|
|
|
|
Mass.Gov Home Page | |
|
State Agencies | |
|
State A-Z Topic List | |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
CZ-Mail September 2008 Welcome to CZ-Mail, the monthly electronic newsletter from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). Each issue 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. Additional information about CZM's programs, publications, and other coastal topics can be found on the CZM website. Please feel free to share CZ-Mail with colleagues and friends—and if you have any suggestions for future editions, would like your name added to the mailing list, or would like your name removed, please email your request to CZ-Mail@state.ma.us. All links on this web page were current and working on the date of publication.
Ocean Planning Effort Begins In August, implementation of the ocean planning effort as called for in the Oceans Act of 2008 kicked off with a very successful Ocean Advisory Commission meeting on August 13. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Ian Bowles opened the Commission meeting, encouraging for the Commission to engage the public in the ocean plan development effort and to set high expectations for the plan. Chaired by Sue Tierney, former Environmental Affairs Secretary and past chair of the Ocean Management Task Force, the Commission provided comment on the overall planning process, as put forth by EEA, including public outreach, the schedule, and next steps. Public outreach is slated to begin in earnest in September through a variety of mechanisms, including public meetings, EEA's website, media, and more. Commissioners were asked to assist with the outreach effort by spreading the word to their constituencies. The Commission also agreed on an approximate schedule through the remainder of 2008, with a Commission workshop to provide an overview of ocean planning scheduled for October, followed by a Commission meeting in November. In addition, agency work groups have been collecting and analyzing available data for use in the planning effort. This work will help set the table for the Science Advisory Committee, which will meet in early September. To receive periodic updates as these efforts progress, send an email to join-env-oceanplan@listserv.state.ma.us. COASTSWEEP 2008 COASTSWEEP, the statewide beach cleanup sponsored by CZM and the Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston, will kick off its 21st year on September 20 at Salisbury Beach. Volunteers throughout Massachusetts turn out in large numbers each year for this event, which is part of an international campaign organized by The Ocean Conservancy in Washington, DC. Participants all over the world collect marine debris and record the types of trash they collect. This information is then used to help reduce future marine debris problems. Cleanups will be scheduled throughout September and October. To get involved, go to the COASTSWEEP website. Marine Invasive Monitoring and Information Collaborative Expands CZM's Marine Invasive Monitoring and Information Collaborative (MIMIC) is a volunteer early detection and monitoring program that focuses on 20 non-native marine species. In 2008, with the help of local and regional partners MIMIC has trained close to 100 volunteers and expanded the network to include 50 sites across coastal Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. All data collected by MIMIC are available online through the Marine Invader Tracking System (MITIS), a partnership between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sea Grant College Program and CZM. For details about the program, or for more information on becoming a local partner or volunteer, contact Adrienne Pappal at adrienne.pappal@state.ma.us. Atlantic Hurricane Season Gears Up The Atlantic Ocean hurricane season began in June and forecasters have increased their predictions for an active season. Updated predictions and the latest hurricane information are available on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Hurricane Center website. To help prepare, see the CZM Hurricane Preparedness Kit. Also, see CZM's 2002 Coastlines magazine for more information on Massachusetts hurricanes and their potential impacts, articles on how to build and rebuild to withstand a storm, and information on a wide range of tools available for reducing risks in hurricane-prone areas. Red Tide Bloom Still Impacting South Shore The red tide bloom has subsided in many portions of the Commonwealth's coast, so the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has reopened coastal waters from Gloucester to Cohasset for the harvest of blue mussels, soft shell clams, and razor clams. Portions of the South Shore remain closed to shellfish harvesting. For the latest information about the red tide bloom in Massachusetts, including detailed closure maps, go to the DMF website. For additional information on red tide, see the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Red Tide Fact Sheet, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) New England Red Tide Information Center, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Harmful Algae web page. CZM Staff & People CZM Welcomes New Coastal Fellow - CZM is delighted to welcome Daniella Hirschfeld as our seventh NOAA Coastal Management Fellow. Daniella will be working on "StormSmart Coasts Phase Two: Making Storm-Resilient Communities a Reality in Massachusetts." The nationally acclaimed StormSmart Coasts Program was developed by Coastal Fellow Wes Shaw, who now hands the reins to Daniella. In Phase Two, CZM will work directly with selected coastal communities to implement StormSmart Coasts floodplain management tools, use this experience to help successfully transfer these tools throughout the remainder of the coastline, and develop a national model for storm-resilient community implementation. Daniella received her master's in environmental management