Atlantic CoastWatch APRIL-MAY 1999
Blitzing the Loophole
News For Coastal Advocates
In June 1998 a federal court denied the US Army Corps of Engineers
the authority to uphold North Carolina’s regulation against wetlands drainage. This z
left the task in the hands of the state’s Division of Water Quality, which last fall
announced that it lacked the staff to enforce the rule prior to March 1 of this year. Blitzing the Loophole 1
Developers seized the opportunity, illegally draining some 20,000 acres The Greening of Dredging 1
(31 square miles) of swamp in a five-month free-for-all. This spring the state finally
took action, fining a Brunswick County golf community developer, the St. James
Development Corporation, and its partners $167,454 for digging ditches capable
Sayings 2
of draining 3,350 acres and demanding that they restore 23 acres of wetlands that
they had illegally disturbed. Agreement on 3
Cumberland Island
Coastal-protection advocates claimed that the state’s action was insuffi-
cient. “For $50 an acre, these companies convert 3,327 acres of swamp into an
”
expensive golf community, said North Carolina Coastal Federation (NCCF) THE CAT Comes Back 3
scientist Tracy E. Skrabal in a letter to the Raleigh News & Observer. “Not a bad
deal for the developers, but too bad for the fish and wildlife, and for quality of life in Wooden Boats and 4
” ”
southeastern North Carolina. “Too little, too late, the paper agreed in an April 21 the Environment
editorial, insisting on the need for “nothing short of tough penalties for every
violation of the state’s wetlands rules that can be applied despite a long and ill-
advised enforcement time-out. ” Publications 5
The News & Observer’s URL: www.news-observer.com. URL for NCCF: New Long Island Group 6
www.nccoast.org Tackles Sprawl
Protecting Bryozoans 6
The Greening of Dredging
The current effort to restore disappearing Poplar Island in the Chesapeake
Coastal Web Picks 6
Bay represents a new and positive direction in dredging operations—the beneficial
use of clean dredging spoil to enhance the environment. Underway since 1996, Native Trees for the Keys 7
the project is one of several selected by the Maryland Port Administration and
the US Army Corps of Engineers-Baltimore District to maintain and improve
the 126 miles of Federal navigation channels serving the Port of Baltimore and Recurring:
keep it competitive as ships grow bigger and draw more water. According to the People; Awards; Species &
Bay Journal the port accounts for 10 percent of the total economic activity in the Habitats; Restorations; Grants;
state. Report Cards; Products; Job
A century ago, Poplar Island, which lies near Tilghman Island on the Openings; Upcoming Events
Eastern Shore of Maryland, comprised over 1,000 acres and supported up to 15
families and extensive farming. But these residents left in 1925 as the island began
to erode and sink, resulting in the loss of important wetlands and wildlife habitat. Atlantic CoastWatch is a bimonthly
Local activity turned to moonshining and hunting. Both Presidents Roosevelt and nonprofit newsletter, free of charge,
Truman were visitors to the island in its days as a hunting club. The last frequent for those interested in the
visitors to the vanishing island were a family who commuted from Philadelphia on environmentally sound develop-
weekends with their guests and children, then donated it to the Smithsonian ment of the coastline from the Gulf
Institution for use as a research site. It is now virtually awash when spring tides of Maine to the Eastern Caribbean.
occur. The newsletter is available on paper
(Continued, p. 7) and at www.susdev.org
2
Atlantic CoastWatch
Sayings
Vol. 3, No. 2
All species of sea turtles are federally listed as either threatened or
A project of the Sustainable Devel- endangered, and over 90% of all sea turtle nesting in North America takes place on
opment Institute, which seeks to Florida beaches. Consequently, efforts to protect sea turtles in Florida have a
heighten the environmental quality of significant effect on the global survival of various species, especially loggerhead
economic development efforts, in the and green turtles. Two recent achievements in Florida improve their chances.
