Riverways News Notes #30- November 6th, 2008

An electronic newsletter from the Massachusetts Riverways Program http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/river

Red Brook Habitat Restoration Continues With Dam Removal

In this issue:
Welcome Letter
Feature Story
Resources and Grants
Calendar
Online Resources
Publications, Presentations, Documentaries, etc.
Last But Not Least
Support Land and Water Conservation with a "Land and Water" Specialty License Plate

Welcome Letter

Dear River Advocates:

Riverways’ partnership work to restore and protect rivers continues with great enthusiasm! We are so pleased with the results in terms of river health, increased stewardship, increasing partnerships and the actual on-the-ground projects.

Our lead article describes our work on Red Brook in the Buzzards Bay watershed. Red Brook is a three-part project to restore a coastal stream, home to one of the last native “salter” (sea-run brook trout) populations in Massachusetts. In September, we coordinated the second dam removal on this brook (the first was last year). Two additional dams on Red Brook are scheduled to come out next summer. Two other recent river restoration projects, Bronson Brook and a daylighting project, were also completed this year (see below).

Our energetic partners included The Trustees of Reservations (TTOR), Trout Unlimited (TU), Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW), American Rivers/National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, A.D. Makepeace, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Program (CRWP). Each partner brought expertise and funding and/or in-kind services to the project.

TU has been a leader in southeastern Massachusetts in promoting the return of the salter trout, and TU’s expertise and volunteer labor was critical to the success of the project. In addition to financial and technical assistance, TTOR’s staff prepared the Lyman Reservation site for construction and post-dam removal habitat work. American Rivers/NOAA, TNC, CRWP and USFWS provided funding and technical support as did Riverways.

I was on site on the day the dam came out—and it was truly exciting to see the excavator (manned by AD Makepeace) raise the final boards of the dam and to see the stream run free! In addition to technical assistance and partners, all of us on site—Riverways, TU, AD Makepeace and TTOR-- helped with the heavy lifting, placing of hay bales, installation of woody habitat and tree planting. AD Makepeace donated construction equipment and staff, saving the project thousands of dollars.

On a return visit this week with Commissioner Mary Griffin, we were pleased to see the success of the instream habitat improvements as well as the healthy new trees on the banks. We were excited to learn from Steve Hurley, DFW, that electroshocking has shown a dramatic increase in the Red Brook salter brook trout (which are suffering population declines across their range) since the first dam removal. Congratulations to all, including Riverways lead, Tim Purinton.

Commissioner Griffin and we also visited other Riverways-Partner restoration and RIFLS sites and met with several of our partners on Town Brook and Eel Brook in Plymouth, Jones River in Kingston and First Herring Brook in Kingston. We hope to meet with others of you as the year progresses.

Riverways is proud to report that our first daylighting-culvert replacement project is complete! This project, in partnership with the National Park Service and the Town of Lincoln, resulted in daylighting two sections of the brook out of underground pipes and replacing a culvert to allow fish and wildlife passage. To remove impurities from storm water, a rain garden was created. Congratulations to all and to Cindy Delpapa, Riverways lead.

With the completion of the third phase of a multi-year daylighting project earlier this year, this small stream, a tributary of Elm Brook, now flows above-ground through a section of Minute Man National Historic Park in Lincoln. Phases I and II removed the stream from pipes, and the just-completed final phase provides an improved road crossing over the stream and fish and wildlife passage in and along the stream. Crayfish and other stream critters have already been observed recolonizing the newly-daylighted section of the brook. This project was undertaken by the National Park Service in partnership with Mass. Riverways and the Town of Lincoln.

Riverways lead Carrie Banks reports that the Bronson Brook culvert replacement is now completed! This project replaced a culvert that blocked fish and wildlife passage with an arched culvert that promotes passage. Congratulations to Carrie and partners including the Town of Worthington, American Rivers, NOAA, USFWS, Connecticut River Watershed Council, NRCS, TNC, DFW, Westfield Wild and Scenic Advisory Committee, Corporate Wetlands and River Continuity/Stream Team volunteers.

For the first 10 months of 2008, Riverways’ Adopt-A-Stream Program staff have worked with 8 Stream Teams (315 volunteers) who surveyed 75 miles of rivers and streams. In addition, the Adopt-A-Stream staff assisted 7 Stream Teams to implement action plans resulting in an additional 275 volunteers participating in projects and clean ups. Congratulations to all. Our rivers and streams require local action!

Riverways’ River Instream Flow Stewards (RIFLS) staff have been participating in workshops across Massachusetts. At the recent New England Water Works Association annual meeting, Jo Carey presented her work developing dam release plans for recreational impoundments in western Massachusetts. These plans are developed in partnership with local dam managers, NGOS, and Conservation Commissions and are based on the Index Flow methodology developed by the Mass. Dept of Conservation and Recreation. They provide guidance on how to manage dam releases to provide appropriate seasonal streamflow to downstream rivers. Jo was pleased at the many references to RIFLS instream flow data in the presentations of other speakers. RIFLS is also working with town representatives, the First Herring Brook Watershed Initiative, the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, and state and federal agencies to restore streamflow adequate to support herring in First Herring Brook in Scituate. The group met recently with partners from the Nature Conservancy and the Stockholm Environment Institute to review the results of a calibrated WEAP (Water Evaluation and Planning) model and choose future water management scenarios to investigate with the model. The results of these WEAP scenarios will help the Town plan and prioritize its water management activities in the future to restore more natural flow regimes, and hopefully herring, to First Herring Brook while providing adequate water supply to the people of Scituate.

Due to state fiscal challenges, Riverways services will be reduced over the next year or so. The staff here have always been innovative in creating and sustaining long-lasting partnerships to protect the Commonwealth's rivers and streams.  Your volunteer efforts and civic engagement is even more critical now.  We hope together we can find ways to restore and protect our rivers during these times of fiscal uncertainties.

