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EPA 908-R-06-026
t>-57i -r
Summer 2006
A Publication of The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8 Ecosystem Protection Program
vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
U.S.EPA
999 1 8th Street, Suite 300
8EPR-EP
Denver, CO 80202-2466
In this Issue:
Park City National
Nonpoint Source
Coordinators
Meeting
EPA Targeted
Watersheds Grant
Program Request for
Proposals
Elements of a State
Monitoring Program
for Wetlands
Innovative Projects
in North Dakota for
Monitoring and
Assessing Wetlands
New Wetlands Fact
Sheets
Wadeable Streams
Assessment
EPA Kicks Off
Survey of the
Nation's Lakes
Grants/Funding
Opportunities
Conferences and
Training
Publications and
Web Resources
1
2
3
3
4
5
5
5
6
6
Field trip in Park City, Utah as part of
NFS Conference. Marcella Hutchinson,
EPA Region 8 NFS staff, and Dennis
Clark, NFS program manager, South
Dakota.
~ Photo by Jack Wilbur, Utah
Department of Agriculture and Food
Park City National Nonpoint
Source Coordinators Meeting
~ Peter Monahan, EPA Region 8
The State of Utah and EPA Region 8
hosted the National Nonpoint Source
Coordinators' Meeting in Park City
June 19-22, 2006. EPA and state
nonpoint source (NPS) program
coordinators gathered to discuss issues
facing watershed managers at the
national, state, and local levels. The
meeting attracted 169 participants
(most ever) from all over the United
States, including Hawaii. There were
representatives from forty states, all 10
EPA Regions, and EPA Headquarters.
The meeting provided opportunities to
discuss and identify solutions to
improve water quality and to document
successes from control of non-point
sources of pollution. Discussions
focused on watershed planning, load-
reduction modeling, and effectiveness
monitoring. Additional information
was provided through a series of
technical and programmatic
presentations and two special-topic
workshops.
A pre-meeting workshop was held to
assist the States and EPA on
approaches to watershed planning.
EPA's new Watershed Planning
Handbook was discussed in detail
during this interactive workshop. The
session taught participants how to
develop and implement a watershed
plan using all 9 elements. Participants
also learned about new tools being
developed and reviewed successful
case studies. You may download a
copy of EPA's new Watershed
Planning Handbook at http://
www.epa.gov/owow/nps/
watershed handbook/
At the meeting, state agencies brought
posters that illustrated watershed
restoration success stories. The posters
highlighted how the integration of a
state water program through the
watershed planning process is
important to achieving water-quality
improvements. A contest was held to
determine the best poster presentation.
The winning poster, submitted by the
State of Virginia, was about the
Shenandoah Valley watershed project.
Pete Nowak from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison gave a well-
received presentation entitled "People,
Science, and the Next Generation of
(Continued on page 2)
-------
Water Quality Policy." His objective was to illustrate
how we need to rigorously, and in a scientifically valid
fashion, incorporate the "human dimension" into existing
policies, knowledge, and methods to address water-
quality degradation from agricultural sources. To see
conference proceedings, including Pete's presentation,
please visit the website http://www.ag.state.ut.us/
conservation/npsconfhtml
For more information on the conference or the Nonpoint
Source Program at EPA Region 8, contact Peter
Monahan at (303) 312-6946 or
monahan.peter@epa.gov
EPA Targeted Watersheds Grant Program
Request for Proposals Available
~ Darcy Campbell, EPA Region 8
Two funding opportunities were announced on August
15, 2006. See details at: http://www.epa.gov/twg
Request for Proposals for Capacity Building Projects
(Proposals due October 16,2006)
EPA is soliciting proposals from entities to provide capacity
building, training, and education services to watershed
organizations. EPA is requesting capacity building proposals
with either a national scope (i.e., serving watershed
organizations nation-wide), or with a geographic or ecoregional
scope. Proposals serving the Great Plaines, Arid West, and/or
Appalachia are encouraged. These capacity building
cooperative agreements will help watershed organizations
examine water-related problems in the context of the larger
watershed in which they exist, develop solutions to those
problems by creatively applying the full array of available
tools, including federal, state, and local programs, and restore
and protect water resources through strategic planning and
implementation that draw in public and private sector partners.