Atlantic coastal zone and in tropical
forest regions, by communicating The first involves the use of coastal armoring in important sea turtle
information about better policies and nesting areas. Sea walls, designed to protect upland property from erosion, are
practices. SDI is classified as exempt typically built right on the part of the beach where sea turtles nest. Once installed,
from federal income tax under section the walls prevent turtles from reaching suitable nesting habitat. Often they lead to
501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code the erosion of additional nesting habitat down the beach.
as an organization described in section
501(c)(3). In Indian River County, the Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC)
filed a lawsuit to stop the construction of several highly damaging sea walls that it
Board of Directors claimed had been illegally authorized by the county and were causing an illegal
Robert J. Geniesse, Chairman “take” of marine turtle habitat. The Florida Department of Environmental Protec-
Roger D. Stone, President tion sided with CCC and ordered all work on the walls halted. After negotiations
Hart Fessenden, Treasurer between affected homeowners, CCC, the county and the state, a compromise was
Hassanali Mehran, Secretary reached: the partially constructed walls will remain in place while Indian River
Edith A. Cecil County develops a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for sea turtles.
Freeborn G. Jewett, Jr.
Gay P. Lord If the US Fish and Wildlife Service approves the plan, the existing walls
will be permitted to remain in place. The county will then mitigate for any damage
Advisers these and other sea walls cause to nesting turtles, probably by means of beach
William H. Draper III renourishment projects, acquisition of beachfront properties that would otherwise
Joan Martin-Brown be developed, and far more stringent regulations on the construction of armoring.
The agreement compels the state and county to address the cumulative impacts
Scientific Advisory Council that armoring has on sea turtles. The HCP may also serve as the model for all other
Gary Hartshorn nesting beaches in Florida.
Stephen P. Leatherman
Jerry R. Schubel The second achievement involves heavily developed Volusia County,
Christopher Uhl where each season a thousand or more federally protected sea turtle hatchlings
become disoriented when they emerge from their nests on the beach. Instead of
Staff heading toward the sea, which on an undeveloped beach would be the brightest
Roger D. Stone, Director & President horizon, these baby turtles head for brighter lights coming from beachfront homes,
Shaw Thacher, Project Manager businesses and the street. Their fate is typically death caused by predation,
Robert C. Nicholas III, Contributing dehydration or passing cars.
Editor
Laura W. Roper, Correspondent In many parts of Florida, local ordinances require beachfront lights to be
dimmed, redirected or turned off during the turtle nesting season. No such ordi-
1999 Foundation Donors nance has been passed in Volusia County. In an effort to force the issue, two local
Avenir Foundation environmentalists filed an Endangered Species Act lawsuit against the county. With
Mad River Foundation freezers full of dead turtle hatchlings, crushed on Highway A1A after being disori-
Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust ented by lights, the environmentalists had ample evidence that “takings” have
Fair Play Foundation occurred. The county counter-filed a brief claiming it could not be held liable for
The Henry Luce Foundation failing to protect the turtles. After a federal district judge agreed with the county,
Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation the plaintiffs convinced an appeals court to reverse that ruling. The county then
took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Without comment, the court denied the
Our warm thanks also to these county’s appeal.
recent Individual Contributors:
This outcome is important in that it will likely compel Volusia County either
Roxane Farmanfarmaian to enact a strong lighting ordinance or to develop a Habitat Conservation Plan. In
Bill & Betty McMillan either case, sea turtles will be better protected. More broadly, the Supreme Court
David Rockefeller Jr. action establishes that local governments can indeed be held responsible for failing
to take precautions that protect federally listed species of any sort.
Sponsored Project
—David Godfrey, Executive Director,
Annual Environmental Film Festival in Caribbean Conservation Corporation
the Nation’s Capital URL: www.cccturtle.org; Tel. (352) 373-6441.
3
People
Jan H. Reitsma is the new director of
Agreement on Cumberland Island Rhode Island’s long-troubled Depart-
ment of Environmental Manage-
After two and a half years of sometimes sharp conflict between divergent ment. Formerly the number two
interests, a deal now almost fully concluded will result in the $11.5 million purchase official in the Massachusetts Office of
of Grayfield North, a privately-held 1,143-acre tract on Cumberland Island, almost Environmental Affairs and a top staff
entirely a tightly protected National Seashore off the Georgia coast. The property member at Save the Bay, Reitsma
constitutes two thirds of all the remaining privately-held land on this unspoiled brings to the task a solid record as a
33,900-acre barrier island. negotiator and problem solver who
can deal even-handedly with industry
Before agreement was reached, the future of the island was in doubt with and the environmental community.
