Vol. 3, No. 1 Contents
Headline Back Issues
Winter 1998
|
CCNB examines eco effects of Fundy tidal barriers Moncton, New Brunswick ---- As part of its Gulf of Maine Estuaries Restoration Project, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick's (CCNB) Marine Conservation Program will examine the relationship between tidal barriers and ecological decline in the Bay of Fundy and its estuaries at an information- sharing workshop April 14-15 at Hotel Moncton. "Fundy's giant tides have been relentlessly blocked, diverted, and short-circuited, beginning with dikes built by Acadian settlers in the late 1600s to turn salt marsh into farmland and ending with the ill-conceived causeways and dams of the late 1900s," CCNB stated. Three centuries of human interference in the flow of tidal waters in the Bay of Fundy have brought devastating results, according to the group. "To this point, attention has been focused only on localized impacts of tidal barriers. The results on the Petitcodiac, Memramcook, Avon, and Annapolis rivers have been extreme, ranging from sedimentation to the elimination of fish runs. Original salt marsh acreage in the Bay of Fundy has been reduced by a staggering 85 percent," CCNB states. Through the presentation of research and case studies, researchers, managers, policy makers, community groups, and concerned citizens will consider the issue and what can be done to reverse further decline. For more information, E-mail Monique Breau, CCNB Project Assistant at ccnb@nb.aibn.com or call (506) 458-8747. Gulf resource guidebook changes name, goes quarterly Wiscasset, Maine ---- With support from a Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund grant, The Chewonki Foundation will rename, update, and expand, the Wild Gulf Almanac --- a guidebook to educational resources about habitats and ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine. Now a quarterly publication and renamed the Wild Gulf Journal, the revamped guide will debut in April and is expected to reach more than 7,000 people and organizations. Originally developed by The Chewonki Foundation, the US Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf of Maine Project, and the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Wild Gulf Almanac was first published in 1996 with support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Gulf of Maine Council, and other sponsors. According to Chewonki Community Resources Coordinator Paul Arthur, the publication is being expanded "in an effort to make available to the public the most comprehensive and up-to-date materials about the Gulf's natural resources." The guide describes educational materials, programs, and facilities available in the Gulf region for learning about natural systems and living resources. Essays or narratives about ongoing research, school projects, new curriculum activities, and particular points of view on watershed-related topics are likely additions. "We may also include occasional submissions of an artistic or creative sort, such as watershed related photos, drawings, or writings," Arthur said. The first issue of the Wild Gulf Journal will include an expanded introductory section on the importance of watershed related issues and their relevance to readers. Each issue will include a cumulative index of the year's entries. For information on how to submit materials or subscribe to the Wild Gulf Journal contact Paul Arthur at The Chewonki Foundation via E-mail at parthur@chewonki.org or call (207) 882-7323. New federal grant promotes ME coastal habitat restoration Falmouth, Maine ---- Efforts to restore Maine's salt marshes and coastal freshwater marshes and re-establish fish passages on coastal rivers and streams will get a boost from a new grant provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Gulf of Maine Program. The NFWF $100,000 challenge grant is designed to promote voluntary partnerships between federal and state agencies, local conservation groups, and landowners. The grant is intended to benefit migratory birds that depend on wetlands, and migratory fish ----- such as alewives, herring, smelt, and salmon ----- that depend on free-flowing rivers. The grant can fund a wide variety of restoration projects, such as installing culverts to restore tidal flow to salt marshes; plugging drainage ditches; removing invasive non-native plants; maintaining existing fishways that have fallen into disrepair; constructing new fishways; and removing unneeded dams. To ensure grassroots support and stretch limited federal dollars, the NFWF grant requires 2:1 matching non-federal funds. "We look forward to coordinating with a wide variety of partners, including the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which also provides federal matching funds for habitat restoration," said Lois Winter, a biologist and Outreach Specialist at the USFWS Gulf of Maine Program. "Because habitat restoration projects demand the interest and abilities of a broad coalition of partners, participation of many is key to our success," she said. For more information, contact Winter at (207) 781-8364. Researchers glimpse secret life of right whales Skidaway Island, Georgia ---- A research tagging program offering biologists a rare opportunity to study the endangered North Atlantic right whale took place in Georgia and Florida waters for six weeks during the winter as part of an effort to reduce collisions between whales and ships. Approximately 300 North Atlantic right whales are believed to exist, with ship strikes accounting for half of their known deaths. The whales calve along the southeast coast of the United States during the winter months. They migrate north to the Gulf of Maine in early spring where they spend the summer feeding on Stellwagen Bank before continuing north to their breeding grounds in the Bay of Fundy. The tagging project was a collaborative effort headed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries in partnership with NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries and the New England Aquarium. Scientists used newly developed tagging equipment to attach VHF-radio transmitters to adult female whales. The tags allowed researchers to observe and document right whale calving behavior around the clock. The data scientists collect will help them determine when calving right whales are most vulnerable to ship strikes and whether the whales detect and react to passing vessels. "Hopefully what we learn will help develop protection measures for that part of the day when we can't see them," said Scott Kraus, New England Aquarium Research Director and founder of its Right Whale Research Project. Federal regulations prohibit vessels, including research vessels, from approaching within 500 yards of North Atlantic right whales. NOAA granted a research permit for the tagging project under a stringent review process that determined that the research is necessary for the survival and recovery of the species. NH Gov's awards laud marine volunteerism Portsmouth, New Hampshire ---- The community group Great Bay Watch and Jane Jette, a marine docent, each received a Governor's Award for Volunteerism in the State of New Hampshire in November. The Great Bay Watch monitors water quality parameters at 21 sites in the Great Bay watershed and makes the data and analyses available to state environmental agencies, town governments, schools, and scientists. During the past year, the Watch has broadened its activities to include sanitary shoreline surveys conducted in collaboration with the New Hampshire Estuaries Project. The surveys done in the Hampton Estuary contributed to the reopening of clam flats that had been closed for at least 10 years. Other activities undertaken by Great Bay Watch include estuarine surveys for pollution sources, and estuarine habitat surveys in conjunction with Jackson Estuarine Lab-oratory. Also, Great Bay Watch Coordinator Ann Reid provides consultation and support to community groups. Jane Jette, a marine docent with the Univer-sity of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension's Sea Grant program, won an individual Governor's Award for her efforts as a 20-year volunteer with Sea Grant. She has worked in many capacities in the education programs at the Great Bay Estuarine Reserve's Sandy Point Discovery Center. UNH summer program CZ '99 Fundy Science Workshop |
||||||||||
PDF Version