The goal of the capacity building component of the Targeted
Watersheds Grant program is to develop capacity so that
watershed groups are able to implement environmental
restoration and protection measures. Estimated total funding is
$1,600,000 to $3,200,000.
Availability of Funds for Implementation Projects
(Proposals due November 13,2006)
EPA is soliciting proposals for projects that will result in the
protection, preservation, and restoration of a watershed that
incorporates a watershed-based approach and meets the
prescribed criteria. Both the watershed approach and the
Targeted Watersheds Grants focus on multi-faceted plans for
protecting and restoring water resources that are developed
using partnership efforts of diverse stakeholders. Activities
proposed for funding are not required to address the entire
watershed, but are expected to have been based on a
comprehensive assessment and plan for the watershed. The
goal of the Targeted Watersheds Grant Program is to advance
successful partnerships and coalitions that have completed
the necessary watershed assessments and have a
technically sound watershed plan ready to implement.
Estimated total funding is $7,100,000 to $16,000,000.
EPA Region 8 Grant Awards for 2006
Regional Geographic Initiative (RGI)
~ Cynthia Gonzales, EPA Region 8
Eight RGI grants totaling $355,256 were awarded as
part of the 2006 EPA Regional Priorities Grant
Program. This year RGI received 27 proposals that
fell under the criteria of "protect and restore water
quality on a watershed basis." The five recipients are
listed below:
Summit County, Utah
Summit County Storm Water Sub-Basin Monitoring
Clear Creek Watershed Foundation
Watershed Sustainability
Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife
Service
Big Hole Watershed Feedlot Restoration
West Dakota Water Development District
Ground Water Tracing Methods for Assessment of
Source Water Risk in a Karst Aquifer
Colorado Watershed Assembly
Colorado Watershed Assembly Combined
Conference
Also, in FY06 RGI received five proposals that fit
the criteria for "community-based air toxics." The
three recipients are listed below:
Mountain Studies Institute
Air Quality in the San Juan Mountain High Country:
Assessment of Mercury Risks and Development of
an Outreach Program
American Lung Association
Campaign to Reduce Children's' Exposure to
Environmental Tobacco Smoke
Montana Department of Environmental Quality
Get into the Zone: Clean Air Zone Montana
The FY07 Request for Proposals will be issued in
late October, 2006. The solicitation will be posted at
http ://www. epa. gov/re gionO 8/community_re sources/
grants/grants .html (see Regional Priorities Grant
Program) or visit http://www.grants.gov.
For more information contact Cynthia Gonzales at
(303) 312-6569 or gonzales.cvnthia@epa.gov
-------
Electronic Natural News
Save Trees! Read it in color!
Contact me at
Campbell.darcv(@,epa.gov
to convert
to electronic delivery.
Application of Elements of a State Water
Monitoring and Assessment Program for
Wetlands
~ Jill Minter, EPA Region 8
EPA's Office of Wetlands, Ocean and Watersheds has
recently released a new document, Application of
Elements of a State Water Monitoring and Assessment
Program for Wetlands, which recommends a basic
approach for integrating wetlands into state water
monitoring programs. It is specific to wetlands, and
provides supplemental information to the EPA's 2003
guidance entitled Elements of a State Water Monitoring
and Assessment Program.
EPA's goal is to continue working with states over time
to build their capacity to monitor and assess wetlands.
While several states in EPA Region 8 have made
considerable progress in the development and testing of
wetland assessment methods, additional work is needed in
applying those methods and demonstrating how acquired
information can be used to help achieve and document the
goal of increasing the quality and quantity of the Nation's
wetlands. By the end of 2007, all states should have a
description of wetland monitoring and assessment activity
included within their water monitoring strategy.
