Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program

Please note that these links go directly to a PDF file. Some of these documents are also listed elsewhere in this website.

PDF files can be read using the free software Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can get Adobe Acrobat Reader free by clicking on the icon and following the instructions.

Advocacy and Review Procedures

In February 2003, the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program adopted Advocacy and Review Procedures. The report outlines major categories of local, state and federal governmental actions for review, the procedures to develop and transmit Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program 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.

The CHNEP demonstrated courage when it adopted its position of advocacy. On December 7, 2001, the CHNEP Policy Committee unanimously adopted the motion to "become a spokesman for the Harbor and the waterbodies in the natural system in the forums where decisions are being made and implementations are being undertaken." Although special reference was made to Minimum Flows and Levels (MFL), Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL), the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and its implications for the Caloosahatchee River, the overall goal was for "the CHNEP to assume the lead role in being the advocate for the Charlotte Harbor Ecosystem Complex and its watersheds." The position further suggested that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the South Florida Water Management District, and the Southwest Florida Water Management District "look to the CHNEP for guidance in setting Goals for the CHNEP study area for their various programs currently underway."

The CHNEP Policy Committee is made up of elected officials and agency heads of federal, state, regional, county, and city agencies. These are the very agencies that will be the likely recipients of CHNEP advocacy. The advocacy position represents a great commitment to partnership and trust between the CHNEP partners.

The aims of the CHNEP’s advocacy stance are:

Environmental Indicators

This document addresses the requirements to develop and set targets for environmental indicators that characterize the ecosystem or one of its components. The indicators characterize the present status of the ecosystem, detect change and determine whether the CCMP objectives to protect the greater Charlotte Harbor watershed are being met. The CHNEP accepted indicators in May 2005, which were updated in May 2008.

Annual Workplans

CHNEP annually prepares a workplan that documents priorities for the next fiscal year and select accomplishments for the current year. Each workplan is approved by the Management Conference and U.S. EPA. The CHNEP fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. For example, the FY10, begins October 1, 2009 and ends September 30, 2010. All the workplans prepared by CHNEP are listed.

Quarterly Environmental Reports

The condition and quality of Charlotte Harbor is monitored by its friends and partners. This monitoring is to help us guide our management of the Harbor to protect the values we all hold dear. The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (NEP) has been established in part to be an advocate of the Harbor, and the things we examine periodically are freshwater flow, water quality, habitat and some special species. Reports are posted on a quarterly basis.

 

State of Charlotte Harbor: A Report on Current Environmental Data in Southwest Florida includes links to stream flow, water releases, red tides and much, more more. It will also include occasional summaries by Program Director Dr. Lisa Beever.

Triennial Implementation Review

The CHNEP was created in 1995 by Section 320 of the Clean Water Act. The federal component of the Program operating funding is administered through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Receipt of these federal funds obligates the Program to adopt an annual workplan (operating budget - see above), adopt a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), provide monitoring reports and undergo a CCMP implementation review with EPA every three years. The first two triennial reports are available as PDF files: Triennial Implementation Review 2002 Report and Triennial Implementation Review 2006 Report.

The implementation review report requires seven components:

Progress Report: 1996-2002

On June 7, 2002, the Policy Committee approved the 2002 Implementation Review Report (Technical Report 02-2) to comply with EPA requirements to close a grant that had been awarded since 1995. A favorable review is required in order for the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program to continue to receive funding, including an estimated $510,000 for fiscal year 2004 (October 1, 2003-September 30, 2004). The progress report, the report required to close the grant, is available as a PDF file. This document (Added to the website in February 2003.)

The report includes: