Welcome to CZ-Mail, the monthly email update from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). This update provides information on major CZM initiatives, available tools and publications, upcoming workshops and events, grants, contracting opportunities, job openings, coastal legislation, and other news of interest to people working on coastal issues. More information about CZM's programs, publications, and other coastal topics can be found online at http://www.mass.gov/czm/. If you have suggestions on how to make CZ-Mail more useful, would like to add your name to the mailing list, or would like to have your name removed, please email your request to CZ-Mail@state.ma.us.

The Task Force's working groups continue to meet and the next full meeting of the Task Force is at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on November 24. For more information, please visit the Task Force website or email Sarah Joor at sarah.joor@state.ma.us or Susan Snow-Cotter at susan.snow-cotter@state.ma.us.

CZM Provides $20,000+ for Communities to Buy Clean Boat Engines
Through its "4 the Environment" Grant Program, CZM is awarding $20,973 to municipalities to replace traditional 2-stroke outboard motorboat engines with cleaner, more efficient 4-stroke engines or new 2-stroke engines that meet the more stringent environmental standards. This program assists and encourages local and county governments to replace motors on high-use vessels that operate in sensitive coastal waters. This year's recipients are: Eastham, Yarmouth, Dartmouth, Beverly, Scituate, Bourne, and Barnstable County. For more on the clean engine issue, see "Environmentally Friendly Boat Engines" on the CZM website.

New CZM Boston Harbor Regional Coordinator Hired
In the middle of November, Mary Griffin will be joining CZM as the new Boston Harbor Regional Coordinator. Mary has 14 years of experience working on regulatory, land management, and planning issues and for the past four years has been Chief of Legal Services for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of State Parks and Recreation (formerly the Department of Environmental Management or DEM). While at DEM she also served as Acting Deputy Commissioner of Administration. Mary was Deputy General Counsel of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, an Assistant Attorney General in the Environmental Protection Division in Boston, and an attorney in the Environmental Department of Hale and Dorr. Mary replaces Maureen Gaffney who returned to the West Coast earlier this year. We are delighted to welcome Mary to CZM!

77 Acres of Wetlands to Be Restored
By December, CZM's Wetlands Restoration Program (WRP), in close coordination with project sponsors, will help to complete restoration work on the following six projects: Mary Chase Marsh in Eastham, Eastern Point Marsh in Gloucester, Island Road Marsh in Essex, Seaview Street Marsh in Rockport, Cowyard Marsh in Dartmouth, and Oak Island Marsh in Revere. Through these efforts, approximately 77 acres of degraded coastal salt marsh will be restored. Dedication ceremonies are already planned for Eastern Point Marsh (November 20 at the Gloucester City Hall) and Mary Chase Marsh (November 24 at Fort Hill in Eastham). For details on these ceremonies, email Bruce Carlisle at bruce.carlisle@state.ma.us.

Preventing Future Spills in the Wake of the Buzzards Bay Oil Spill in April
In response to the April 27 oil spill, the U.S. Coast Guard convened a Port and Waterway Safety Assessment (PAWSA) Workshop for the Buzzards Bay waterway in September. Workshop participants represented groups with major interest in the bay, including CZM, and these participants ranked the existing safety risks and mitigation measures and then identified potential new mitigation measures for Buzzards Bay. Some suggested mitigation measures include: a voluntary but recommended navigation route; moving anchorages to less environmentally sensitive locations; a vessel tracking system; an accelerated timeline for use of double-hulled barges; development of a Geographic Response Plan; and increased data collection on the types of hazardous cargo that transit Buzzards Bay. These recommendations will be considered further over the coming months by federal, state, and local governments, and other parties interested in the Buzzards Bay waterway. The Geographic Response Plan for Buzzards Bay is already moving forward. More than a year before the oil spill, CZM began working with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Massachusetts Environmental Trust (MET) to help lay the groundwork for such a plan, and MET provided a grant to the Coalition for Buzzards Bay earlier this month to facilitate plan completion over the next two years.

Funding Opportunities
Funding for Environmental Technology Development, Application, and Transfer - The NOAA/UNH Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET), located at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) announced its funding opportunities for FY 2004. CICEET is inviting 1) preliminary proposals for the annual Environmental Technology Development Program (deadline November 17); 2) proposals to conduct short-duration, low-cost, "Proof of Concept" projects (deadline December 1), and 3) proposals for Technology Transfer projects (deadline January 13). Details for each solicitation are posted on the CICEET website.

Habitat Restoration Grants - The American Sportfishing Association's FishAmerica Foundation, in partnership with NOAA Fisheries, is seeking proposals for citizen-driven habitat restoration projects. The grants encourage local efforts to meaningfully restore marine, estuarine, and riparian habitats, including salt marshes, seagrass beds, and freshwater habitats important to anadromous fish species. Grants of $5,000 to $30,000 will be awarded. Proposals are due November 25. See the FishAmerica website for a complete posting.

Reminders - The following grants listed in the last CZ-Mail are still open:

• CZM will release the Request for Responses for the Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Grants Program (formerly CPR Plus) in November. For details on the program and a link to the RFR (once it is available) see the program website. For additional information, email Julie Keane, Coastal NPS Grants Coordinator at julie.keane@state.ma.us.
  
