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Published by the University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service VI NPS Update TABLE OF CONTENTS Volunteers P lant Over 30 00 Man grove See dlings on St. Croix . . . . . . 1 St. John Sedimentation Study Expands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 UVI Installs New Weather Station With Web Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 U.S. Coral Reef Task Force M eeting to b e Held on S t. Croix . . . . . . . 2 UVI-CDC Offers GIS and Aerial Photo Interpretation Classes . . . . . . . 3 Grant Funding Available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Subscription Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Volunteers getting started (and muddy) at the Sugar Bay mangrove planting site. UVI science professor, Dr. Stuart Ketcham, instructs studen ts from the St. Cr oix Educational complex in the mangrove propagule planting method. Nonpoint Source Pollution Committee Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 3 September 1999 VOLUNTEERS PLANT OVER 3000 MANGROVE SEEDLINGS ON ST. CROIX The St. Croix E nvironme ntal Association (SE A) and VI M arine Advisory Service (VIMAS) continued restoring a vital mangrove ecosystem within the Sugar Bay subbasin of the Salt River watershed this summ er. Sugar B ay's mangrove fore st was alm ost 100 % destroyed during H urricane H ugo in 1989. W ith the help of many voluntee rs, over 3000 propagules were planted during two planting weekends. Volunteers included students from the Educational Complex, Country Day School, The Good Hope School and the St. Cro ix Boys and G irls Club. SEA and VIMAS are using the R i le y E n c a s e d M e t h o d o l o g y (www.mangrove.org) to plant 18,000 red mangroves in Sugar Bay over the next three years. The goal of this technique is to encourage mangrove reforestation to create habitat, decrease shoreline erosion, improve water quality, and reduce nonpoint source (NPS) pollution within the watershed. The Riley technique was developed for planting red mangroves in high wave or w ake energy areas or in deep water, such as around breakw aters. It is also effective in conditions similar to those at Sugar Bay, where water levels fluctuate due to seasonal high tides and runoff from rain events. The R i le y E n c a s e d M e t h o d o l o g y uses a two-part PVC encasement system to protect and support red mangrove propagules (seedlings) until they can establish prop roots. A PVC bottom piece that varies in height depending on the water level (the bottom piece is meant to reach the mean high tide mark) is attached to a fixed- length PVC top piece with a PVC coupling. The top piece compensates for seasonal high tides and runoff. Once prop roots have been established (about 2 years), the top piece can be removed, allow ing it and the coup ling to be reused. The bottom piece cannot be removed without damaging the young tree. Over time the bottom piece itself becomes a habitat encrusted w ith organisms. The project partners anticipate th at the encaseme nt techniq ue will greatly improve the success rate for mangrove establishment in Sugar Bay. SEA and VIMAS will also provide additional materials to the St. Croix A quarium in Carave lle Arcade to expan d their mangrove exhibit, including a collection of photos of the reforestation project. An educational module about mangroves was produced for SEA's "My Environment" grade 3 curriculum. More than 300 students have benefitted from this module, and it is available from SEA for interested teachers and youth group leaders. For more information on the Sugar Bay reforestation project, please contact Carol Cramer-Burke, SEA, at (340) 773-1989, or Paige Rothenberger, VIMAS, at (340) 779-3141. Information on the Riley Encased Methodology can be obtained from their website at http://www.mangrove.org. New WRR I weather monitoring station on UVI St. Thomas campus. ST. JOHN SEDIMENTATION STUDY EXPANDS Dr. Rick Nemeth of the UVI Eastern Caribbean Center s (ECC) Environm ental Research Unit has joined forces with Dr. H enry Smith of UV I s Water Re sources Res earch Institute (W RRI) and Dr. Lee MacDonald of Colorado State University s (CSU) Watershed Science Program to integrate their research and document the cumulative