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November 2004 |
They
fall from giving shade above
To make
one texture of faded brown
And fit
the earth like a leather glove.
From “In
Hardwood Groves,” by Robert Frost
Editors Note
From all of us at F. X. Browne,
Inc., we hope that you and your family have many things to be thankful for this
Thanksgiving. If nothing else, we can all be thankful to be rid of those
obnoxious political commercials!
Feature Article
Regional Watershed Groups: Challenges
and Successes
Watershed Coalition, Watershed Watch, Watershed Management District, or Environmental Commission: call it what you will, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet!
Challenges
Anyone who has ever tried to get a group of busy people to attend meetings together on a regular basis, let along accomplish anything, is aware of the challenges facing regional watershed groups. Although gathering watershed stakeholders together from multiple municipalities sounds like a great idea, it’s not as easy as it seems. Who is in charge? Who is going to pay for the project? What are the legal and regulatory implications? And to top it all off, the municipality at the far end of the watershed wants to know how all this work is going to benefit them? Although the challenges may seem insurmountable at first, developing a regional watershed group is an excellent way to tackle problems on a watershed scale. The more people involved in the decision-making process, the greater the likelihood that the resulting watershed management, greenways, open space, or development plan will meet the needs of all the stakeholders.
Action
Admittedly, regional watershed projects involving multiple municipalities work best when all of those involved are convinced that the project is beneficial to their taxpayers. For example, maybe the watershed attracts significant tourism revenue. Or perhaps the region is experiencing rapid growth and the municipalities are concerned about preserving their natural resources or cultural character. Whatever the reason for initiating the project, a thorough, organized presentation of the issues during a project kick-off meeting involving all of the stakeholders is essential. It is important to include not only the watershed municipalities and regional authorities, but also private organizations, farmers, developers and other stakeholders. Inviting members of the state regulatory authority and/or funding agency can also be beneficial so that regulatory or “housekeeping” issues can be more readily discussed. Once the group is formed, good communication between all parties is critical for ongoing success. Formulating a specific mission statement or list of goals is important to ensure that all members of the group are on the same page.
The next step is to evaluate the needs and resources of the watershed community. This may involve a thorough watershed assessment, or perhaps a more general audit of watershed protection opportunities. The Center for Watershed Protection has several publications, including a “Code and Ordinances Worksheet” and a “Watershed Protection Audit,” available for download at http://www.cwp.org/pubs_download.htm. These worksheets can help groups document existing resources and determine future watershed protection needs. Other watershed protection organizational tools can be found on the US EPA’s Watershed Protection website at http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/publications.html.
One of the most critical components of a regional watershed management plan is the evaluation and subsequent improvement of local watershed protection ordinances. Many municipalities have existing zoning and/or subdivision and land development ordinances (SALDOs). These ordinances can be modified to concentrate development in specific areas and to preserve open space or buffers around critical riparian areas. In addition, stand-alone ordinances can be adopted to address specific concerns. These separate ordinances have the advantage of being more easily revised if future needs change than the larger, more comprehensive zoning ordinances or SALDOs. Examples of municipal watershed protection ordinances may include natural features conservation, stormwater management, riparian buffer conservation, steep slopes, open space preservation, noxious weed control, natural landscaping, forest conservation, groundwater protection, surface water protection, vernal pool protection, or shoreline protection ordinances. The regional watershed organization can develop a set of model ordinances that the individual municipalities can then implement in their own towns. This strategy has been successful for many large regional watershed groups, including the Ten Towns Great Swamp Watershed Management Committee in New Jersey and the Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District in Pennsylvania.
In some cases, it may be most beneficial for the regional watershed management organization to be made up of members of an Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) from each municipality. The EAC serves as a liaison between the municipality’s elected officials and the community. EACs are typically comprised of three to seven community residents appointed by the locally elected municipal officials. These individuals volunteer their time to provide the municipality and the watershed management organization with the information they need to make sound environmental decisions. Pennsylvania has a very active EAC network. Visit the Pennsylvania EAC network website at http://www.greentreks.org/eacnetwork/index.asp for ideas and information that may pertain to Pennsylvania or other states.
