INDEX:

---EDITOR'S NOTE--

---EDITOR'S CHOICE---

·	Developer Settles Wetlands Complaint A Newport News Site will Revert to Natural State; Fine Will Be Paid
·	EPA Releases Wetlands and Riparian Areas Nonpoint Source Management Measures
·	Nominations Open for 2006 National Wetlands Awards
·	U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is Taking Aim at Wetlands
·	Three Wetland Conferences Are Scheduled for October/ November

---NATIONAL UPDATES---

·	Coastal-Ecology Degradation Contributed to Katrina's Destructive Force
·	Post-Rita Louisiana Deals With Another Round of Environmental Problems
·	Biologists Expect to Find Major Destruction When They Take Their First Close-up Look at Hurricane Katrina's Impact on Wildlife Habitats and Louisiana's Vital Fishing Industry, The State's Top Conservation Official Said Thursday
·	Wetlands: Nature's Best Defense Restoring Marshes, Barrier Islands, Would Be a Long-Lasting Protection
·	Activists Sue to Stop Water Project Near Ivory-billed Woodpecker Habitat
·	Norton Announces Funding for Wetlands Projects, Additions to National Wildlife Refuges
·	Secretary Norton Announces More Than $70 Million in Grants to Support Land Acquisition and Conservation Planning for Endangered Species
·	USDA Announces Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Pprogram Funds - Indiana to Receive $1.6 Million
·	USDA Announces 3-year Extension of CRP Contracts Set to Expire in 2007

---LEGISLATIAVE NEWS---

·	U.S. Green Rules Seen on "Chopping Block" Post-Rita
·	In a Bid to Reshape Decades of US Environmental Policy, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday Approved Legislation to Overhaul the Endangered Species Act and Make it Harder to Shield the Habitat of Plants and Animals Threatened With Extinction

---STATES NEWS---  

·	Alaska Losing Its Wetlands to Climage Change
·	CA: Giacomini Wetlands Project Gets Boost
·	DNREC Honors Memory of Late EPA Region 3 Wetland Scientist
·	Kansas Administers 'CPR' for Wetlands and Streams
·	MA Wetlands Restoration Priority Project Nominations - RFR Issued for FY 2006
·	MI: Ruddiman Creek Legacy Act Project Begins
·	New Jersey Buys Wetlands to Help Control Flooding
·	Ohio Lake Erie Commission Awards More Than $209,000 For Protection and Restoration of Lake Erie Resources Six long and short-term projects to benefit from grants

---PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES---

·	New Website Available on Nonpoint Source Pollution Success Stories
·	Archive on Gulf Wetlands Now Available
·	New Water Science Website from the U.S. National Academies
·	Blackburn Press would like to announce the reprinting of a classic textbook in the fourth quarter of 2005: Adaptive Environmental Assessment and Management (International Series on Applied Systems Analysis), Edited by CS Holling, ISBN 1-932-846-07-7
·	New Handbook to Help Accelerate Watershed-Protection Programs

---POTPOURRI---

·	Woods, Wetlands, and Marine Ecosystems Hit Hard by Storm, Pollution
·	Once-vast Marshlands Being Restored in Iraq
·	Wetlands Specialist Opening
·	Wetland Ecologist Southeast USA
·	Wanted:  Playa Buffer Research Cooperators

---MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES---

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

EDITOR'S NOTE

Dear friends and colleagues,

This has been quite a venture, filling in for Jennifer while she is taking time off to be with her family after giving birth to a sweet baby boy. His name is John Michael, born September 5th at 7:03 p.m., weighing in at 6 lbs. 12 oz. and 20.5 inches long. Jennifer says everyone is well, slightly sleep deprived, but all in all very happy.

