Remapping the Condition of the Shoreline — You Can Help

Volunteers Needed to Update Shoreline Survey

In 2007, more than 100 citizen kayakers and boaters and scientists completed the first comprehensive mapping of the Charlotte and Lee county portion of the estuarine shoreline of the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) study area. The volunteers collected more than 5,000 important pieces of information about how much shoreline was natural vegetation, nonnative vegetation or “hardened” with seawalls or riprap. They also estimated hurricane damage to the vegetation.

The 2007 shoreline survey combined on-site field visits by volunteers with aerial photography interpreted by scientists at Photo Science. Photo Science compared this data to aerial photo data and then incorporated it into the Tidal Charlotte Harbor Shoreline Condition Map report (PDF @ 3791 KB), which was published in November 2008. The report includes photointerpretation of the entire 2,200-mile shoreline within the CHNEP study area.

With volunteer help, the CHNEP plans on updating the shoreline survey by spring of 2010. It will be interesting to see how the vegetation has recovered since Hurricane Charley and how human activities have changed in the last three years.

We need a rejuvenated corps of volunteer kayakers and boaters to help conduct the shoreline survey update. No experience is necessary. The CHNEP will provide the training and materials, though volunteers will need to have their own water transportation. Background information about the study methods is available on the CHNEP website. We will be organizing volunteers and team leaders beginning in October.

The shoreline survey provided accurate shoreline vegetation condition information. This information helps resource managers make decisions that restore and maintain estuary shorelines that support diverse fishery and invertebrate populations. Survey information helps implement the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), the CHNEP’s plan to protect the environment.

The data are being used in a study of wetland conditions and changes within the watershed conducted by the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council and the CHNEP. This study is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the CHNEP. The results of the Watershed Analysis of Permitted Coastal Wetland Impacts and Mitigation Methods Within the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program Study Area will be available in 2010. This study will include information from both the 2007 and 2010 shoreline studies

If you would like to volunteer for the shoreline survey or would like more information about the project, please contact CHNEP Program Scientist Judy Ott (jott@swfrpc. org, 866/835-5785, ext. 230).

The report is summarized in the winter 2009 issue of Harbor Happenings; the volunteer aspects were included in the winter 2007 issue. (All issues of the newsletter are available as PDF files on the website.)

 

 

Mapping the characteristics and condition of the Charlotte Harbor coastal shoreline in 2007 using volunteer boater observations and photointerpretation

 

This project developed a shoreline condition map for the coastal areas within the CHNEP boundary that is used as a tool for decision makers, scientists and resource users. The data and map also:

A two-fold program was developed in order to address both large and small scale shoreline conditions. For one aspect of the project a volunteer boater survey was developed to enlist the assistance of many of the resource users. The second portion of the program involves a photointerpretation mapping approach.

The volunteer shoreline study will be held in 2009-2010. For more information or to volunteer, please contact CHNEP Program Scientist Judy Ott at 866/835-5785 x 230 or jott@swfrpc.org.