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1 EPA 908-R-05-024
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A Publication of The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8 Ecosystem Protection Program
U.S.EPA
United StatOS nnn 1 QI-U c<- ^ c '•<- ann
Environmental Protection 9" 18th Street' Smte 30°
Agency 8EPR-EP
Denver, CO 80202-2466
In this Issue:
EPA Region 8 Grant
Proposals Due Dec. 20,
2005
Helping Out in New
Orleans
Good Samaritan
Initiative
A Heartfelt Farewell to
Our Watershed Maven
Watershed Monitoring
and Assessment Design
Workbooks
5th Annual New
Partners for Smart
Growth Conference
Sustainable Practices
Newsletter
EPA Environmental
Education Program
Update on Wetlands
Delineation
The Energy Policy Act
and Stormwater
Funding Opportunities
Publications and Web
Resources
1
1
2
2
3
4
5
5
5
6
6
6
EPA Region 8 Grant
Proposals due Dec. 20, 2005
~ Whitney Trulove-Cranor, EPA
Region 8
The U.S. EPA Region 8 office is
requesting proposals for the Fiscal
Year 2006 Regional Priorities Grant
Program. Region 8 is competitively
seeking project proposals that will
achieve measurable environmental and
public health results within the
following three priority areas: Energy,
Agriculture, and Enhancing Capacity
to Provide Public Health and
Environmental Protection in Region 8
states and on tribal lands. The funding
programs included in this
announcement are: TMDL, Tribal
Source Water Protection, Wetlands
Program Development Grants, Source
Reduction Assistance (Pollution
Prevention), Strategic Agriculture
Initiative, the Regional Geographic
Initiative and the Environmental
Priorities Program. The RFP can be
accessed on the Region 8 web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region08/
community resources/grants/
grants.html
Project proposals are due December
20, 2005.
Helping Out in New Orleans
~ Nat Miullo and Darcy Campbell,
EPA Region 8
Seven employees in the EPA Region 8
Ecosystem Protection Program have
been working in New Orleans and
Dallas to help with Katrina/Rita relief.
That includes almost 20% of our staff!
In the next issue of Natural News,
Collecting water samples in New Orleans.
-Photo from www.epa.gov
watch for an article detailing their
experiences. A large number of other
Region 8 programs have also sent staff
(Emergency Response, Superfund,
NEPA, Water, etc.) The types of
activities folks work on include:
managing GIS information, working
with FEMA, community involvement
coordination, and logistical support.
People are working 2-3 weeks
stretches, often 12-hour days, with no
time off. And the stories they have to
tell!
Nat Miullo, who is EPA Region 8's
Revitalization Advisor, had an
interesting talk with a long-time
community member while in New
Orleans. "I went to dinner in the New
Orleans garden district at the home of a
developer. They were friends of a co-
(Continued on page 2)
-------
worker I met down there and wanted to say thank you to
EPA for what we were doing. His own perspective is that
new zoning requirements on building, careful long-term
stewardship and adequate open space/wetlands land reuse
decision making was the answer to the future of the gulf
region. I was very surprised to hear this from him, at
such an early time after the storm."
This is just one story of many, which collectively include
thousands upon thousands of people who have lost
everything and are caught up in the dialogue of whether
to return or not, how to rebuild and what the entire gulf
area should become. The debate on what the area should
look like and be is fascinating, complex and heartbreaking
all at the same time. It is one of the most important civil
debates of our time.
An interesting article on ecosystem effects and wetlands
related to the hurricanes can be found at:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/200511147
a mrgol4.art.htm
Federal response is summarized at:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-
6JD52D?OpenDocument
For more information, see the EPA Region 8 website at:
http://www.epa.gov/region8/
You may also contact Nat Miullo at
miullo.nat@epa.gov or (303) 312-6233.
Good Samaritan Initiative
~ Darcy Campbell, EPA Region 8
EPA launched a Good Samaritan Initiative on August 30,
2005 to foster greater collaboration to accelerate
restoration of watersheds and fisheries threatened by
abandoned mine runoff. For more information see:
http: //www. epa.gov/water/goodsamaritan/
"Nature's peace will flow into you as
the sunshine flows into the trees, while
cares will drop off like autumn leaves."