development of a portion of it a distinct possibility. Its assets include 18 miles of His agency, reported the Providence
pristine beach, little-frequented woodlands, a profusion of wildlife including alliga- Journal, has been “hounded by years
tors and armadillos, historic sites, and several houses built by members of industri- of criticism from state lawmakers, the
alist Andrew Carnegie’s family. The National Park Service limits visitation to the federal government and the public. ”
seashore to 300 people a day. After the death of Grayfield North’s owner, discus- His predecessor lasted less than a
sions began about the future of this property and the island as a whole. The heirs year and a half in the job.
and others among the island’s 20 private landholders, wilderness, historic preserva-
tion and political interests, and federal agencies all began with sharply divergent Marine biologist Sara Ellis is the new
views. About all they had in common, says Don Barger, southeast regional head of executive director of The Lobster
the National Parks and Conservation Association and a frequent participant in Conservancy, which runs an exten-
the long debate over its future, is love for the place. At the end, this was enough to sive volunteer program of intertidal
carry the day. lobster monitoring at many locations
along the Maine Coast. Born in
Under the deal that has been struck the federal government has agreed to Ottawa, Ellis earned her doctorate at
put up $5.5 million toward the land acquisition; The Nature Conservancy is Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia
pledged to raise the remaining $6 million. The broader package also includes a and spent several years as a writer
National Park Service pledge of an additional $2,450,000 for historic and ar- for Oceanus, the marine science and
chaeological preservation and educational materials, and a major increase of policy magazine that is published by
$300,000 in the Seashore’s annual operating budget. Tel. (912) 882-4336. the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution. E-mail sellis@gwi.net. Tel.
(207) 282-0675 or (202) 832-0414.
THE CAT Comes Back Awards
The North American winner of the
On June 3 THE CAT will launch her second season of speedy car ferry 1999 Goldman Environmental Prize is
service between Bar Harbor, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Fastest ferry in cod fisherman Bernard Martin of
North America, this 300 foot catamaran skims across the route at speeds of up to Petty Harbour, Newfoundland.
50 knots, in three hours or half the time it takes the venerable Bluenose. Last year Concerned since the 1970s about
the 900-passenger CAT attracted double the passengers the older ship carried. overfishing of the species on the
Grand Banks, Martin began working to
The nimble CAT bristles with electronic gear, can decelerate from full protect the local inshore fishing area
speed to a full stop in 43 seconds, and can turn 360 degrees within its own length. by forming a cooperative and promot-
Still, her maiden 1998 season was far from trouble-free. She was cited for speed- ing less destructive fishing techniques.
ing by Bar Harbor officials, accused of having struck a humpback whale, and Even so, the entire fishery collapsed
suffered from occasional breakdowns. Lobstermen complained of severed trap during the 1990s and a succession of
lines and damage to other gear. Worst of all, in a tragedy forecast by columnist closings left Martin and 40,000 others
Roger Duncan of the Island Institute’s Working Waterfront/Inter-Island News, in Newfoundland and Labrador
THE CAT and a Canadian fishing vessel collided in thick fog last September. The without work. Subsequently Martin
skipper of the fishing boat was killed. has worked worldwide to alert
policymakers to “take some lessons
Despite the multiple dangers from “such a projectile hurling itself across from us in how not to manage your
the Bay of Fundy four times a day, as Duncan had written, opposition to the CAT’s
” ”
fisheries, highlight the “destructive-
return has been muted. Maine officials, mindful that tourism is soon expected to ”
ness of industrial fishing practices,
overtake forest products to become the state’s number one industry, are planning and “put a human face on the victims
additional fast-cat service along the coast between Portland and Bar Harbor and ”
of overfishing. Though the species
eventually to Eastport. High speed ferry service on Long Island Sound and else- remains in dire straits out on the
”
where is proliferating as well. “It’s a dangerous world, sighed Duncan. “I guess the Banks, Martin and his fellow coopera-
alternative is to stay ashore.” tive members have once again begun
cautiously cod-fishing inshore.
