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(ECP and CTSP grantees, reports, and other sites of interest for conservation geograpy, mapping and GIS. Grantees are coded by program and year of grant at the end of their name/state, i.e. e91 means ECP grant in 1991. c=cstp, cm=ctsp-mac, cs=ctsp-software)

Prince William Sound Science Center, Cordova , AK e95 . (P.O. Box 705, Cordova, AK 99574 phone: 907-424-5800 fax: 907-424-5820 Contact: Nancy Bird - bird@grizzly.pwssc.gen.ak.us ) Dedicated to the comprehensive description, sustained monitoring and ecological understanding of Prince William Sound, the Copper River and their wetlands, river systems and drainage basin. Projects: The Sound Ecosystem Assessment (SEA) Selected Programs: Development of a geographic information system for the Greater Prince William Sound Region. See The Sound Report for real-time Prince William Sound Imagery, Maps and Data on Oil Spill Response . The Long-term Killer Whale Database is an ArcInfo AML project by David Scheel for analyzing and viewing Killer Whale data . "The Long-term Killer Whale Database project is part of North Gulf Oceanic Society's long-term study of killer whales in Prince William Sound, Alaska; and is supported as a component of restoration research designed to monitor and promote the recovery of the damaged ecosystem in the area impacted by the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) in 1989. " Also see David's work on the Shepard Point Region Habitat & Biological Assessment in the Corridor of the Proposed Shepard Point Road & Port including site maps .

Reef Check . (Reef Check Coordinator, Gregor Hodgson, PhD, Reef Check Headquarter, GPO Box 12375, Hong Kong, China Tel: 852-2358-0317 Fax: 852-2887-5454 . mailto:gregorh@hk.super.net) . "Reef Check is the largest international coral reef monitoring program involving recreational divers and marine scientists. In 1997, Reef Check teams completed the first global survey of coral reefs. Over 750 volunteer sport divers were trained and led by 100 volunteer scientists in surveys of more than 300 reefs in 31 countries. The results of Reef Check 97 provided the first solid evidence that coral reefs have been damaged on a global scale. Reef Check 98 covered 40 countries and documented an unprecedented global bleaching and mortality event (Results of Reef Check 98). In addition to producing valuable scientific results, Reef Check 97 raised the awareness of scientists, governments, politicians and the general public about the value of coral reefs, threats to their health and solutions to coral reef problems."

 

Restore America's Estuaries (raecoalition@estuaries.org ) "is a national coalition of 11 regional, coastal community-based environmental organizations with a combined membership of over 250,000 citizens. The coalition includes: American Littoral Society (Hudson-Raritan estuaries of N.Y and N.J.), Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Conservation Law Foundation (Gulf of Maine), Galveston Bay Foundation, North Carolina Coastal Federation, People for Puget Sound, Save San Francisco Bay Association, Save the Bay (Narragansett Bay), Save the Sound (Long Island Sound), Tampa BAYWATCH .

San Francisco Estuary Institute, Richmond CA e93 . (1325 South 46th Street Richmond, CA 94804 tel:510.231.9539 Fax:510.231.9414 GIS Contact: Zoltan Der mailto:zoltan@sfei.org . formerly San Francisco Bay Delta Aquatic Habitat Institute) "Mission: To provide the scientific understanding necessary to manage the complex and biologically rich San Francisco Estuary. Projects: Wetlands Monitoring, Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances, SINBAD--The Scientific Information Network for the Bay and Delta , Bay Area EcoAtlas© "a computer-based Geographic Information System (GIS) to support local and regional environmental planning and management." EcoAtlas measures landscape change by contrasting the present day landscape condition with a 'native' landscape condition: " The Native Landscape View of the EcoAtlas is a composite picture based upon hundreds of independent sources of data. These include eighteenth- and nineteenth-century maps, sketches, paintings, photographs, engineering reports, oral histories, explorers' journals, missionary texts, hunting magazines, interviews with living elders, and other sources. Documents were selected from about 10,000 materials examined at archives around the Bay Area and are catalogued in the project databases. Sufficient information about the natural Bay Area landscape is available from early European documents to discover the distribution and abundance of many habitat types fairly confidently. With a robust amount of data, historical sources overlap and confirm (or contradict) each other, strengthening their interpretation. The intersection of discrete sources is then mapped and recorded in a database. This is the basic procedure used to compile the Native Landscape View of the EcoAtlas. " In addition, a careful procedure for quantifying and tracking error and uncertainty is utilized, an important method when dealing with inconsistent historical data. Don't miss their Interesting Collection of online historical/modern habitat maps for the San Francisco Subregion . Don't miss the Regional Volunteer Watershed Monitoring Online Interactive Database Program, in coordination with the Coyote Creek Riparian Station, where you can select from a clickable map, view, and download, monitoring data in the San Francisco Bay area including Birds, Fish, Water Quality, Vegetation, Amphibian Species, Amphibian Habitat. Check out their Map Interpretation Online Tutorial (in the ECP training section) . The Bay Area Historical Ecology Project "The project will help SFEI make the information developed through our watershed science efforts into a packet of watershed-specific maps, photography, text, and artwork, which can be delivered to local educational institutions and programs for distribution and use."

Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation, Ca e98 . (101 Centre Plaza Drive, Monterey Park, CA 91754 tel:213.266.7516 fax:213.266.7626 email:SMBRP@earthlink.net . GIS contact: Jack R Topel, jtopel@rb4.swrcb.ca.gov ) "SMBRP was established in 1988 under the Clean Water Act's National Estuary Program in recognition of the national significance of Santa Monica Bay and the need to protect and restore this important natural resource. The SMBRP helps coordinate the efforts of decision-makers, technical experts and the public to solve a variety of problems confronting the Bay. One way that the Project fills this role is by compiling and interpreting data, collected by various agencies and organizations, to present a clear and comprehensive picture of the Bay and its resources for policy-makers and the public. " see their educational maps of the bay watershed and the bay ecosystems .

Save The Bay, Providence RI c96 . (434 Smith St Providence, RI 02908 tel:401-272-3540 FAX: 401-273-7153 e-mail: savebay@savebay.org) "The mission of Save The Bay is to ensure that the environmental quality of Narragansett Bay and its watershed is restored and protected from the harmful effects of human activity (The Plan to Restore Narragansett Bay Habitat). Save The Bay seeks carefully planned use of the Bay and its watershed to allow the natural system to function normally and healthfully both now and for the future. See their List of Baykeeper and Waterkeeper Programs around the US . See their list of Smart Growth Links .

Save the Sound, Inc., Stamford CT c97 . (Save the Sound, Inc, 185 Magee Ave., Stamford, CT 06902 , tel: 203-327-9786, Fax: (203) 967-2677, Vic Pyle, Habitat Restoration Project Manager, email: <savethesound@snet.net>, OR: c/o Garvies Point Museum, 50 Barry Drive, Glen Cove, NY 11542, tel 516-759-2165) . "Save the Sound, Inc. is a 25 year-old nonprofit organization with offices in Stamford, CT and Glen Cove, NY, that is dedicated to the restoration, protection, and appreciation of Long Island Sound and its watershed through education, research, and advocacy. In 1996, Save the Sound involved over 19,000 children and adults in education activites; monitored water quality in 3 rivers and 12 harbors and coves throughout the Sound; and advocated for the continued implementation of the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan <http://www.epa.gov/region01/eco/lis>. Save the Sound is also a member of Restore America's Estuaries (RAE) <http://www.estuaries.org>, an alliance of eleven regional environmental organizations working to protect and restore one million acres of estuarine nationwide by the year 2010...Save the Sound conducts ongoing water quality research in harbors and watershed areas around Long Island Sound. In 1996, Save the Sound staff and almost 200 Save the Sound volunteers monitored water quality at 61 sites in 11 harbors and coves and three rivers across the Sound. Our monitoring projects cover areas in Westchester County, N.Y. and Fairfield and New Haven Counties in CT....To address the habitat loss problem in the Sound, Save the Sound, Inc. was recently awarded a two-year, $103,000 matching grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts in order to conduct the Long Island Sound Habitat Preservation and Restoration Project. (See Example GIS MAP) The grant will allow Save the Sound, Inc. to prioritize habitat restoration needs; to increase awareness and appreciation of significant habitats in need of protection and restoration; to stop current habitat losses; and to mobilize and empower stakeholders to restore degraded habitats of Long Island Sound. The Project will initiate a grassroots effort to preserve and restore significant habitats with the focus on the many communities along the 600 miles of the Sound's shores on Long Island, in Westchester County, around New York City, and in Connecticut."