from Duke University's Nicholas School of Environmental and Earth Studies and her bachelor's from Dartmouth College. Welcome aboard Daniella! For more information about StormSmart Coasts Phase Two, contact Andrea Cooper at andrea.cooper@state.ma.us. Mass Bays Outreach and Policy Coordinator - On September 2, the Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program welcomed Carole McCauley as the new Outreach and Policy Coordinator. Carole worked previously with the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program in Florida as the Watershed Action Volunteer Coordinator and with the Environmental Awareness Group of the U.S. Peace Corps in Antigua. Most recently she finished a second master's degree at the Florida Institute of Technology and worked as an environmental planning and implementation manager in Montserrat. Welcome to Massachusetts Carole! Beth Suedmeyer Leaves CZM - After nearly three years and many important contributions working with CZM's Wetlands Restoration Program (WRP), Beth Suedmeyer left in August to join the Department of Conservation and Recreation's Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) Program as their Inland ACEC Coordinator. While working with WRP as a Restoration Planner, Beth contributed to several key projects, including the Aquatic Habitat Restoration Task Force Report, Great Marsh Coastal Wetlands Restoration Plan, and effective management or the Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Project. We wish her well in her new role with the ACEC Program. Grants/Funding Opportunities Buzzards Bay Watershed Municipal Minigrant Program - The Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program is seeking proposals from eligible Buzzards Bay watershed communities to: protect open space, rare and endangered species habitat, and freshwater and saltwater wetlands; help restore tidally restricted salt marshes; develop designs and remediate stormwater discharges threatening water quality; provide support for mapping stormwater drainage networks; construct pumpout facilities; update town parcel data; digitize wetland boundaries approved in permits; assist in the monitoring of water quality to prioritize stormwater remediation; address problems in migratory fish passage; and implement other recommendations contained in the watershed management plan for Buzzards Bay. To view the Request for Responses (RFR), visit the Comm-PASS website and search for document number "ENV 09 CZM 01." Proposals are due by September 10. StormSmart Coasts Technical Assistance - This fall CZM will be seeking coastal cities and towns that are interested in becoming host communities for StormSmart Coasts (SSC) implementation. Communities will be asked to commit to working with CZM to choose, apply, and implement a minimum of two SSC tools and strategies to achieve local floodplain management goals. CZM is looking for host communities from various regions of the coastline and with varying levels of community technical capacity. The host communities will be models that provide an example for all other Commonwealth communities to move forward with SSC. CZM will provide technical assistance, planning, guidance, and individualized outreach materials. The effort will be headed by Daniella Hirschfield, CZM's NOAA Coastal Management Fellow (see CZM Staff & People above). For details, contact andrea.cooper@state.ma.us. Reminders - These funding opportunities listed in the last CZ-Mail are still available:
Wetlands Restoration Program Update - WRP's August 2008 Update on Massachusetts Wetlands Restoration is now available online. This latest update provides details on recent restoration sites that WRP and partners have helped restore, as well as other project updates and recent publications, current grant opportunities, and upcoming conferences. Coastal Resilience White Paper - The Coastal States Organization (CSO) has released the white paper Coastal Community Resilience: An Evaluation of Resilience as a Potential Performance Measure of the Coastal Zone Management Act (PDF, 265 KB). Developed by CSO staff and CSO's Coastal Resilience Steering Committee, the paper demonstrates the value of resilience to coastal management and offers concrete recommendations for enhancing resilience at the state and local level. For more information on coastal community resilience, contact Kim Collini at kcollini@coastalstates.org. For information about CZM's coastal resilience efforts in Massachusetts, see the StormSmart Coasts website or contact Andrea Cooper at andrea.cooper@state.ma.us. Offshore Aquaculture Report - NOAA has released the report Offshore Aquaculture in the United States: Economic Considerations, Implications & Opportunities, which shows that aquaculture has significant economic potential and good prospects for success in the United States. The report's authors call for clear rules to be enacted to guide the development of an offshore aquaculture industry. National Flood Policy Report - The Association of State Floodplain Managers Foundation has released a report from a November 2007 flood policy forum on the long-term future of floodplain management and its role in shaping the United States by the year 2050. Floodplain Management 2050 (PDF, 3.8 MB) includes steps to cultivate additional human adjustments to flooding, strategies to identify and communicate risks and resources and encourage personal and public responsibility. Ocean Lesson Plans and Videos - NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries Program has launched a series of marine education lesson plans highlighting cutting-edge research, maritime heritage, cultural resources, and environmental issues in the national marine sanctuaries. Designed for K-12 teachers and marine educators, the Oceans for Life Lesson Plans and Videos give students an opportunity to explore the history, biology, and ecology of the National Marine Sanctuary