Resources

Census of Marine Life

Discover how scientists in the Gulf of Maine are contributing to the world-wide effort to document marine life at Census of Marine Life in the Gulf of Maine (http://www.usm.maine.edu/gulfofmaine-census). The goal of the census is to explore and record the region’s biodiversity and the processes that change and sustain it, in hopes of understanding the effects of global change, protect the functions of the ecosystem and better manage human activities. The program is considering diversity and processes from microbes to the top predators in the system.

Expedition report

Maine Sea Grant co-sponsored the 2002 Gulf of Maine Expedition, which sent a team of educators on a kayak expedition from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia, over a five-month period. The Expedition was a partnership of many organizations, agencies and businesses such as the Maine Coastal Program of the State Planning Office, the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, Rippleffect and the Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors. The team provided 25 educational workshops in communities throughout the Gulf. They collected scientific data and helped to increase public awareness on many coastal issues. Team members met with over 2,500 people either through formal programming or impromptu educational opportunities. To view the Expedition’s final report in a PDF format go to http://www. seagrant.umaine.edu/ and click on publications.

Gulfwatch report

The Gulfwatch regional monitoring program of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment has released a fact sheet on its findings about
contamination in coastal waters over the past decade. The fact sheet is at
http://gulfofmaine.org/council/publications/gulfwatchfactsheet.pdf.

Pollutants and marine life

The Marine Environmental Research Institute (MERI), a non-profit organization founded in 1990 to protect the health of the marine environment through research and education has published two fact sheets on the health of marine life: Potential Impacts of Aquaculture on Marine Animals and Toxic Pollutants: The Human-Marine Wildlife Connection. They are available in PDF format from the institute’s Web site at www.meriresearch.org. For information on MERI’s research, or to learn about the programs offered through MERI’s Center for Marine Studies, call (207) 374-2135, or email: MERI@downeast.net.

Habitat restoration guide

Eighty U.S. federal programs are authorized to fund habitat restoration in fiscal year 2003, according to Restore America’s Estuaries’ Funding for Habitat Restoration Projects: A Citizen’s Guide. Programs range from the Estuary Habitat Restoration Act, which provides $1 million to restore degraded estuary habitats, to the Surface Transportation Program, a $5.9 billion program that may be used for habitat restoration in conjunction with transportation enhancements projects within the National Highway System. The 80 programs fall under seven federal agencies: the Environmental Protection Agency and the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Transportation and Health and Human Services. The funding guide provides a review of the often hidden federal funds that may be used to implement on-the-ground habitat restoration projects with information about funding sources, eligibility and contacts. The guide is available online as a printable PDF document and as an interactive database at http://www.estuaries.org/policyandfunding.php.

Tidal barriers

The Ecology Action Centre and the Municipality of Colchester County, NS have produced a report entitled “Marshes, Tides and Crossings: Colchester County Tidal Barriers Audit Report 2002.” The report presents the results of the tidal barriers audit that was performed during the summer of 2002. It also provides an overview of some of the consequences for fish, wildlife and the integrity of coastal ecosystems resulting from the loss and degradation of productive salt marsh habitat. To obtain a copy, e-mail coastal@ecologyaction.ca.

River Restoration Grants

American Rivers is seeking proposals for community-based river restoration grants as part of its partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Community-Based Restoration Program. These grants are designed to provide support for local communities that are using dam removal or fish passage to restore and protect the ecological integrity of their rivers and improve freshwater habitats important to migratory fish. Grants will be limited to projects in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and California. The deadline for applications is April 1, 2004. Potential applicants should contact American Rivers to discuss projects prior to submitting an application. For a complete application and eligibility guidelines, go to the American Rivers Web site at www.amrivers.org/feature/restorationgrants.htm. For more information on the NOAA Community-Based Restoration Program and its partners, visit:
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/community/index.html.