SEAGIS Coastal and Ocean GIS Distribution List. listserv@irlearn.bitnet, " subscribe sea-gis "

Surfrider Foundation, Ca c98 . (122 S. El Camino Real #67, San Clemente, CA 92672 tel. (949) 492-8170 fax (949) 492-8142 email:info@surfrider.org GIS Contact: Chad Nelsen, cnelsen@surfrider.org ) . "Established in 1984, the Surfrider Foundation is a decentralized, grassroots organization with national headquarters in San Clemente, California. There are 42 Surfrider chapters dispersed along the West, East, Hawaiian and Puerto Rican coasts. The Surfrider Foundation has close to 25,000 members in the U.S. and, in addition, has affiliates in 4 foreign countries. Surfrider members are surfers, divers, swimmers, and ocean-lovers of all ages. The Surfrider Foundation has built a solid reputation in protecting the coastline by creating solution-oriented programs, activating its membership, and educating the public. Most importantly, the Surfrider Foundation acts to empower individuals and our chapters on a grassroots scale to protect and care for their own coastline. ." GIS PROGRAM: "Beachscape: A community-based coastal mapping program: "The natural integrity of our coast is threatened by increasing environmental pressures. Threats include increasing coastal development and associated habitat destruction, water pollution, armoring of the shoreline, and a loss of public access. Unfortunately, coastal management agencies often lack the information necessary to make planning decisions that will protect the long-term health of the coast. In response to this information shortage, the Surfrider Foundation is developing Beachscape, a volunteer-based mapping program, to document the physical characteristics, land use patterns, pollution sources, public access, erosion, habitat and wave characteristics of our nation's coastlines. The aim of this program is to mobilize the Surfrider Foundation's vast national network of local chapter volunteers to characterize their local coastal areas at level of detail that is currently not available. The Surfrider Foundation's 42 chapters represent an enormous work force of concerned citizens with intimate knowledge of their coastlines. Tapping the Surfrider Foundation's chapter resources will enable the Beachscape program to develop data sets at a scale that would be prohibitively expensive for traditional, contract-based data collection projects. By employing the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and aerial photography, the Beachscape program will develop an accurate and credible database of baseline conditions that will be widely available to local citizens, community activists, state and federal agencies. Over time these detailed datasets will illustrate cumulative trends and improve information to enable sustainable coastal stewardship....The methodology for basic Beachscape is relatively simple. Using a USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle (topo quad) the chapter members delineate their coastal area into discrete beach sections. These sections are then numbered and named. Volunteers are then sent to the beaches to collect beach attribute information using the Basic Beachscape form (see Appendix A). The information collected is then entered into an Access database. A beach delineation theme is created in ArcView by creating line segments from a coastline derived from the 7.5 minute USGS quadrangle. The attribute information can then be linked to the beach segments in ArcView. A map visualization convention is still being developed for these ArcView projects. "

All text by the respective organizations, January 2, 1997

Compilation & web design: Charles Convis, ESRI Conservation Program, April 2, 1996