2002 Coastal America Partnership Awards | Special Recognition Award | Spirit Awards | Awards from other years

2002 Coastal America Partnership Awards

NERIT

Little River Salt Marsh Restoration Partnership, North Hampton, NH

Once 195 acres of back-barrier marsh, the building of grid ditches and roads, the placement of fill, and the installation of an undersized culvert at the outlet reduced the Little River marsh in size, deteriorated water quality, and lead to the closing of nearby shellfish beds. This project restored the 170 remaining acres of degraded salt marsh through installation of new culverts and dredging of sediments in the tidal creeks. Monitoring, land protection, and public outreach will continue, mainly through the University of New Hampshire.

Significant Achievements:

• Installation of larger culverts at the main outlet and under road crossings
• Dredging of sediments out of the tidal creeks
• Employment of a new protocol for pre-restoration monitoring
• Improvement of water flow and quality (i.e. reduction in bacterial source contamination)
• Planning of continued monitoring, land protection, and public outreach

Team Members: Natural Resource Conservation Service; Town of North Hampton; North Hampton Conservation Commission; NH Coastal Program; US Fish and Wildlife Service; Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; NH Department of Environmental Services; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; National Marine Fisheries Service; NH Department of Transportation; Audubon Society of New Hampshire; University of New Hampshire – Jackson Estuarine Laboratory

MARIT

Back River Restoration Team, Langley Air Force Base, VA

The Back River Restoration project at Langley Air Force Base began with a multi-service Chesapeake Bay initiative to regionally sample the water quality of several installations. Routine sampling qualified one of the base’s sites in support of a test plot planting of the native eelgrass species. Following three years of healthy growth, long-term design plans were developed through a Memorandum of Agreement between the Air Force and Old Dominion University. Funding from the Department of Defenses Legacy Program provided for a demonstration shoreline stabilization project. New partners were brought aboard when Langley was considered for a conservation reef. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and City of Hampton, with resources from NOAA’s Community Grant Program, helped to build a 400’ x 30’ oyster reef. Such restoration efforts have been a catalyst for future, complete watershed planning at the base.

Significant Achievements:

• Restoration of ~ 150,000 sq. ft. of historic SAV beds
• Construction of a shoreline stabilization demonstration project
• Furnishing of research and documentation of native eelgrass planting techniques specific to LAFB shorelines (including documentation on film by the NAIB as part of the seahorse habitat exhibit that opened in 2001)
• Construction of a conservation oyster reef and the seeding of ~ 200,000 oyster spat
• Maintenance of critical real time data collection at the site that coordinates with other data collected around the bay watershed by NOAA, VIMS, and the National Aquarium
• Providing of a “living classroom” to local students on board one of the “Baywatcher” tours that allow the children the opportunity to broadcast seed oysters on the conservation reef

Team Members: Langley Air Force Base; Department of Defense; Virginia Marine Resources Commission; Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay; National Aquarium in Baltimore; City of Hampton- Public Works Department; Chesapeake Bay Foundation; VA Department of Conservation and Recreation

GMRIT

Sanibel Island Restoration/Management Partnership, Sanibel Island, FL

This project focused on restoration and management of the environmentally sensitive lands on Sanibel Island, a subtropical barrier island on the southwest Gulf coast of Florida. The island provides habitat for a variety of wildlife including endangered and threatened species. Over the years it had lost much of its native habitat due to agriculture, invasive non-native plants, drainage, and development. A Cooperative Agreement was developed between the partners that allowed for the sharing of equipment and personnel and the methodical eradication of invasive non-native plants. Another agreement addressed the need for a disposal site for the exotic vegetation. This project continues with several hundred more acres of wetland scheduled for restoration in the near future and long-term management of conservation lands on the island (~ 60% of the entire island).

Significant Achievements:

• Restoration of thousands of acres to their former natural condition
• Return of raptors, wading and marsh birds, and prey species in areas once infested with non-native plants
• Formation of a cooperative agreement between partners allowing for future collaborative efforts
• Use of the Sanibel Island project as a model for restoration work and cooperative alliances in the region

Team Members: City of Sanibel, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation

SWRIT

Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, CA

The partnership itself was created to pool resources and to recover wetlands using non-regulatory strategies. It consists of 17 state and federal agencies working in concert with scientists, local governments, and environmental organizations, as well as business leaders and educators. California has experienced a loss of wetlands of over 91%, with federal and state regulations only stemming losses, never having reached the “no net loss” objective. The SCWRP employs three primary strategies to recover wetlands: acquiring of property from willing sellers, restoring of wetlands where allowed by landowners and land managers, and education of people about best practices to protect wetlands.

