CZ-Mail
November 2004

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.

Priority Areas for Future Seafloor Mapping Discussed at Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative (GOMMI) Workshop - Fifty-two participants from the Gulf of Maine region gathered at the University of Maine's Darling Marine Center on October 4 and 5 to discuss implementation and funding of the peer-reviewed GOMMI Strategic Plan, Framework for Ocean Management, the regional 2004 User Needs Assessment survey, and priority areas for future seafloor mapping initiatives. The Strategic Plan calls for the coordination of the region's existing mapping efforts and prioritization to address user needs. Both the User Needs Assessment survey (composed of 168 of the region's map users) and breakout groups at the workshop defined priority areas, which include Passamaquoddy Bay and the outer Bay of Fundy, Penobscot Bay, Cashes Ledge and adjacent areas, and Georges Bank. At the workshop, the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping at the University of New Hampshire announced that it would be supporting the mapping of Cashes Ledge and adjacent areas based on GOMMI priorities. Surveys could begin within the next six months. For more information about GOMMI, the Strategic Plan, and the draft User Needs Assessment report, click here. The User Needs Assessment final report will be available in November.

CPR and Buzzards Bay Grants
On October 5, Secretary of Environmental Affairs Ellen Roy Herzfelder announced the recipients of the Coastal Pollution Remediation (CPR) Grants and Buzzards Bay Mini-Grants programs. These grant programs support the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) Coastal Wetlands, Estuaries, and Bays Initiative (Coastal WEB).

The CPR program provides funding to identify and clean up sources of nonpoint source pollution to important coastal resources, such as shellfish beds, anadromous fish habitat, and swimming beaches. The following grants were awarded.

• Duxbury received $150,542 to improve an existing drainage system and install nine leaching facilities to treat first-flush runoff.
• Bourne received $25,000 to assess fecal coliform and enterococci bacteria impacts to Conservation Pond and to design best management practices (BMPs).
• Marion received $150,443 to prepare and install BMPs for the Front Street and Marion Village sub-drainage system.
• Plymouth received $24,000 to assess impacts to Town Brook, investigate and map a stormdrain system, identify preferred BMP alternatives for prioritized sites, and prepare conceptual BMP designs.
• Wellfleet received $21,300 to prepare designs for a new stormwater collection and treatment system and pumpout system for Town Pier.
• Orleans received $37,440 to identify watershed pollution sources, recommend mitigation solutions and BMPs, and prepare preliminary designs for proposed treatment systems.
• Nantucket received $109,864 to implement treatment facilities within the Consue Springs watershed to control pollution to Nantucket Harbor.
• Provincetown received $93,750 to prepare final design plans and install a leaching and infiltration system to protect Provincetown Harbor.

For more information, go to CZM's CPR Grant Program webpage.

The Buzzards Bay Mini-Grants assist eligible Buzzards Bay watershed municipalities in implementing environmental restoration and protection projects. The following grants were awarded.

• Fairhaven received $15,000 to purchase oil spill remediation materials and equipment for oil spill coordinators in participating Buzzards Bay municipalities.
• Plymouth received $15,000 to remove and replace a partially crushed metal culvert at the northern end of Halfway Pond that will connect a bordering vegetated wetland and reduce sediment discharges to the Agawam River.
• Marion received $20,000 for a low impact development (LID) stormwater remediation project including four bio-filters, and drainage and pretreatment systems to treat first-flush pollutants to Sippican Harbor.
• Marion also received $8,000 to acquire two appraisals and perform a title search on 238 acres of land at Eastover Farm that will become permanently protected open space.
• Rochester received $20,000, Mattapoisett $11,000, and Fairhaven $11,000 to purchase a conservation restriction on approximately 164 acres of land located within the primary recharge area for a regional municipal drinking water supply.
• Westport received $10,000 to replace a collapsing culvert under River Road, which is impeding herring passage into Cockeast Pond.

For more information on the Buzzards Bay Project, click here.