This world of wetlands is very interesting. Of course, I am just getting my feet wet (pardon the pun). But I have enjoyed reading through all of the many tidbits of information. Thank you to all who contributed to this issue. Get out and enjoy this beautiful fall weather. Laura Burchill Windham, Maine Temporary Editor, Wetland Breaking News

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Developer Settles Wetlands Complaint A Newport News Site Will Revert to Natural State; Fine Will Be Paid

By Andrew Petkofsky, Times-Dispatch, 9/30/05. A developer has agreed to re-establish 26 acres of wetlands in Newport News and pay a $250,000 fine to settle legal disputes with the federal and state governments. Newdunn Associates LLP of Norfolk, the developer, and two of its contractors who filled in the wetlands near Interstate 64 in 2001 without obtaining federal and state permits, will allow the land to revert to its natural state under a settlement announced yesterday… http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031785365281&path=%21news&s=1045855934842

Tracy v. Newdunn is one of several important cases that occurred following a Supreme Court decision (SWANCC) restricting Clean Water Act jurisdiction in isolated waters.  See http://www.michiganwetlands.org/nwf_post_swancc.pdf for a description of Newdunn and other Clean Water Act jurisdiction cases.

EPA Releases Wetlands and Riparian Areas Nonpoint Source Management Measures

Water News, 8/25/05. EPA recently published National Management Measures to Protect and Restore Wetlands and Riparian Areas for the Abatement of Nonpoint Source Pollution,a technical guidance and reference document for use by state, territory, and authorized tribal managers as well as the public in the implementation of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution management programs.  The new guidance contains information on the best available, economically achievable means of reducing nonpoint source pollution through the protection and restoration of wetlands and riparian areas, as well as the implementation of vegetated treatment systems.  For more information about the guidance or to download the document (in PDF format) please visit our Web site: http://epa.gov/owow/nps/wetmeasures/.  You can receive a free copy of this guidance by contacting the National Service Center for Environmental Publications via phone at 1-800-490-9198 or via the Web at www.epa.gov/ncepihom and requesting Publication # EPA 841-B-05-003.

Nominations Open for 2006 National Wetlands Awards

Environment News Service, 9/28/05. WASHINGTON, DC - Each year the environmental community comes together to honor individuals who have dedicated their time and energy to protecting U.S. wetlands. Nomination forms for the 2006 National Wetlands Awards Program are now available. The deadline for submitting nominations is December 15, 2005…. http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2005/2005-09-28-09.asp#anchor6

U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is Taking Aim at Wetlands

By: Environmental Integrity Project Published on Yubanet.com on September 19, 2005

Great Lakes Directory, 9/26/05. After decades of slowing down, the loss of United States wetlands that are home to migratory birds and endangered species may start climbing again, following decisions by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to open up 11,000-15,000 acres of wetlands in 15 states since 2004 in the aftermath of a Supreme Court decision narrowing Clean Water Act protections, according to an analysis conducted by the nonprofit and nonpartisan Environmental Integrity Project (EIP)….http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/wi/092605__great_lakes.htm

Three Wetland Conferences Are Scheduled for October/ November

Wetland and Riparian Area Legal Workshop: Identifying "Waters of the U.S." After SWANCC. October 18-19, 2005, Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North, Albuquerque, NM.  The goals of this workshop will be to help attendees understand the impact of SWANCC, including what wetlands and related waters are "waters of the U.S." after SWANCC. The workshop will also consider techniques for filling the gaps created by SWANCC. Legal materials will be developed and compiled for use by workshop participants and for distribution at other ASWM meetings during the coming year. For more information contact: aswm@aswm.org or view the agenda at http://www.aswm.org/calendar/legal/legaloct.htm. Western Wetland Conference: Working Together to Manage, Protect and Restore the Wetlands in the Western U.S. October 24-26, 2005, will be held in Denver, Colorado. The goal of the conference is to bring together wetland scientists and managers from the state and federal agencies, tribes, universities, nonprofit organizations and the private sector to discuss these and other challenges associated with protecting and conserving western wetlands. Information on conference is available at http://www.mtwatercourse.org/wwc/index.htm.  For questions please contact Janet Bender-Keigley at jkeigley@montana.edu or (406) 994-6671. Workshop: Integrated Restoration of Riverine Wetlands, Streams, Riparian Areas, and Floodplains In Watershed Contexts. November 15-16, 2005, University of Amherst Campus Center, Amherst, Massachusetts.   The principal workshop goal will be to build state, tribal, local government, federal, and private stream, riparian, and floodplain capabilities to simultaneously restore riverine wetlands, streams, riparian areas, and floodplains in a watershed context. For more information contact: aswm@aswm.org or view the agenda at: http://www.aswm.org/calendar/integratingrest/integratedrest.htm.