4
Awards, Continued
National Wetlands Awards winners for
Wooden Boats & the Environment
this year include the well known
scientist and author John Teal of the Back in the 1960s, reports Bob Hicks, editor of Messing About in Boats
Woods Hole Oceanographic magazine, the dying craft of wooden boatbuilding was kept alive in part by instruc-
Institution; community activist Molly tional articles in such publications as Popular Mechanics, in part by the introduction
P Brown of Virginia Beach, and
. of plywood, epoxy resin glue, and other materials that made the craft simpler. In
wildlife biologist Gary Donovan in the 1970s it almost expired completely when the federal government promoted
Bucksport, Maine. Donovan manages safety standards that declared dories, peapods, and other traditional craft to be
an extensive program to protect ”
“unseaworthy. But dedicated efforts by a few individuals, notably including the
riparian areas of lands owned by his late John Gardner, for many years small boats curator at the Mystic Seaport
employer, Champion International Museum, kept the flame flickering. And today the field is burgeoning with ever
Corp. closer links between traditional boatbuilding, the boating experience, personal
development, and the environment.
Katharine Mott of Stewiacke, Nova
Scotia, is this year’s recipient of the From Nova Scotia to Florida, the Atlantic coastline is now liberally sprinkled
Atlantic Salmon Federation’sT.B. with facilities where ordinary people can learn to build, restore, and use wooden
(Happy) Fraser Award. As president boats and hone their personal abilities and sensitivities in the process. Courses in
of the Nova Scotia Salmon Asso- seamanship, navigation, and other nautical skills are also widely available. A
ciation, Mott has worked hard to surprising number of these schools, recognizing that in today’s mobile world many
counter damage from acid rain to the people who live near the coast know little about its resources or ecology, also offer
province’s rivers and fish populations, extensive environmental education programs. A sampling:
and to maintain the moratorium on
commercial Atlantic salmon fishing in SoundWaters, a non-profit group in Stamford, CT, does not offer
Maritime waters. boatbuilding training. But it does use an 80-ft. schooner as a floating classroom, as
well as on-shore facilities, to conduct an extensive array of courses for kids and
Species & Habitats adults in fields from seamanship to earth science and environmental science. Its
goal is “to instill a sense of connection with the natural world so that individuals will
”
act on their responsibility to protect the Long Island Sound watershed. Tel. (203)
No commercial fisherman ever meant 323-1978.
to catch a barndoor skate, a fish
related to sharks that used to be On the Potomac near Washington, the Alexandria Seaport Foundation is
abundant in Canadian maritime and newly installed in a volunteer-built classroom and boatbuilding structure that floats
New England waters until the 1950s. on the river. Among 300 students are many from nearby minority communities who
But so many of them have perished as are learning traditional maritime skills and environmental awareness in a single
bycatch in trawl and scallop dredging package. Combinations of youths and adults, especially families--have built 220
and other fisheries that, reported Jill boats at the Foundation over the past six years--100 in a single month earlier this
Casey and Ransom Myers in the ”
year. “It’s just taken off, says program director Joe Yoncha. Tel. (703) 549-7078.
July 1998 issue of Science, the species
was at severe risk of extinction. In The Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore, launched in 1985 as an
March of this year, shark and ray effort to build the schooner Lady Maryland, has blossomed into a multifaceted
scientists gathered under the auspices community service organization with 145 full-time employees, a $6.5 million
of the Marine Conservation Biol- budget, and assorted programs serving 60,000 Baltimore kids a year. “Our Fresh
ogy Institute confirmed the urgency Start program uses boat building and sailing competition as ways to turn their lives
of the threat and its causes, and called ”
around, says Senior Vice President Parker Rockefeller. “These are vehicles to
on authorities to take strong measures ”
get them interested in learning, in leadership, and in team building. 70 to 75
to save this rare species. The group percent of those who start, all with troubled backgrounds, make it through the
especially noted the need to protect rigorous curriculum and end up with GED (graduate equivalency) diplomas. Living
“remnant concentrations” of Classrooms is currently helping to launch a parallel program in Washington, DC and
barndoor skates on southern Georges hopes that similar institutions will evolve in many other cities across the nation. Tel.
Bank, Browns Bank, and off the Grand (410) 685-0295.
Banks. URL: www.mcbi.org.