Green Neighborhoods Alliance Is Harvard Environmental Partnership Award Finalist
The Green Neighborhoods Alliance, established by CZM and the Massachusetts Audubon Society, has been selected as a finalist for the 2005 Roy Family Environmental Partnership Award. The award, given by Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, recognizes public-private partnerships that significantly enhance environmental quality and protect unique natural resources. The Alliance, composed of a diverse group including a developers, realtors, engineers, conservation organizations, and local, regional, state, and federal agencies, has been working to reshape development to minimize environmental impacts, maximize economic profits, and provide new housing opportunities by promoting Open Space Residential Design (OSRD). Since the Alliance's model bylaw was published, several municipalities along the Massachusetts coast have adopted or are considering OSRD. Click here for more information about Green Neighborhoods.

Pressure Washwater Treatment Demonstration Projects
It is that time of year when many boaters haul their boats from the water and pressure wash the hulls to get rid of any biological growth that may have formed during the season. In November, CZM is holding two pressure washwater treatment system demonstrations at Cape Ann Marina in Gloucester and at Arey's Pond Boatyard in Orleans. The treatment systems, funded by CZM grants, remove pollutants from pressure washwater. Most boat bottoms are coated with anti-fouling paints, which are toxic to marine organisms, to prevent biological growth. Untreated washwater that contains paint chips impairs groundwater and surface water quality. If you are interested in attending the CZM grant-funded treatment system demonstrations, please contact Robin Lacey at robin.lacey@state.ma.us for details. For more information about marinas and pressure washwater, go to CZM's marinas webpage

MarineFisheries Protects and Moves Great White Shark to Open Water
The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MarineFisheries), Massachusetts Environmental Police, U.S. Coast Guard, and members of the local commercial fishing fleet coordinated a multifaceted effort to protect, study, and remove a 1,700-pound female Great White Shark from a saltwater pond off of Woods Hole. The shark, swimming in a narrow shallow embayment for several days, required much assistance to both guide it to deep water and corral it off from curious onlookers. MarineFisheries issued an emergency regulation preventing the harvesting of white sharks in state waters, and the Environmental Police and Coast Guard protected the public by closing off and patrolling access to the pond. Biologists tagged the shark with a high-tech sensor to record movement and provide valuable oceanographic and shark behavior data to scientists. After nearly two weeks of effort, the team moved the shark to within 100-200 feet of open water, and guided her out to sea with streams of water generated from high-powered hoses. A subsequent aerial survey of the coastline produced no sightings and the shark is believed to have left nearshore waters. Recently, MarineFisheries received data from the sensor tag indicating that it had released from the shark prematurely. Unfortunately, the unanticipated duration of time the shark spent confined in shallow waters caused the tag to initiate detachment. For more information, videos, and pictures, click here.

Funding Opportunities
Smart Growth Technical Assistance Grants - EOEA is accepting applications for the Smart Growth Technical Assistance Grants Program through November 15. Up to $30,000 is available per community to achieve goals cited in Community Development Plans. Recently 230 municipalities have created their Community Development Plans, mandated by the Massachusetts Office of Commonwealth Development Commonwealth Capital policy. Under this policy, communities must develop such plans in order to apply and receive state grant funding. For the Smart Growth Technical Assistance Grants Program, EOEA will offer preference to proposals that implement Smart Growth-consistent recommendations through a community development plan.

Gulf of Maine Action Plan Grants - The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment has issued a Request for Proposals for its Action Plan Grants Program. The funding has been made available to non-governmental organizations in the Gulf of Maine region (from Southern Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Cape Sable, Nova Scotia) through a U.S. Congressional appropriation administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For more information, go to the Gulf of Maine Council opportunities webpage. Applications are due November 30.

Ocean Observing System 2005 Funding Extended - The National Ocean Service (NOS) Coastal Services Center has extended its deadline and is accepting proposals for Integrated Ocean Observing System 2005 funding until December 1. All proposed projects should focus on core coordination activities, primarily data management and outreach. Depending on the congressional appropriation, NOS expects to award eight to 11 grants of $100,000 to $400,000. Click here for more information.

CICEET Seeks Proposals on Three Funding Opportunities - The NOAA/University of New Hampshire Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET) is soliciting proposals for three 2005 funding opportunities. Preliminary proposals for the Environmental Technology Program, with awards averaging $100,000 per year, are due November 15. Also, CICEET is accepting proposals for the Technology Transfer Program and the Proof of Concept Program, with application deadlines January 13 and 20, 2005, respectively. For more information, go to CICEET's website and see Latest News.