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NATIONAL UPDATE

Coastal-Ecology Degradation Contributed to Katrina's Destructive Force

Daily Grist, 9/2/05. Far from being solely a "natural" disaster, Hurricane Katrina's impact was compounded by human alterations of the Gulf Coast ecology. Complex levee and canal systems built to protect New Orleans from being flooded by the Mississippi River, and to improve the river as a shipping channel, have also prevented river silt from replenishing the region's marshlands and river delta for centuries. More than a million acres -- 1,900 square miles -- of Louisiana's coastal wetlands have been lost to development and flood controls since the 1930s, along with barrier islands and stands of coastal forest. Louisiana continues to lose about 25 square miles of coastal area each year. These natural barriers could have absorbed some energy and water from Katrina's storm surge and mitigated the hurricane's force; studies estimate that storm surges rise by about a foot for each square mile of wetlands lost. As recently as last week, Louisiana's senators and the federal government were grappling with funding for wetlands and coastal restoration.

Post-Rita Louisiana Deals With Another Round of Environmental Problems

Daily Grist, 9/26/05. An already-battered Louisiana is beset with new environmental crises in the wake of Hurricane Rita, which sent a wall of water up to 15 feet high surging into the state's coastal bayous and canals on Saturday. In New Orleans, officials are scrambling to assess whether the renewed flooding burst oil and chemical storage tanks and other infrastructure that might have been weakened by Katrina. They also worry the city's existing layer of chemical-and-sewage-contaminated glop will be stirred up again. Some residents say damage from the hurricanes might have been mitigated if the federal government had funded restoration of eroded wetlands and barrier islands -- natural barricades to storm surges -- as well as improvements to the levee system. "If they had given us the $14 billion we were asking for before Katrina" to strengthen levees, said Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.), "we wouldn't need $200 or $300 billion to clean up now."

Biologists Eexpect to Find Major Destruction When They Take Their First Close-up Look at Hurricane Katrina's Impact on Wildlife Habitats and Louisiana's Vital Fishing Industry, The State's Top Conservation Official Said Thursday.

Planet Ark, 9/9/05. Baton Rouge - Dwight Landreneau, Louisiana's secretary for the department of wildlife and fisheries, said until now biologists had been part of search and rescue efforts but would soon begin damage assessments to coastal areas, marshes and forests that surround New Orleans…  http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/32435/story.htm

Wetlands: Nature's Best Defense Restoring Marshes, Barrier Islands, Would Be a Long-Lasting Protection

By James Bruggers, The Courier-Journal, 10/2/05. Wetlands are the Rodney Dangerfields of the natural world -- they get no respect. Often characterized as bug-infested swamps, home to poisonous snakes, alligators and disease-carrying mosquitoes, they're generally viewed as "unremarkable," says one Louisville environmentalist. "They are not dramatic, like the Rocky Mountains or Mammoth Cave," said Leslie Barras, a Gulf Coast native with Cajun roots, and associate director of River Fields, Inc. But as vividly illustrated by Hurricane Katrina, Barras and others say, drama is just what you get when you allow erosion of the wetlands and barrier islands -- which are nature's best defense for storms, acting as speed bumps, shock absorbers and sponges for the wave surges that can hammer coastal buildings and cause widespread flooding.That's why Louisiana officials for years have asked, mostly in vain, that the nation's taxpayers help restore the more than 1,900 square miles of coastal wetlands they've lost since 1930. … http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051002/OPINION04/510020356

Activists Sue to Stop Water Project Near Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Habitat

Daily Grist, 9/9/05. Bird lovers rejoiced when the ivory-billed woodpecker was rediscovered, but now the fun really begins. Eco-advocates are aiming to block two planned federal water projects that threaten the eastern Arkansas bottomland hardwood forest area where the bird resides. Two conservation groups filed suit in federal court yesterday to stop one of them, the Grand Prairie irrigation project, a 250,000-acre undertaking (located about 20 miles from where the woodpecker was sighted) that would divert about 158 billion gallons of water a year to the region's rice farmers. In early May, the Army Corps of Engineers stopped work on the project to assess its potential impact on the woodpecker, then determined that it wasn't likely to cause the bird any harm and resumed work in early June. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed with the Corps' assessment. But environmentalists aren't buying it -- they argue that both projects could drive the ivory-bill really, truly extinct at last.