Local watershed and wetland managers will also benefit
from the work being conducted at the state level. A
strong state wetland monitoring and assessment program
built using these elements will provide tools and
information that can be used at a local level to prioritize
and evaluate the performance of wetland management
activities such as protection, restoration, and
compensatory mitigation. The document can also serve
as a framework for a scientifically sound approach to
conducting wetland monitoring and assessment at many
scales.
This document is available online at: http://
www. epa. gov/owow/wetlands/monitor/. Other
publications and information on wetlands monitoring
and assessment are also available on this website.
For more information, contact Jill Minter at (303)
312-6084 or minter.iill@epa.gov
Monitoring and Assessing Wetlands
Condition: Innovative Projects and
Partnerships in North Dakota
~ Jill Minter, EPA Region 8
EPA supports States, Tribes, and local government
agencies in building wetland management programs
by providing technical assistance and funding through
our Wetland Program Development Grants. One
priority that EPA has identified for these grants is
supporting the development of comprehensive
monitoring and assessment programs for wetlands.
This is the first of series of articles that will highlight
projects underway in Region 8 States that support this
priority and the longer-term goal of increasing the
quantity and improving the quality of the Nation's
wetlands. This article highlights the partnership and
work being done to assess prairie potholes in North
Dakota.
The wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North
Dakota are a valuable local, state, and national
resource. These wetlands provide significant habitat
for North American waterfowl. They also protect
water quality though filtering sediment and nutrients
and help maintain normal watershed hydrology by
reducing runoff.
(Continued on page 4)
1^ /
^_ i ^•""'•«i>™>«.
Hooded Merganser.
70 percent of
North America's
waterfowl depend on
Prairie Pothole
wetlands for their
existence.
~ Photo by Paul
Mclver,
EPA Region 8
-------
Prairie Pothole in North Dakota
~ Photo by Shawn Dekeyser, North Dakota State University
These wetlands are also under significant risk of being
destroyed or degraded by certain agricultural practices
and by development.
The federal government has been cooperating with local
partners in recent years to offset past wetland loss and
degradation. There has been much investment and
activity in wetland restoration and implementation of
best management practices across the state. How
successful have these restoration efforts been across such
abroad scale?
In order to answer this and other important questions,
EPA Region 8 has been partnering with the North
Dakota Department of Health, North Dakota State
University (NDSU), the USDA Agricultural Research
Station, EPA's Environmental Monitoring and
Assessment Program and Wetlands Research Program,
and other North Dakota wetland partners to develop
methods to monitor and assess the condition of prairie
pothole wetlands in the Missouri Coteau ecoregion.
These studies follow the framework and three-level
approach described in EPA's new document, Application
of Elements of a State Monitoring and Assessment
Program for Wetlands (see the section Publications and
Web Resources in this issue). EPA has been providing
funding to support this work through the Wetland
Program Development Grants.
Under a phased approach, several projects have been
conducted that will lead to an eventual assessment of the
condition of prairie pothole wetlands. Shawn Dekeyser
(NDSU) has developed an Index of Plant Community
Integrity, a key Level III tool for evaluating the
condition of these wetlands using wetland plant
indicators. His current and planned studies over the
next several years will support development of a rapid
assessment technique (Level II) to assess the wetland
condition in a relatively small amount of time and a
probabilistic survey to estimate wetland quality for the
Missouri Coteau ecoregion. Coordinated with these
studies, Rebecca Phillips (USDA) and Ofer Beeri
(University of North Dakota School of Aerospace
Sciences) are developing new landscape analysis tools
(Level I) using remote sensing to track seasonal and
annual hydrologic and hydric vegetation variability.
These satellite-based products will provide wetland
abundance, distribution, and condition data for a suite
of wetland classes independent of field surveys.
Together these North Dakota projects serve as a model
for our region and the country.