Joan Kimball, Director

Riverways is planning to create a web page that compiles information on all printed and/or on-line canoe guides, river maps, books and other resources that inform paddlers, anglers and other users as to how to gain access to and enjoy the rivers and streams of the Commonwealth (click here for an example). If you have or know of any such printed or on-line materials, please pass the information along to Russ Cohen at (617) 626-1543, (617) 626-1505 (fax) or russ.cohen@state.ma.us.

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Feature Article

Red Brook Habitat Restoration Continues With Dam Removal

WAREHAM-- In an effort to improve habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife species, the Mass. Dept. of Fish and Game (DFG)’s Riverways Program recently spearheaded the removal of the New Way Dam on the Red Brook, in concert with several public and private partners.

Red Brook, a five-mile-long coldwater stream that flows south from White Island Pond into Buttermilk Bay - along the Wareham and Plymouth town line - supports a variety of fish species, including eel, river herring and one of the last remaining native sea-run brook trout populations in Massachusetts. Sea run (a.k.a. “salter”) trout are fish that live in fresh water from spring through fall, and then spawn before wintering in salt water near the mouths of rivers (click here for more info).

River Restorationists celebrating the removal of the New Way Dam on Red Brook in Wareham. Left to Right: Joan Kimball, Director, Mass. Riverways; Brian DeGasperis, TTOR Ecologist; Tim Purinton, Restoration Planner, Mass. Riverways; Warren Winders, Trout Unlimited MA/RI Council; Nick Wildman, Priority Projects Coordinator, Mass. Riverways; John Koskoskia, Trout Unlimited MA/RI Council; Mike Labossiere, TTOR Regional Superintendent; and Andy Selle, InterFluve, Inc. The excavator operator in the background is George Leach from A.D. Makepeace, Inc.

“Dam removal provides a unique opportunity to help sustain and improve recreational and commercial fisheries,” said Ian Bowles, Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. “Fish like river herring are in decline, and improving access to spawning habitat helps ensure that fish will keep returning to our Commonwealth’s rivers and streams each spring.”

The removal of the New Way dam is Phase Two of a three-phase restoration of Red Brook, which is being supported by technical services and funds from the Riverways Program, American Rivers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Phase One took place in 2006 and involved the removal of Robbins Dike [click here for more details]. Phase Three involves the removal of two other water control structures and hundreds of yards of wetland fill. That phase is slated for the summer of 2009.

“The impact of these structures has been to fragment the adjoining floodplain and river into discrete units that impair fish passage and natural stream function,” said DFG Commissioner Mary Griffin. “This long term partnership between state and federal environmental agencies, national and local environmental non-profits and the private sector will result in the ecological restoration of this important habitat, improving prospects for native fish and recreation in the region."

Red Brook flows through former cranberry bogs that are now part of the Red Brook Reserve, a 638 acre conservation area that includes the 210-acre Theodore Lyman Reserve, managed by The Trustees of Reservations (TTOR), and the 428-acre Red Brook Wildlife Management Area, which is managed by DFG ’s Division of Fisheries & Wildlife. Within the Lyman Reserve are multiple water control structures or small dams that are remnants of historic cranberry operations that have been abandoned since the middle of the last century.

TTOR has helped lead the restoration of the Brook, in conjunction with Trout Unlimited and the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. The Trustees and Trout Unlimited have a special partnership at Red Brook, as the Reserve was given to TTOR by the Lyman family with the understanding that the brook would be restored for benefit of trout and other native species.

“Trout Unlimited has been the backbone and the spirit behind the restoration initiative, and the Trustees have been working hard to realize a vision that the Lyman family set forth,” said Mike Labossiere, TTOR Superintendent for the Lyman Reserve.

“This is an example of a great working relationship that has been facilitated by the state’s Riverways Program,” echoed Warren Winders, Red Brook Director, Mass./Rhode Island Council of Trout Unlimited. The work that recently took place involved removal of the New Way Dam and associated levees and berms, and also included the addition of trees and root wads to the stream for enhanced habitat structure. Construction services were donated in part by AD Makepeace and the engineering was completed by Interfluve, a nationally recognized river restoration firm.

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Resources and Grants

Grant, Fundraising, Contest and Award Opportunities 
(presented in rough chronological order by application deadline)

Organizational members of the Clean Water Network (CWN) are eligible to apply for its State Assistance Fund, which supports the efforts of CWN members working on clean water projects close to home. The fund reimburses active CWN members for outreach and advocacy activities that advance the Network’s mission of protecting and restoring America’s waters.  The fund supports project requests in the range of $50-$3,000.  The next and last application deadline for 2008 is Friday, November 7th.  Click here to apply or for more info, including a summary of funded projects from previous years. For more info about the application and reimbursement process, please contact Jennifer Peters at (202) 547-4208 or jenniferpeters@cleanwaternetwork.org.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is currently seeking applications for Atlantic Salmon Conservation Grants to fund projects that address priority needs for Atlantic salmon recovery and restoration within the species’ current and historical range in New England. Applications are due by November 14th. Projects selected for funding are likely to have strong on-the-ground habitat restoration or protection components that lead to long-term ecological habitat improvements for Atlantic salmon, and also provide educational and social benefits related to Atlantic salmon conservation for citizens and their communities. Click here or here to apply or for more info.

The U.S. EPA’s FY09 Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup Grants may be used to address sites contaminated by petroleum and hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum). Grants will be awarded in three categories: Brownfields Assessment Grants: (each funded up to $200,000 over three years; $1,000,000 for Assessment Coalitions) provide funding to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community involvement related to brownfield sites; Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants: (each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years) provide funding to capitalize a revolving fund and to make loans and provide subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites; and Brownfields Cleanup Grants: (each funded up to $200,000 over three years) provide funding for a grant recipient to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites that are owned by the grant recipient. For additional information on using Brownfields Grants for watershed restoration, visit EPA's Watershed Academy for an archived webcast: Using Brownfields Grants for Watershed Restoration and Revitalization. The proposal deadline is November 14th, 2008.