Norton Announces Funding for Wetlands Projects, Additions to National Wildlife Refuges

FWS-News, 9/22/05. Interior Secretary Gale Norton yesterday announced the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission has approved nearly $29 million for habitat conservation in the United States and Canada to benefit migratory birds. At the same time, the Commission also approved the acquisition of nearly 6,000 acres of important migratory bird habitat to be added to the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Commission's action will fund grants to states and other partners through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) to meet important habitat goals for migratory birds. The Commission also allocated revenue from the sale of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, the Duck Stamp, to purchase key tracts of land for the Service's National Wildlife Refuge System in three states. For more information, please see http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/NAWCA/nawccminutesJUL05.htm.

Secretary Norton Announces More Than $70 Million in Grants to Support Land Acquisition and Conservation Planning for Endangered Species

FWS News, 9/27/05. Interior Secretary Gale Norton today announced more than $70.5 million in grants to 26 states to support conservation planning and acquisition of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife, and plant species.  The grants, awarded through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, will benefit species throughout the United States ranging from mussels to bull trout…. http://news.fws.gov/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=97D6D505-65BF-03E7-29324E9AAAA1433D

USDA Announces Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Pprogram Funds - Indiana to Receive $1.6 Million

United States Department of Agriculture News Release, 8/22/05 INDIANAPOLIS – Agriculture Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner announced that nine partnership proposals will receive nearly $4.2 million through the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP) to restore, enhance, protect and manage habitat for migratory birds and other wetland-dependent wildlife. Of the nine recipients, two Indiana projects will receive more than $1 million; namely, the Wabash River Floodplain Corridor Project, and the Limberlost and Loblolly Marshes Project…. http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/news/news_releases/nr-wrep-8-2005.doc

USDA Announces 3-Year Extension of CRP Contracts Set to Expire in 2007

Agriculture Online, 9/28/05. Farmers and ranchers can re-enroll or extend their Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts set to expire in 2007 through 2010, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said today. The leader of the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition applauded the decision. "We're offering farmers and ranchers re-enrollments and contract extensions to take full advantage of the environmental benefits of this program," Johanns said. "Re-enrolling and extending these contracts is part of the President's plan to fully use the nearly 40 million acres of CRP to improve water quality as well as wildlife habitat."… http://www.agriculture.com/ag/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/ag/story/data/agNews_050928crCRP.xml&catref=ag1001

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LEGISLATIVE NEWS

U.S. Green Rules Seen on "Chopping Block" Post-Rita

World Environment News from Planet Ark, 9/28/05. WASHINGTON - House Republicans on Wednesday will launch a rapid-fire assault against environmental protections on the pretext of helping the US oil and gas industry recover from hurricane damage, environmental groups charge….http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/32690/story.htm

In a Bid to rRshape Decades of US Environmental Policy, the US House of Representatives on Thursday Approved Legislation to Overhaul the Endangered Species Act and Make it Harder to Shield the Habitat of Plants and Animals Threatened With Extinction.

Planet Ark, 9/30/05. The bill was approved by a 229-193 vote. The White House supports the legislation, although it does want some changes. The Senate has not yet taken up companion legislation and is unlikely to accept such drastic revisions in the law, originally enacted in 1973, so some compromises are likely if the bill is ever to become law. …http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/32739/story.htm

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STATES NEWS

Alaska Losing Its Wetlands to Climage Change

Environment News Service, 9/28/05. OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada - Lakes and wetlands in the Kenai Peninsula of south-central Alaska are drying at a significant rate, new research from a Canadian team shows. The shift seems to be driven by climate change, and could endanger waterfowl habitats and hasten the spread of wildfires.…http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2005/2005-09-28-09.asp#anchor3