• The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Sciences/Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research is soliciting proposals for projects to develop an ecological forecasting capability that balances conservation and wise use of coastal resources. See the Federal Register notice of the announcement, which closes November 4.
  
• The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment is soliciting proposals in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine for funding through its Habitat Restoration Grants program. Final applications are due by November 14. For contact information and the full Request for Proposals, see the Council website.

Products/Publications
Economic Benefits of the Great Marsh - This fall, the Great Marsh Coalition released this report, which indicates that the Great Marsh contributes $5.3 million to the region's economy. A PDF version of the document, which examines the shellfishing, agriculture, recreational boating, fishing, and beach industries, as well as land values and residents' willingness to pay for preservation, is available. For more on the Great Marsh and the Coalition, see the the Great Marsh website.

Fishery Statistics of the United States (2002) - In October, NOAA Fisheries published this annual report, which summarizes U.S. commercial fishery statistics on landings, production, cold storage holdings, imports, exports, supply, per capita consumption, and prices, as well as recreational fishery statistics on fishing effort, participation, total catch, and harvest. Fishery Statistics of the United States is available online. For report highlights and previous reports, see NOAA Fisheries Publications web page.

Reminders - The following publications listed in the September CZ-Mail are still available:

• The 2003 edition of Coastlines, the CZM magazine, is now available electronically and features articles on the shipping industry. For a printed copy, or to add your name to the Coastlines mailing list, email your request to czm@state.ma.us.
• Environmental Permitting in Massachusetts is a web-based CZM publication that gives permitting guidance for project proponents, consultants, and regulators.

Calendar
Coastal Construction Manual Workshops - CZM is holding workshops on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Coastal Construction Manual: Principles and Practices of Planning, Siting, Designing, Constructing, and Maintaining Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas. The first workshop will be on November 19 at Cape Cod Community College from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. The second will be on November 20 from 12:30 to 4:30 pm at the Dartmouth Town Hall in the Selectmen's meeting room. These workshops will be directed by William Coulbourne, a Structural Engineer from URS Corporation and one of the principle authors of the manual, who will give an overview of this three-volume publication, along with insights on how to quickly and effectively use this resource. To register and get directions for:

• The Cape Cod workshop on November 19, email CZM's Steve McKenna at steve.mckenna@state.ma.us.
• The South Coast workshop on November 20, email CZM's Dave Janik at david.janik@state.ma.us.

FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map Workshops - On December 4 from 1:30 to 4:30 pm at the Dartmouth Town Hall, CZM is holding a workshop to review important steps and procedures for determining the boundaries of flood zones for specific sites using the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps. V-zone, A-zone, and AO-zone delineation boundaries will be covered in detail. Rebecca Haney, CZM Coastal Geologist; Richard Zingarelli, State Coordinator for the National Flood Insurance Program from the Department of Conservation and Recreation; and Michael Goetz, Branch Chief for Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment from FEMA Region I will direct the workshop and answer questions from participants. To register and get directions, email CZM's Dave Janik at david.janik@state.ma.us. This workshop will also be held on Cape Cod, but has not yet been scheduled. See the CZM website later this month for date and place or email CZM's Steve McKenna at steve.mckenna@state.ma.us.

Exploring Our Maritime Heritage Through the Loss of the Portland - The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and Portland Harbor Museum are offering this two-day program for professional and amateur maritime archaeologists, writers, educators, students, and others interested in the wreck of the Portland and recent advances in ocean exploration. The event will be held on November 7 and 8 at the Southern Maine Community College and the Portland Harbor Museum. Additional information and a PDF event flyer are available.

Reminders: The following calendar items posted in the last CZ-Mail are still to come:

• On Saturday, November 8, the Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) is sponsoring Shaping the Future of Essex County - Practical Solutions for Sustainable Growth. A PDF copy of the forum brochure, which includes an agenda and registration information, is available.
• The Massachusetts Coastal Training Program maintains a calendar of workshops and other training events for coastal decision makers and others interested in managing the coastal zone. For more information, see http://www.coastaltraining.org/events/index.htm.

Other Items of Interest
Great Marsh Coalition Honored - The Essex National Heritage Commission presented a Pioneers in Partnership Award to the Great Marsh Coalition for its work to build partnerships that preserve and celebrate the historic, cultural, and natural resources of Essex County. As Coastal Areas of Critical Environmental Concern Stewardship Coordinator, CZM's Katie Lund has helped facilitate the Great Marsh Coalition's productive and innovative initiatives to increase public awareness and enhance coastal resource management of this valuable ecosystem. Congratulations to the Coalition! For more on the Great Marsh and the Coalition, see the Great Marsh website.

Have a Good Bay? - The Massachusetts Bays Program (MBP) is conducting an online survey to select a tagline to use as the theme for outreach and communications activities such as conferences, volunteer events, websites, brochures, and reports. MBP held a workshop last month and crafted seven potential taglines. To choose your favorite, participate in the online survey by November 14.

A publication of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA17OZ1125. This publication is funded (in part) by a grant/cooperative agreement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or any of its sub-agencies.