effects of upstream activities on the health and sustainability of downstream marine resources. This project, funded by the Department of Interior  US Geologi cal Survey, is focusing its effort on two w atersheds and bays on the so uth shore of St. John. Rapid road-building and development has occurred in the Fish Bay watershed over the past 15-20 years, while Lameshur Bay watersh ed is relatively undisturbed; it is located almost entirely within the Virgin Islands National Park. Since the watersheds are similar in topography and are only about 5 km apart, they provide an ideal com parison with resp ect to predicted sedimen t delivery and the health of similar reefs subjected to different rates of sedimentation. The land-based part of the study, conducted by CSU Ph.D. student Carlos Ramos, is presently quantifying current and potential sedimen t storage in stream channels along longitudinal transects from headwaters to the edge of the bays. Automated, flow- activated pump samplers located along the main Fish and Lameshur guts will collect water sample s during sto rm eve nts and sample suspended sed iment concentrations mov ing through each watershed. For the marine po rtion, Dr. Nemeth w ill use underwater sediment traps to measure the amount of sediment deposited onto coral reefs within each bay. Divers will assess the health of reef-building corals, levels of coral recruitment, fish populations and cover of macro-algae on reefs located inside and outside each bay.  T h is s t u d y is t h e fi rs t to d i re c t ly a n d qua ntitatively link land us e, eros ion rates , and se dim ent d elivery to th e r es ult an t e ffec ts on th e m ar ine en viro nm en t,  said Dr. Nem eth.  E ffe c tiv e m a n a ge m e n t o f o u r aq u a tic r e so u r ce s re q uir e s a n in te gr at ive ap p ro ac h t ha t lin ks lan d us e , er o sio n, se d im en t d eliv er y, a nd im p ac ts on th e m ar ine en viro nm en t.  For further information on this study, contact Dr. Nemeth at (340) 693-1389. UVI INSTALLS NEW WEATHER STATION WITH WEB LINK The UVI Water Reso urces Re search Institute is a step closer in becom ing the prem ier weather m onitoring and m eteorological data archive center for the Virgin Islands. In September, WRRI erected a solar powered weather monitoring station on UVI s St. Thomas Campus. This state of the art assembly is equipped to measure and record wind speed and direction, temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, rainfal , and solar radiation. The station comm unicates in real time b y radio tele metry w ith a computer in WRRI s office. Data collected from the station will be archived on this computer. WRRI staff is creating a web page where hourly updates of weather conditions in St. Thomas can be viewed worldwide at http://rps.uvi.edu/W RRI/wrri.htm. Data will be presented through user-friendly graphs and charts. The public will also be able to access past we ather data through the site. Look for the site to be fully operational by the end of O ctober. Although there is no guarantee that the station can survive the violence of a severe storm , it is designed to withstand hurricane force winds. This will provide WRRI w ith an opportunity to collect data on wind speed, rainfall and barome tric pressure du ring severe storm events. Once the weather archive is compiled, data will be available upon request to the public and government agencies. WRRI s manual weathe r station, in use for mo re than a decade, will remain in operation and will serve as a location to give prese ntations to student and community groups on traditional methods of measuring weather conditions. Funding for the station is provided through a grant from the U .S. Geological Survey. For more information on the weather station or other WRRI programs, contact Dr. Henry Smith at (340) 693-1020 or Ronald Olivacce at (340) 693-1074. U.S. CORAL REEF TASK FORCE MEETING TO BE HELD ON ST. CROIX The next meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, established by President Clinton by Executive Order 13089 on Coral Reef Protection, w ill be held Nov ember 2nd and 3rd at the Tamarind Reef Hotel in St. Croix. Interior Secretary Babbitt and Comm erce Secretary Daley plan to participate and look forw ard to representation and participation