CA: Giacomini Wetlands Project Gets Boost

8/9/05. By Mark Prado, Marin Independent Journal. "The Giacomini wetlands restoration project, which promises to open more than 500 acres of habitat for rare and endangered species in West Marin, has received $2.5 million toward realizing its goal. 'This will provide habitat for the rail (bird) populations and will open up creeks that have been cut off for coho salmon and steelhead trout,' said Lorraine Parsons, who is managing the project for the Point Reyes National Seashore. 'It will be important.' The 563-acre site, just west of Point Reyes Station and south of Tomales Bay, was bought by the National Park Service for $4.65 million in 2000 from Waldo Giacomini and family . . . " http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_2925852

DNREC Honors Memory of Late EPA RegionN 3 Wetland Scientist

Mid-Atlantic Region Environmental Newsletter, 9/23/05. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has dedicated a wetlands restoration site in memory of the late Dr. Arthur L. Spingarn, an EPA Region 3 wetland scientist who passed away on Dec. 2003. The ceremony took place Sept. 19th at the Ommelanden Hunter Education Center in New Castle, Del. Art's professionalism and optimism in his untiring efforts to restore and protect the environment was an inspiration to colleagues as well as adversaries. At the ceremony, Art's wife, Alice, was presented with a replica of a granite marker in Art's memory.

Kansas Administers 'CPR' for Wetlands and Streams

Playa Post, Oct. 2005. Dozens of landowners, resource managers and conservationists from across Kansas showcased strategies for resuscitating wetlands and streams during the "CPR" (Create, Protect and Restore) for Wetlands and Streams Conference September 27 - 29 in Wichita. The gathering was the second CPR conference hosted by the Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams, and featured presentations and interactive sessions with experts in stream and wetland restoration technology, wildlife conservation, education, and project and partnership development… http://www.pljv.org/newsarchive/PlayaPost/post1005.html

MA Wetlands Restoration Priority Project Nominations - RFR Issued for FY 2006

Massachusetts Wetlands Restoration Program Listserv, 9/14/05. The Massachusetts Wetlands Restoration Program (WRP) has issued an RFR on the state's Comm-PASS procurement system for fiscal year 2006 priority project nominations.  Nominations that are accepted by WRP as priority projects will be eligible to receive technical services funded by the Commonwealth.  Examples of these services include: wetland delineation, elevation survey, mapping and site planning, hydraulic analyses, impact assessments, title and deed exams, permitting, and monitoring.  For fiscal year 2006, a total of $400,000 is available to support technical services for priority wetland restoration projects.  Note that projects accepted as priorities in previous fiscal years do not need to be re-nominated. The solicitation will remain open until September 23, 2005. The RFR number is "ENV 06 CZM 05" and the title is "Priority Coastal Wetland Restoration Projects FY06".  To view the RFR, visit the Comm-PASS web site at http://www.comm-pass.com/ and search using the RFR number.  Visit the WRP Priority Projects web page for more information: http://www.mass.gov/czm/wrp/projects_pages/priority_projects.htm.

MI: Ruddiman Creek Legacy Act Project Begins

U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office's Significant Activities Report, August, 2005. On August 8th the Ruddiman Creek Great Lakes Legacy Act project got underway. This is the third remediation project started under the Great Lakes Legacy Program. This project, located in Muskegon, Michigan, entails the removal of approximately 80,000 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with PCBs, metals, and PAHs. This $10.6 million project is expected to take about nine months to complete. Under the Great Lakes Legacy Act, $6.9 million or 65% of the project costs are paid with federal funds. The other 35%, or $3.7 million, is being funded by the non-federal sponsor--the state of Michigan, using Clean Michigan Initiative funds….http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/active/2005/aug05.html

New Jersey Buys Wetlands to Help Control Flooding

ENS, 9/29/05. WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Wildlife Preserves Inc. are nearing an agreement to acquire Wildlife's properties in the Great Piece Meadows area of the Passaic River Central Basin as a natural flood storage area. Spread across Fairfield Township, Lincoln Park Borough, and Montville Township, Great Piece Meadows is made up mostly of wetlands, but developers are encroaching. …http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2005/2005-09-29-09.asp#anchor6

