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.

Counties to Receive Federal Assistance for December Snow Storm
Through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Federal Disaster Aid will be available to the following 12 Massachusetts communities, which were hardest hit by the snowstorm of December 6-7, 2003: Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable, Worcester, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, and Berkshire Counties. Reimbursement will be provided to local governments, state agencies, hospitals, colleges, and eligible private non-profits. Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is holding briefings to help local communities understand the reimbursement process for all eligible snow removal expenditures. Details are available on the MEMA website.

Coast Guard Seeks Comments on Port Access Route Study
To help reduce the risk of marine casualties and improve efficiency of vessel management, the U.S. Coast Guard is conducting a Port Access Route Study that covers routes in Massachusetts. Comments must be submitted by February 23. See the Federal Register notice for detailed additional information.

New England Fishery Management Council Seats Open
The Secretary of Commerce seeks nominations for two open at-large seats on the New England Fishery Management Council. (For further information on the Council, see www.nefmc.org.) Governor Romney has been asked to nominate up to six candidates for each of these two seats and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MarineFisheries) is coordinating the nomination process, seeking applicants, who "by reason of their occupation or other experience, scientific expertise or training [are] knowledgeable and experienced in ways related to fishery resources of New England." Nominees must complete a comprehensive application that includes a philosophy statement and financial disclosure statement. Qualified individuals interested in being considered should contact Melanie Griffin at (617) 626-1528 or email melanie.griffin@state.ma.us by February 13.

Funding Opportunities
Restoration Matching Grants - The Five-Star Restoration Matching Grants Program provides financial assistance for community-based wetland, riparian, and coastal habitat restoration projects that foster local natural resource stewardship through education, outreach, and training. Projects must involve diverse partnerships of ideally five organizations that contribute funding, land, technical assistance, workforce support, and/or other in-kind services. Awards are between $5,000 and $20,000, with an average of $10,000. The program is sponsored by the National Association of Counties, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Wildlife Habitat Council, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Community-Based Restoration Program within NOAA Fisheries, and others. Applications must be postmarked by March 1. For details, see the Five-Star Restoration Matching Grants Program website.

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

• Through the National Whale Conservation Fund Fishing Gear Mini-Grants, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and NOAA Fisheries fund projects aimed at reducing death and/or serious injury to large whales from fishing gear entanglements with seed grants of $2,000-$20,000 for creative and innovative projects that seek to work with industry to address this problem. Two grant cycles are held each year and proposals for the next grant round are due on April 1. For details, see the Fishing Gear Mini-Grants Program web page.

Requests for Responses (RFRs)
Coastal Smart Growth Model RFR - The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA), through CZM, seeks a qualified individual or organization to assist in the development and distribution of a Coastal Smart Growth Workbook. The Workbook will promote an environmentally protective, economically viable, and socially sensitive holistic approach to land use planning and site design consistent with the Green Neighborhoods Model. Responses are due by February 6. All open solicitations can be found on the Comm-Pass website.

Products/Publications
Update on Massachusetts Wetlands Restoration - CZM's Wetlands Restoration Program distributes a periodic email update and the Current Update is now online. This update includes new contact information, highlights of selected recent projects, and news of upcoming restoration activities.

MarineFisheries Publications - The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MarineFisheries) publishes a variety of informational, technical, and scientific reports and papers related to the conservation and sustainable use of the Commonwealth's marine resources. For a complete listing, see the publications section of the MarineFisheries website. The MarineFisheries newsletter, which covers matters relating to the conservation and sustainable use of the Commonwealth's marine resources and the activities of MarineFisheries staff, is also available. MarineFisheries also maintains an e-mail notification list to inform constituents of upcoming regulation changes, public hearings, and other important news. To be added to this list, send an email with nothing in the subject or body to: join-marinefisheries@listserv.state.ma.us.

Long Island Sound Habitat Restoration - Entitled Long Island Sound Habitat Restoration Initiative: Technical Support for Coastal Habitat Restoration, this manual provides basic information about specific habitats and restoration strategies. Topics covered for each habitat include: ecology of the associated plant and animal communities, the natural history and human influence, and the state-of-the-science for restoration. For a PDF copy or to order a hard copy, click here.

Getting to Smart Growth II - Produced by the International City/County Management Association and the Sustainable Communities Network, this 122-page primer provides policy options to achieve 10 Smart Growth Principles, as well as additional resources and case studies of communities that have used the approach to achieve smart growth. See the Smart Growth Resource Library web page for details and a PDF copy.

Websites
New Massachusetts Bays Program Website - The Massachusetts Bays Program website has been redesigned and updated to be more timely, and now includes a calendar of upcoming programs and events, and will soon feature downloads of frequently requested research reports. The site will be expanding over the next year so drop by often at http://www.massbays.org.

CZM Blizzard of '78 Photo Gallery - It's that time of year again--February 6 and 7 mark the 26th anniversary of the Blizzard of '78. Arguably the Commonwealth's "Storm of the Century," the blizzard dumped 27.1 inches of snow on Boston, paralyzing the city and surrounding suburbs for a week. Although snow was less of an issue along the immediate coast, the storm surge was devastating. All told, 99 people were killed and thousands of houses and businesses were destroyed or severely damaged, with damage estimates exceeding $2.3 billion (in 1998 dollars). The Blizzard of '78 was also an initiation for Joe Pelczarski, CZM's emergency management expert, who performed his first storm damage assessments as a rookie with the Division of Marine Fisheries. To commemorate the blizzard's 25th anniversary last year, CZM posted a collection of Joe's photos of the storm damage. To check out this photo gallery, click here.