-John Muir
In early October of this year, Colorado Senators Ken
Salazar (D) and Wayne Allard (R) introduced Senate
Bill 1848. Under this bill, entities wanting to
conduct "Good Samaritan" cleanups could apply for
an EPA permit to clean up all or part of an inactive
or abandoned mine site that is not on the Superfund
National Priorities List (NPL). The permit would
limit liability under many environmental laws
including Superfund, the CWA, the Safe Drinking
Water Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act and the
Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA).
For a longer article on this topic, go to
www. insideEP A .com, and see the Nov. 11, 2005
issue.
A Heartfelt Farewell to Our Watershed
Maven
~ Ayn Schmit, EPA Region 8
Only a rare individual has the vision, leadership
ability, organizational savvy, technical expertise, and
"make things happen" spirit that enable him to win
EPA's highest honor. Marc Alston is one of those
few, receiving a gold medal in 2004 for his stellar
accomplishments in protecting and restoring
watersheds. Staff at EPA are reluctantly bidding
Marc farewell. He will be retiring on Nov 30, and
it's a bittersweet time for EPA and many of our local
and state partners who have benefited from his
wisdom over the years.
You may not be aware that Marc will not only be
retiring from EPA, but will retire as a Captain in the
U.S. Public Health Service. Marc has done many
things in his career, but during the past ten years he
has, both for the City and County of Denver and for
EPA, worked to protect and restore the health of
watersheds here in Denver and across the region. He
has accomplished many remarkable things in that
endeavor, from managing nationally-visible river
revitalization projects on the South Platte to
pioneering the use of Brownfields program tools in
assessing and restoring mining-impacted watersheds.
Marc's varied experience with drinking water,
Superfund and Brownfields has enabled him to help
local communities realize the vision of holistically
assessing and protecting their watersheds.
Somewhere along the way, he realized what a tough
job local watershed coordinators have, serving as
technical experts, project managers, fundraisers, and
community boosters and leaders. They are often the
linchpin in successful local restoration of water
-------
Marc Alston
-Photo by John Dipentino
quality. So, he jumped into a whole new arena where few
technical staff venture. He became trained as a coach and
began offering leadership coaching to local watershed
leaders across Region 8. During his two years as a coach,
first of watershed group leaders, and more recently leaders
of other community-based environmental organizations,
he has assisted 17 local leaders in becoming more
effective in reaching their organizations' environmental
goals. Here is what one of his clients had to say:
"The connection between coaching and
environmental results again is clear to me.
We are now focused on how, why, when, where
and who will clean up the waters in our
watershed. "
We will really miss Marc here at EPA. He has a way of
lightening hearts and showing the way. But the good
news is, he's not getting out of the watershed business.
He will begin serving on the board of directors of the
Colorado Watershed Assembly, a group that assists local
watershed groups across Colorado in becoming more
effective. And he'll be out there coaching watershed and
other environmental leaders well into the future. We wish
him all the best.
Watershed Monitoring and Assessment
Design Workbooks
~ Barb Horn, Rocky Mountain Watershed
Network
The Rocky Mountain Watershed Network has a new
tool designed to:
* Produce a written monitoring and assessment plan
that will generate scientifically defendable results;
* Identify gaps and needs, and develop a plan to
fulfill them;
* Connect monitoring activities in a logical manner
to other programs and efforts;
* Identify target decision makers and their
information needs with the sample collection
design;
* Ensure that what is collected, and where, why and
how will achieve desired results:
* Identify how raw data will be analyzed and
interpreted:
* Identify how monitoring results will fulfill
information needs and be delivered to a
measurable endpoint;
* Summarize and communicate what you are
monitoring and assessing for whom and why;
* Provide credibility and accountability.
* Help you use the Clean Water Act in the Rocky
Mountains as a tool; and
* Generate measurable results that protect and
restore our waterways!
