[SEMCO] Watershed News (workshops, grants, etc.)

[Sheri Derosa]

AY WATERSHED NEWS

MassWWP is announcing 2 upcoming workshops for lake monitoring:

Weed and Watershed Surveys
Saturday June 16, 2001 10am-3pm
Spencer, MA
In this workshop you will learn how to survey
physical attributes of your watershed, lake, or
streams. You will also learn how to map aquatic
vegetation in lakes and how to identify those
plants.
Registration deadline: June 8
Cost: $5/person
More information:
http://www.umass.edu/tei/mwwp/wkshdes.html#anchor181395

STREAM HEALTH AND AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES WORKSHOP
Bridgewater State College June 30 / July 1, July 7/8
2001

This workshop will familiarize participants with the
theory and the methodology, as well as give hands-on
training in:
a. sampling
b. identification
c. data analysis
for river benthic macroinvertebrates.
Fee: $25, covers instruction, manual, handouts and
light refreshments.
Enrollment limited to 20. Priority given to
southeastern watershed groups, others welcome on a
space available basis.
To register or for more information, see web site
http://www.umass.edu/tei/mwwp/workshop.html

You can also email us or call Francois at
413.545.5531
Marie-Françoise Walk
Massachusetts Water Watch Partnership
University of Massachusetts Amherst MA 01003-0820
www.umass.edu/tei/mwwp
*************************************
Watershed Assistance Grants, 2001
In April, 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s Office  of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds
selected River Network to coordinate and administer
the Watershed Assistance Grants Program (WAG). The
purpose  of the WAG Program is to provide small
grants to local watershed partnerships to support
their organizational development and long-term
effectiveness. While there will likely be a few
changes from the  application process used in 2000
and the application process that will be  put in
place for 2001, River Network and EPA expect that
the forthcoming  2001 application process will be
similar to the one in 2000.

Information on the 2001 application process,
including eligibility and selection criteria will be
made available around the first week of May on River
Network’s Website at: http://www.rivernetwork.org

************************************
Version 2.0 of the PAN Pesticide Database, your
one-stop online location
for pesticide information, is now available at
http://www.pesticideinfo.org
NEW IN VERSION 2.0
. Expanded search capabilities
. Active ingredients and pesticide products are now
fully cross-referenced
. New information sources
. New interface and documentation
. Expanded list of links to other resources

The PAN Pesticide Database is the largest and most
comprehensive online collection of
pesticide data in the world, providing detailed
information (at no cost to the user) for about
5,400 pesticide active ingredients, breakdown
products, and related chemicals. The database
also contains information on more than 100,000
formulated pesticide products registered by
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Where
available, the database provides
information on toxicity, regulatory status, aquatic
ecotoxicity, and general identification
information, including an extensive list of synonyms
and representative chemical structures of
many classes of pesticides. Comprehensive
documentation defines terms used and cites the
sources of the information, along with its currency,
accuracy, and comprehensiveness.
June is Rivers Month!
Every year the Riverways Programs puts out a
calendar highlighting river
related events taking place from mid-May through the
end of June.  This years
calendar runs from May 12th- July 1st and includes
everything from cleanups
to dragon fly walks and canoe trips.  While there
will be calendars arriving
in the mail shortly for those on our mailing list,
the calendar is  already
posted on our website.  See what's happening this
weekend. Link directly to
the calendar at
http://www.state.ma.us/dfwele/river/rivcalendar01.htm

Or check in on it through our homepage,
http://www.massriverways.org

Happy Rivers Month to all!
***************************************
The next round of the DEP/BRP's Source Water
Protection and Wellhead
Protection Grants starts soon; the RFR will be
issued on May 1 and proposals
are due on June 29.  Contact Kathy Romero
(617-292-5727), Catherine
Sarafinas (617-556-1070), or Malcom Harper
(508-767-2745) for application information.
These grants are ideal for projects that are too
small for SRF funding but still need addressing.

Washington, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Gale A.
Norton announced today that under the President's
Fiscal Year 2002 budget request, Massachusetts will
receive a record amount of $7.468 million for state
and local conservation efforts from the Land and
Water Conservation Fund. For the first time since
the fund's inception almost four decades ago, the
LWCF will be funded at the fully authorized level of
$900 million and 50 percent -- $450 million -- will
go to the states.

"This historic budget request fulfills President
Bush's commitment to investing in America's natural
resources and provides the states not only with
historic levels of funding but also with
unprecedented flexibility to use the funding,"
Norton said in releasing the Department of the
Interior's budget request at a press conference
today. "This budget brings good news for every state
in its efforts to save special places, enhance
recreation, conserve wildlife habitat and endangered
species, and protect wetlands."

The 2002 budget proposal of $450 million for LWCF
state grants represents an increase of $359.7
million from the $90.3 million appropriated in 2001.
From 1965 to 1995, funding for state grants averaged
only $112 million per year. Congress did not
appropriate funds for state grants from 1996 through
1999. In FY 2001, Massachusetts received $2.017
million in LWCF money. The proposed grant of $7.468
million in FY 2002 represents a 270.3 percent
increase for the state.

Besides historic funding, the Administration budget
further proposes to give states flexibility to go
beyond traditional recreational land purchase and
development projects. Under the Department's
proposal, states will be able to use grant funds in
2002 for the benefit of wildlife and habitat; the
conservation of endangered and threatened species;
and the protection, enhancement, and restoration of
wetland ecosystems and other habitats for migratory
birds and other fish and wildlife.

Western New England Freshwater Pathogen Monitoring
conference.
Wednesday May 30, 2001 at UMass Amherst Mullins
Center.
Co-sponsored by EPA, Umass, MA DPH and others.
This conference will address new indicators for
pathogens, developments in
regulations, lab analyses, TMDLs and the
implications of the Beaches Bill
in New England.
For more information, please view this web link.
http://www.umass.edu/tei/wrrc/conference.html

Workshop ? Seeking Growth Solutions for Cape Cod
Friday, May 18, 2001 9:00a.m. 0 3:30 p.m.
Tilden Arts Center, CCCC, West Barnstable
presented by APCC, CC 5 cents bank, CC chamber of
commerce
Register on-line or 877-955-4142
http://www.apcc.org/events.html
Experts will discuss land use planning options that
are available locally and regionally and explore
methods successfully used in other states. Secretary
Durand will provide opening remarks.
Workshop - Cape Cod Ponds in Peril
Thursday, May 24, 2001 1:00 pm ?4:00 pm
Dennis Senior Center, 1045 Rt. 134
Workshop will outline cape cod ponds stewardship
strategy, discuss water quality trends and how to
take part in a cape-wide pond monitoring event this
summer
Attendance is free, but registration is requested.
Call 1-877-955-4142 or email info@apcc.org to
register.
The CZM coastal pollution remediation program  grant
RFR will be released on June 1, 2001 with an
application deadline of 7/30/01. Access the CPR
grant web page at
http://www.magnet.state.ma.us/czm.cprgp.htm
The grant is designed to clean existing stormwater
remediation, identify sources of stormwater
pollution and design remediation solutions, mitigate
discharges from vessels . the RFR is mailed to Con
Coms and DPW and is also available on
www.comm-pass.com