ACEC Website Update - Check out the new Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) Program website with better navigation, PDF copies of program materials, and updated information for each ACEC including maps, resource summaries, planning tools, and links to stewardship groups working to protect and restore these areas.

NOAA Ocean Explorer - This website contains more than 9,000 pages of ocean exploration information, chronicling the last three field seasons of NOAA missions. Mission logs, field clips, and other information are available at: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/.

Smart Growth Online - A service of the Smart Growth Network, which started in 1996 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency joining with several nonprofit and government organizations, Smart Growth Online provides a catalogue of news, events, information, and resources on smart growth and how growth can improve community livability. See http://www.smartgrowth.org.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Website - The Commission's new website includes details on managed species, a variety of research reports and statistics, and information on interstate fisheries management. See http://www.asmfc.org.

Job Postings
Environmental Writer/Outreach Coordinator - This position, which has been listed in the last two CZ-Mails, was posted on January 20 and has a closing date of February 3. CZM seeks a qualified communications professional to plan, execute, and oversee publications, events, and general outreach for the office. Specific duties include writing, editing, and overseeing the production of publications including CZ-Mail and the Coastlines periodic magazine; developing content for the CZM website, editing web materials, and posting materials to the web; planning for, staffing, coordinating, and developing materials for events and CZM-sponsored workshops; editing and other quality control for outreach products; and developing a distribution plan and overseeing the distribution of CZM materials. For more information, go to the Commonwealth Employment Opportunities website.

Calendar
Gulf of Maine Summit - To be held October 26-29 in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, this event is open to interested citizens, businesses, and organizations from around the Gulf of Maine, which is bounded by the coastlines of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Participants will discuss current environmental conditions and trends in the area, develop a consensus of indicators of environmental quality, and design an action plan and build partnerships to move forward. See http://www.gulfofmainesummit.org/ for details.

Coastal Change Course and Workshop - On April 26-29, the Coastal Ocean Institute at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is hosting a forum consisting of a 2-day science meeting/short course and a 2-day workshop. Entitled The Moving Shoreline: Coastal Change in Response to Rising Sea Level, the forum aims to "foster research ideas and identify primary approaches to studying shoreline change." For details, and a registration form for the short course/science meeting (the workshop is invitation only), see http://www.whoi.edu/institutes/coi/activities/activities.htm.

MACC Annual Environmental Conference - On March 6, at Holy Cross College in Worcester, the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions is holding its annual conference--the largest environmental conference in New England. More than 40 workshops and training sessions will be offered. For details on the conference and information how to register, see http://www.maccweb.org/annual_conference.html.

Advanced Tools and Procedures for Planning and Zoning - On March 20, The Citizen Planner Training Collaborative will hold its third annual conference for local planning officials and their planning staff at Holy Cross College in Worcester. Topics covered will include village center development, supporting economic development in the community, housing and site plan review, board administration, liability, and performance guarantees. For details, see http://www.umass.edu/masscptc/.

U.S.-Canadian Climate Change Conference - The conference, entitled "Climate Change and Our Natural Resources: Taking Action to Save Our Natural Places" will be held on March 15-16 in Boston and is sponsored by The New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers. Stay tuned to CZ-Mail or check the New England Governors website later this month for additional information at http://www.negc.org/upcoming.html.

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

• The Massachusetts Bays Program (MBP) is currently planning for the Massachusetts Bays Symposium to be held on May 6 and 7. To complement the symposium, the MBP is developing a "State of the Bays" report on: the conditions of the Bays, efforts underway to protect and restore these resources, and goals to guide future work. For more information, see the MBP website.
• 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
TV Special on Stormwater to Air on Weather Channel - The EPA has teamed with the Weather Channel to produce a special entitled, After the Storm, which explains what a watershed is, discusses the problems of stormwater runoff, and follows three case study examples. The show premiers on February 4. For details, see the After the Storm web page.

Marine Art Contest - Enter the 2003-2004 Marine Art Contest, sponsored by the Massachusetts Marine Educators, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and the New England Aquarium. This year's theme is "Marine Protected Areas," and students who submit art work will be judged in five categories: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and scientific illustration. The deadline is April 30. For details and a PDF copy of the rules, click here.

Stellwagen Seeks Members for Advisory Council - The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary seeks applicants for its Sanctuary Advisory Council. Vacant Member (voting) seats are: Research (2), Education (2), Conservation (2), Marine Transportation (1), Recreation (1), Whale Watching (1), Mobile Gear Commercial Fishing (1), Fixed Gear Commercial Fishing (1), Business/Industry (1), and At-Large (3). Vacant Alternative (non-voting) seats are: Research (2), Education (2), Conservation (2), Marine Transportation (1), Recreation (1), Whale Watching (1), Mobile Gear Commercial Fishing (1), Fixed Gear Commercial Fishing (1), Business/Industry (1), and At-Large (3). Applications are due by February 20, 2004. Both the Federal Register notice and the application are available electronically.

NOAA and Industry Announce New Standard for Public Alert Receivers - In a collaborative effort with the Consumer Electronics Association, NOAA announced on January 9 a new performance standard for public alert receivers, which are designed to receive the digital alert signals broadcast by NOAA Weather Radio and Environment Canada's Weatheradio network. The new standard defines consistent alerting signals, such as colored lights and LCD displays, to indicate a public alert notice has been issued even when the device is in standby. For details, see click here.

A publication of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA03NOS4190087. 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.