These studies are designed to help North Dakota
develop programs to preserve the biological integrity
of the Prairie Pothole Region. The information
obtained from these studies will be used by agencies to
focus their efforts toward areas in need of restoration,
reclamation, and/or protection. In the future, land
managers and government agencies can periodically
revisit wetlands and retest to detect trends and actions
that need to be taken.
For more information, you can contact Mike Ell,
Division of Water Quality, North Dakota Department
of Health, at mell@state.nd.us or Jill Minter,
Wetlands Program, US EPA Region 8, at
minter.jill@epa.gov or (303)312-6084.
New Wetlands Fact Sheets
~ Paul Mclver, EPA Region 8
EPA has two new fact sheets that will be of interest to
anyone concerned about wetlands. The first one is
"Wetlands: Protecting Life and Property from
Flooding." This fact sheet explains how wetlands help
reduce the impacts of flooding and gives examples
from around the country. Two examples are from
EPA Region 8, including Horseshoe Park in Rocky
Mountain National Park, Colorado and the Vermillion
River in South Dakota.
The second fact sheet is entitled "Economic Benefits
of Wetlands." It explains how wetlands can reduce the
cost of improving drinking water quality, reduce flood-
control costs, and provide recreation such as hiking,
bird watching and photography, and fisheries and
wildlife habitat that can contribute to local economies.
-------
A third document is a publication from the Mountain
Studies Institute in Silverton, Colorado. "Wetlands of
the San Juan Mountain Region" describes the functions
and values of the San Juan wetlands and the major
wetland types found in the region, including the very
rare iron fens. The San Juan Mountain Range is one of
the few places in the world that contain iron fens.
The fact sheets above ("Wetlands: Protecting Life and
Property from Flooding," EPA 843-F-06-001 and the
"Economic Benefits of Wetlands," EPA843-F-06-004)
can be obtained from the National Service Center for
Environmental Publications by ordering online at:
www.epa.gov/nscep or by Email at:
ncepimal@one.net.
The booklet "Wetlands of the San Juan Mountain
Region" can be obtained by calling (970) 387-5161 or
contacting www.mountainstudies.org
For information on wetlands contact Paul Mclver at
(303)312-6056 or mciver.paul@epa.gov
Wadeable Streams Assessment
EPA released the Wadeable Streams Assessment
(WSA), which is the first consistent evaluation of the
streams that feed rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.
"Wadeable streams" are those which are shallow
enough to be adequately sampled without a boat. They
are an important natural resource that has been under-
sampled in the past.
Conducted between 2000 and 2004, the study was
based on sampling at 1,392 sites selected to represent
the condition of all streams that share similar ecological
characteristics in various regions. The survey found
that stream conditions vary widely across the diverse
ecological regions of the country, and that, in general,
streams in the West were in the best condition.
The WSA is part of a series of surveys to evaluate all of
the nation's waters. Coastal condition has already been
evaluated. During the next five years, EPA will sample
the condition of lakes, large rivers, and wetlands. The
process will be repeated to provide ongoing
comparisons of the state of the waters and point to
possible future action.
More information on the Wadeable Streams Assessment
can be found at http://www.epa.gov/owow/
streamsurvev.
EPA Kicks Off Survey of the Nation's
Lakes
EPA, states, tribes and other partners soon will embark
on a Survey of the Nation's Lakes to provide regional
and national estimates of lake condition, similar to the
draft Wadeable Streams Assessment. On April 25-28,
2006, EPA's Monitoring Branch co-sponsored a
meeting in Chicago with 140 lakes experts, including
representatives from 45 States, to plan the Lakes
Survey. The meeting was cosponsored by the Chicago
Botanic Garden and the North American Lake
Management Society. The Survey will use a
statistically valid approach which, like an opinion poll,
randomly selects lake sites that represent the condition
of all sites in regions sharing similar ecological
characteristics.