The Wild Ones’ Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program (SFE) provides small monetary grants to schools, nature centers, houses of worship, and other nonprofit educational organizations for the support of efforts to establish outdoor learning centers within the U.S. and Canada. The learning centers should reflect Wild Ones’ mission to educate youth and the general public about the benefits of using native plants in the local landscape, as well as to promote biodiversity and environmentally sound practices. Cash awards range between $100 and $500, and successful applicants have the opportunity to partner with SFE native plant nursery partners for discounts. Applications must be received by November 15th, 2008, for grant disbursement of funds in 2009. Click here for more info.

The Mass. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), through its Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), is soliciting nominations for coastal wetland restoration projects for consideration as Priority Projects and be eligible for technical and financial assistance. CZM's Wetlands Restoration Program (WRP) seeks to restore degraded or former wetlands to a close approximation of their condition prior to disturbance. This RFR will remain open for Priority Project nominations until November 21st, 2008. Go to http://www.comm-pass.com, click on “Search for Solicitations”, and then type “ ENV 09 CZM 02” into the Keywords box, or click here for more info.

The Commonwealth's State Hazard Mitigation Team (consisting of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) administers several FEMA-funded mitigation grant programs in the State. MEMA is currently inviting communities to submit applications for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grants. These competitive grants are available to assist communities with hazard mitigation planning and the implementation of hazard mitigation projects prior to a disaster. This program is identified by the CZM StormSmart Coasts initiative as important source of funding for communities pursuing successful floodplain management to reduce risk to life and property. Applications are due by November 21st. Click here for more info. Click here and here for more info on federal grants relating to flood control and hazard prevention, with application deadline of December 19th 2008.

The Town Creek Foundation is dedicated to a sustainable environment, a strong democracy, and a peaceful world. The Foundation supports national nonprofit organizations that strengthen the environmental movement, and those that are working to reduce the pressure on forests from the paper products industry. The Foundation also encourages advocacy work devoted to protecting the public's interest in the national media system. In addition, the Foundation provides grants to organizations working within the United States to reduce the risks and costs of war. The next upcoming deadline for letters of inquiry is November 21st, 2008. Click here for more info.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) are now accepting applications for the Fifth Annual County Leadership in Conservation Awards. The awards recognize leadership, innovation, and excellence by forward-thinking county leaders in local land conservation. Bringing recognition to the county's program, and providing “best practice” examples for county and other local officials to design landmark conservation programs across the country, are the main goals of the Awards. Click here to apply or here for more info, or send an e-mail to awards@tpl.org. The deadline for submissions is November 21st, 2008 by 5 PM EST. Award winners will be recognized at NACo's Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. in March 2009.

The Boston-based Haymarket People’s Fund is accepting applications from throughout New England for its Sustaining Grants (generally ranging between $5,000 and $15,000) to support grassroots, social change organizations that share Haymarket’s vision of an equitable, peaceful, and humane world free of racism and other oppressions and whose programming addresses the root causes (rather than solely the symptoms) of injustice. Haymarket also organizes to increase sustainable community philanthropy throughout the region. Haymarket is committed to supporting both urban and rural organizing and to funding start-up and emerging organizations as well as their established counterparts through both general operating and project support. The next application deadline is December 1st, 2008; click here for more info.

Every year, the SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Environmental Excellence Awards grant a total of $100,000 to students and teachers who make a positive impact on their hometown environment. The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund is committed to species research, habitat protection, animal rescue and conservation education. The deadline for projects to be funded in 2009 is December 1st, 2008. Click here or send an e-mail to mail@swbgfund.org for more info.

TheNortheast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)’s Sustainable Community Grants Program seeks to reconnect rural revitalization and farming. Projects must address key issues such as farm finance, marketing, land use, water use, enterprise development, value-added product development, and labor. Other substantive topics may also be addressed, provided farmers and the farm community benefit. All proposals must show a strong link to farms and the economic issues that affect them, and all projects must support appropriate growth, improved farm profits, a cleaner environment, or improved farm stewardship. Eligible recipients include community nonprofits, Cooperative Extension, local governments, educational institutions, planning boards, farming cooperatives, and incorporated citizens’ groups. The deadline for projects seeking funding (up to $25,000) in 2009 is December 2nd, 2008. Click here and here for more info.

Restoring Rivers: Stream Barrier Removal Grants, a program of American Rivers and NOAA’s Community-Based Restoration Program, will distribute up to $800,000 to support projects in several regions (including New England) to benefit diadromous fish species. Grants ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 will be awarded for three distinct project phases: feasibility analysis, engineering design, and construction. The next application deadline is December 3rd, 2008. Click here or contact Serena McClain at (202) 347-7550 ext. 3004 or rivergrants@amrivers.org for more info.

The Environmental Protection Agency: Broad Agency Announcement for Conferences, Workshops, and/or Meetings grant program provides support for the planning, arranging, administering, or conducting of conferences, workshops, or meetings that focus on research to protect human health and safeguard the environment. Specific research program areas include human health, ecosystems, water and security, economics and sustainability, air and global climate change, and technology. The next deadline is December 9th, 2008, 4:00 PM Eastern Time. Click here for more info.

The Mass. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is expected to put on-line (by October 31st or thereabouts) a Request for Responses (RFR) for its FFY 09 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grants Program. The focus of the FY2009 grants will be for watershed or sub-watershed based non-point source assessment activities that support MassDEP’s assessment efforts including data needs that are identified in Massachusetts Watershed based plans, EEA Watershed Action Plans, Massachusetts Nonpoint Source Management Plan, MassDEP’s watershed water quality assessment reports, the Massachusetts Estuaries Project, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) development, and water supply source protection planning. Priority or target watersheds for FFY09 include: Deerfield, Millers, Ipswich, Buzzards Bay, Islands, Farmington, Westfield, SuAsCo, Taunton and South Coastal basins. The application deadline is December 12th, 2008. To access the 604(b) RFR, go to http://www.comm-pass.com, click on “Search for Solicitations”, and then enter “FFY 09 604(b)” into the “Keywords” box. Contact Gary Gonyea (617-556-1152 or gary.gonyea@state.ma.us ) for more info. See also http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/idsum604.pdf for indicative summaries from past 604b-funded projects.

