Law Commons^™

Science Tools To Implement Ecosystem Based Management In Massachusetts (Draft), Mrag Americas, Incorporated, Massachusetts Ocean Partnership, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

In this report we provide a framework for implementing ecosystem based management (EBM) and suggest a range of science information tools and their appropriate application to the decision making process. These tools can be broadly classified as modeling tools, decision analysis tools, and indicators. Modeling tools allow the user to organize data, communicate scientific findings to management and stakeholder audiences, and test alternative management scenarios. When used unwisely, however, models can preclude options, present unusable scenarios, generate results in scales that differ from management needs, and impose huge time, data, and technical requirements (Manno et al., 2008). Decision analysis tools …

An Application For A State Designated, Federally Approved No Discharge Area For Boston Harbor, Ma, City Of Boston Environment Department, City Of Quincy Harbormaster, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Charles River Watershed Association

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The municipalities surrounding Boston Harbor are requesting that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts designate the waters of Boston Harbor as a No Discharge Area (NDA) pursuant to the Clean Water Act, Section 312(f)(3). An NDA is a body of water in which the discharge of vessel sewage, whether treated or not, is prohibited. The No Discharge Area would be called the Boston Harbor No Discharge Area.

While the waters of Boston Harbor are under the jurisdiction of a number of different municipalities, water quality issues affect the harbor as a whole. Past efforts to clean up the harbor have occurred across …

Weir River Estuary: Land Protection Plan, Chantal Lefebvre, Michelle Portman

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

If economic growth were the only measure of a community’s health and vitality, then the communities of Cohasset, Hingham, and Hull are fairing well. But this economic success is generally accompanied by changes in the physical landscape that can be unsettling for residents, especially when it means more development and expansion at the expense of culturally and socially important open space areas such as parks, woods, and marshes. The rapid pace and fragmented nature of such sprawling development gives communities little opportunity to come to terms with the long-term impacts, which in turn can lead to a sense of powerlessness …

Improving Links Between Science And Coastal Management: Results Of A Survey To Assess U.S. State Coastal Management Science And Technology Needs, Jeff Benoit, Chantal Lefebvre, Dan Hellin, Regan Maund

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

In Winter 2003/2004 the Coastal States Organization (CSO) sponsored a national survey of state coastal resource managers to better understand their science and technology needs. The web-based survey was sponsored by CSO with funding provided by the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET) at the University of New Hampshire. This survey builds upon a previous survey conducted by CSO in 1999. CSO contracted with the Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) at UMass-Boston to prepare the survey questions and final report. The University of New Hampshire Survey Center was contracted to conduct the survey and analyze the results.

Two …

State Coastal Observations And Monitoring Needs: Results Of A Survey To Assess Coastal Management Needs (Draft Report), Jeff Benoit, Chantal Lefebvre, Dan Hellin, Regan Maund, Jack Thigpen

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The success of the U.S. Coastal Ocean Observing System will be measured, in part, by how well the needs of the coastal management community are being addressed. The results of this survey indicate that the two most important management issues facing coastal programs are land use and habitat change. It is essential that the planning and implementation of the USCOOS take this fact into account and place a priority on addressing these high priority management needs. This can only be accomplished through the direct long-term involvement of the coastal management community with USCOOS efforts at the national and regional levels. …

Building A Vision For Our Weir River Estuary: An Inventory Of Open Space And Public Access Around The Weir River Area Of Critical Environmental Concern And Summary Of The Weir River Estuary Visioning Workshop, Chantal Lefebvre

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The Weir River Estuary Park Open Space and Public Access Inventory is a planning document designed to provide collective information on public open space and water access opportunities around the Weir River Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). It catalogs what is known about all undeveloped lands and accessways around the estuary and draws from existing reports and plans, interviews with government officials, and comments conveyed during a day-long public visioning workshop in May 2003. The inventory is intended as a support document to augment existing open space plans, master plans, and harbor management plans in Hingham, Hull, and Cohasset …

Rockport Municipal Harbor Plan: Issues, Goals And Policies, Rockport Harbor Planning Committee, Town Of Rockport, Massachusetts, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This first phase of the plan for Rockport and its four (4) major harbor areas was developed to ensure growth, prosperity, and preservation of Rockport’s important resources through responsible and reasonable future use and management of the harbors and their shorelines.

