Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program unites government agencies with industry, concerned citizens and others in the Charlotte Harbor watershed to reach agreement on the most pressing problems to maintaining a healthy environment and on methods for solving those problems.
CHNEP is pleased to provide several resources free of charge that will provide you with information to become part of the solution. Technical resources are produced as a result of requests for specific proposals, to document an event and as a request for research and restoration grants (annual grant-making process).
Written technical reports are available as PDF files from this page. These reports are most often the result of a specific request for proposals. These are listed with the most recent report first and oldest report last.
Technical resources that include material in addition to written reports such as PowerPoint presentations, maps, etc. are listed on this page. These reports are most often the result of a specific request for proposals or document an event. To order one of these items you must complete the on-line request form. (Additional material produced by the CHNEP is also listed on the on-line request form. These materials include the Program management plan and newsletter Harbor Happenings, administrative documents, materials that describe events supported by CHNEP and materials developed for the general public.)
Written grant reports are available as PDF files on the page. The work described in this section is the result of a competitive grant process.
CHNEP hosts and sponsors many events, including technical workshops, public conferences and Charlotte Harbor Watershed Summit.
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.
Mapping the characteristics and condition of the Charlotte Harbor coastal shoreline
This project developed a shoreline condition map for the coastal areas within the CHNEP boundary. A twofold program was developed to address both large- and small-scale shoreline conditions: a volunteer boater survey and photointerpretation mapping. Volunteers attended a luncheon November 17, 2007, where they heard presentations and received a draft report. The draft report and presentations are available from the website. Only information developed as part one of this two-part project is available. Completion of part two is planned for summer of 2008 and will include GIS files. Request a DVD of the support materials by completing the online order form.
This project, conducted by Mote Marine Laboratory on behalf of CHNEP, includes the 232-page Benthic Invertebrate Species Richness and Diversity at Different Habitats in the Greater Charlotte Harbor System, a 28-page supplement, Common Macrobenthic Invertebrates of Charlotte Harbor that illustrates some of the common species. Both documents include hyperlinks to Internet sources for additional information. The CD contains these two reports, raw data, data from similar studies, images, maps and geographic information system (GIS) files. The results of the project illustrate that, in general, the upper estuary, lower salinity regions exhibit the greatest abundance of organisms but have a lower overall species diversity. This relationship is a paradigm of estuarine ecology. Fresh water brings nutrients and organic matter into the sea via the mixing zone known as the estuary. December 2007. Request a DVD of the support materials by completing the online order form.
Historic coastal benthic habitat map (No files on this project are posted on this website.)
This joint CHNEP, Southwest and South Florida water management districts project mapped historic seagrass, oyster bar and intertidal unvegetated areal extent in the coastal Charlotte Harbor region. Photo Science Inc. located 1948 photos of Sarasota County, 1951–1952 images of Charlotte County and 1953 images of Lee County from the National Archives. These black and white images were scanned, orthorectified, aeriotriangulated and mosaiked into a GIS-based product. The images were then interpreted using Florida FLUCCS codes. The CD includes the geodatabase of historic coastal benthic habitats, including metadata describing the methods used and a bay-by-bay segment data table listing habitat acreages by FLUCCS code. November 2007. Request a DVD of the support materials by completing the online order form.
This report summarizes seven years of seagrass transect data collected by the FDEP Charlotte Harbor and Estero Bay Aquatic Preserves. Information is presented about seagrass status and trends focusing on species distribution, composition, abundance and deep edge. The seagrass transect monitoring data compliments seagrass aerial photography and prop scar studies. Data analyses were completed with assistance from the CHNEP. The transect work is ongoing. September 2007.
Charlotte Harbor and Estero Bay Aquatic Preserves Status and Trends form 1998-2005
CHNEP has supported the Charlotte Harbor Estuaries Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Network for several years. This report documents the results of this network for the seven-year period from 1998 to 2005. A coordinated system of volunteer water quality monitoring groups for six FDEP Aquatic Preserves within the CHNEP study area built on and coordinated with existing volunteer Programs in Lemon Bay and northern Charlotte Harbor. Sites added include Charlotte Harbor, Gasparilla Sound, Cape Haze, Pine Island Sound, Matlacha Pass, and Estero Bay. Concerned, well-trained volunteers proved that they can collect high quality, credible data. The network has such a strong project design and quality assurance methods that the data is used regularly by researchers, resource managers and regulators throughout the region. September 2007. Reports produced as a result of specific grants are posted on this website under grant-funded projects.
Water quality data analysis and report 2007
This report updates the 2003 water quality status and trends analyses, including trends analysis reporting trends in water quality by region, by station and by surface/bottom depth for each water quality analyte for two different time periods. It also evaluates the data for trends in rainfall and hydrologic changes and analyses data collected by the Coastal Charlotte Harbor Monitoring Network, an interagency monitoring program that collects monthly water quality data for the 270 square mile coastal Charlotte Harbor region. This Network uses a probabilistic sampling design to monitor such a large area. The CD includes a database of all surface and groundwater quality, precipitation and streamflow data used in the report, GIS files and results of the thousands of analyses, as well as a report validating the optical model used in the CHNEP water quality targets. July 2007. Request a DVD of the support materials by completing the online order form.