On a formerly abandoned site in downtown Newport, RI, the International
In the April 2 issue of Science, several Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) conducts an extensive education and wooden
atmospheric research scientists boat restoration program. Program Director is Clark Poston, who once worked
forecast a severe negative impact on under Gardner at Mystic Seaport and later ran his own boatbuilding shop in
coral reefs resulting from increasing Annapolis, MD. IYRS aims to teach “teamwork, self-respect, and pride in good
atmospheric CO2 concentrations which ”
workmanship. URL: www.iyrs.com
will decrease levels of the carbonate
mineral aragonite, essential for reef- (Continued, p. 5)
building organisms.
5
Species & Habitats, Cont’d
Fishing for the Atlantic sturgeon, a
Publications species so scarce that biologists
cannot even come up with a popula-
Sixty-seven years ago, Louis D. Rubin Jr. watched an ocean liner enter tion estimate, has since 1998 been
Charleston Harbor and decided he wanted to have that experience himself. A banned in every state along the US
lifetime later, after a full career as a creative writing professor, author, and editor, east coast. This year the National
he achieved his dream—and then some. His book Seaports of the South: A Journey Marine Fisheries Service added
(Longstreet Press 1999) takes him and photographer John F Harrington, whose
. federal waters (out to the 200-mile
pictures accompany the text, on adventuresome visits to Charleston and twelve limit) to the ban. So slowly do these
other seaports in the US southeast. large fish reach breeding age, the
NMFS told Reuters, that it might take
The Coast Alliance has issued a new report offering guidance on how 40 years for the species to become
people and institutions can work to reduce polluted runoff. The report, entitled once again fishable.
Pointless Pollution: Preventing Polluted Runoff and Protecting America’s Coasts, was
written by Jacqueline Savitz, executive director. Tel. (202) 546-9554. For years, environmentalists have
cheered the resurgence of forest
The Delaware Nature Society and the Stroud Water Research Center cover in the eastern US, and the
have jointly produced a useful 28-minute video, Protecting Our Water: Who’s Got the return of such species as the wild
Power? It describes the links between land use and water quality, and stresses the turkey, coyote, and black bear. Now
importance of streamside reforestation in reducing water pollution. The video is comes the news that, in at least some
available to be screened by public television stations or local environmental groups. parts of the region, sprawl is clipping
Tel. (302) 239-2334. URL: www.dca.net/naturesociety. back the gains. According to a US
Forest Service report, forest cover in
Better Backyard: A Citizen’s Resource Guide to Beneficial Landscaping and Massachusetts increased from a low
Habitat Restoration in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed has been published by the of 59 percent in 1972 to 64.2 percent
Chesapeake Bay Program. Describing many of the problems facing the Bay, this in 1985. Last year, however, the figure
succinct guide provides useful information about managing back yards and critical had dropped back to 62.5 percent.
habitats, using waterfront property, and getting involved at the community level. According to NASA research, the
URL: www.chesapeakebay.net/bayprogram/facts/better.htm. Atlanta region losing 55 acres of tree
cover a day, the Boston Globe re-
In Rhode Island the Narrow River Preservation Association has ported.
produced a similar publication, the award-winning Narrow River Handbook cover-
ing environmentally sound household practices from lawn, car, boat and pet care Restorations
and offering tips on how to relate to wildlife and encourage land conservation. To its
surprise, the association has quickly handed out almost all 6000 copies of the
Six years ago the town of Yarmouth,
handbook’s original edition, and is preparing a second edition. Tel. (401) 783-6277.
MA faced the need to close its landfill,
a process that would cost $6 million
according to state Department of
Wooden Boats, Continued from p. 4 Environmental Protection guidelines
and leave behind an abandoned and
In Rockland, Maine the Atlantic Challenge Foundation runs The unsightly 57 acres of land. Instead,
Apprenticeshop, a multi-faceted program that offers opportunities ranging from reports the Cape Cod Times, town
two-year boatbuilding apprenticeships to community-oriented courses in sailing Public Works Director George Allaire
and boatbuilding for local people. resolved to spend a little more and
cover the site with a golf course—first
Much of the philosophy behind the initiative was inspired by Outward in Massachusetts to be placed atop a
Bound, a national program that hardens minds and bodies with training in self- dump— that would “make you some
reliance in the wild. Similarly, The Apprenticeshop use boatbuilding as a way to build ”
jingle. Vented to allow odorless
closer links between people and the coastal environment. “Acquiring technical skills methane gas to escape, covered by
is just part of it, says program director Thomas Latta. “We say that the boat
” layers of sand, plastic, and topsoil, the
builds the man, or builds the woman. E-mail: acfusa@midcoast.com
” site is now seeded with grass and the
nine-hole course should be playable
The very successful WoodenBoat magazine runs a similar program at its by this fall. Plans call for the grass to
headquarters in Brooklin, ME, and has also taken over the sponsorship of the be watered with treated wastewater
annual Wooden Boat Show. This year it will be held from June 25-27 at the Chesa- from the town’s treatment plant that is
peake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD. Some 70 families will build now simply released into the ground.