The Plan has been prepared by the Town of Rockport to identify existing problems and to establish consensus about the character and quality of the harbors in the future. The Plan responds to a specific list of issues raised by the Harbor Planning Committee in a participatory planning process.

The Harbor Planning Committee is an ad hoc committee of …

Institutional Structure Of The New Jersey Coastal Zone Management Program, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

A discussion paper prepared as part of a series of focus groups on the topic of the Institutional Structure of the New Jersey Coastal Zone Management Program.

The federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA), since amended, was established to help states and territories to develop and implement comprehensive coastal management programs formed around “enforceable policies”— the establishment of guiding principles and policies that are supported by a regulatory program. These enforceable policies also drive planning, funding, and outreach efforts by a state’s program.

Increasing Involvement In And Awareness Of Coastal Zone Management In New Jersey, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

A discussion paper prepared as part of a series of focus groups on the topic of the Increasing Involvement in and Awareness of Coastal Zone Management in New Jersey.

Among the requirements of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) for state coastal management programs are procedures for public participation and intergovernmental coordination in program development and implementation.

The CZMA was one of a number of environmental statutes passed by Congress in the early 1970s that made public participation a cornerstone of the program. Most government programs have since adopted this philosophy, and experience over the past several decades confirms …

Gulf River Estuary Natural Resources Inventory, Chantal Lefebvre, Dan Hellin, Chris Crawford

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The purpose of this analysis is to inventory the present assemblage of natural resources in the vicinity of the Gulf River estuary as well as to provide information on land use, recreational use, and pollution threats and concerns. The inventory summarizes existing research and the knowledge and experience of local experts and residents who are most familiar with the Gulf River’s natural environment. It could be used as the first step toward producing a resource management plan for the Gulf River estuary.

The analysis was initiated and funded by the Gulf River Association and prepared to serve as a reference …

New Jersey Coastal Program Boundary, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The boundary of a federally approved coastal program defines a geographic area that receives special planning and management attention through regulations, financial assistance, and technical support. Section 306(d)(2)(A) of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act provides the basis for determining the coastal boundary. In Section 304 of the act, the coastal zone refers to coastal waters (and the lands below them) and the adjacent shorelands, “strongly influenced by each other and in proximity to the shorelines of the several coastal states, including transitional and intertidal areas, salt marshes, wetlands, and beaches. The zone extends…seaward to the outer limit of State …

Public Trust Doctrine And Public Access In New Jersey, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

A discussion paper prepared as part of a series of focus groups on the topic of the Public Trust Doctrine and Public Access in New Jersey.

Public access is specifically identified as one of the key priorities of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1972. More importantly, the Act enables states to develop their own coastal zone management programs and to receive federal funding with which to implement them. There are a number of criteria that such plans must include before they can receive federal approval.

Ocean Zoning For The Gulf Of Maine: A Background Paper, Fara Courtney, Jack Wiggin

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

Coastal and ocean management is a constantly evolving practice. For at least two decades, coastal communities around the world have been experimenting with new ways to control a multitude of activities in their urban and rural harbors. The number and diversity of Marine Protected Areas are growing, with an increasing focus on protecting integrated biological communities, rather than individual species of concern. The United States and Canada are each developing new, comprehensive ocean polices, looking to better integrate management functions at all levels of government.

All of these initiatives – from local to national - reflect some common truths about …

Federal Consistency In New Jersey, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

A discussion paper prepared as part of a focus group on the topic of Federal Consistency in New Jersey.

