available at http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/050209a.asp . . . EPA Administrator Leavitt was nominated and easily confirmed by the Senate as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services. The White House has not yet announced a nominee for a new EPA administrator . . . “ http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp

Bush Seeks Nearly Six Percent Cut in Environment Funding

February 11, 2005 — By Carrie Schluter, ENN.  Early in the week, the unveiling of the Bush administration's aggressive 2006 budget sparked a number of articles lamenting the president's proposed $7.57 billion cut in EPA funding. The administration found significant savings -- $361 million -- by trimming a clean water program 33 percent. According to Rob Perks of the Natural Resources Defense Council, "This year's cuts are really bad for clean water." Steve Johnson, acting EPA administrator, took a different view, stating that the plan was a "strong request that allows us to keep up the pace of environmental protections." For the complete story: http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7124

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STATES NEWS

FL DEP Notice of Proposed Changes To The Intent Section Of The Uniform Mitigation Assessment Method Rule

From Connie Bersok, FL DEP.  The following notice regarding proposed changes to the intent section of the Uniform Mitigation Assessment Method rule is on Department of Environmental Protection website for Official  Notices. “This proposed rulemaking will amend the intent section of the rule to better conform with existing water management district rules and to clarify certain grandfathering provisions. SUMMARY: When initially adopted, chapter 62-345 was intended to grandfather 1) permit applications pending at the time of the chapter’s creation, including mitigation bank permits, and 2) modification of permits, including mitigation bank and conceptual permits, issued prior to the adoption of the chapter.   The proposed amendments are intended merely to clarify the Department’s original intent.  These amendments will also clarify the date (February 2, 2004) when referencing the effective date for these grandfathering provisions . . . “http://tlhora6.dep.state.fl.us/onw/pub_date.asp?pubdate=2/4/2005

Partnership Protects Aurora Wetlands (OH)

February 25, 2005 — By Trust for Public Land. AURORA, OH — “The Trust for Public Land along with the City of Aurora and Chagrin River Land Conservancy announced the successful protection of 250 acres including critical wetlands and natural area located 35 miles southeast of Cleveland. Funded in part by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's (OEPA) innovative Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program (WRRSP), the acquisition protects two properties containing some of the most sensitive wetlands in the area, provides vital recreational opportunities for future generations, and prevents poorly planned development that could jeopardize future water quality . . . “ http://www.enn.com/aff.html?id=440

MA: Ruling Backs EPA In Clash Over Wetlands

By Robert Knox, Boston Globe Correspondent. February 27, 2005. “A federal judge has denied a motion to reconsider his summary judgment that a Carver cranberry grower destroyed wetlands to create cranberry bogs. US District Court Judge Edward Harrington last month had fined Charles Johnson of Fosdick Road $75,000 and ordered him to restore 25 acres of wetlands at a cost estimated at $1.1 million. He declined to reconsider his decision in a ruling issued Feb. 16. In a case nearly 10 years old, the US Environmental Protection Agency said Johnson destroyed 50 acres of wetlands to expand his cranberry-growing business . . . “ http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/02/27/ruling_backs_epa_in_clash_over_wetlands

MI: 3 Guilty Of Violating Clean Water Act

By Jeremy Hudson, February 26, 2005. “Steve Heise has had to live with the stench of ankle-deep, raw sewage in his back yard at the Vancleave mobile-home park for nine years. He might not have to much longer. The developers and real estate agent who sold the wetland lots to hundreds of families, despite warnings from public health officials, were found guilty on Friday in U.S. District Court in Gulfport of 41 federal charges relating to the federal Clean Water Act, as well as other offenses . . . “ http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050226/NEWS01/502260354/1002/NEWS01

King William Reservoir Would Destroy More Virginia Wetlands Than Any Permitted Project Ever

BY FRED CARROLL, Published February 24, 2005.  “Great blue herons nest and redfin pickerels swim in wetlands nourished by the Cohoke Creek, a tributary of the Pamunkey River, as it meanders through a wooded valley in King William County. What happens to herons and pickerels if a coalition of Peninsula localities wins the right to create a massive reservoir drives the controversy that has engulfed the project since the mid-1990s. Damming the creek and flooding the valley with water destined for Peninsula taps would drown 403 acres of wetlands - making it the largest single permitted loss of wetlands in Virginia since the federal government began protecting them in 1972.  http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-68276sy0feb24.story

2 Wetlands Sites Picked For Scripps In Florida

By Jeff McDonald, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER, February 24, 2005. “Unless environmentalists prevail in court, the Florida campus of the Scripps Research Institute will be built on rural wetlands, under a decision made this week by Palm Beach County commissioners. After a daylong hearing Tuesday, commissioners rejected an alternative to construct the biomedical complex along the busy Interstate 95 corridor. Instead, they narrowed the project's location to a one-time orange grove or another site immediately north. Both properties have drawn complaints from environmentalists because they are in a largely undeveloped region 20 miles outside West Palm Beach. Now it's up to Scripps to decide which site to pursue . . . “ http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20050224-9999-1m24scripps.html