Significant Achievements:

• Receipt of nearly $40M in funding (with possible additional funding due to the passage of Proposition 40)
• Restoration of over 600 acres of wetlands and acquisition of some 2,500 acres

Team Members: US Environmental Protection Agency; US Army Corps of Engineers; US Fish and Wildlife Service; California Coastal Conservancy; CA Department of Fish and Game; CA Department of Parks and Recreation; State Water Resources Control Board; Santa Ana RWQCB; Los Angeles RWQCB; San Diego RWQCB; Central Coast RWQCB; National Marine Fisheries Service, National Resource Conservation Service; California Coastal Commission; State Lands Commission; CA Environmental Protection Agency

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Special Recognition Award

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)

NAM served as the national sponsor of the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (CWRP) and is recognized for their efforts to expand this unique public-private partnership.

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Spirit Awards

NERIT

Pilgrim Trail Herring Restoration Partnership, Plymouth, MA

The Town Brook Partnership goal is to restore the blueback herring and alewife run through restoration of their migratory and foraging habitat in Town Brook, located in historic Plymouth, MA. Town Brook, which empties into Plymouth Harbor, is the location of the nation’s first fish ladder and has five major obstacles to fish passage. This project includes what will be the first proactively planned dam removal for anadromous fish passage in the state (Billington Street Dam), which will hopefully facilitate other selective dam removal projects. This restoration also entails the installation of a modern “Alaskan Steep Pass” fish ladder at the Newfield Street Dam to ensure access to the upper Town Brook. Due to the migratory routes of these fish, ecological benefits will be realized extending all the way down to the southern mid-Atlantic region.

Significant Achievements (projected by Fall 2002):

• Opening of ~ 1.5 mi. of Town Brook migratory fish habitat (via removal of Billington Street Dam and installation of a new fish ladder at Newfield Street Dam)
• Increasing the size of the river herring run (from 7,000 to 100,000 total fish)
• Eliminating the need to manually collect, transport, and release adult fish upstream of dams

Team Members: Town of Plymouth; National Marine Fisheries Service; MA Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Environmental Law Enforcement; Natural Resources Conservation Service; MA Division of Marine Fisheries; MA Coastal Zone Management; Massachusetts Watershed Initiative; US Army Reserves; US Fish and Wildlife Service; American Rivers; Milone & MacBroom, Inc.; US Environmental Protection Agency; Battelle

SERIT

Watershed Signage Project Team, GA

The purpose of the project is to raise awareness about watersheds through road signs, to create an education program in the communities, and to create stewardship opportunities for the public. There are several signage programs across the United States, however, this is the only project comprised of educational and stewardship components in the Southeast. The project has expanded to include watershed signs on hiking, biking, and canoe trails, in kiosks in Welcome Centers, and in fish and wildlife reserves, military bases, and federal and state lands in the southeast. In addition, it is creating watershed information brochures, fact sheets, web page, and display board for communities.

Significant Achievements:

• 100% participation from community leaders/members whom fully embraced this opportunity of having road signs
• Purchasing of additional road signs by many watershed groups and leaders to place within their watersheds

Team Members: US Environmental Protection Agency; Federal Highway Administration; GA Department of Natural Resources; US Army Corps of Engineers; GA Department of Transportation; GA Department of Corrections; US Department of Agriculture

GMRIT

Texas Prairie Wetland Project, TX

In 1991 a Cooperative Agreement among team members created the Texas Prairie Wetlands Project (TPWP). The TPWP covers a 28 county area along the Texas Gulf Coast, which is a historic waterfowl migration and wintering area. Privately owned lands are targeted for the purpose of cooperatively managing, creating, developing, restoring, or enhancing wetland habitat so as to maintain an increase in waterfowl and other water bird populations. The landowners share in the cost and make a commitment to maintain the wetland and, in most cases, to guarantee water during fall and winter each year. Several schools have enhanced small wetlands on campus as environmental learning centers under this program. The Formosa Petrochemical Plant constructed an educational wetland of approximately 250 acres, which is used by the public for educational purposes. This is only one of several industrial cooperators who have constructed wetlands for educational purposes through this program.

Significant Achievements:

• Wetlands enhancement and restoration assistance provided on 400,000 acres held by 600 landowners
• Installation of 548 wetland units on 26,018 acres, with another 1,682 acres presently under agreement for construction
• Creation of wetlands for the Houston Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy and the Katy Prairie Conservancy
• Renewal of partnership cooperative agreement in 2000 for a third five-year period

Team Members: Natural Resources Conservation Service; US Fish and Wildlife Service; TX Parks and Wildlife Department; Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; private landowners

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