The workbook is divided into four phases. Phase one
is the "People Design" where you determine what
questions you are trying to answer, who will make
decisions about the data and assessment, and what
information is needed. This phase also helps you
define your watershed and perform a basic inventory.
Phase two is the "Technical Design" and is based on
the information needs of decision-makers from phase
one. You design what will be sampled, when, where
and how it will be sampled, and the necessary quality
of the data (data quality objectives, quality control
and assurance, and how the raw data will be
managed). Phase three is the "Information Design"
and takes you through the steps to summarize,
analyze, interpret, report and make recommendations.
How to manage the data through this data-to-
information process is also part of phase three.
Finally, phase four is the "Effectiveness and
Evaluation Design," which includes task assignments,
documentation, design communication and review,
(Continued on page 4)
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implementation tips and instructions on how to evaluate
the design in context with organization mission,
resources, and other monitoring programs within the
organization or external.
The workbook also includes "Clean Water Act 101" for
the Rocky Mountain States within EPA Region 8 and
New Mexico. You can compare aspects of the CWA
between states or use the information to design your
monitoring efforts. The package also includes training
agendas for participants and leaders and slides for each
step and phase. The workbook includes chemical,
physical, biological and human indicators for river, lake
and wetland aquatic ecosystems.
The Rocky Mountain Watershed Network is interested in
providing training for this workbook in your watershed.
Our unique training model is included in the workbook
but we can modify the training for any circumstances.
The Monitoring and Assessment Design Workbook is
available in hard copy or on CD. You can modify the
worksheets or material to fit your needs. If you would
like a copy of the workbook or more information please
contact Barb Horn at (970) 382-6667,
barb.horn@state.co.us, or at www.RMWN.org.
5th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth
Conference in Denver:
Building Safe, Healthy, and Livable
Communities
~ Deborah Lebow, EPA Region 8
The national New Partners for Smart Growth
Conference will be held in Denver, Colorado, January
26-28, 2006. All those interested in reducing the
environmental impacts from growth, as well as anyone
committed to building safer, healthier, and more
livable communities, should attend. See details on
registration below. First, a bit about smart growth . . .
What is Smart Growth?
Smart growth is development that simultaneously
achieves economic development, strong
neighborhoods, and environmental protection. It
involves making smart decisions on where and how
growth occurs. In general, smart growth practitioners
use a set of goals about how future development
should be implemented including mixed land use,
compact design, walkable communities, preservation
of open space, directing development towards existing
infrastructure, and providing a variety of transportation
choices. Growth that is planned with environmental
impacts in mind can result in tremendous
environmental benefits, as explained below. Thinking
about streets as more than lanes carrying traffic but as
cool places to live, work, and walk, is a key
component. Smart growth is about more choices, less
traffic, vibrant cities, suburbs, and towns, well-planned
growth that improves quality of life, and through all
that, the resultant reduction in environmental impacts.
Why is EPA interested in Smart Growth?
Smart growth is EPA's (and many other entities')
effort to help States, Tribes, cities, towns and the
development community to create healthy,
environmentally-sustainable communities. EPA can
do this by providing information on model programs
and resources, providing technical assistance and
analyzing policy. It is a "pay me now or pay me later"
concept. We can develop in a way that avoids or
minimizes environmental impacts now, or address
them with much more difficulty in the future. We can
avoid or minimize impacts on many resources,
including:
Air Quality: Although cars are getting cleaner, people
are driving more, offsetting some of these gains. Some
cities have air quality challenges due to the growth in
vehicle mile traveled, resulting in NOx and ozone
-------
issues. Smart growth principles attempt to reduce
vehicle miles traveled by clustering development,
resulting in shorter trips, or trips not requiring a car,
ultimately resulting in improvements to air quality.
Water Quality: Impervious surface cover and urban
runoff has a huge impact on the health of our streams
and rivers. Dispersed development can produce
stormwater runoff almost 50% higher than more
concentrated development. It is estimated that
watersheds with more than 25% impervious cover have
seriously degraded water quality. Smart growth
principles have the potential to reduce impervious
surface, resulting in better water quality. In addition,
reducing water usage from smaller lots results in more
efficient water use and systems.