Success
One secret to regional watershed group success is the ability to procure funding. Often times, governmental and private funding agencies are impressed by projects involving larger watershed coalitions. It shows that the project has widespread community support. It also demonstrates a greater likelihood for project completion since a larger group has committed to the project, and allows for a larger pool of matching funds. The following is an example of one watershed group’s success:
The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) recently named the Crosswicks Creek/Doctors Creek Watershed Greenway Plan as one of the recipients of its 2004 Environmental Achievement Awards for outstanding or innovative projects that benefit the local environment. The Greenway Plan was a multiple-town cooperative effort initiated by the Allentown Environmental Commission. The group's six participating municipal environmental commissions, from Allentown, Hamilton, Millstone, Plumsted, Upper Freehold and Washington (Mercer) Townships, combined resources, including matching funds for NJDEP grants, to develop a greenway plan for the Crosswicks and Doctors Creeks. The group conducted public information sessions, acted as liaisons to local boards and officials, and collected data. F. X. Browne, Inc., worked with the planning group, presented at several public meetings, developed a GIS database, created maps of the proposed greenway and the existing conditions, and wrote the greenway plan. Two representatives from each of the towns as well as the consultant attended monthly meetings throughout the planning process. Planners and landscape architects from Monmouth County Parks and Planning Board also provided input for the plan, which identifies preservation and management strategies to protect local environmental, scenic, historic and recreational resources.
To find out more about the Crosswicks Creek/Doctors Creek Watershed Greenway Plan, developing model ordinances, or watershed protection strategies, contact F. X. Browne, Inc. at (215) 362-3878 or info@fxbrowne.com.
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Please, Don’t Try This At Home… An 80-year old man in
He hangs up, and the son
immediately calls his sister in the He hangs up the phone and hollers
to his wife, "Okay, they're coming for Thanksgiving. Now, what are we
going to tell them for Christmas? |
News Clips
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Eutrophication Implicated In Deformed Frogs According
to ecologists Pieter Johnson at the
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2004/sep/science/rr_eutrophication.html
Tahoe Cleaner After Engine Ban Lake Tahoe has seen a dramatic 80 to 90 percent reduction in levels of burned and unburned gasoline products in its water since two-stroke, carburetor engines were banned in 1999, water quality officials said.
The ban was instituted after a study estimated that each day of the boating season, two-stroke engines released 770 gallons of unburned fuel into the lake. Research determined that particles from the burned fuel were attaching to fine sediment and other particles in the lake and going to the bottom. In addition, certain areas of the lake that were used by residents as their drinking water supply were shown to be contaminated by the gasoline additive MTBE. Before the ban, businesses that rent boats and personal watercraft feared having to convert their fleets to more expensive four-stroke machines would force them out of business. But TRPA claims that fear was unfounded, because no businesses ended up closing. http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20040913/News/109130006/0/ARCHIVES
The State
of New Jersey's 39 parks and 11 forests provide economic benefits amounting
to at least $1.2 billion per year, or $30 billion over a 25 year-period,
according to a study released by the NJ DEP. According to Governor McGreevey. "This study confirms that our
investments in open space preservation pay off." The study, entitled The
Economic Value of New Jersey State Parks and Forests, highlights that
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Policy Update
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The US
EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA)
has launched a new initiative, Environmentally Responsible Redevelopment and
Reuse (ER3), to provide incentives to developers who commit to the best
sustainable environmental practices in the redevelopment and reuse of
contaminated properties.
http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/cleanup/brownfields/index.html#er3
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The PA
DEP recently developed a centralized Technology Verification Process (TVP) that provides a structured process for evaluating
and approving the use of “experimental sewage systems” as defined in Chapter
73 of Title 25 of the Pennsylvania Code. Beginning immediately, proponents of
new on-lot sewage treatment technologies should refer to the TVP for validation of any existing performance data or
information on how to proceed. During the interim time period between
successful completion of the TVP and codification,
these systems/technologies will be considered as alternate systems under the
regulations.