The Project AWARE Foundation is committed to the preservation of the aquatic environment and its resources throughout the world through education, advocacy, and action. The Foundation provides grants up to $10,000 for the conservation of both marine and freshwater underwater environments, with a focus on coral reefs, shark protection, sustainable fisheries, ecotourism, shoreline cleanups, and aquatic education for children. Requests are reviewed quarterly; the next application deadline is December 15th, 2008.

The organization American Trails is currently (until December 15th) sponsoring a contest for the best trail-related websites. Winners are recognized in the American Trails Magazine and may use the “Winning Websites” logo on their site. It's easy to enter! Just submit the URL, website name, and contact information for you and/or the webmaster. Click here for more info, including links to other contestant websites. [N.B.: The Summer 2008 edition of American Trails Magazine, available on-line, contains a feature article on water trails, beginning on p.8.]

The Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) provides private landowners interested in developing and maintaining wildlife habitat on their propertywith financial and technical assistance. LIP provides cost-share grants for invasive species removal and other activities that create and enhance habitat value for “at risk” and other target wildlife species. The 2008-2009 grant application period will be from 27 October to 19 December 2008. The official application materials will be accessible then via going on-line to http://www.comm-pass.com, clicking on “Search for Solicitations”, and then entering “LIP” into the Keywords box. You can also click here, here and the LIP FAQ page for more info.

The Wal-Mart Foundation's State Giving Program (SGP) awards grants at the state and regional level to programs that have a strong impact within the communities the company serves (click here for a store locator). Advisory Councils in each state determine how best to distribute SGP funds. “Environmental Sustainability” (which includes outdoor classrooms) is one of the SGP ’s priority funding categories. The minimum grant size for this program is $5,000. The remaining application deadline for this year is December 19th. Click here for more info and to submit an on-line application.

Do you have an idea for a cutting-edge technology that could protect the environment while growing the economy? The U.S. EPA is offering college professors and their students an opportunity to turn ideas into reality through its sixth annual P3 (People, Prosperity and the Planet) grants competition.  P3 is a student design competition for sustainability.  Previous P3 winners have already taken their innovations to the next level - including starting successful businesses, winning additional awards, and providing environmental solutions to developing countries. The P3 request for ideas will be open until December 23, 2008. Interdisciplinary student teams will compete for $10,000 grants to research and develop their design projects during the 2009-2010 academic year.  EPA expects to award approximately 100 new grants from the eligible applications in the summer of 2009. Click here for more info.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Water and Environmental Program is currently seeking applications from nonprofit organizations to its Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program to: identify and evaluate solutions to water and waste disposal problems in rural areas (communities with a population of less than 10,000); assist applicants in preparing applications for water and waste grants made at the State level offices; and improve operation and maintenance of existing water and waste disposal facilities in rural areas. The application deadline is December 31st; click here for more info.

Grants from Wildlife Forever are targeted for habitat restoration and acquisition, research and management, and educational projects. Special emphasis is placed upon grassroots programs that involve local conservation, sportsmen's or outdoor recreation groups. Wildlife Forever grants are challenge grants, and funds must be matched on at least a one-to-one basis from a third-party donor. The typical range for these grants is $1,000 to $10,000; both non-profits and governmental agencies are eligible. Wildlife Forever offers three grant programs, the Wildlife Forever Challenge Grants Program, the Sportsmen's Challenge Grants Fund, and the Friend's Challenge Grants Fund. The next application deadline is January 1st, 2009. Click here for more info.

Living Lands, a project of Defenders of Wildlife, includes a Biodiversity Grants Program which provides small grants intended to encourage local land trusts to increase their capacity to engage in biodiversity conservation. Approved projects include funding and technical assistance to help land trusts advance specific projects with significant biodiversity values. The next application d eadline is January 16, 2009. Click here for more info. Defenders also offers guidance in using federal transportation enhancement (TE) funds for habitat conservation (see, e.g., The $61 Million Question: How Can Transportation Enhancements Benefit Wildlife? ) and is offering to give direct assistance to five worthy proposals for projects seeking TE funds; click here for more info (the application deadline for the TE assistance is November 10th, 2008).

In June of 2008, the Kresge Foundation chose to elevate its longstanding interest in environmental issues into a major, comprehensive Environmental Grants Program to cultivate solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, accelerate renewable energy technologies, and support efforts to help society adapt to the impacts of climate change.Because the program is still in the development stage, the Foundation is currently accepting only invited proposals for projects other than facilities capital and green planning grants. It is, however, interested in learning about new projects that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation so that its program planning can be informed by the new and novel ideas of those working in the field. Nonprofit organizations working at the state or national level on climate change projects may contact the Environment Team at EnvironmentTeam@kresge.org with an e-mail of 500 words or less that describes how the project idea will advance Kresge’s values and help further the goals of its Environment Program.

The Annenberg Foundation provides support for projects within its grantmaking interest areas of education and youth development; arts, culture and humanities; civic and community; health and human services; and animal services and the environment (click here for more info). The Annenberg Foundation accepts letters of inquiry at all times during the year and there are no deadlines. Contact the Foundation at (610) 341-9066  or info@annenbergfoundation.org for more info.