Survey participants will use consistent sampling and
analytical procedures to ensure that the results can be
compared across the country. At the meeting, EPA
provided packets to states (and tribes) identifying a
preliminary list of sites that will be sampled in the
summer of 2007. For more information on the Lakes
Survey visit our Web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/owow/lakes/lakessurvey/
Grants/Funding Opportunities
2006/2007 EPA Targeted Watershed Grants
Go to http://www.epa.gov/twg or see article in this issue of
Natural News.
EPA Source Water Request for Applications
EPA announced a request for applications for integrating
clean water, drinking water and land use planning tools.
Proposals are due August 28, 2006. EPA expects to award
one cooperative agreement, funded at $230,000 initially. The
full announcement is at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/
protect/funding.html
States and local municipalities are eligible to apply; water
suppliers and watershed groups are eligible if they have non-
profit status.
EPA and Partners Announce Five-Star Challenge
Grants Award Recipients
On July 5, EPA, in collaboration with the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation, the National Association of Counties,
the Wildlife Habitat Council, and Southern Company,
announced the funding of more than $518,000 to 39 locally
led wetland and streamside restoration projects across the
nation. The Five Star Challenge Grants Program awards
funds to restoration projects that provide educational,
ecological, social and economic benefits to the community.
-------
"Let us love our country, but pledge alle-
giance to the earth and to the flora and fauna
and human life that it supports - one planet
indivisible, with clean air, soil and water;
with liberty, justice and peace for all."
-William Sloane Coffin
Through student training, youth are directly involved in the
restoration efforts with the assistance of government agencies
and local businesses, schools and organizations. For more
information about this program, go to
http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/restore/5star
2006—2007 Global Releaf Grants Available
Global ReLeaf, a program of American Forests, is offering
annual grants towards tree planting projects. Project proposals
are now being considered for the fall of 2006. Reimbursable
grants are available to support projects restoring damaged
forest ecosystems. For further information go to: http://
www.americanforests.org/global releaf/grants/.
For support for fall 2006 planting projects please contact Ethan
Kearns as soon as possible at (202) 737-1944 x224 or
ekearns(@,amfor.org. For support in 2007, the deadline for
proposals is January 15, 2007.
Conferences and Training
Sustaining Colorado Watersheds: Science and
Restoration through Collaboration. Save the date:
October 4—6, 2006. This conference is co-sponsored by
Colorado Watershed assembly, Colorado Watershed Network,
Central Rockies Chapter of the Society for Ecological
Restoration, and Colorado Riparian Association. It will be
held in Breckenridge, Colorado. For more information go to:
http://www.ser.org/cerser/2006Conference.asp
Publications and Web Resources
Benefits of Watershed-Based NPDES Permitting
The EPA Watershed Academy hosted a webcast on July 19,
2006 to encourage a watershed-based approach to permitting.
EPA recently issued several policy memos and guidance to
promote watershed-based permitting. Webcast instructors
discussed the benefits of watershed-based permitting,
presented an explanation of the process and several
mechanisms to implement watershed-based permitting, and
outlined how EPA will encourage this approach. The
instructors also discussed issues related to managing
stormwater and other wet weather-related impacts and
present a case study related to activities in the City of
Richmond, Va., designed to move toward a watershed-based
approach.
An audio version of the Webcast is available at
www .epa. gov/watershedwebcasts/
or see http://clu-in.org/studio/
EPA's New and Improved Menu of BMPs
The National Menu of Best Management Practices for
Stormwater Phase II is a valuable resource that helps
industrial facilities, municipalities, and construction site
operators maintain compliance with EPA's stormwater
regulations. It was first released in October 2000. In 2006,
EPA renamed, reorganized, updated, and enhanced the
features of the website. These revisions include the addition
of new fact sheets and revisions of existing fact sheets.