WRP Provides $10.7 Million To Restore And Protect Wetlands In Illinois

NRCS news release, WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2005 - NRCS will provide $10.7 million to help restore a vast area of Illinois wetlands through the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and will establish a framework of cooperation through an agreement with The Nature Conservancy. Called the Emiquon Project, this 7,000-acre tract of land along the Illinois River in Fulton County is one of the largest floodplain restoration projects in the country. The WRP project will restore approximately 6,400 acres of wetlands. A national memorandum of understanding between NRCS and the Conservancy formalizes the partnership and establishes a framework to collaborate on mutually-agreed upon activities. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2005/02/0057.xml

FL: "Melapaleuza” Event Takes Aim At Invasive Melaleuca Trees

February 15, 2005. By Alfredo Flores, Washington—“A two-day event called "Melapaleuza," co-hosted by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), is being held in Florida this week as part of the continuing effort to control melaleuca, an invasive species that has infested about 500,000 acres in South Florida. The ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory (IPRL) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will help host the first Melapaleuza event beginning today in Fort Myers, Fla., to demonstrate the agency's "TAME Melaleuca" program for managing this invasive species. ARS initiated The Areawide Management and Evaluation (TAME) Melaleuca Project in 2001 to help control the spread of Melaleuca quinquenervia, a fast-growing Australian tree that has quickly invaded the Everglades region, displacing native vegetation and creating major fire hazards . . . “ http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2005/050215.htm

FL: Moth Released To Curb Spread Of Climbing Fern

February 14, 2005. By Alfredo Flores, WASHINGTON—“More than 100 tiny moths from Australia were released in Florida this morning to begin a biological control effort against an invasive weed that has spread over more than 100,000 acres in the state. Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and officials from the State of Florida released the moths this morning at the Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound, Fla. The moth, Austromusotima camptonozale, is the first biological control agent approved for release against the invasive weed Old World climbing fern, Lygodium microphyllum . . . “ http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2005/050214.htm

NC Areas Eyed For New 'Unique Wetlands' Designation

By Steve Jones, The Sun News. Posted on Tue, Feb. 15, 2005. SHALLOTTE, N.C. - North Carolina may designate three wetland areas in Brunswick County among the state's first round of a new Unique Wetlands classification. The classification would protect the wetland from any development other than that deemed to have a public need. The four areas in Brunswick total more than 120 acres and are on land The Nature Conservancy owns along Myrtle Head Road and in the Green Swamp . . . “ http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/local/10902598.htm

EPA Orders Galt Developer To Stop Filling Calaveras County Creeks And Wetlands

EPA news release, February 10, 2005.  SAN FRANCISCO -- EPA has ordered CRV Enterprises and Ryan Voorhees of Galt, Calif. to stop dumping dredged and fill material into Cosgrove Creek, its tributaries, and wetlands in the Calaveras River watershed in Valley Springs, a violation of the Clean Water Act. In addition, the EPA ordered the company and Voorhees to develop a restoration plan for the site, and a 5-year monitoring plan to ensure the restoration project succeeds. http://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/r9press.nsf/newsbyyear?ReadForm&year=2005

MA: Developers Plan To Appeal Fines

Tuesday, February 08, 2005, By DIANE LEDERMAN, MassLive.com. HADLEY – “The chairman of the Conservation Commission has confirmed the board did allow developers to repair a pipe break on the property, but the commission did not issue permits for the rest of the work. Alexandra D. Dawson said Friday the commission allowed Martha W. and Brian A. Zuckerman to repair a pipe on their Bri-Mar Farm property, something for which the state Department of Environmental Protection has a record. But they don't have permits filed to put in a new pipe, said Eva Torr, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection. The state cited the Zuckermans for violating the Wetlands Protection Act and fined each $175,150 for violations the state said occurred during and after February 2003. The couple denied the allegations and said they plan to appeal . . . The state said the violations include illegally filling 1,500 feet of a stream channel, 8,700 square feet of wetlands, an 11,000-square-foot pond and an 11,000-square-foot wetlands area off the Fort River . . . The Zuckermans are planning to build a 44-unit subdivision on a farm on Moody Bridge Road . . . “ Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.  http://www.masslive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-9/1107852654133510.xml