Wetlands and Habitat: Habitat destruction is a major
factor threatening 80% or more of the species listed
under the Endangered Species Act. A large portion of
that habitat loss is wetlands and riparian areas, which
are highly productive areas for plant and animal
species. The placement of development further from
riparian areas, groundwater recharge areas, and
wetlands, and the preservation of open space and less
fragmentation for plant and animal species, and the
avoidance or preservation of wetland acreage, are goals
for these smart growth principles.
Energy and Infrastructure: Lower energy
consumption and resource consumption can be a
consequence of this planning, resulting in substantial
savings for homeowners and businesses. More efficient
infrastructure planning can result in significant
infrastructure cost savings for local governments.
Human Health Benefits: Encouraging communities to
be more pedestrian and bike friendly can result in
significant quality of life and health benefits. Making
these viable modes of transportation can also provide
aesthetically more pleasing places, which also can be
beneficial to human health.
The Conference
The 5th Annual New Partner's for Smart Growth
Conference will be held January 26-28, 2006 at the
Adams Mark Hotel in downtown Denver, CO . The
conference is sponsored by the Smart Growth Network,
EPA, and others. You can register on line, or get more
information at www.newpartners.org. or call 1-800-
PSU-TODAY or contact Deborah Lebow at
lebow.deborah@epa.gov. For more information on
this topic see: www.epa.gov/smartgrowth.
Sustainable Practices Newsletter
~ David Schaller, EPA Region 8
Sustainable Practices, a weekly one-page electronic
sustainability newsletter, has now entered its sixth year.
The newsletter is produced by David Schaller in EPA's
Denver regional office and is currently sent to a
listserve of over 800 and is read in more than two-dozen
countries. Each weekly issue features a brief paragraph
on breakthrough innovations, technologies and products
offering sustainable solutions to ecological, social and
economic challenges. Reference to the original source
material, usually in the form of a web site, concludes
each summary paragraph. To receive the newsletter
directly, contact David at schaller.david@epa.gov.
Readers can also access the newsletter and archived
back issues on the web site of the Federal Network for
Sustainability at http://www.federalsustainability.org .
EPA R8 Environmental Education Program
~ Christine Vigil, EPA Region 8
On November 16, 1990, President George Herbert
Walker Bush signed the Environmental Education Act,
which required that EPA establish an Office of
Environmental Education (OEE). The Office, with the
support of other Federal agencies, would develop and
support environmental education programs and
activities across the country. This Act established
several programs, including the very popular EE Grant
Program that funds hundreds of EE programs across the
country; the EE and Training Program (EETAP) which
provides workshops and training programs; and the
Environmental Internships and Fellowships Program
(NNEMS). Also included was the establishment of the
EE Advisory Council, an EE Task Force and the
National Environmental Education and Training
Foundation (NEETF).
The Act established several national annual awards,
such as the Theodore Roosevelt, Henry David Thoreau,
Rachael Carson, and the Gifford Pinchot Awards. The
President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) was
also begun and awards are presented to children each
year in the White House.
Recently, the EPA Administrator combined the Office
of Environmental Education with the Office of
Children's Health Protection to create a new Office of
Environmental Education and Children's Health
Protection. "Creation of this office elevates the
importance and the visibility of the health and education
of our sensitive populations, including children and the
-------
aging, and ensures greater accountability from our
environmental education programs in achieving
environmental results." For more information about all
of these programs, please visit our website at:
http://www.epa.gov/region8/env_ed/or contact
Christine Vigil, Regional Environmental Education
Office, at (303) 312-6605 orvigil.christine@epa.gov.
Update on Wetlands Delineation
~ Dave Ruiter, EPA Region 8
Wetland delineation is the practice of determining
whether a wetland exists, and, if so, where is the outer
edge of the wetland. Basic to the Corps of
Engineers' (Corps') and EPA's regulatory
responsibilities under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act
(CWA) is the determination of where the wetland turns
into an upland. This information is necessary to define
the area of federal responsibility under the CWA.