The eastern Mass.-based Millipore Foundation seeks to contribute to the public good in ways that reflect the company’s values at the frontier of scientific innovation, including helping Millipore employees make a positive difference in the world around them. For example: employees who devote significant volunteer time to nonprofit organizations in their communities may request program support from the Foundation grants in the $2,500 to $5,000 range to assist these organizations. The Foundation also offers grants in the areas of K–12 science education (e.g., out-of-school science enrichment programs that are in-depth and inquiry-based), bioscience research, and local community support and by funding a series of programs that encourage employee giving and volunteerism. Click here and here for more info.

Conservation and outdoor recreation is the primary focus of L.L.Bean’s Charitable Giving Program. L.L.Bean contributions include program grants, capital campaign pledges and product donations. The company will be reviewing a very limited number of grant proposals from regional and national programs whose activities include the maintenance or stewardship of a natural resource. Priority will be given to proposals that include activities directly linked to the company’s product line, such as camping, hiking, bicycling, canoeing, kayaking, fly fishing, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. To learn more about L.L.Bean's conservation efforts, go to its on-line list of conservation partners. Click here for more info on how to apply. While there is no formal deadline, the company board of directors reviews submitted proposals each December.

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Calendar

Calendar  

The Putnam Conservation Institute is offering a two-day course entitled Resolving Land Use Disputes from Thurs. Nov. 6th-Fri. Nov. 7th from 9AM to 5PM at the Doyle Conservation Center in Leominster. This course will teach stakeholders how to use mediation to help build consensus on difficult land use and stewardship issues. Participants will work with cases involving land development and community changes, explore the link between mediation theory and practice, and determine whether and when mediation is an appropriate conflict resolution tool. Click here to access the complete course description. To register, contact Resources Plus at (888) 845-8759 or lincolninstitute@resource-plus.com.

The damage caused by fluvial flooding is resulting in ever-increasing costs and risks. The standard response to “controlling” rivers has been to channelize, dredge and berm the flood-prone river and to armor offending coastal dunes or banks. These measures are often counter-productive and have questionable flood-reduction benefits. Current Science & Regulatory Responses to River & Coastal Flooding in Massachusetts, the title of the Association of Massachusetts Wetlands Scientists 2008 Annual Conference, will be held on Friday, November 7th at the Babson Executive Conference Center in Wellesley. Speakers include Heidi Davis from Mass. DEP, Gardner Bent, USGS; Beth Lambert, Mass. Riverways; Barry Cahoon, VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation; Kevin Geiger, AICP, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission; Lealdon Langley, Mass. DEP; Daniella Hirschfeld, Mass. CZM; Mickey Marcus, New England Environmental. Click here for more info.

The topic of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC)’s 2008 Fall Conferences is Rivers and Riverfront: Current Science, Regulatory Issues and Solutions. Sessions include: Current river science; Essential elements of the Mass. Rivers Protection Act Regulations; Case studies from around the state; Panel discussion with river and riverfront experts; and Effective strategies for Commissioners to use and new trends in rivers protection. While the Eastern Conference has already taken place (on 10/18 in Wellesley Hills), the Western Conference will be held on Saturday, November 8th from 8:00AM - 4:00PM at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Pittsfield. Click here to register or call (617) 489-3930 for more info.

Are you excited about restoring Massachusetts' rivers and streams by removing unwanted, obsolete, or unsafe dams?  Do you want to initiate and manage a dam removal project?  Then you may want to take part in a Mass. Riverways/American Rivers co-sponsored Dam Removal Project Manager Training Workshop, to be offered on Thursday, November 20th from 10AM to 3PM at the Banx Room, Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square in Worcester (click here for directions). Participants will be trained in all aspects of dam removal project management, from choosing a successful project, to overseeing engineering studies, raising money, and dealing with permitting and construction.  Your instructors will be experienced staff from federal, state, local, and non-governmental organizations. Contact Beth Lambert at (617) 626-1526 or beth.lambert@state.ma.us to register or for more info. As space is limited, priority will be given to those who plan to take on a dam removal project in the next year or two. 

The Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) is sponsoring a free webcast entitled Planning and Promoting of Ecological Land Reuse of Remediated Sites on Thursday, November 20th from 11:00 AM to 1:15PM. This training is based on the ITRC’s Planning and Promoting Ecological Land Reuse of Remediated Sites guidance document, which demonstrates that natural or ecological end-uses are valuable alternatives to conventional property development or redevelopment. Ecological benefits and a process for calculating their value are included in the guidance and reviewed in this training. Click here register for the webcast and here for more info on the ecological reuse of formerly contaminated sites.

A Call for Abstracts for various presentations, posters, etc. is currently out (until Friday, November 21st, 2008) for the Coastal Zone 2009 conference, which will take place in Boston from July 19th-23rd, 2009. Contact Jan Kucklick, Coastal Zone 09 technical program chair, at Jan.Kucklick@noaa.gov or (843) 740-1279 for more info.

The EPA's Watershed Academy will be sponsoring a free Webcast on Implementing a Rain Garden Program to Improve Stormwater Management on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008. Jenny Biddle, with EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds; Lynn Hinkle with Kansas City's 10,000 Rain Gardens Initiative; and Pamela Rowe from the Montgomery County, MD Rain Garden Incentive Program will discuss the benefits of rain gardens, how to build them, and how to develop and implement a successful rain garden program. Registration will open the third week of November. Archived audio versions of past webcasts are also available. [Click here to access a Rain Garden How-to Video Series on American Rivers’ weblog].

Weathering the Storm: Low Impact Development (LID) Conference & Vendor Fair for the Construction & Development Industry in Northern New England will be held on December 3rd and 4th, 2008 at the Grappone Conference Center, Concord NH. Topics include the latest findings on performance and maintenance of LID practices in cold climate and examples of residential and commercial LID projects in New England. There’s a choice of workshops on day two: LID Design Practicum, UNH Stormwater Center Tour, or Landscaping at the Water’s Edge. Click here or call (207) 221-6699 to register or for more info.