IN: Company Fined For Filling

EPA Region 5 News Releases, 02/03/05. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 recently cited the Indiana Department of Transportation, Atlas Excavating and Larry Fitzgerald (d/b/a Shrum Manufactured Housing), for illegally filling in wetlands near the Indianapolis International Airport. EPA has proposed a $157,500 fine. EPA alleges that between August and December 1999, the three respondents illegally dumped 35,500 cubic yards of polluted construction debris as fill material on a 2-acre area southeast of U.S. Highway 40, near the intersection of West Washington Street and Raceway Boulevard.  http://www.epa.gov/reg5oopa/news/news05/05006.htm

Nebraska: Salt Creek Tiger Beetle Proposed for Federal Endangered List

Federal Register, 2/1/05. USFWS announces its proposal to list the Salt Creek tiger beetle as endangered. The Salt Creek tiger beetle, a member of the family Cicindelidae, is endemic to the saline wetlands of eastern Nebraska and associated streams in the northern third of Lancaster County and southern margin of Saunders County in Nebraska, where it is found in barren salt flat and saline stream edge habitats. Of six known populations in 1991, three are now extirpated and the remaining three are small and highly threatened by further habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation. http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-1669.htm

EPA Awards $140,000 For Central California Coastal Wetlands Assessment

EPA news release, 1/31/05. SAN FRANCISCO. EPA recently awarded $140,000 to San Jose State University's Moss Landing Marine Laboratory to develop a wetlands assessment program.  The project team will work closely with the California Coastal Commission and other partners in the Central Coast Wetland Working Group.  In turn, they will collaborate with other scientists from the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California to standardize and expand wetland restoration and monitoring along the central California coast. http://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/r9press.nsf/newsbyyear?ReadForm&year=2005

NM: Bill Seeks To Limit State's Water Regulations

Santa Fe New Mexican, Ben Neary, Associated Press. February 3, 2005. “Pending legislation would limit New Mexico's water-quality regulations to levels no stricter than federal standards. Sen. Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, said he's sponsoring the bill, Senate Bill 583, to help protect Eastern New Mexico's dairy industry. But Ron Curry, New Mexico's environment secretary, said he's concerned the measure could strip protections from many state waters . . . “ http://www.aswm.org/wbn/archive/05/050225y.htm

OR: Seizing Their Chance, Conservationists Join Forces To Push Bills

February 17, 2005. By Michelle Cole, The Oregonian.  SALEM — Senate Democrats and conservationists gathered on the Willamette River's frigid banks Tuesday to announce the "most important" water quality proposal in 30 years, another in a long line of environmental protections they have championed. But the riverbank also was the perfect spot to showcase a second role the Democrats, with their new majority in the Senate, see for themselves: deep-sixing legislation that might be considered harmful to the environment.  http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=7153

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PUBLICATIONS and RESOURCES

Report on Isolated Wetlands Published by NatureServe

Posted by Emily J. Teachout to the Pacific Northwest Ecoforum. “Some of the wetlands and other waters that are "isolated" from navigable waters are no longer under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act as a result of a recent Supreme Court decision (Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County vs. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (SWANCC), 2001). NatureServe has recently completed an assessment of the potential impacts of the SWANCC decision on the at-risk species and communities that are associated with these isolated wetland systems in 20 U.S. states. The information and analyses contained in this study are designed to assist policymakers and land managers at federal, state, and local levels to better understand the biodiversity value of isolated wetlands in their jurisdiction and plan for their protection. Here is a link to the entire report on NatureServe's webpage: http://www.natureserve.org/publications/isolatedwetlands.jsp”

New Document: “Wetlands and Fish - A Vital Link”

From Susan-Marie Stedman, NOAA. “NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service has just released a new outreach document entitled "Wetlands and Fish - A Vital Link (The U.S. Caribbean Region).  It contains over 30 pages of text and photos describing the intimate connection between wetlands and fish in the U.S. Caribbean region.  A special section describes relationships between the mangrove, seagrass, and coral ecosystems.  Also available is a 100-page appendix with a comprehensive listing of fish and shellfish in the U.S. Caribbean that use wetlands.  THIS DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH OR SPANISH.  Please specify which language you want when requesting a copy. Also available is a re-print of the 2001 document "Wetlands and Fish - Catch the Link".  This document, written in collaboration with the U.S.G.S., describes the connections between wetlands and fish for the continental U.S.  This document is available only in English. To request copies of "Wetlands and Fish - A Vital Link (The U.S. Caribbean Region)" or "Wetlands and Fish - Catch the Link" send an e-mail to john.foulks@noaa.gov specifying which document you want, and if requesting "Wetlands and Fish - A Vital Link (The U.S. Caribbean Region)”, whether you want the English or Spanish version, and whether or not you need the 100-page appendix.

Now Online: "Growth and Water Resources" Training Module

EPA WaterNews for February 1, 2005.  “A new on-line, distance learning training module called ”Growth and Water Resources” has recently been posted on EPA's Watershed Academy Web at: http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/smartgrowth/.  This training module explains how changes in land use af