from government and non- governmental organizations. Key items for review and potential adoption or endorsement at the meeting include: * A National Action Plan for implementing responsibilities of the Task Force; * A coral reef enforce ment pro tocol; * A blueprint to assist marine protected area managers in going forward with the fundamentals needed for coral reef protection; * A mechanism for Coral Reef Task Force oversight of E.O. 13089 implementation; and * Principles and processes fo r addressing unsu stainable trade in coral reef species. Public comment will be taken at the meeting and for some time following the m eeting on all topics and propo sals. For hotel information, call the Tamarind Reef Hotel at (340) 773-4445, fax (340) 773-3989, or reservations 1-800-619-0014. Please contact Karen Koltes at the U.S. Interior Department (202-208-5345) or Michael Crosby (301-713-9121) or Roger Griffis (202-482-5034) at NOAA for information about the meeting agenda or to register. UVI-CDC OFFERS GIS AND AERIAL PHOTO INTERPRETATION CLASSES UVI-CDC is offering a short course in ArcView®, a widely used Geograp hic Information Sy stems (GIS) program, O ctober 6 th - 8th on UVI s St. Croix camp us. ArcView® is a GIS desktop software program that connects compiled data to geography. Through ArcView®, planne rs can access and edit data to create maps. CDC held its first two-day A rcView® training session in July on St. Thoma s. Local governm ent personnel, architects and en gineers participated in July s class. Mariath Hodge, Caribbean Professional Consultants, described her training in ArcView® as "a valuable tool f o r m y f ir m . I f y o u a r e c o m p u t e r l it e r a t e a n d y o u h a v e t h e b a s i c kn ow led ge of m ap p ing , it's p re tty ea sy ." Architects, engineers, surveyors, real estate brokers and others who need up-to-date m aps can benefit from ArcView ®. It allows use rs to simultaneously access demographic information and the location of items such as water mains, electrical lines and telephone connector cables, making it possible for one map to be created using common information about a single point. GIS is used for transportation planning, voting district allocation, land use planning and natural resources management. According to Stevie Henry, CDC data manag er, " B y o f fe r i n g A r c V i e w ® t r a i n in g a t U V I , w e c a n d e m o n s t r a t e h o w G I S c a n b e n e f it t h e t e r r i t o r y b y u s i n g l o c a l ex am p les to tra in g ov er nm en t an d pr ivat e s ec to r p er so nn el." CDC is also planning to offer two short courses in aerial photography interpretation at UVI during the spring 2000 semester  Basic Photo Interpretation an d Advance d Aerial Photo Interpretation. Each class will require approximately 30 hours of classroom and field time. Registration fees will cover the cost of texts, equipment and supplies required for the course. Basic Photo Interpretation will be offered in two sessions. One section, for students traveling for the course, will run for five days, January 10 - 14, 2000, while the second section (for St. Thomas residents) will meet twice per week for four weeks beginning January 11th, and continuing ev ery Tue sday nigh t and Saturday until February 5th. This class will train students to use basic aerial pho to interpretation techniques and skills, including photo interpretation, orienting aerial photos, and obtaining measurements from photograp hy (photogrammetry). Advanced Aerial Photo Inte rpretation is design ed to leave stu dents capable of planning and carry ing a proje ct to com pletion. T his course advances students through scales, types of photography (infra red, multi-spectral, black & white), flight altitudes relating to scale, plotting flight lines, effects of motion, terrain heights and much more. The Advanced class for residents will begin February 15th and continue every Tuesday night and Saturday until March 11th. CDC is a compon ent of the Un iversity of the Virgin Islands E astern Caribbean Center that collects, analyzes and disseminates information on the natural resou rces of the Virgin Islands. For more information on ArcView® training classes, contact Stevie Henry at (340) 693-1033 or visit the CDC's web site at