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COASTAL BEND BAYS & ESTUARIES PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION REVIEW 2004
Citation:
Allen, R. COASTAL BEND BAYS & ESTUARIES PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION REVIEW 2004. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
Description:
The Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, Inc. (CBBEP) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3)organization. The CBBEP project area encompasses 12 counties coincident with the Coastal Bend Council of Governments and extends from the Land-Cut in the Laguna Madre, through the Corpus Christi Bay system, and north to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The end of fiscal year 2003 marked the anniversary of five successful years for the CBBEP. This report details the Programs activities during the past three fiscal years (FY01-03) and highlights Bays Plan implementation successes. During this report period, the CBBEP and its partners successfully secured long-term protection of ecologically important habitat through direct land acquisitions, easements, and land management agreements. The CBBEP strengthened grassroots stewardship through investments in locally operated nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) including the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation, Coastal Bend Land Trust, Coalition for Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation and the Adopt-A-Wetland Program. During this report period the CBBEP worked closely with state and federal resource agencies to implement the comprehensive Surface Water and Sediment Quality Monitoring Project. During this report period, the CBBEP continued its effort to understand and implement management strategies to address the decline in some water bird populations through the collaborative, Colonial Water Bird / Avian Resources Project. The CBBEP is working with many stakeholders to plan and conduct projects to implement the Bays Plan. Key stakeholders are represented on the Programs governing committees and help guide the direction of the Program through participation in the development of the CBBEP Annual Work Plan. The Bays Council collects input for annual projects from the general public, Program staff and advisory committees. The Program embarked on an ambitious outreach effort during this report period initiating 13 Public Outreach and Education (PEO) projects, many of which included multiple tasks. Outreach efforts made extensive use of the media and included development of the CBBEP Website, newsletter, brochure, and project summaries; public service announcements for television and radio regarding stormwater pollution, water conservation freshwater inflows; and television and print news coverage for CBBEP funded projects. The environmental challenges facing the Coastal Bend are essentially the same as they were when the Bays Plan was developed six years ago. Resource managers agree that habitat loss, water quality and freshwater inflows continue to be significant challenges that will not be easily solved. These issues are characterized by an increased demand on Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program 13 limited resources by a growing population. The need for new and innovative management strategies to address these issues is becoming increasingly important especially as the rate of growth in region is expected to increase significantly. The Bays Plan identifies several factors contributing to the destruction, degradation and fragmentation of Coastal Bend habitats including conversion to other land uses, dredge and fill activities, natural erosion, altered freshwater inflow and degraded water quality. The Bays Plan sites several factors influencing the increased demand for freshwater from the Nueces River. Because water quality in the Coastal Bend is generally good to moderate, the focus of the Bays Plan is to stay ahead of water quality problems before they pose a risk to people or the environment. The CBBEP recognizes two barriers limiting the full implementation of the Bays Plan. First is the difficulty in gaining region-wide public support for the conservation and protection of natural resources using public outreach and education strategies. The second barrier to full implementation is adequate funding.