In 1972, the U. S. Congress passed the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), designed to “preserve, protect, develop, and where possible, to restore and enhance the resources of the nation's coastal zone.” The CZMA encouraged coastal states to develop and implement comprehensive management programs that balance the need for coastal resource protection with the need for economic growth and development within the coastal zone.

In the latter portion of the 1970s New Jersey developed a coastal management plan that was fully …

Baseline 2000 Background Report: The Status Of Integrated Coastal Management As An International Practice (Second Iteration), Jens Sorensen

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The Coastal Zone Canada 2000 Conference occurred in Saint John, New Brunswick from September 17 to 22. All of the 600 registrants received a canvas packet that included four separately bound publications: the final conference program, the tradeshow program, Canadian Synopsis (a table of ICM efforts in Canada), and Baseline 2000.

The Coastal Zone Canada Association organized and administered the Conference as they had done for three previous Canadian based international CZ conferences (Victoria, British Columbia in 1998, Rimouski, Québec in 1996, and Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1994).

Two of the fundamental objectives of the Coastal Zone Canada Association (CZCA) …

Weir River Area Of Critical Environmental Concern: Natural Resources Inventory, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The Weir River Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) was designated by the Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs in 1986 in recognition of one of the largest and most productive salt marsh ecosystems in the Boston Harbor area. As an ACEC, the region is afforded additional attention and protection from state agencies in order to achieve the goals of designation--to restore, enhance, and manage the resources. The region was nominated by residents of the abutting communities of Hull, Hingham, and Cohasset who took the opportunity to call attention to the uniqueness of the environment and to their concerns that development …

A Preliminary Survey Of The Sewage Pumpout Facilities In The No Discharge Areas Of Massachusetts, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This survey provides a preliminary review of the activities of pumpout facilities in the No Discharge Areas of Massachusetts. It highlights areas of concern, identifies potential improvements and focuses further research.

Based on data from Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management, there are 100 pumpout facilities in Massachusetts, located in 56 towns. Of these 52, have one or more pumpout boats. Due to financial limitations and the time available, any attempt to survey all these facilities was beyond the scope of this study. However, it had been suggested that from CZM’s, DMF’s and EPA’s standpoint, the areas of greatest interest were those …

Marine Industries Association Of South Florida Master Plan, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Fau Joint Center For Environmental And Urban Problems

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The Marine Industry Master Plan was prepared by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF) to present a comprehensive and coordinated action agenda for retaining and expanding the marine industry in Broward County. This Master Plan is an extension of a strategic planning process conducted by the MIASF in which the major issues confronting the industry were identified along with an initial strategy to address those issues. This Marine Master Plan is part of that strategy. The plan contains goals, objectives, and actions that respond to several key issues: scarcity of waterfront sites for marine facility expansion, displacement of …

America's Green Ports: Environmental Management And Technology At Us Ports, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

America's Green Ports: Environmental Management and Technology at US Ports is a compendium of case studies presenting a selection of innovative and cost-effective management practices and technologies employed by US ports to avoid, prevent, minimize, mitigate or remediate environmental impacts associated with port development and operations. This compendium of projects is one product of the US EPA, Office of Water’s Green Ports Program. It follows the 1998 publication of the Environmental Management Handbook prepared by the American Association of Port Authorities, also funded by the US EPA's Office of Water. That report provides practical information on incorporating environmental stewardship into …

Harbor Plan For The Town Of Provincetown, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

Provincetown Harbor is an attractive focus of activity for the entire community which surrounds it. The Harbor area is a complex place that requires public attention to ensure appropriate use and a clean environment. The Provincetown Harbor Plan establishes practical steps to meet these goals. This Plan values the present character and activities within the Harbor area. Rather than seeking dramatic changes, the objective of the Plan is to enhance the Harbor through better management and by accomplishing a list of coordinated improvements.

The Plan envisions a future Provincetown Harbor with substantially greater access and a more pleasant character along …