The 2008 Massachusetts Smart Growth/Smart Energy Conference will take place on Friday, December 12th at the Boston Convention Center, 415 Summer St. in the Seaport District. This year's Conference theme is Think Green: Educate and Engage. Workshops and roundtable discussions will feature policy and regulatory updates, best practices and skills development on a variety of topics including: The Green Communities Act, Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Strategies for Municipalities, Transit Oriented Development, Green and Healthy Affordable Housing and Civic Engagement. Click here for more info on the Conference and here for more info on the Massachusetts Smart Growth Program.

UMass’s Massachusetts Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) is currently (until January 30th, 2009 ) seeking abstracts of presentations for its Sixth Annual Water Resources Research Conference: Water Dependencies in New England: Systems, Stresses and Responses, to be held at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst campus on April 7th, 2009. Click here or contact Françoise Walk at (413) 545-5531 or mfwalk@tei.umass.edu for more info.

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On-line Resources

The U.S. EPA’s Office of Water recently released a new guide that will help municipal and utility owners and operators, engineers, local decision makers, and state permit writers and regulators plan cost-effective nutrient removal projects for municipal wastewater treatment facilities. Excess nutrients are a leading cause of water body impairment and can cause the growth of excessive algae and aquatic vegetation in receiving waters, leading to decreased oxygen levels. The Municipal Nutrient Removal Technologies Reference Document presents detailed technical and cost information about existing nutrient removal technologies and information on emerging technologies. This document includes detailed process descriptions, performance and reliability data, and operating factors for processes that can remove nitrogen, phosphorus, or both from municipal wastewater. It also includes nine in-depth facility case studies from around the country and one in Canada.

A “widget” is a small piece of Web programming code that makes something interesting appear on your blog, wiki, or Web page. Information in a widget can feature updated information or let the reader do something like a use a search box. Now anyone with a Web site, including their own blog, can post the EPA’s new “Find Your Watershed” widget on their own Web page. This widget, which can be found at http://epa.gov/widgets/#watershed, supports watershed education and outreach. By “advertising” this widget, partners can help drive traffic to EPA's “Surf Your Watershed” database, which helps people find their watershed, learn about its health, and connects them with organizations at work in their watershed. [EPA's first widget, the “environmental tip of the day”, released last spring, was seen 363,000 times in June after it was posted, which is more than any single page on EPA’s Web site other than the home page.]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Map Service Center provides on-line versions of maps that are used for community floodplain management, flood hazard mapping and the National Flood Insurance Program. Some FEMA floodplain elevations and maps are in the process of being revised and updated to reflect current conditions. Click here for more info on updates already underway, and here if you think a FEMA map needs to be updated. [Click here for on-line info on flood hazard mitigation from the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation.]

The Mass. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and UMass/Amherst recently announced the release of Massachusetts Index of Ecological Integrity (IEI) Maps and MassDEP Important Habitat Maps for 112 cities and towns in Western Massachusetts. The IEI maps are based on the Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS) computer software program and a method to prioritize land for conservation based on the assessment of ecological integrity for various ecological communities (e.g. forest, shrub swamp, headwater stream) within a particular landscape. The results of the CAPS assessment are available as GIS data and IEI maps depicting an IEI score for each point in the undeveloped landscape. Additional information on how to use these maps can be found in the Massachusetts Wildlife Habitat Protection Guidance for Inland Wetlands. Maps for the rest of the cities and towns in Massachusetts are scheduled to be available in early 2010. Questions should be directed to Lisa Rhodes at MassDEP [lisa.rhodes@state.ma.us] or Scott Jackson at the UMass/Amherst [(413) 545-4743 or sjackson@umext.umass.edu].

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Non-government On-line Resources
(in rough alphabetical order)

Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE)
http://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org

AWE recently launched a comprehensive web-based Water Efficiency Resource Library, in cooperation with the U.S. EPA, who is a major partner and funder of the program. The Resource Library is intended as a one-stop shop for water efficient product and program information, including residential plumbing and appliances, toilet testing, landscape and irrigation, commercial and industrial water conservation, water rates and rate structures, water loss control, codes and standards, drought planning, and numerous other topics. Upcoming features being added to the site are state-by-state summaries and an on-line discussion forum. [Click here to read the latest edition of AWE ’s Water Efficiency Watch electronic newsletter.]

Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Gifts and Grants web page
http://philanthropy.com/giving

Sponsored by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, which calls itself “the newspaper for the nonprofit world,” the gifts and grants web page is a comprehensive source of breaking news and up-to-date information on nonprofit grant and fundraising opportunities. The content is accessible via the purchase of a $49 12-issue subscription or a 24-hour on-line “pass” for under $10. [See also The Non-Profit Times’ or Philanthropy Journal’s websites, where a lot of similar content is available for free; an article from the Techsoup non-profit support page with advice on how to process on- and off-line credit card purchases and donations; and a Grantseeker’s Toolbox with lots of practical advice on fundraising opportunities.]

Clean Water Action (CWA)
http://www.cleanwateraction.org

This recently spiffed-up website (both in appearance and content) provides user-friendly access to CWA’s national priorities and campaigns on such topics as pharmaceuticals in drinking water, and ensuring the federal Clean Water Act applies to all waters of the United States, not just navigable water bodies. The CWA website also provides links to on-line versions of its Clean Water Currents newsletter as well as the “We All Live Downstream” weblog. The CWA website’s Massachusetts page provides info on several active campaigns the organization is involved with in the state, including the Massachusetts Campaign to Protect Drinking Water to safeguard source water quality and quantity from contamination and habitat degradation; the Campaign to Protect Local Water from large-scale commercial bottled water extraction; and the Campaign for Sustainable Water Infrastructure to promote the policy of “keeping water local”. Each page of the CWA website offers the opportunity to post comments.