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/subject/advcoun/sewage/2004/381_2208_001.pdf
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The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Highlands Conservation Act (H.R. 1964) which authorizes $100 million in federal matching funds over 10 years to assist the states of CT, NJ, NY and PA in purchasing lands or developments rights from willing sellers in areas identified as having high conservation value by the U.S. Forest Service. The House of Representatives approved H.R. 1964 last year; a final vote of concurrence is required by the House when they reconvene this month. http://www.highlandscoalition.org/HSA.htm |
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PA DEP
recently announced a new policy directive prohibiting the planting of
non-native species on state lands. Under the policy directive, DEP employees
and DEP consultants and contractors are ordered not to use invasive, nonindigenous plant species in planning and implementing
plantings, landscaping and land management activities such as habitat
restoration and reforestation on state lands and waters.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/commissioner/policy/pdir2004-02.htm
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A proposed amendment to the Delaware River Basin
Commission’s (DRBC) Water Quality Regulations would
classify the reach of the main stem Delaware River known as the "Lower
Delaware" as Special Protection Waters. The proposal would classify the
upper and lower portions of this reach as "Significant Resource
Waters" and the middle portion as "Outstanding Basin Waters."
http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/notice_LDspw.htm
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A second proposed amendment to DRBC's
Water Quality Regulations would add a requirement for certain dischargers
subject to the TMDL for PCBs in the Delaware
Estuary to develop and implement a Pollutant Minimization Plan (PMP) for PCBs. The proposed rule would allow DRBC to require PMPs
from other dischargers following a determination of assimilative capacity by
the DRBC or the issuance of a TMDL for a toxic pollutant.
http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/notice_PMP.htm
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The US Army Corps of Engineers’
recently instructed all 38 Corps districts to post information on all
instances in which they are declining to extend Clean Water Act protections
to various bodies of water. Links to every Corps district’s list of waters
given a “non-jurisdictional determination” (NJDs)
can be found at
http://www.michiganwetlands.org/NJDs_links.pdf
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The
Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) has proposed a new
program, “Farming for Clean Water,” to provide critical funding to reduce
pollution from agriculture. The new initiative calls for the annual
investment of $31 million to help farmers reduce pollution from animal waste.
The program is designed to support |
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Grant Programs |
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EPA Region 3 Brownfields
Grants Brownfields grants are being awarded in the following categories:
Site Assessment, Cleanup Grants, Cleanup Loan Funds (RLF),
and Job Training. Proposals are due by November 12. Local governments, state
governments/tribal authorities, quasi-governmental entities under control of
local governments (e.g. industrial development authorities), state legislated
entities, regional council of governments (metropolitan planning
organizations), redevelopment agencies, and nonprofit organizations (for
clean-up grants only) are encouraged to apply.
http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm
National EPA Brownfields
Grants EPA is
now accepting proposals for training, research, technical assistance and
cooperative agreement grants focusing on health and environmental conditions
in low-income and socio-economically disadvantaged communities unable to get
alternative sources of funding for Brownfields
cleanups. EPA estimates that $800,000 will be available under
this program and up to three grants may be awarded. The deadline for
proposals is November 16.
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/pg/pg0904.htm
NJ Drinking Water Protection Loans This
year, NJ DEP and the Environmental Infrastructure Trust (EIT)
are awarding nearly $300 million in low interest loans to
communities for projects that restore and protect The
PA Environmental Education Grants PA DEP
has announced the opening of the 2005 Environmental Education Grants Program
to help schools, universities, nonprofit organizations and county
conservation districts develop projects to increase environmental literacy
among Pennsylvanians. Grant amounts vary from $1,500 for mini-grants to
$10,000 and $20,000. Topics include: sustainable energy sources such as
solar, wind, biomass and geothermal, and technologies such as alternative
transportation fuels; air quality issues with focus on ground-level ozone,
transportation and electric-generation; and watersheds and wetlands, focusing
on acid mine drainage, nonpoint source pollution and water conservation in
Pennsylvania. Pre-application letters must be postmarked by December 17.
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/enved/EnviroEd/EnviroEdGrantsPro.htm
2005 National Wetlands Awards The
National Wetlands Awards Program honors individuals from across the country
who have demonstrated extraordinary effort, innovation, and excellence
through programs or projects at the regional, state, or local level. The 2005
Awards will be given in six categories: Education and Outreach; Science
Research; Conservation and Restoration;
Landowner Stewardship; State, Tribal, and Local Program Development; and
Wetland Community Leader. The deadline for submitting nominations is December
15.
http://www.eli.org/nwa/nwaprogram.htm.