http://cdc.uvi.edu. Press the GIS training button for a course description and registration form. Persons interested in the Photo Interpretation classes should contact Dayle Barry, UVI- CDC, at (340) 693-1030 or by e-mail at dbarry@uvi.edu. GRANT FUNDING AVAILABLE The DPNR D ivision of Environmental Protection has announced the availability of fiscal year 2000 N o n p o in t S o ur c e Po llu t io n C o n t ro l a n d M a n a g e m e n t I m p l e m e n t a ti o n G ra n t funds. Ap proxim ately $480,000 is available in the form of pass-through grants funded through Sectio n 319(h) of the federal Clean W ater Act for projects that implem ent best management practices (BM Ps) in priority watershed areas, other watershed areas, and education to critical audiences. Two public meetings have been scheduled for 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.; October 26th at the Flore nce A. W illiams Public Library in Christiansted and October 28th at the Curriculum Center in Anna s Retreat, St. Thomas, to explain the grant application process and discuss ideas with applicants. Persons unable to attend can obtain grant guidelines from Syed Syedali, DPNR-DEP, 1118 Water Gut Homes St. Croix or by calling (340) 773-0565. E n v i r o n m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n G r a n t s . EPA is seeking grant applications to support projects that design, d emonstrate, or disseminate environmental education practices, me thods, or techniques, including assessing environmental and ecological conditions or specific environmental issues or problems. Proposals will be accepted from education institutions, environmental and educational public agencies, and not-for-profit organizations. Non-federal matching funds are required for at least 25% of the total cost of the project. EPA Headquarters will fund proposals for grants over $25,000 that address capacity building, education reform, and/or community issues. Regional offices will fund grants under $25,000 in the previous categories in addition to health, teaching skills, career development, and /or environm ental justice. Visit their website www.epa.gov/enviroed to view and download the solicitation notice, details of eligible activities, a list of EPA environmental education contacts, tips for developing successful grant applications, descriptions of past projects funded under this program, and other education links an d resource m aterials. The deadline for submitting a proposal is November 22, 1999. H o m e D e p o t E n v i r o n m e n t a l R e s e a r c h / E d u c a t io n G r a n t s . The world's largest do-it-yourself retailer and largest single retailer of lumber in the world awards grants where it thinks it can have the most environmental impact in the areas of Sustainable and Green Building Practices, Forestry and Ecology, Clean-up and Recycling and/or Lead Poisoning P revention. Applications are accepted annually between November 1 st & Decembe r 15th. Any 501©(3) non-profit organization around the globe may apply. Requests can be for any dollar amount. Grant awards since 1995 total in the millions of dollars. Visit http://www.homedepot.com/ for details  click on Environment in the bar on the left, and then click on Outreach & Grants. UPCOMING EVENTS October 12-15, 19 99. S e c o n d N a t i o n a l S m a l l F a r m C o n f e r e n c e , St. Louis, MO. Call Denis Ebodaghe, USDA-CSREES, at (202) 401-4385 for informatio n or visit www .luce.lincolnu.edu/nsfc . October 12-15, 19 99. S o u t he a s t R e g io n a l R e s o u rc e C o n se r va tio n & D e v e l o p m e n t ( R C & D ) A s s o c i a t io n C o n f e r e n c e , San Juan, PR. Call Faye Williams, V.I. RC&D, at (340) 692-9632 x.101 for information. October 19 & 21, 19 99. H y d r o s e e d in g C e r t ifi ca t io n T r a in i ng W o r k sh o p , UVI-CES St. Croix and UVI St. Thomas, USVI respectively. Call Julie Wright, UVI-CES, at (340) 693-1082 for To have you r event includ ed in VI NPS Update , send the event title, date and time, location, contact person and other relevant information to the Editor at the address listed in the box below. Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution results from rain water flowing over and through the ground, picking up pollutants and depositing them into guts, salt ponds, beaches, coastal waters, and ground water. VI NPS UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION FORM VI NPS Update wants to hear from you. Send flyers, news-letters, articles, letters or story ideas to the editor, care of UVI-CES, #2 John Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, VI 00802- 9990, (340) 693-1082, fax (340) 693- 1085, email jwright@uvi.edu Editor & Designer: Julie Wright, UVI-CES Reviewers: Clarice Clarke, UVI-CES, Janice Hodge, DPNR-CZM, Rudy G. O Reilly, Jr., USDA-NRCS Toni Thomas, UVI-CES Photographers: Ronald Olivacce, UVI-WRRi Paige Rothenberger, UVI-VIMAS information or to register. October 26 & 28. N o n p o i n t S o u r c e P o ll u ti o n C o n tr o l a n d M a n a g e m e n t I m p l e m e n t a t io n G r a n t P u b l ic M e e t i n g s, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Flore nce A. W illiams Public Library in Christiansted and the Curriculum Center in An na s Retreat, St. Thomas, USVI, respectively. Call Syed Syedali, DPNR-DEP, at (340) 773-0565 for information. October 29, 1999. University of Minnesota Extension Service Live Satellite-Based Conference, T h e N e x t G e n e r a t i o n o f S e w a g e Tr ea tm en t:  Flu sh ing in t he N ew M illen niu m .  Visit http://www3.extension.umn.edu/water/satconf99.html or call 1- 800-719-2825 for information. Novem ber 2-3, 1999. Coral Reef Task Force Meeting, Tamarind Reef Hotel, St. Croix, USVI. Call Karen Koltes, U.S. Interior Department, at (202) 208-5345 or Michael Crosby, (301) 713-9121 or Roger Griffis, (202) 482-5034, NOAA, for information about the me eting agenda or to register. Novem ber 7, 1999 . E c o -H ik e G u id e -T r ain in g W o r k sh o p , UVI- CES St. Croix, USVI. Call Olasee Davis, UVI-CES, at (340) 778-8676 or (340) 692-4080 for information. Novem ber 12-14 , 1999. S t . T h o m a s - St . J o h n Ag r ic u lt u r e an d F o o d F a i r, Farm Every Day for a He althy Y2K ,  Reichho ld Center for the Arts grounds. Call (340) 693-1080 or (340) 774-5182 for information. Decem ber 1, 2, & 7, 19 99. S a fe & H e a lt h y H o m e W o r k sh o p , UVI- CES St. T homas, St. John & St. Croix, U SVI, respectively. C all Julie Wright, UVI-CES, at (340) 693-1082 for information. Decem ber 14-17 , 2000. National Agriculture Co nservation 20 00 C o n f e r e n c e , New Orleans, LA. Call (765) 494 -9555 or visit http://www .ctic.purdue.edu/ctic/C2000 /C2000.htm for information. January 30 - February 3, 200 0. N a t io n a l A s s o cia tio n o f Co nse rvation D istricts (NAC D) 54 th A n n u a l M e e t i n g, Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO. Hotel Phone: (800) 634-7711. February 21 -25, 2000 . Int e rn at io na l Er o sio n C o nt ro l As so cia tio n (IECA ) 31st A n n u al C o n fe r e n ce a n d E xp o , Palm Sp rings, CA . Visit http://www.ieca.org/ or call 1-800-455-4322 or (970) 879-3010 for information. VI NPS Update is a quarterly newsletter published by the University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service, Kwame Garcia, State Director, and produced by the Virgin Islands Nonpoint Source Pollution Committee to inform the public about projects funded by U.S. EPA Nonpoint Source Polution Management (§319) grants and other NPS pollution control/prevention projects in the territory, and to provide information and material regarding the control/prevention of NPS pollution. No endorsement of products or firms is intended, nor is criticism implied of those not mentioned. Issued by the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in furtherance of the acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Extension programs and policies are consistent with federal and state laws and regulations on non-discrimination regarding race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability or gender preference. Funding for VI NPS Update provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Program through the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources, Dean Plaskett, Commissioner. %¡ YES, please add me to the VI NPS Update mailing list. Name : Organization: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Fax: Email: RETURN TO VI NPS Update at the address listed to the right. Printed on Recycled Paper with Soy Ink.