System. The plans and videos were developed in collaboration with National Geographic Society's Oceans for Life Program and are aligned with educational standards and literacy principles. Coastal Connections - The July/September issue of NOAA's Coastal Connections (PDF, 893 KB) is now available online. This edition focuses on the challenges of disaster reduction and communities can do to minimize the harmful impacts. Stormwater Monitoring Guidance - The Center for Watershed Protection has released Monitoring to Demonstrate Environmental Results: Guidance to Develop Local Stormwater Monitoring Studies Using 6 Example Study Designs. This guidance is designed to navigate stormwater managers through the complexities of monitoring program implementation to achieve reliable results with limited stormwater funding. This manual is available for free download from the Center for Watershed Protection's website. Riverways eNewsletter - The August issue of Riverways NewsNotes, an eNewsletter from the Massachusetts Riverways Program, is now available online. This edition features a story on bacteria source tracking in Massachusetts rivers. Also included are items on the new "Land and Water" specialty license plate, available grants, upcoming events, online resources, and publications. Marine Protected Area Newsletter - The August 2008 issue of MPA News is now available and features articles on site selection for marine protected areas (MPA), building networks of MPAs, and other MPA news and notes. Websites LID Conference Presentations - Presentations from EEA's 2nd Annual Low Impact Development Conference and Vendor Fair that was held in June are now available on the Environmental Business Council of New England's website. To view each presentation, open the conference agenda (Word, 336 KB) and select the presenter to view his/her respective presentation. Fish Kids Website - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Fish Advisory Program has released a new Fish Kids website—a fun online resource that uses interactive stories and games to teach kids ages 8-12 about contaminants in fish and fish advisories. Whether they catch their own fish, or buy it at a store, kids and their families can use this site to learn how to choose fish wisely. Coastal Projects under CZM Review Herring River Environmental Impact Statement - The Herring River Restoration Committee is preparing joint Environmental Impact Statement/Report (EIS/EIR) for the Herring River Restoration Project in Wellfleet and Truro. This restoration project is being developed in partnership with the towns of Wellfleet and Truro in cooperation with CZM's Wetlands Restoration Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, and Natural Resources Conservation Service. In addition to satisfying federal and state requirements, this EIS will also be developed in compliance with the Cape Cod Commission's Regional Policy Plan as a Development of Regional Impact. The public is invited to comment on the purpose, need, objectives, preliminary alternatives, or any other issues associated with the plan. For details, see the Federal Register Notice. A public scoping meeting will be held on September 24 at 7:00 p.m. at the Wellfleet Senior Center, 715 Old Kings Highway in Wellfleet. Comments are due by October 31. Public Comment Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program - The U.S. Department of the Interior's Mineral Management Service (MMS) is seeking comments on the preparation of a 5-Year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas leasing program. The current 5-year program covers the period July 2007 to June 30, 2012. MMS is soliciting information about whether to begin a new program to succeed the current one. For details, including instructions for commenting, see the Federal Register Notice. Comments are due by September 15. Modernization of the Coast Guard - The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is seeking comments on the Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Coast Guard modernization. Through this modernization effort, the USCG intends to update its command structure, support systems, and business practices to position itself for sustainable and effective mission execution into the 21st century. For details, including instructions for commenting, see the Federal Register Notice. Comments are due by September 15. Proposed Flood Elevation Determinations for Areas of Salisbury - The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has updated the Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) for areas of Salisbury. The BFEs are the basis for the floodplain management measures that a community must adopt to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. The proposed BFEs are available at Salisbury Town Hall. For more information, contact FEMA's William R. Blanton Jr. at bill.blanton@dhs.gov. Comments are by November 17. Reminder - The following comment opportunities listed in the last CZ-Mail are still open:
Marine Fisheries Technician - DMF is seeking applications for a part-time (20 hours/week) Fisheries Technician to assist DMF's Habitat Group Technical Review Coordinator based in Gloucester. Responsibilities include general office duties and some field work. For additional details, contact Tay Evans 978-282-0308 x168. Applications are due by September 10. Habitat Restoration Coordinator - The Maine State Planning Office is seeking applicants for a Habitat Restoration Coordinator in its Coastal Management Program to facilitate coastal habitat restoration in Maine and throughout the Gulf of Maine region. Duties include administering a habitat restoration grant program, assisting public, private, and nongovernmental entities advance promising restoration opportunities, serving as liaison between state and federal agencies on habitat restoration projects, and staffing the habitat restoration subcommittee of the Gulf of