12.5-ft. skiffs from scratch during the weekend and launch them before the show The plastic covering avoids a problem
ends. The museum itself runs boatbuilding, woodworking, and other education players face at an earlier dump links in
programs designed to help people “discover the maritime heritage of Chesapeake Stratford, CT: tires and old sneakers
Bay. Tel. (410) 745-2916.
” emerging from sand traps.
6
Grants
Royal Caribbean Cruises an-
nounced 11 grants totaling $580,500 to New Long Island Group Tackles Sprawl
marine conservation organizations as
well as a three year, $750,000 For decades the Regional Plan Association in New York City has
partnership with The Nature Conser- encompassed Long Island in its thinking about sensible patterns of growth for the
vancy. The Miami-based company tri-state area. On the island itself are myriad environmental groups concerned with
has no line on its financial statement specific harbors, bays, communities, or sub-regions. Those seeking protection for
for US income taxes, which can reach the Long Island pine barrens and for the island’s East End, where development
35 percent for some companies, said pressures and environmental values are both high, are notably prominent.
the New York Times. In February a Los
Angeles grand jury indicted Royal Now comes Sustainable Long Island, a brand-new organization that
Caribbean Cruises for having made recently opened for business out of offices in Huntington. The brainchild of several
false statements to the Coast Guard Long Island-based philanthropists, the organization is said to be the first committed
about oily discharges from its giant to the principles of “smart growth” that is all-suburban in its orientation. “Because it
ships. Last year the company pleaded is an island it has finite resources” said Executive Director Patrick Duggan. “We
guilty to similar charges, the Times must carefully plan our future to ensure that Long Island tomorrow will not be a
also reported, paid $9 million in fines, product of random development, but of smart, sustainable growth. ”
and agreed to institute new environ-
mental controls aboard all of its ships. Sustainable Long Island welcomes cooperation and partnership with other
groups. Tel. (516) 424-1799.
Report Cards
In June the Westport River Water- Protecting Bryozoans
shed Alliance of Westport, MA will
issue a new report summarizing
Fourteen years ago zoologist Judith Winston, who studies invertebrates
evidence of serious fecal coliform
and is now based at the Virginia Museum of Natural History, began to suspect
pollution in the river gathered over
that she might find interesting examples of bryozoans, tiny creatures that can live
eight years of assiduous testing.
their entire lives on a single grain of sand, on shoals bordering Florida’s east coast.
Reads the current issue of the citizen
Sure enough: early in the 1980s, on Capron Shoal off Fort Pierce Beach, she
organization’s newsletter: “The two
discovered eleven species and an entire genus of these little animals that may exist
senior (one very senior) citizens who
nowhere else on earth.
have anchored this important project
are both getting older, and more tired.
When she learned much later that this habitat was due to be dredged to
Not so much tired of the work involved
provide sand for a beach restoration project, Winston joined forces with the Fort
(10,000+ fecal coliform tests over 413
Pierce Conservation Association to take legal action. In March of this year, a US
nearly-consecutive weeks) as with our
District Court ruled that the US Army Corps of Engineers could start pumping
growing concern that, year after year,
sand for a reduced restoration project—but that its equipment had to steer clear of
we have reported essentially the
the bryozoans. It was the first time that protection for any such animal had been
same level of serious bacterial
deliberately provided anywhere but in New Zealand, where one bryozoan is an
pollution in roughly the same areas of
important food for a commercially harvested fish species.