Do Something
http://www.dosomething.org

Do Something.org was founded to “use the power of the internet to help young people change the world…we believe young people have the power to make a difference. It is our aim to inspire, support and celebrate a generation of do-ers: people who see the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action.” The Do Something web page offers lots of suggestions for how people aged 25 and under can revitalize their neighborhoods and reduce their environmental impacts. The website also offers a host of small grant and other forms of assistance to help young people make a difference in their communities.

Doodle
http://www.doodle.ch

The Doodle website helps coordinate scheduling among multiple parties to and help set mutually feasible dates for group events such as meetings, conference calls, volunteer workdays, etc. Doodle is particularly useful to people who do not use a common calendar. In addition to scheduling events, Doodle also supports polls in general. That is, groups can conveniently decide on options other than dates: where to take the next canoe trip, the logo for an organization’s new Web site, the venue for an upcoming event, etc. Doodle is a Web-based service which is free, requires no registration and no software installation.

good2gether
http://www.good2gether.com/index.php

good2gether's mission is to drive and enable large-scale cause engagement and community service. The good2gether website is a social media platform that connects nonprofits, media, brands, and people in a virtuous circle that benefits all parties. The website makes it easy and fun for Internet-savvy folks to find out about and contribute time and money to your cause. Click here to sign your nonprofit up for this free networking service, and here for info on Boston-area organizations already in the “Do Good” database.

Greenscapes
http://www.greenscapes.org/index.html

The Greenscapes Massachusetts program is a collaborative education and outreach effort sponsored by the Greenscapes Massachusetts Coalition and many community partners, grantors, underwriters, and supporters. The program seeks to: educate citizens and professionals about landscaping practices (particularly irrigation and chemical use) to have less impact on the environment; create an informed and proactive citizenry that acts as environmental stewards in their own backyards; and generate broad support for the responsible public management of water resources (quality and quantity). The Fall 2008 edition of Greenscapes’ on-line newsletter focuses on the myriad virtues of native plant species and the advantages of converting lawn to native landscaping.

National Academy of Science’s Water Web Portal
http://water.nationalacademies.org

This portal enables you to explore over 100 reports from the National Academies offering independent, objective advice on water-related issues in the United States and abroad. These reports are peer-reviewed and represent the consensus of experts from academia, industry, and government. Recent reports of interest include: Urban Stormwater Management in the U.S; Desalination: A National Perspective and Prospects for Managed Underground Storage of Recoverable Water.

River Network’s On-line Mapping Tool
http://www.imrivernetwork.org

River Network’s new on-line mapping resource designed to help you easily find river and watershed groups working in your community, see rivers and water bodies not shown on standard Google maps, and much more. In the coming months, additional searchable layers and map points will be added, such as: who is working on what major water issues; who is hosting a river cleanup; is there a monitoring program in my watershed; finding health experts working on contaminant issues; etc. River Network is also very interested in hearing from you about information and resources that you would like to see placed on the map; contact Matt Burke if you have comments/suggestions. [See also the “IMRivers Jr.” river and watershed mapping tool for school and other educational groups.]

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Publications, Presentations, Documentaries, etc.

 River health depends on a wide array of processes that require dynamic interaction between the water and land through which it flows. The areas of dynamic connection and interaction provide a frame of reference from which to conserve, restore and manage river systems. “Active” indicates the dynamic and disturbance-driven processes that form and maintain river and riparian systems and their associated habitats and habitat conditions. “River area” represents the lands that contain both of aquatic and riparian habitats and those that contain processes that interact with and contribute to a stream or river channel. The Active River Area: A Conservation Framework for Protecting Rivers and Streams, a report issued this past spring by The Nature Conservancy’s Freshwater Initiative, explains how this framework offers a more holistic vision of a riverine ecosystem than solely considering the river channel as it exists in one place at one particular point in time; the active river area including those lands within which the river interacts both frequently and occasionally. [A presentation based on The Active River Area is included in the conference proceedings of the American Water Resources Association’s 2008 Summer Specialty Conference: Riparian Ecosystems & Buffers: Working at the Water’s Edge, held in Virginia Beach, VA this past June. Click here to order a CD containing all of the 2008 Specialty Conference presentations and other proceedings.]

 For fifty years now, Trout Unlimited (TU) and its legions of volunteer members have strived to restore, sustain, and preserve the nation's trout and salmon waters. In Rivers of Restoration: Trout Unlimited's First 50 Years of Conservation, author John Ross weaves together human and natural histories as he recounts stories of twenty watersheds where TU has labored to save rivers damaged by human shortsightedness. From Michigan's Au Sable to New York 's Delaware to rivers in California, Washington, and more, the stories of these rivers—both in peril and in recovery—will remind anglers and others why they love the sound of running water, and why our natural resources need to be protected. Rivers of Restoration (192 pp., $40) can be ordered from its publisher, Skyhorse Publishing, by clicking here.

Tapped Out: New York's Water Woes, a report recently issued by Trout Unlimited (TU), report spells out how the state of New York 's laws, policies and systems are currently unable to effectively manage and protect the state's water resources. With case studies that highlight various issues throughout the state, the report looks at municipal water use, river management, streamflow standards and groundwater withdrawals.  Click here for a press release and here to download a copy of the report. [Click here for more books on trout and trout fishing recommended by TU, and here for an on-line version of a TU brochure entitled Restoring Streams to Reduce Flood Loss.]

Hidden Reservoir: Why Water Efficiency is the Best Solutionfor the Southeast, a new report by American Rivers, outlines nine proven, timely and cost-effective steps that local leaders can take to save water and help ensure their rivers remain valuable community assets. These steps are just as relevant to Massachusetts and the Northeast as they are to the Southeast. Click here to read a press release summarizing the report and the nine steps, and here to read the report in its entirety.

In Water Supply Blueprint: Linking Water Demands and River Needs, a workshop from River Rally 2007, presenter Chad Smith from American Rivers describes how communities can meet their water needs, minimize their water costs and protect their local environment by adhering to a set of established principles for water supply and use. Click here to download his 13.2 MB PowerPoint presentation.