American Rivers Community Restoration Grants - The American Rivers NOAA Community-Based Restoration Program Partnership is seeking proposals for community-based river restoration grants. The grants support local communities utilizing dam removal or fish passage to restore and protect the ecological integrity of their rivers and improve freshwater habitats important to anadromous fish. Applications for eligible projects, limited to Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and California, must demonstrate how a project will measure successful restoration, minimize any identifiable short- or long-term negative impacts to the river system, and include community involvement. Applications are being accepted through November 12, however applicants should contact American Rivers to discuss potential projects. For more information including an application and eligibility guidelines, click here.

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

• Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant Program - CZM has issued a Request for Response (RFR) for the 2005 Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant Program. The RFR, with an application, is posted on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Operational Services Division's website. Proposals are due on Friday, November 19 at 4:00.
• EPA Brownfields Grants - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting proposals through November 12 for up to 200 Brownfields assessment, revolving loan fund, and cleanup grants for the 2005 grant round. For more information, click here.
• Habitat Restoration - The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) is accepting Habitat Restoration Partnership funding proposals through November 12. For more information, see the request for proposals.
• EPA Environmental Education Grants - EPA's Office of Environmental Education is accepting applications through November 15 for environmental education program grant funding.
• Drinking Water Supply Protection Grants - EOEA is accepting applications through December 7 for the Drinking Water Supply Protection Grant program. For the RFR go to the Commonwealth's Operational Services Division's website and search solicitation number "ENV 05 POL 01." Applications are due December 7.
• New England Grassroots Environment Fund - The New England Grassroots Environment Fund provides grants of up to $2,500 to fuel civic engagement, local activism, and social change. Proposals are due by January 15, 2005 for a March 2005 decision.
• National Whale Conservation - The National Whale Conservation Fund (NWCF) has established funding for projects that relate to great whales and/or address anthropogenic threats and is accepting pre-proposal packets by March 1, 2005. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal. For more information, click here.
• Right Whale Recovery - NWCF is accepting pre-proposal applications until March 1, 2005 for Atlantic Coast States Cooperative Planning for Right Whale Recovery Program funding, which is available to coastal government agencies implementing existing conservation and whale recovery programs. Click here for more information.
• Large Whale Gear Challenge - The NWCF and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation are accepting letters of intent through December 1 for a team-based competition designed to promote development of innovative whale-friendly fishing gear or gear modifications that can be used to decrease large whale entanglements. Full proposals are due March 15, 2005. For application information click here. For information about existing fishing gear and regulations, see the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan.
• Nancy Foster Scholarship Program - Applications for the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program must be received between February 11, 2005 and April 15, 2005. For information, click here or here.

Public Comment
Preparedness Response Guidelines - The Coast Guard, the Research and Special Programs Administration, EPA, and the Minerals Management Service in coordination with representatives from various state governments, industry, and others developed the Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) Guidelines. The Coast Guard would like comments on the PREP triennial cycle, 2005 through 2007, and also requests industry participants to volunteer for scheduled PREP Area exercises. Comments must be submitted on or before November 22. For more information with details on how to comment, go to the Federal Register and enter "56445" in Quick Search.

Water and Navigation Management Improvements Proposed for Buzzards Bay - Water and Navigation Management Improvements Proposed for Buzzards Bay - The Coast Guard is seeking comments on proposed amendments to the existing Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) for navigable waters within the First Coast Guard District, which would require additional navigation safety measures within Buzzards Bay, including tug escorts and use of Recommended Routes. In addition, the Coast Guard seeks comments on the merits of formally designating the existing Recommended Route in Buzzard's Bay as published on the most recent NOAA charts 13205, 13218, 13221, and 13230. Comments are due on or before December 27. Public hearings will be held on November 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the New Bedford Whaling Museum and on November 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. For more information with details on how to comment, go to the Federal Register and enter "CGD01" in Quick Search.