our river, and practically nothing has
been done about it. ”
Products Coastal Web Picks
Patagonia claims that its surfboards As a new recurring feature, Atlantic CoastWatch will note particularly
are better in many respects including useful web sites with well organized information and good design. Two picks:
their greenness. “By increasing
durability, our surfboards last longer, ” New Jersey’s Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) has made
reads their website. “Fewer boards an impressive on-line debut by integrating locally relevant conservation and
are built, fewer end up in landfills. To
” governance information. At a glance through succinct descriptions, one quickly has
build their boards, the company uses a sense of local ongoings, and how and where to get involved. The use of maps is a
nontoxic polystyrene EPS foam, and good beginning, and will be expanded, according to John Malay, a volunteer site
expands the foam using steam rather designer. Other projects include adding educational materials and more “hard
than toxic solvents. Most of the scrap science” in conjunction with local universities. URL: www.greatswamp.org
foam is recycled for use in other
products. The epoxy resin used has At the regional level, the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s (NCCF)
two-thirds fewer volatile organic site renovation continues a tradition of understatement and hard work. Rather than
compounds (VOCs) than polyester ”
listing “accomplishments, NCCF maintains a determined focus on the job at hand
resins. If this information is not fully and resources for members and the public to draw on. URL: www.nccoast.org
7
Products, Continued
persuasive, read on: in its efforts to
Native Trees for the Keys “make the safest surfboard—short of
compromising on performance, the ”
After Hurricane Georges ripped through the Florida Keys last September, Patagonia board features a leash
local staffers of The Nature Conservancy of the Florida Keys sagely organized a attachment that “is mounted on the
fair to promote the virtues of replacing blown-down exotic tree species with native deck and placed right on the tail to
vegetation, then gave away samples to many among the 1000 people who at- help avoid the sea-anchor effect in a
tended. This spring City Electric, the local utility, held a similar event, at which ”
wipe-out. Surf’s up.
customers were given 3000 native trees to provide shade for energy conservation.
Tel. TNC’s Jody Thomas, (305) 296-3880 Ext. 27 or Lynne Tejeda at City Electric, Job Openings
(305) 295-1040.
The Division of Refuge, US Fish
and Wildlife Service has an opening
Dredging, Continued from p. 1 for a biologist at the Chesapeake Bay
Field Office to develop a non-toxic
Under the plan now being implemented, Poplar Island is being restored mosquito control plan for the National
with uncontaminated dredge spoils from the shipping channels. Phase one will Wildlife Refuge System. URL:
restore 640 acres of the island; a stone dike protecting its perimeter, five miles in www.usajobs.opm.gov/wfjic/jobs/
circumference is being completed. Deposition of fill will begin this year and ID5214.htm
continue at a rate of 2 million cubic yards a year. Eventually the new Poplar Island
will form a wildlife refuge encompassing 1,110 acres, half upland and half tidal and The Center for Marine Conserva-
intertidal wetland. According to a Washington Post report, John Gill, a biologist tion seeks a project manager for their
with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, anticipates the restored island will attract Key West office. E-mail:
herons, ibis, terns and even bald eagles, and the protected eastern side should ddanaher@dccmc.org. URL:
support aquatic vegetation providing a nurturing area for juvenile crabs and fish. www.cmc-ocean.org.
Environmental monitoring of the project began in the Fall of 1995 with the Defenders of Wildlife announces a
collection of baseline data, and will continue until June 2010. Agencies involved: the legacy gifts associate position. Contact
National Marine Fisheries Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Defenders of Wildlife, Attn. Associate
National Biological Survey, the Maryland Department of Natural Re- Director of Membership Search, 1101
sources, the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Maryland 14th St., NW, Suite 1400, Wash., DC,
Environmental Service, the EPA, and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Each 20005.
element of the monitoring framework will be evaluated every year for review by
the agencies. The Department of Zoology, North
Carolina State University needs a
The total cost of the Poplar Island project is currently estimated at $427 fisheries research technician. E-mail:
million. The cost of $11 per cubic yard is significantly more expensive than open John_Miller@ncsu.edu
water dumping closer to the channels being dredged. To supplement the Poplar
Island project, therefore, the Port and the Corps advocate expanding a previously The Rivers Alliance of Connecti-
used open water site known as Kent Island Deep or Site 104 (north of the Bay cut, in Collinsville, seeks new execu-
Bridge, near Kent Island) and selecting, during 1999, an Upper Bay long-term tive director. Tel. (860) 693-1602. E-
placement site for an artificial island. mail: rivers.alliance@snet.net.