“Lessons Learned from Transferring Science to Watershed Management,
a special issue of the Florida Scientist dedicated to the Charlotte Harbor region, a special issue of Florida Scientist, 2006 (Volume 69, Supplement 2): This issue includes 13 articles written by local researchers, resource managers and educators. The CHNEP hosts triennial conferences for area scientists, resource managers, planners, industry staff and citizens to learn more about current research and restoration efforts as well as critical environmental issues affecting the Charlotte Harbor watershed. Charlotte Harbor Watershed Summits are opportunities for participants to review progress since the preceding summit. Due to a request by the Charlotte Harbor technical community to have the proceedings of the 2005 Watershed Summit published in a scientific, peer-reviewed journal, the Florida Academy of Sciences published a special issue of the Florida Scientist for these proceedings. 2006.Numeric Water Quality Targets for CHNEP
To offset future development and maintain current water quality, CHNEP will use an optical model to establish water quality targets for color, turbidity and chlorophyll a specific to each estuarine segment of the greater Charlotte Harbor watershed. This document provides methods, resource-based approach, next steps and conclusion in order that water quality goals will allow appropriate water clarity conditions for the maximum depth distribution of seagrass meadows as they currently exist. 82 pages. November 2006.
Lower Charlotte Harbor Reconnaissance Report: Part 1 (to page 56), Part 2 (page 57 to end)
The Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Act recognizes "that the water quality of many of the surface waters of the state has been degraded." This final draft provides data to South Florida Water Management District to assist in their development of a SWIM Plan for Lower Charlotte Harbor. This includes Pine Island Sound, Matlacha Pass, East and West Caloosahatchee, Estero Bay and the lower portion of Charlotte Harbor proper. 150 pages. May 2006.
Analysis of hydrologic conditions within the CHNEP study area (No files on this project are posted on this website.)
This report describes existing information on hydrologic conditions and spatial and temporal analyses of groundwater levels within the CHNEP study area and implications to surface flows. The CD includes the report and appendices, GIS data for locations of monitoring sites, a database of compiled groundwater level and surface flow and stage data as well as the results of thousands of analyses of these data. December 2005. Request a DVD of the support materials by completing the online order form.
Estuaries Report Card, 2005: Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program is pleased to have supported an Estuaries Report Card produced by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. The report rates each watershed estuary in Southwest Florida with a grade on a scale of A+ to F- for two categories: water quality and wildlife habitat. The analysis graded the health of 10 estuary watersheds: Coastal Venice, Lemon Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Pine Island Sound, Caloosahatchee River, Estero Day, which are all located within the CHNEP study area, and the Wiggins Pass/Cocohatchee River, Naples Bay, Rookery Bay and Ten Thousand Islands, which are located south of the CHNEP study area.Two versions of the report are available as PDF files: a 203-page full report and the 16-page summary.
Environmental Indicators for the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program
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. 69 pages. May 2005.
Assessment of Boat Propeller Scar Damage within the Greater Charlotte Harbor Region
This cooperative effort between the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and the CHNEP updates the 1995 state-wide effort to assess the extent, location and severity of boat propeller scars for the coastal Charlotte Harbor area, including parts of Sarasota County (Sargent et al 1995). This CD/DVD contains the final report, the report Scarring of Florida’s Seagrasses: Assessment and Management Options by Sargent, F.J., W.B. Sargent, T.J. Leary, D.W. Crewz, and C.R. Kruer written in 1995 for the Florida Marine Research Institute, scanned, georeferenced and mosaicked aerial photos used for the 1999 seagrass maps by South and Southwest Florida water management districts, GIS files, overflight photography and the seagrass toolkit created by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. December 2004. Request a DVD of the support materials by completing the online order form.
Hurricane Impacts on Coastal Ecosystems, a special issue of Estuaries and Coasts, December 2006 (Volume 29, Number 6a) : 2004 is a year many will long remember as Florida’s year of the hurricane. Five named storms impacted Florida within two months. Many area scientists and managers studied the affects of the hurricanes and published 16 articles on hurricane impacts on coastal ecosystems, primarily from studies focused on the 2004 and 2005 Florida hurricane season, in a special issue of Estuaries and Coasts, the journal of the Estuarine Research Federation.
Coastal Charlotte Harbor Monitoring Network
This document explains the long-term monitoring strategy approved by the CHNEP Management Conference in 2000 and a regional programs that helps implement this strategy. 48 pages. March 2004.
Long Term Monitoring Strategy and Gap Analysis
Identifies additional monitoring required and inconsistent protocols used by existing programs. 100 pages. February 2000.
Data Management, Analysis, and Exchange Strategy
Provides information about technical information available, facilitates the exchange of this information, and supports efforts for the analysis of scientific information. 79 pages. June 1999.
Synthesis of Existing Information Volume 1
Characterizes water quality, hydrologic alterations, and fish and wildlife habitat in the greater Charlotte Harbor watershed. 524 pages. April 1999.
Synthesis of Existing Information Volume 2
Appendices for Volume 1, includes data on rainfall, streamflow, surface water quality, pollution potential models, and land use. 551 pages. April 1999.
Estimated Economic Value of Resources
Measures the economic value of activities, amenities and nonuse satisfaction levels dependent on the natural resources of the watershed. 92 pages. March 1998.
Base Programs Analysis Volume 2: Connections and Gaps
Identifies how natural resource management programs are successfully linked and identifies the weaknesses of those linkages to adequately manage the area’s natural resources. 36 pages. August 1998.
Base Programs Analysis Volume 1: Description of the Existing Laws, Policy, and Resource Management Structure in the Greater Charlotte Harbor Watershed (part 1, part 2 of volume 1)
Reviews current institutional management structure of natural resources in the study area, provides a brief snapshot of the socioeconomic conditions, and describes the current public and private regulatory programs. 162 pages. April 1998.
Compendium of Current Monitoring Programs in the Greater Charlotte Harbor Watershed
Provides information on all existing land, air, and water monitoring programs that pertain to the study area. 187 pages. October 1997.
Revised: May 08, 2008