Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program
Introduction to CHNEP who have Obtained Voting Status on the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC)
March 2010
The National Estuary Program was established in 1987 by an amendment to the Clean Water Act to identify, restore and protect estuaries along the coasts of the United States. In 1995, Governor Lawton Chiles submitted an application to designate the estuarine system around Charlotte Harbor. The application was accepted by EPA and the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program was created (CHNEP). There are now 28 “estuaries of national significance” within the National Estuary Program.
In 1996, a decision-making team of local citizens, elected officials, resource managers and resource users, known as the Management Conference, set to work to develop a 20-year Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that identifies the region’s common priority environment issues and actions needed to solve them.
The CCMP was accepted in 2001 then updated in 2008. The four priority problems throughout the region that impact the health of the estuaries are stewardship gaps, fish and wildlife habitat loss, water quality degradation and hydrologic alterations.
The specific purpose of the CHNEP is to ensure that the CCMP to protect the natural environment from Venice to Bonita Springs to Winter Haven is implemented through a partnership by engaging and empowering local citizens, scientists, elected officials, resource managers and resource users.
The region of concern includes the Myakka, Peace and tidal Caloosahatchee river watersheds as the water can’t be protected unless the land that drains into it is also protected. The 4,700-square-mile watershed includes Lee, Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee counties and portions of Polk, Manatee and Sarasota counties.
The CHNEP’s federal parent is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA reviews CHNEP’s progress once every three years. The Program’s local host is the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council. Many government agencies, counties and cities provide financial support to the CHNEP. Some outreach projects are also supported by local foundations, conservation organizations and businesses.
The CHNEP partnership is directed by the Management Conference of four committees. The Management Conference is composed of the Management, Policy, Technical Advisory (TAC) and Citizens Advisory Committees (CAC). Each committee serves a specialized role in supporting the program goals and objectives. The Policy Committee is the final authority over the CHNEP. The Management Committee oversees program operation. The TAC oversees guides technical decisions. The CAC represents the interests of the public.
Membership in both the Management and Policy Committee is established by that committee’s bylaws. The positions held are appointed by the individual agencies listed in the bylaws. The Policy Committee appoints TAC and CAC members.
CAC and TAC provide recommendations independently to the Management and Policy Committees. The Management Committee considers TAC and CAC recommendations and they issue their own recommendations. The Policy Committee considers the recommendations of the three committees and is the final authority of the CHNEP. The Policy Committee is keenly interested in the opinions of all three committees.
The CAC members represent public concerns and transfer information back to their local communities, including distributing information to the public. The CAC provides a mechanism for citizens to advise the CHNEP and may introduce issues for the Management Conference’s consideration. The committee works closely with staff to reinforce and maintain public support for CHNEP, develop public participation strategies, and provide input on public education programs. Membership in the CAC is open to those interested in implementing the CCMP.
People who are interested in joining the CAC as a voting member complete an application for the CAC’s consideration. The CAC’s nominations are then considered for appointment by the Policy Committee at their quarterly meetings (March, May, August and November). Voting members who have not attended CAC meetings during the previous 12 months automatically lose their voting rights. Non-voting members can give input only during the “public comment” segment of the CAC meetings. CHNEP meetings operate under Florida Government in the Sunshine laws.
Each CHNEP committee meets four times a year and other times as needed. The CAC typically meets at 10:00 a.m. on the third Wednesday of February, April, July and October. One other meeting that is automatically scheduled, usually for the first Wednesday in September, is to further the development of the CHNEP calendar.
Subcommittees of the CAC address standing rules, membership, nominating, workplan, environmental indicators, grants and specific events such as the Charlotte Harbor Nature Festival (held once a year), Watershed Summit (held once every three years) and public conferences (held as often as once a year). Subcommittees of the Management Conference address legislative issues and other issues as identified.
The CHNEP’s efforts can be categorized as:
Public outreach
Research
Restoration
Advocacy and legislative action
Management Conference (committees) and Administrative
Other topics as additional funds are received, such as Climate Ready Estuaries
Public outreach is further categorized as:
Communications/Publications
Provide essential ongoing communications so that the CHNEP can address specific requirements and issues associated with the CCMP. These include the CCMP itself, the quarterly newsletter Harbor Happenings, the program website, calendar, children’s book, videos, internships, collateral and other material as identified.
Events/Outreach
Provide events and outreach programs to address specific requirements associated with implementation of the CCMP. These include events such as National Estuaries Days, Charlotte Harbor Nature Festival, Sustainable Communities, professional development opportunity for partners, a public workshop to address specific issues, landscape conservation workshops and efforts to reach target audiences.
Public outreach grants
Support CHNEP partners public outreach initiatives to further the CCMP.
Micro-grants
Provide year-round support of CHNEP partners public outreach initiatives that further the CCMP.
The following items are provided (click on the document title to access the online version):
Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) 2008, 160 pages
The CHNEP works to fulfill its CCMP, a 20-year plan to protect the natural environment of Florida from Venice to Bonita Springs to Winter Haven.
This 20-page document provides an overview of the CHNEP by summarizing the CCMP.
The CHNEP operates under an annual workplan (October 1 to September 30) that is approved by the Management Conference in time for EPA to accept it by June. The workplan describes how the Program is funded, projects underway and how funds are spent.
This document guides how the CAC operates. The last version was approved in 2007.
Advocacy and Review Procedures
Adopted in February 2003, the report outlines major categories of local, state and federal governmental actions for review, the procedures to develop and transmit CHNEP advocacy positions, and procedures to raise issues not within the major categories of action. The procedures contained within this report provide for flexibility and cost-effectiveness. Advocacy activities should not consume CHNEP efforts at the expense of research, restoration, education, and legislative initiatives. Although the procedures are grounded in Federal Consistency Review requirements of NEPs, these procedures provide for all governmental actions.
Regular updates are provided in meeting packets, on the website, in the newsletter and in email correspondence.
Additional information about CHNEP is posted elsewhere on its website www.CHNEP.org.
The CHNEP person who staffs the CAC is:
Maran Hilgendorf, Communications Manager
866/835-5785 x 240
Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program
1926 Victoria Ave
Fort Myers FL 33901-3414