Reminders - The following public comment periods listed in the last CZ-Mail are still open:

• Right Whale Ship Strike Comment Period Extended - NOAA Fisheries has extended the public comment period through November 15 on the proposed North Atlantic right whale mortality reduction strategy. For the notice, go to the Federal Register and enter "55136" in Quick Search.
• EPA Oil Pollution Prevention and Response - EPA is accepting comments through November 19 to determine whether alternate regulations are appropriate for non-transportation-related onshore and offshore facilities. For the notice, go to the Federal Register and enter "56184" in Quick Search.
• FEMA Mitigation of Severe Loss Pilot Program - The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is accepting comments through November 30 on its pilot program for the Mitigation of Severe Repetitive Loss Properties. For the notice, go to the Federal Register and enter "55643" in Quick Search.
• Ballast Water Treatment System Approval Program - The Coast Guard seeks comments establishing a new program to approve onboard ballast water treatment systems to assure compliance with federal discharge standards. Comments must be received by December 3. For the notice, go to the Federal Register and enter "47454" in Quick Search.

Products/Publications
Coast Guide Available - CZM has released the new full-color, spiral-bound Massachusetts Coast Guide to Boston & the North Shore, Volume 1, Second Edition, which highlights more than 400 coastal recreation and public access sites from Salisbury to Hingham. Coast Guide is available through the University of Massachusetts Boston Urban Harbors Institute at cost ($6.00 including shipping). To order, click here.

Organizing Agricultural Commissions - Through funding from CZM, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) is reaching out to coastal communities interested in addressing potential agricultural non-point source pollution issues through the development of agricultural commissions. A brochure and CD-ROM, titled A Guide to Organizing Town Agricultural Commissions is available. For more information contact Susan Phinney, DAR, at (508) 626-1772.

Wetlands Bylaws Online - The Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) has posted electronic versions of 78 Massachusetts wetland bylaws and ordinances, 47 sets of related regulations, and five wetlands policies on its website. The postings, which can be accessed by municipality, are part of MACC's efforts to help Conservation Commissions adopt new bylaws and regulations and improve existing ones. Also, MACC produces a bimonthly electronic newsletter with action alerts. If interested in receiving EMACC, contact Rick Chaff at rick.chaff@maccweb.org with your name, address, telephone number, and email address and request to receive the newsletter.

EPA Basins Software Update - EPA has released the latest version of the basins water quality model software. The software facilitates the examination of environmental data (point and nonpoint sources), supports analysis of environmental systems, and provides a framework for examining management alternatives. For more information and to download the model, click here.

Ocean Future Roundtable Report - The National Ocean Service has issued the Ocean Future Roundtables final report. The roundtable, which included participants from industry, government, academia, and conservation, discussed raising public understanding of the role of the ocean in sustaining the nation's economy and environment, stressed the need to better link scientific and management efforts, and noted the important role that an integrated ocean observing system could play in furthering sustainable use and management of ocean and coastal resources. Click here for the report, background papers, and more.

Smart Growth Is Smart Business - The Smart Growth Leadership Institute has released Smart Growth Is Smart Business. The report profiles 17 business groups that are supporting and profiting from smart growth policies and projects and also describes the institute's five key smart growth business actions.

Rhode Island Smart Growth Yellow Pages - Grow Smart Rhode Island has recently produced the Smart Growth Yellow Pages, an online resource directory for smart growth-related business and community development opportunities.

Job Postings
Wetlands Restoration Specialist - CZM has posted a Coastal Wetland Restoration Specialist position responsible for administering, assisting, and planning wetland restoration projects for its Wetlands Restoration Program. Tasks include remote and onsite assessments of potential restoration projects, developing scopes, conducting fieldwork for surveying and monitoring, and more. Applicants must respond by November 25. For more information, go to the Commonwealth Employment Opportunities website.

Coastal Access Intern - CZM has posted a contract coastal access intern seeking a recent master's graduates or current graduate student with appropriate GIS training to play a critical role in expanding the Register of Protected Coastal Accessways, a GIS database that has been developed to manage and track shoreline public access entitlements that have been secured by government agencies and non-profit land conservation organizations. The intern will undertake a concerted data collection effort to add all qualifying properties in coastal communities south of Boston Harbor, from Hull to the state border with Rhode Island. FFor more information, go to the Commonwealth Employment Opportunities website. Applications are due November 30.