Costly Returns: How Corporations Could Profit from Inflating the Already High Cost of Repairing the Nation’s Crumbling Water and Sewer Infrastructure, a new report from Food and Water Watch, explains how scarce public funds that are desperately needed to maintain and upgrade water supply and wastewater treatment infrastructure are being diverted instead to corporate shareholders. Click here to download the report and here for related info, including a fact sheet with the “Top Ten” reasons to keep water supplies locally (and publicly) owned and operated. [See also this thoughtful posting on The Nature Conservancy’s web page explaining the true “cost” of water supplies in terms of adverse impacts to freshwater ecosystems.]

Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure, a new, ninety-minute TV documentary, tells the story of essential infrastructure systems: water, wastewater, and stormwater. These systems — some in the ground for more than 100 years — provide a critical public health function and are essential for economic development and growth. Largely out of sight and out of mind, these aging systems have not been maintained, and some estimates suggest this is the single largest public works endeavor in our nation’s history. Liquid Assets addresses the enormous scope of this challenge and the innovative techniques being employed to meet it. Click here for broadcast times in your area (see, e.g., this from RI PBS), or to request that your local PBS station carry the broadcast. [Click here for related info from the American Water Works Association.]

Water is the liquid gold of the 21st century. While corporations urge local governments to privatize municipal water, communities around the world are organizing to ensure affordable access to this life sustaining resource. The Water Front, an hour-long documentary, is the story of one community (Highland Park, MI)'s determination to fight the seemingly inevitable path of water privatization. Click here for info on upcoming screenings, DVD purchase, and action items and resources rewater privatization, and here for an illuminating FAQ on the documentary, with tough questions answered by the film’s director and producer, Liz Miller.

The cover story of Scientific American Magazine’s special edition (October 2008) “ Earth 3.0”, is Energy versus Water: Solving Both Crises Together, is readable on-line. Also available at Sci Am’s website is “Facing The Freshwater Crisis”, an on-line article and comments from July of 2008, an article on a new National Research Council report on stormwater and combined sewer systems, and an excerpt from and review of the new book The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters.

Manual 9: Municipal Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping Practices, the final installment of the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP)’s Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series and available for free download, provides “how to” guidance, and outlines the CWP’s most recent ideas on how municipal pollution prevention/good housekeeping practices can be used to address local water quality issues and watershed restoration goals. CWP also recently released a document entitled Monitoring to Demonstrate Environmental Results: Guidance to Develop Local Stormwater Monitoring Studies Using Six Example Study Designs, also available for free download. Each of the six examples cover the essential elements of establishing a monitoring program, including scoping, budgeting, funding and staffing needs as well as equipment and sampling requirements. Special issues associated with each monitoring study design are also covered for those unforeseen but inevitable problems.

In Toolbox for Sustainable City Living: A Do-It-Ourselves Guide, authors Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew provide step-by-step instructions for city dwellers—those who have never foraged or gardened along with those who have done dumpster-diving and community-supported agriculture (CSAs)—with directions for producing our own food, collecting water, managing waste, reclaiming land, and generating energy. Toolbox for Sustainable City Living (256pp., $16) is available from its Boston-based publisher, South End Press, by clicking here or by calling (617) 547-4002. [Click here and here for more info on rainwater harvesting.]

In Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens, author Douglas Tallamy explains the unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife. When native plant species disappear, or are replaced by alien exotics, the insects disappear, thus impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals. Fortunately, there is still time to reverse this alarming trend, and gardeners have the power to make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity. By favoring native plants, gardeners can provide a welcoming environment for wildlife of all kinds. Bringing Nature Home (288pp., $27.95) can be purchased directly from its publisher, Timber Press, by clicking here or by calling (800) 827-5622. [Click here for a related article from the New York Times.]

The Mass. Watershed Coalition (MWC)’s “mwc-list” listserv is a great source of information on river- and watershed-related funding and job opportunities, upcoming events, recent articles and more.  Many of the posted items are time-sensitive and can’t wait until the next edition of NewsNotes.  You can access the mwc-list listserv at http://lists.topica.com/lists/mwc-list@igc.topica.com, where you can subscribe to receive the posted messages to your e-mail address, or simply read them on-line.  Highly recommended! 

Last But Not Least

Does your car have an environmental license plate?

The Massachusetts Environmental Trust (MET) provides funding to many river and other water resources protection and restoration projects throughout the Commonwealth. A major source of MET ’s funding comes from the sale of environmental license plates. Besides the “whale” plate, sale of the “FW” (“fish and wildlife”) and “BV” (“Blackstone Valley”) plates also help fund MET ’s grant-making programs. While these three are the only Mass. specialty license plates currently available that exclusively fund environmental programs, there’s a proposal for a new MET “Land and Water” plate(see image above) that (if 3,000 pre-paid plates are sold) will fund land conservation that helps protect water resources (click here or call (617) 626-1045 for more info). Getting an environmental plate is easy and can be done on-line at http://www.mass.gov/rmv or at your local Registry of Motor Vehicles office.

Support Land and Water Conservation with a "Land and Water" Specialty License Plate

NOTE: Due to the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV)s’ policy regarding specialty license plates, the new MET “Land and Water” plate will not become reality unless and until at least 3,000 people sign up for the plates. You are therefore strongly encouraged to reserve your new plate by sending in a check for $40 payable to Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles along with this form to: Massachusetts Environmental Trust Land & Water Plate, 100 Cambridge Street, 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02114. Once 3,000 checks are received, the MET will forward the checks to the RMV, and then you will be contacted to let you know what else is needed to finish the process of getting your new “Land and Water” specialty license plate. Show your support for Massachusetts land and water conservation by purchasing a Land and Water Plate! Click here or call the MET at (617) 626-1045 for more info.

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