Maine Council. Applications are due by September 12. Calendar Wednesday Walks - On Wednesdays in September and October, the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History (CCMNH) will hold a series of walks with naturalist Connie Boyce. For details about each walk, see the CCMNH calendar. Mudflat Mania - On September 6, 7, 20, and 21, CCMNH will hold Mudflat Mania. Bring a pail, notebook, and water shoes for a beachside exploration where visitors learn about the fascinating world of animals that live in and on the tidal flats. Wastewater Treatment Workshop Series - On September 11 from 9:00 a.m. to noon, the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve will hold the workshop Centralized Wastewater Treatment: Sewer Systems, the third in a series of free monthly workshops on comprehensive wastewater management planning for municipal officials (Wastewater Committees, Planning Boards, Health Boards, Conservation Commissions, and Public Works) and consultants. Centralized wastewater treatment is a primary method to tackle with excess nitrogen loads from wastewater sources on Cape Cod. This workshop will provide up-to-date information on the different types of sewers available, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and how to choose between the various options. Registration is required. Low Impact Development Course - On September 13 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mass Audubon will hold a Low Impact Development (LID) course at the Drumlin Farm Sanctuary in Lincoln. An increasing number of government agencies are requiring LID to be integrated into site designs. This course provides a planning and design approach to LID, descriptions of specific LID practices, design and sizing criteria, and methods to assess the effectiveness of LID strategies. Cape Cod Biodiversity Course - On September 30, October 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, and 23, CCMNH will present Exploring the Edges with Museum Naturalist Doug Smith. This four-week course, held from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, will feature hands-on exploration of the biodiversity of Cape Cod's freshwater ponds and ocean habitats. Each week will include a field trip to a different habitat to view and collect live specimens. Coastal GeoTools Conference—Call for Abstracts - On March 2-5 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the NOAA Coastal Services Center will present Coastal GeoTools, a conference series that focuses on the technical information needs of the nation's coastal programs. The theme of this year's conference is "Building the Digital Coast," a new initiative that provides easy access to organized and relevant data, tools, and technical training. Abstracts are due by October 3. National Coastal Conference - On October 15-17, the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association will hold the national coastal conference Chicago 2008: Sustainable Shorelines in Chicago, Illinois. The three-day conference will feature discussions on coastal science, policy, technology, and politics Marine Law Symposium - On October 23-24, the Roger Williams School of Law in Bristol, Rhode Island will hold the two-day marine law symposium, A Viable Marine Renewable Energy Industry: Solutions to Legal, Economic and Policy Challenges. The symposium will explore means for achieving a viable marine renewable energy industry in the United States with a focus on offshore wind, hydrokinetics (wave, current, and tidal), and ocean thermal energy conversion. Panels will discuss possible solutions for the nascent U.S. marine renewable energy sector's current legal, economic, and policy challenges. Submerged Lands Management Conference - On October 26-28, the 27th International Submerged Lands Management Conference will be held in Traverse City, Michigan, to increase awareness of the management issues surrounding submerged lands within the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Ocean Literacy Summit - On November 7, the New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative (NEOSEC) will hold the Ocean Literacy Summit 2008 at Boston University. NOESEC, a collaboration of institutions from across the region, expects more than 200 ocean scientists, science writers, educators, and policymakers to discuss this year's topic, global climate change. Shellfish Restoration Conference - On November 19-22, the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium will hold the 11th International Conference on Shellfish Restoration in Charleston, South Carolina. The conference provides an opportunity for resource managers, shellfish farmers, community activists, historians, and anthropologists to exchange ideas and information on shellfish restoration, water quality improvement, and estuarine and coastal ecosystem health. Coastal Cities Summit - On November 17-20, the International Ocean Institute will hold the Coastal Cities Summit: Values and Vulnerabilities, in St. Petersburg, Florida to discuss the challenging issues facing the ocean today due to coastal urbanization. Reminders - The following calendar items, posted in the last CZ-Mail, are still to come:
Eel Pond Channel Temporary Closure - The demolition of the Water Street Bridge in Woods Hole will require the closure of Eel Pond Channel to all vessel traffic for six days in September—from 7:00 a.m. on September 15 until 5:00 p.m. on September 20. Vessels will not be able to enter or depart Eel Pond during this period. The waterway will then be open to vessel traffic until the new bridge is put in place sometime in the spring of 2009. Mariners should monitor Marine Safety Information Broadcasts on VHF-FM channel 22 for the latest safety related navigation information. For questions regarding this closure, contact Lieutenant John Suckow at john.p.suckow@uscg.mil. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Boston, MA 02114