In 1993, Congress requested that the National Research
Council (NRC) review the scientific basis for wetland
delineation and the technical validity of the current
wetland delineation manual. The NRC report (National
Research Council 1995 - http://www.nap.edu/
catalog/4766.html) supported the basic logic and
structure of the existing delineation manual and also
concluded that regional variation across the United States
affects accuracy of a national delineation manual. The
report strongly recommended that delineation procedures
be revised to increase their regional specificity.
In response to the NRC report, the Corps and EPA, with
assistance of other federal, state academic, and private
agencies and individuals, started developing regionalized
versions of the wetland delineation manual. A summary
of the process can be found at:
http: //www .usace. army .mil/inet/functions/cw/cecwo/re g/
The results of the first two regional efforts are now
available in draft form for review. A copy of the Draft
Regional Supplemental Manual for Alaska and for the
Arid West Region can be found at the web address
above. For more information contact Dave Ruiter at
(303) 312-6794 or ruiter.dave@epa.gov.
The Energy Policy Act and Stormwater
Regulations,
~ Greg Davis, EPA Region 8
The recent signing of the Energy Policy Act of 2005
marked a significant roll back in environmental
regulations for stormwater runoff. Section 328 of the
Energy Policy Act amended the Clean Water Act such
that the term "oil and gas exploration, production,
processing, or treatment operations, or transmission
facilities' means all field activities, whether or not
such field activities may be considered construction
activities.
Given the amendments to the Clean Water Act,
construction activities associated with oil and gas
exploration, production, processing, treatment, or
transmission are now exempt under Section 1342(1)(2)
of the Clean Water Act. Effective immediately, an
EPA Stormwater Permit is not required for
uncontaminated runoff from construction activities
associated with oil and gas exploration, production,
processing, treatment, or transmission regardless of the
size of the disturbed area from construction. EPA
reserves the right to require a permit for such
construction activities that are generating contaminated
runoff (i.e., runoff which may cause or contribute to a
violation of water quality standards).
Individual states with the legal authority to implement
regulations more strict than Federal authority may
choose to require permits for both small (1-5 acre) and
large (5+ acre) construction activities associated with
oil and gas exploration, production, processing,
treatment, or transmission.
EPA will propose a rulemaking in December, 2005, to
codify these changes, with an anticipated final
rulemaking in Spring of 2006. As part of the
rulemaking, EPA will define the conditions whereby a
construction activity generates 'contaminated'
stormwater runoff. For more information, contact
Greg Davis at davis.gregory@epa.gov
Funding Opportunities
New EPA "Watershed Funding" Website
See these new pages with links to tools, databases and
resources about grants, funding and fundraising.
Go to: http://www.epa.gov/owow.funding.html
Publications and Web Resources
~ Contributed by Ma reel la Hutchinson, Kim
Bartels, Roger Dean, Carol Russell, George Ritz,
Toney Ott and Darcy Campbell
USGS Ground-Water Report
"Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the
United States, 2000" can be accessed at:
http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/pubs/cir/cirl279
-------
DID YOU KNOW?
The National River Restoration
Science Synthesis Project estimates
that $1 billion is being spent annually
on stream restoration projects in the
U.S.
Source: Science Magazine, April 29,
2005
LGEAN
The Local Government Environmental Assistance Network
(LGEAN) is a "first-stop shop" providing environmental
management, planning, funding, and regulatory information
for local government elected and appointed officials, managers
and staff. Go to: http://www.lgean.org
EPA Watershed Discussion Board
The Office of Water, launched a new on-line Watershed
Discussion Board. This forum offers watershed protection
practitioners and citizens a platform to exchange ideas, so that
innovative solutions and ideas can be easily shared in (near)
real-time cyberspace. The Forum currently includes the
following six categories:
Community Involvement, Smart Growth/Low Impact
Development, Source Water Protection, Stormwater Best
Management Practices, Sustainable Financing and Watershed
Planning Tools.
Please visit http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/forum/
forum.html and join in!