Site 104 was designated as the least harmful of open water sites in a draft KCI Technologies, Inc., a Baltimore
Environmental Impact Statement released for public comment last February. The consulting firm, wants a natural
study recognizes short term negative consequences for plankton, finfish, shellfish resources specialist and a stream
and benthic communities at Kent Island Deep as well as the burial of overwintering restoration specialist.
blue crabs. Although the report foresees long term benefits to fisheries and to E-mail: employment@kci.com
water and sediment quality because earlier spoil containing contaminants would be
covered over with cleaner dredged material, skeptics found uncertainties in the The Alliance for the Chesapeake
amount of short term material drift and in hydrology modeling for the region. Bay seeks a coordinator for its
Groups including Citizens Against Open Bay Dumping and the Chesapeake Citizens Advisory Committee. Tel.
Bay Foundation have raised objections to plans to utilize Kent Island Deep. Some (800) YOURBAY; Fax: (410) 267-5777.
among the 1000 or so people who attended a series of public hearings on the
matter that were held in March raised objections to any sort of open water dump- The Univ. of Georgia Marine
ing. The public comment period ends July 1. Extension Service Education Unit
seeks an intern for its environmental
Contaminated spoil from Baltimore Harbor will, as in the past, go to summer day camp. Contact the
confined facilities at Hart/Miller Island (a Baltimore area boating recreation site) and Marine Extension Service, 30 Ocean
the CSX/COX Creek adjacent to the port. Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411
Atlantic CoastWatch Non Profit Org.
Sustainable Development Institute US Postage Paid
3121 South St., NW Washington, DC
Washington, D.C. 20007 Permit 1291
Tel: (202) 338-1017
E-mail: susdev@igc.org
URL: www.susdev.org
WE HAVE MOVED!
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
Upcoming Events
June 3-6. CNU VII: The Wealth of Cities, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This year the Congress for the New Urbanism will
examine Milwaukee and Chicago as examples for improving urban livability as counterweights to the social and environmental
problems of suburban growth. Contact: Tel. (415) 495-2255, Fax (415) 495-173; E-mail cnuinfo@cnu.org; URL: www.cnu.org
June 6-17. Yale University Corporate Environmental Leadership Seminar, in New Haven, CT, delivered by faculty of the
Law, Medical, Management, and Forestry and Environmental Studies Schools. Contact Janet Testa or Marian Chertow, E-mail:
janet.testa@yale.edu; URL: www.yale.edu/cels
June 9-12. Environmental Justice: Strengthening the Bridge Between Economic Development and Sustainable
Communities, in Hilton Head, SC, sponsored by the Medical University of South Carolina, Environmental Biosciences
Program. Contact: Charlene Marsh; E-mail: marshc@musc.edu; URL: www.ebp.musc.edu
June 14-18. An International Symposium on Coastal Zone Management, will be held in Havana. Contact Dr. Rudolfo
Claro, E-mail: rclaro@oceano.inf.cu or Argelia Fernandez, E-mail ggarcia@cidea.cu.unep.net.
June 21-24. Fire & Grit: Working With Nature in Community. This conference, in Shepherdstown, WV, is sponsored by
The Orion Society to highlight the important role of local and regional organizations. Tel. (413) 528-4422, ext. 34; Fax. (413)
528-0676; E-mail: orion@orionsociety.org; URL: www.orionsociety.org
June 23-25. The 1999 World Conference on Natural Resource Modeling, will take place at St. Mary’s University, Halifax,
Nova Scotia. Fax (902) 496-8101; E-mail: resource.conf@StMarys.ca; URL: www.cqs.washington.edu/~gordie/rma.html
July 11-14. The 6th Symposium on Biochemistry of Wetlands, at Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Contact: Wetlands, University of
.O.
Florida, Office of Conferences and Institutes, P Box 110750, Gainesville, FL 32611-0750: URL: www.ifas.ufl.edu/~conferweb/
July 24-30. Coastal Zone 99: The People, the Coast, the Ocean - Vision 2020, San Diego, CA. Tel. (617) 287-5577; E-
mail: cz99@gemini.cc.umb.edu; URL: omega.cc.umb.edu/.~cz99