PA Coldwater Heritage Partnership Grants The
Coldwater Heritage Partnership (CHP) urges
watershed groups, conservation districts, municipalities and local chapters
of Trout Unlimited to submit applications to the Coldwater Conservation
Grants Program. Projects should help develop preliminary assessments that
identify the values and threats to the health of |
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Myth: The Pilgrims Landed on
Plymouth Rock According to historian George Willison, who devoted his life to the subject, the story about Plymouth Rock is a public relations stunt pulled off by townsfolk to attract attention. What Willison found out is that the Plymouth Rock legend rests entirely on the dubious testimony of Thomas Faunce, a ninety-five year old man, who told the story more than a century after the Mayflower landed. Unfortunately, not too many people ever heard how we came by the story of Plymouth Rock since Willison's book came out at the end of World War II and Americans had more on their minds than Pilgrims. Incidentally, the Pilgrims didn't even land in Plymouth first; they first landed at Provincetown, MA. From Top 10 Myths About
Thanksgiving, By Rick Shenkman
http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fhnn.us%2Farticles%2F406.html |
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Events The Town Square Initiative is an exciting new series of discussions,
workshops and public forums designed to bring together scientific and policy
experts to consider critical environmental issues. Town Square 2004/2005 Schedule: November 17, 2004: Lewis and Clark's Legacy Part 1: Two
centuries of change in the December 8, 2004: Lewis and Clark's Legacy Part 2:
Managing the future of the January 12, 2005: Chemical contaminants in the PA Groundwater Speaker Series The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) and partners have announced a series of free
groundwater programs to educate the public, elected officials, environmental
and watershed organizations, consultants, water management agency
representatives and others about groundwater issues and solutions in the PA Urban Landscaping Symposium "Where the Roots Hit the Curb," a symposium
exploring solutions to the conflicts between city street trees and hardscape elements such as sidewalks, curbs and gutters,
will take place on November 5 at the Stoneroller's Ball 2004 The Center for Watershed Protection will be holding its
second fundraising event, Stoneroller’s Ball 2004, on November 6 at the
National Aquarium in The Pennypack Rivers Watershed Partnership, along with
Bucks County Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be holding a public meeting on
November 9 at the Bucks County Court House in PA Household Watershed Conservation
Seminar A seminar, Leave Only Footprints: Managing Your Household for Watershed
Conservation, will be held on November 16 at 7:00 PM at the
NJ As the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act takes
center stage, the Pequannock River Coalition offers a tour of the Pequannock
River Watershed on November 14. Participants will be ferried to a variety of
stops from the headwaters in PA Conference: Effects of Hurricane
Isabel on The University of Maryland Center for Environmental
Science Integration and Application Network is sponsoring “Hurricane Isabel
in Perspective - Developing An Understanding Of How Storm Events Affect The
Chesapeake Bay Region” on November 15 – 17 at the Maritime Institute, NJ New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability
(NJHEPS) is presenting a Fall workshop called
Pulling Off A High Performance Building While Saving Money: Integrated Design
Process, Saving Money, New Design Guidelines. The workshop will be held on
November 12 at NY Stormwater Program and Design
Institute The Center for Watershed Protection is offering a training
program to help public and private sector stormwater professionals develop or
improve their municipal stormwater programs, strengthen stormwater management
design skills, and learn technical skills to effectively comply with the six
minimum management measures of the NPDES Phase II stormwater permit program.