Because the field of stormwater is constantly changing, EPA
expects to update this menu as new information and
technologies become available. It is available at http://
www.epa.gov/npdes/menuofbmps
Pesticide Database
The Home Use Pesticide Database is on line at http://
homeusepesticide.org
This site is an easy to use compilation of over-the-counter
pesticides with links to labels or information sites. A user
can sort by pesticide type (insecticide, herbicide, vertebrate
control), and uses within the type (vegetable, fruit,
houseplant, etc.) Organic gardeners can limit their search
to organic materials only if desired. There are
approximately 1,000 products in the database. From Bob
Hammon, Area Extension Agent, Mesa County, Colorado.
NACo Releases New Wetlands Brochure
NACo has released a new brochure about wetlands and their
benefits for local governments. To view the brochure, go to
www.naco.org/techassistance and click on "Water Quality".
To request a hard copy, contact Erik Johnston at
ejohnston(g),naco.org or 202-942-4246.
The Center for Watershed Protection Wetlands &
Watershed Article Series
Article 2: "Using Local Watershed Plans to Protect
Wetlands" is now available for free download at http://
www.cwp.org/wetlands/index.htm
This article briefly describes a proposed framework for
integrating wetland management in the context of local
watershed planning efforts. It outlines the rationale for
managing wetlands at the watershed scale, the basics of the
watershed planning process, and 11 recommended
watershed planning elements that relate to wetlands. Article
3 of the series, "Adapting Watershed Tools to Protect
Wetlands," is also available.
-------
Watershed Analysis Risk Management Framework
(WARMF)
WARMF is a watershed decision support tool developed by
EPRI and a private contractor that has been applied to over 16
watersheds of varying size in the United States and
internationally to address watershed planning issues, TMDL
calculation, and the impact of potential management strategies
such as BMPs or conversion of septic systems to centralized
sewers. WARMF is unique in that in addition to being able to
model traditional water quality constituents such as
temperature, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, suspended sediment
and coliform bacteria, it can be extended to simulate the
impact of acid mine drainage (metals) and mercury fate and
transport (including bioaccumulation in the food web).
WARMF version 6.1 is now available for download through
the EPA Ecosystem Research Division TMDL Modeling
Toolbox (http://www.epa.gov/athens/wwqtsc/) and is now
compatible with EPA BASINS.
EPA Publishes New "EPA Watershed Training
Opportunities" Booklet
EPA recently published a new EPA Watershed Training
Opportunities booklet. It highlights watershed training
opportunities sponsored by EPA's Office of Water and the
Watershed Academy, including EPA-sponsored live training
courses, Web-based training opportunities such as Webcasts,
training materials such as documents and videos, and
watershed-related Web sites that are available to EPA staff and
others. The booklet is available at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/
watershed/wacademy/wtopps.html.
New Book: Designing a Communication
Campaign: the 4-P Workshop
This World Conservation Union publication is the first in a
series called "Lessons from the Field: Conservation
Awareness" and provides a practical guide for conservation
practitioners. The free 112-page book focuses on the
creative process for strategic planning - a critical
component to design effective conservation awareness
initiatives.
http://www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/programs/
awareness
PLT'S New Pre-K through 8 Guide
Educators who have attended a Project Learning Tree (PLT)
workshop in the past can now order PLT's new PreK-8
Environmental Education Activity Guide directly from PLT.
The guide's newest features --reading connections,
technology connections, differentiated instruction, and
assessment strategies ~ help educators bring the
environment into the classroom and still meet today's
standards. Go to:
http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/21 21 IQ.html
Summer Water Use
Denver Water maintains a great website, including xeriscape
(tm) and water rules/restrictions and tips for using water
wisely and keeping your green space green.
Check out their website at http://www.water.denver.co.gov/
indexmaiahtml for good summer landscape watering
information, including BMPs for how much water your turf
needs each week for each month of summer.
Yellowstone River, Wyoming
- Photo by Peter Ismert, EPA Region 8
-------
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
Gary Kleeman (303) 312-6246
kleeman.gary@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
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Conserve our natural resources; please share your
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Current and archived copies of the Natural News are on the web at http://www.epa.gov/region8/naturalnews
r/EPA
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