Ohio Lake Erie Commission Awards More Than $209,000 for Protection and Restoration of Lake Erie Resources Six Long and Short-term Projects to Benefit From Grants

GLIN News Release, 9/16/05. TOLEDO, OH – Six projects whose goal is to improve Lake Erie and its watershed will benefit from $209,221 in grants approved Wednesday by the Ohio Lake Erie Commission (LEC). The projects include three long-term efforts to improve Lake Erie water quality and three short-term efforts to further restore lake tributaries and wildlife habitat and improve tourism in selected areas.

“Each of these projects will significantly improve and protect the Lake Erie watershed,” said Edwin J. Hammett, executive director of the Ohio Lake Erie Commission. “Each also furthers goals set forth by the Lake Erie Protection & Restoration Plan which is the strategic blueprint for improving Lake Erie as a quality resource.”

A total of $181,763 in large grants for implementation of specific projects went to The Ohio State University, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy and the Chagrin River Watershed Partners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PUBLICATIONS and RESOURCES

New Website Available on Nonpoint Source Pollution Success Stories

U.S. EPA Mid-Atlantic Region Environmental Newsletter, 8/19/05. EPA Headquarters announced a new Clean Water Act (Section 319) nonpoint source pollution (NPS) success stories web site. This web site features projects that have achieved water quality improvements through the Section 319 grant fund program. Users can access the web site through a link at the top of the Nonpoint Source Homepage at: www.epa.gov/owow/nps. NPS is pollution that comes from many sources. It is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, ultimately depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even underground sources of drinking water.

Archive on Gulf Wetlands Now Available

Submitted by Gwen Arnold, Editor, National Wetlands Newsletter Environmental Law Institute, 9/20/05. In addition to its human toll, Hurricane Katrina inflicted cataclysmic damage on wetlands throughout the Gulf Coast. In an effort to aid researchers and reporters covering wetland issues in the storm's aftermath, National Wetlands Newsletter, the nation's premier wetland policy journal published by the Environmental Law Institute, has created a free, searchable archive of more than 30 of its articles that deal specifically with wetlands along the Gulf Coast.

The articles, written over the past 12 years, focus on wetland restoration, flood control, species protection, and wetland management. Articles include: "A Call for Flood Security Through Wetland Protection"; "Consequences of Mississippi River Diversion for Louisiana Coastal Restoration"; "Restoration Applications on the Land in the Lower Mississippi Valley"; "Shorelines Restoration--Advancing Over Seawalls"; "Wetlands Loss and Gain in Louisiana"; "Restoring Tidal Wetlands--A Scientific View". Authors of the articles represent the cross-section of wetland experts, such as natural resource managers; attorneys; wetlands advocates; academics; federal, state, and local regulators; and others. The articles are being made available free of charge to all interested individuals as a public service. Links to the archive may be found at www.eli.org   http://www.eli.org/

New Water Science Website from the U.S. National Academies

9/6/05. The U.S. National Academies* is pleased to announce the launch of its Water Information Center, a portal of more than 100 peer-reviewed reports from the National Academies on water-related issues. The website (http://water.nationalacademies.org) aims to assist the work of water scientists, engineers, managers, policy-makers, and students throughout the world. These reports represent independent and objective consensus among experts from academia, industry, and other entities.

The website features the following major topics: Water Supply and Sanitation; Water and Soil Remediation; Hydrologic Hazards; Water Quality in the Natural Environment; River Basin Systems Management; Environmental Assessment, Management, and Restoration; and Water Science and Research. All of the reports can be read for free on-line, and summaries are freely downloadable as PDFs.