The Stormwater Program Institute and Stormwater Design Institute will run
concurrently on December 7-9 at the National Ecosystem Restoration
Conference The First National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration (NCER) will be held in
MD Water Monitoring Conference
The 10th Annual Maryland Water Monitoring Conference will be held on November 18 in Linthicum Heights, MD. Topics include integrated hydrologic monitoring, urban/suburban source control, and monitoring to support TMDLs. http://www.mgs.md.gov/mwmc/
PA Growing Greener II Town Meeting
The Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy and other Southeastern Pennsylvania groups are sponsoring a Town Meeting to highlight the importance of the Growing Greener II legislation. This critical program will remain unfunded unless PA legislators take action before the end of the current legislative session. The event will be held on November 11 at Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA. For more information or to register as a speaker, contact Crystal Gilchrist at (610) 287-9383 by November 9. http://www.growinggreener2.com/
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Link Of The Month
Do you love loons? Have you ever wondered where they go in
the winter once they leave your favorite pristine lake? The
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What goes better with turkey than
good old-fashioned stuffing! Or do you call it dressing? Everyone has their family
favorite. Do you like yours with chestnuts or oysters? How about sauerkraut,
jalapeños, or even possum? For these stuffing recipes and
more, visit
http://www.recipesource.com/fgv/stuffing/indexall.html |
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New Publications |
Revolutionary New Tool
Announcing the new Built-in Orderly Organized Knowledge device,
otherwise known as the BOOK. It's a revolutionary breakthrough in technology, so easy to
use even a child can operate it. Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere,
yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disk. Here's
how it works: each BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper
capable of holding thousands of bits of information. The "Browse"
feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward
as you wish. An optional "BOOKmark"
accessory allows you to open the BOOK to the exact place you left it in a
previous session -- even if the BOOK has been closed. BOOKmarks
fit universal design standards; thus a single BOOKmark
can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Portable,
durable and affordable, the BOOK is the entertainment wave of the future, and
many new titles are expected soon, due to the surge in popularity of its
programming tool, the Portable Erasable-Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language
stylus [PENCIL].
Businesses and Water Resources Report
A new
research paper by the Pacific Institute, "Freshwater Resources: Managing
the Risks Facing the Private Sector,” identifies a of worrisome trends
that impact businesses in almost every sector and recommends steps that
companies can take to meet these challenges. The report recommends 10
steps companies can take to reduce their water-related impacts on the
environment and local communities and help protect their operations and their
shareholders from business risks related to water.
http://www.getf.org/file/toolmanager/CustomO16C45F53409.pdf.
EPA Clean Water Act Manual
The Clean
Water Act: An Owner's Manual (2nd Edition) will be available soon. The
"Owner's Manual" explains crucial sections of the Clean Water Act,
points out how to get involved in regulatory decisions, and tells local stories
of others who've done so. The new edition contains expanded information on Antidegradation, Stormwater permits, TMDLs
and more. References, websites and other resources have been updated. Email
gkillam@rivernetwork.org to order.
BASINS 3.1 Available
A new
version (3.1) of the Better Assessment Science Integrating point and Nonpoint
Sources (BASINS) software system has been released. BASINS supports the
objectives of facilitating examination of environmental information, supporting
analysis of environmental systems, and providing a framework for examining management
alternatives.
http://epa.gov/waterscience/basins/
EPA Wetland
Fact Sheets
EPA recently
released two new wetland fact sheets, "Constructed Treatment Wetlands"
and "Wetlands and West Nile Virus."
For a complete list of all 40+ fact sheets available, visit
http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/facts/contents.html.
The
National Agroforestry Center (NAC)
has developed several new tools for those working to establish buffers:
CanVis is
a new visualization tool that allows users to digitally alter photographs to
help landowners see what a tree planting might look like 20 years from now. A
manual will provide detailed information on acquiring images and using various
software programs to edit the images. The manual is scheduled to be available
this fall and can be obtained by contacting NAC at
402-437-5178.
WBECON is
a computer program that allows users to calculate the economics of a crop field
with windbreaks, taking into account factors including windbreak species and
design, soil and climate, crop rotation, yields and prices. For more
information, or to obtain a copy of WBECON, contact Jim
Brandle at
jbrandle1@unl.edu.
Buffers$ is
a spreadsheet-based application to assist landowners and planners in analyzing
the cost-benefit of conservation buffers. Buffers$ can be downloaded at
http://www.unl.edu/nac/conservation.
It requires Microsoft Excel to run.
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F. X.
Browne, Inc. – Environmental Consulting
F. X. Browne, Inc.
Engineers – Planners – Scientists
27 Years of Excellence & Innovation
SERVICES SECTION
Lake
and Water Quality Studies
Watershed Management Programs
Bioengineering Projects
Stormwater Management
Watershed Inventories
Water Quality Monitoring
Laboratory Services
Water Quality & Watershed Modeling
Open Space Planning
Water & Wastewater Planning and Design
Low Impact Development
Geographic Information Systems
Public Education and Seminars
Wetlands Consulting Services
Corporate
Office:
Pocono Office:
For more information, call us at (215) 362-3878 or visit:
http://www.fxbrowne.com.