Calendar
Aquatic Nuisance Task Force Northeast Panel Meeting - The Northeast Regional Panel of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force will meet from 1-5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 9 and from 8:30 a.m. -4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10 at the Gideon Putnam Hotel and Conference Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. For more details, contact Michele Tremblay at (603) 796-2615. For more information about the meeting, go to the Federal Register and enter "61262" in Quick Search.

Coastal Stream Habitat Restoration Conference - The Massachusetts Coastal Training Program will be hosting, free of charge, a coastal stream habitat restoration conference designed to introduce participants to the range of impacts impairing coastal streams in the Northeast on November 12 at the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Participants will gain a realistic perspective of the potential benefits and the inevitable challenges of engaging in coastal stream restoration activities through examples and lessons from actual projects.

CZM at State GIS Day - EOEA, MassGIS, and CZM will be participating in the 6th annual GIS Day on November 17 from 10-2 p.m. inside the Great Hall of the Massachusetts State House. The event provides an opportunity to see how geographic information systems (GIS) are used by state agencies. More than 20 exhibitors have been scheduled, including CZM, the Department of Public Health, Department of Social Services, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, and others, to present various GIS mapping projects. CZM staff will demonstrate Massachusetts Ocean Resource Information System (MORIS), a database under development that will provide web-based access to a range of coastal management information and tools to search data and display maps, documents, or images, and other projects. Also, the work of several high schools, municipalities, and some private sector companies will be on display. A noontime speaking program will highlight recent state GIS accomplishments and will address the future of GIS activity in Massachusetts government. For more information, go to the MassGIS website, or contact Paul.Nutting@state.ma.us.

Marine Pressure Washwater Treatment Demonstrations - CZM is holding pressure washwater treatment system demonstrations at Cape Ann Marina in Gloucester and at Arey's Pond Boatyard in Orleans. The treatment systems, funded by CZM grants, remove pollutants that impair groundwater and surface water quality from pressure washwater. If you are interested in attending either demonstration, please contact Robin Lacey at robin.lacey@state.ma.us for details. For more information about pressure washwater, go to CZM's marinas webpage.

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

• Smart Growth Workshop - The Essex County Forum will host a Smart Growth Planning Tools Workshop at the Rowley Public Library on Saturday, November 6 from 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Registration is free, but required. Please contact Susan J. Moses, at susanjmoses@comcast.net.
• Smart Growth One-Day Conference - The Essex County Forum will also host a one-day conference on Friday, November 19 from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Peabody City Hall. Please register by contacting Essex County Forum Director Tracie Hines at t.hines@eccf.org. For more information, click here.
• Wetlands Ecology & Conservation Biology Certificate Training - MACC is holding an advanced certificate training program on wetlands ecology and conservation biology on November 19 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham. For more information, see MACC's program offerings.
• Solutions to Coastal Disasters 2005 - The Solutions to Coastal Disasters 2005 conference will be held from May 8-11, 2005 in Charleston, South Carolina.
• Coastal Zone '05 - Coastal Zone '05 will be held July 17-21, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Titled Balancing on the Edge, the conference will focus on balancing the issues of land and sea.
• Massachusetts Coastal Training Program - The 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, click here.

Other Items of Interest
Walter B. Jones Memorial and NOAA Excellence Awards - NOS has announced that nominations are now being accepted for the 2005 Walter B. Jones Memorial and NOAA Excellence Awards in Coastal and Ocean Resource Management. The awards program is open to individuals, organizations, and state and local government agencies and their employees. There are several award categories, and all nominations must be received no later than December 3. Nominees will be awarded in February 2005 and honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in March 2005.

Arthur Returns to the Floes - Earlier this month the New England Aquarium reintroduced Arthur, a male hooded sea, to the Atlantic Ocean. Rescued at Duxbury Marsh in March, the seal was found emaciated and in very poor health. Aquarium scientists treated Arthur, watched as he nearly doubled his weight during recuperation, and released him with a satellite tag that will record his location and water depth. To follow Arthur's migration back to more familiar waters-the ice floes off of eastern Canada-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.