Blackburn Press Would Like to Announce the Reprinting of a Classic Textbook in the Fourth Quarter of 2005: Adaptive Environmental Assessment and Management (International Series on Applied Systems Analysis), Edited by CS Holling, ISBN 1-932-846-07-7

This textbook develops an adaptive approach to environmental impact assessment and management and is based on a study initiated by a workshop convened in early 1974 by SCOPE (Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment). CS Holling discusses the nature and behavior of ecological systems and its issues, limitations, and potential of environmental assessment. Further, he discusses how we can incorporate impact assessment studies with actual environmental planning and decision making. This book and other ecology/environmental titles are available at http://store.yahoo.com/blackburnpress/socecenscien1.html

New Handbook to Help Accelerate Watershed-Protection Programs

LGEAN Update, 9/8/05. A new EPA handbook released addresses questions about managing pollution runoff, increasing wildlife habitat and controlling invasive species in the nation's estuaries. "Community-Based Watershed Management: Lessons from the National Estuary Program" focuses on estuaries, and its principles and examples are relevant to any organization involved in watershed management. The handbook describes innovative approaches developed and conducted by the 28 National Estuary Programs, which are community-based watershed-management organizations that restore and protect coastal watersheds. For more information, click on the following URL: http://www.lgean.org/html/whatsnew.cfm?id=950

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POTPOURRI

Woods, Wetlands, and Marine Ecosystems Hit Hard by Storm, Pollution

Daily Grist, 9/21/05. The Gulf Coast's estuaries, wetlands, and cypress swamps are hurting in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The storm damaged 25 national wildlife refuges, and recovery costs are expected to be at least $93 million -- about a quarter of the federal refuge budget. In Mississippi's Noxubee refuge, pine trees crucial to the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker were flattened, while the coastal Breton Island bird sanctuary was virtually washed away. Experts suspect that offshore ecosystems have been swamped by sewage-laced floodwaters, which may cause blooms of oxygen-sucking algae. And then there are the industrial toxins and petroleum in the water being pumped out of New Orleans. Overall, some fear Katrina may be the final blow for many of the region's plants and critters. "All of those things, entirely unique to that part of the world, have been disappearing since about, say, 1927," says Louisianan Steve Cochran of Environmental Defense, "and now they've disappeared altogether."

Once-vast Marshlands Being Restored in Iraq

Daily Grist, 8/25/05. The marshlands of Iraq, drained nearly dry by Saddam Hussein, are making a surprisingly robust comeback. Seen by some as the inspiration for the biblical Garden of Eden, the lush wetlands once covered nearly 3,600 square miles near the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. Mid-century drainage projects took a toll, but the marshes were primarily destroyed by Hussein -- and that was the least of his retaliation against the local Marsh Arabs, who supported a Shiite Muslim rebellion following the 1991 Gulf War. Locals began breaching the dikes after Hussein's government fell in 2003, and about 37 percent of the area has been reflooded -- a "phenomenal rate," according the United Nations. Japan is funding an $11 million project to provide clean drinking water and sanitation to about 100,000 Iraqis who still live in the marsh area, help renew the marshes, and train 250 Iraqis in wetlands management.

Wetlands Specialist Opening

The Wetlands Specialist position is designed to advance systems-based, ecologically sound management of Long Island’s tidal wetlands and develop strategies to abate wetland threats at a landscape scale. He/she is responsible for planning and implementing shoreline conservation, restoration, and management projects in coordination with private landowners, conservation organizations, and federal, state and municipal agencies.  He/she provides technical expertise regarding management and restoration of tidal wetlands, removal and modification of bulkheads and other shoreline structures, and monitoring of projects. He/she is responsible for providing guidance, input and oversight of governmental project plans that affect tidal wetlands and seeking solutions that protect coastal biodiversity and natural processes, prepare for sea level rise, and address public interests.  Coontact Bonnie Verrine, The Nature Conservancy at bverrine@tnc.org  or 250 Lawrence Hill Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724.

Wetland Ecologist Southeast USA

Environmental Services, Inc seeks application for wetland ecologist for positions from entry to senior managers.  ESI is a fast growing firm with opportunities for diligent employees with experience in the area of wetland assessment and permitting including mitigation planning, protected species, stream assessment and restoration, client care, contamination assessment, and cultural resources.  ESI is currently seeking qualified personnel at all levels. Please visit www.esinc.cc to find out more about office locations.  Send letter of interest and resume to Melissa F