Watershed Academy Webcasts
EPA's Watershed Academy sponsored its second Webcast on
how to conduct effective watershed outreach campaigns on
July 20. The entire presentation, complete with audio, can be
viewed at the Clu-In Web site at: http://www.clu-in.org/conf/
tio/gettinginstep 072005/.
The June 22nd Webcast on "Eight Tools of Protection for
Developing Areas" featuring Tom Schueler with the Center
for Watershed Protection can also be accessed at:
http://www.clu-in.org/conf/tio/watershedtools 062205/.
EPA plans to host Webcasts monthly. Future offerings will be
posted on the Watershed Academy Web site at: http://
www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/webcasts/.
U.S. National Academies Water Information Center
This is a new web portal to all the Academies' water-related
reports. Topics range from watershed assessment and
restoration to water supply. All reports can be read for free
on-line. See http://water.nationalacademies.org
Source Water Outreach
Handy resource for Municipal officials on why and how to
protect your sources of drinking water. Common causes of
water pollution such as Stormwater management,
underground storage tanks, and hazardous materials use and
disposal are covered.
See http://www.neiwpcc.org/Index.htm?
sourcewateroutreach/index.htm-mainFrame
Got Mercury?
Check out this seafood mercury calculator at:
www.gotmercury.org
National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish
Tissue
EPA is releasing the third and fourth years of data from the
National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish Tissue, a
four-year national survey of freshwater fish contamination
in lakes and reservoirs in the lower 48 states. You can order
data CDs by contacting Leanne Stahl (stahl.leanne@epa.gov
or (202) 566-0404), National Lake Fish Tissue Study
Manager.
Freecycle: A Revolution of Reuse
The Freecycle Network is using the internet to revolutionize
the concept of reuse. The rules are simple: all items posted
on the Freecycle site must be free, legal and appropriate for
all ages. Subsequent exchanges are done strictly without a
monetary exchange.
that has exchanged hands includes a piano, a fax machine,
The Freecyle community is divided into regional areas so no
one has to travel too far to get an item they desire.
Communication throughout the network is done via e-mail;
all that is needed is Internet access and an e-mail account.
Freecycle is the epitome of a grassroots organization. Go to:
http://www.freecvcle.org/
The Colorado Materials Exchange
http://www-ucsu.colorado.edu/comex/index.asp
The Colorado Materials Exchange is sponsored by the
University of Colorado Recycling Services as a statewide
clearinghouse of non-hazardous surplus and durable goods.
Private and public sector groups as well as citizen and non-
profit organizations are encouraged to take advantage of the
Colorado Materials Exchange as a means of finding low or
no cost materials and minimizing waste.
Green Hotels Association
To learn about what "green" hotels and "green" travel is:
http://www.greenhotels.com/
-------
. ^ •-«»"%• -A
'" JV^Ji.
Volunteer Monitoring
Tina Laidlaw (406) 457-5016
laidlaw.tina@epa.gov
Wetlands
Paul Mclver (303) 312-6056
mciver.paul@epa.gov
Watersheds and Community-
Based Environmental Protection
Marc Alston (303) 312-6556
alston.marc@epa.gov
Ground Water
Darcy Campbell (303) 312-6709
campbell.darcy@epa.gov
Nonpoint Source Pollution
Peter Monahan (303) 312-6946
monahan.peter@epa.gov
EPA Region 8 Environmental
Information Service Center
1-800-227-8917
Natural News
Editor: Darcy Campbell
Layout: Greg Davis
If you have an article concerning ecosystem protec-
tion, community based environmental protection, or
watersheds; we would like to hear from you!
We need your help in updating our mailing list
in order to keep Natural News coming to you!
Please contact John DiPentino at (303) 312-6594
or dipentino.iohn@epa.gov, or write to him at
the return address below.
Conserve our natural resources, please share your
copy with a friend or recycle.
Natural News Editor
Darcy Campbell (303) 312-6709
campbell.darcy@epa.gov
(800)227-8917x6709
Ecosystem Stewardship on the web: http://www.epa.gov/region8/community_resources/steward/est.html
r/EPA
U.S. EPA
999 18th Street, Suite 300
8EPR-EP
Denver, CO 80202-2466
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