Elucidating the Nexus of Science and Society in the Morro Bay Ecosystem
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Elucidating the Nexus of Science and Society in the Morro Bay Ecosystem Dean E. Wendt Center for Coastal Marine Sciences California Polytechnic State University Wendt, D.E. Morro Bay Ecosystem Based Management Program TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND VISION FOR ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM..4 2.0 PROGRAM OVERVIEW ................................................................................................5 2.1 Unique Opportunity for EBM 2.2 Comprehensive and Practical Program 2.3 High-Value Objectives and Deliverables 2.4 Built-In Impact, Sustainability, and Replicability 2.5 Proven Leadership to Deliver Results 2.6 Effective Leverage of Volunteer and In-Kind Resources 3.0 PROBLEM DEFINITION AND OVERALL OBJECTIVES ..............................................17 4.0 BACKGROUND ...........................................................................................................17 4.1 Description of Planning Efforts 4.2 Conceptual Model of the Ecosystem 4.3 Definition of EBM 4.4 Current Institutional Framework 4.4.1 Marine Interests Group (MIG) 4.4.2 Morro Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) 4.5 Response to Reviewers’ Comments on the Program Overview and Background Section 5.0 PROJECT ACTIVITIES ...............................................................................................29 5.1 General Overview-----------------------------------------------------------29 5.1.1 Conceptual Model of Ecological Linkages and Production 5.1.2 Adaptability in Program Management 5.1.3 Dissemination of Information and Data 5.1.4 Linkages to Existing Long-Term Coastal Observing, Monitoring, and Research Programs 5.2 Science-Based Activities ----------------------------------------------------32 5.2.1 Water Quality (pg. 32) 5.2.2 Bioindicators (pg.37) 5.2.3 Socioeconomic Indicators (pg. 42) 5.2.4 Nursery and Spawning Grounds (pg. 46) 5.2.5 Human Access (pg. 49) 5.3 Organizational/Institutional Activities --------------------------------------58 5.3.1 Linking Science to Resource Management and Ecosystem Health 5.3.2 Public Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement 5.3.3 Morro Bay EBM Program Organizational Structure (incl. chart) 6.0 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................62 7.0 BUDGET JUSTIFICATION ...........................................................................................67 7.1 Response to Budget Related Questions 2 Wendt, D.E. Morro Bay Ecosystem Based Management Program 8.0 IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT PERSONNEL ...............................................................75 9.0 PLANNING PROCESS PARTICIPANTS .........................................................................75 3 Wendt, D.E. Morro Bay Ecosystem Based Management Program Elucidating the Nexus of Science and Society in the Morro Bay Ecosystem Ecosystem [based] management is not just about science nor is it simply an extension of traditional resource management; it offers a fundamental reframing of how humans may work with nature. R. Edward Grumbine (1994) 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND VISION FOR ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM The past decade has seen a significant paradigm shift in the management of natural resources. A new “ecosystem based management” (EBM) approach emphasizes a more holistic management concept that involves participation of scientists, stakeholders and managers in an institutional network that encompasses the linkages and the boundaries of ecosystems. Programs based on integrated ecosystem approaches hold the most promise for reaching broad conservation, restoration, and sustainability goals. The proposed Morro Bay Ecosystem-Based Management Program applies this integrated approach to the vitally important scientific, resource management, and stakeholder interests related to the health of California’s Morro Bay and associated coastal regions. As diagramed below, our goals include conservation, restoration, and sustainable use informed by high-quality and broadly-shared ecosystem knowledge. Conservation Ecosystem Knowledge Restoration Sustainable Use Resource managers, stakeholders, and scientists have worked together to develop a conceptual model of the watershed, estuary, and nearshore environments. This model has identified critical interrelationships that require targeted research in order to inform important resource management issues and develop shared approaches to resolve them. A science team comprised of proven experts in the specific areas of interest has examined existing data and available tools and has proposed concrete projects to elucidate the model and deliver applicable results. Our program addresses a fundamental problem: Regional efforts to conduct science and manage the resources in the Morro Bay area are currently fragmented within narrowly defined elements of the ecosystem (e.g. land/estuary vs. coastal habitats, conservation vs. economic concerns) and driven by isolated institutions (e.g. local governments, State Parks Coastal Commission, Fish and Game, Regional Water Quality Control Board). Our resulting knowledge of the ecosystem as a whole is severely limited and reflects this historical arrangement. A Packard Foundation planning grant has 4 Wendt, D.E. Morro Bay Ecosystem Based Management Program California Pacific Ocean Figure 1. The Morro Bay Estuary. The estuary is located equidistant from San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Bay is approximately 2,300 acres; it opens into Estero Bay, an open ocean coastal environment. supported the beginnings of a completely new model for ecosystem-based exploration and management of the Morro Bay environment. This full proposal describes our comprehensive plan to enact an integrated program that weds scientific, stakeholder, and management communities across the ecosystem. 2.0 PROGRAM OVERVIEW 2.1 Unique Opportunity for Ecosystem Management The Morro Bay Estuary and adjacent coastal zone provide a unique opportunity within the central coast of California to utilize and benefit from a formalized EBM approach. The Morro Bay Estuary and Watershed is one of the most significant wetland systems on California’s Central Coast (Fig. 1). It juxtaposes a globally significant hotspot for terrestrial biodiversity with a rich and productive coastal marine ecosystem. It serves as a link for many migratory species (e.g., birds, steelhead) and as a permanent home for a variety of fish, mammals, invertebrates, and plants, including 16 federally threatened or endangered species, six of which are endemic to the area. The watershed for the estuary is 48,000 acres (75 square miles) consisting of two primary tributaries the Los Osos and Chorro Creeks (Fig. 2). The bay/estuary is a 2,300-acre semi-enclosed body of water, which flows into the larger Estero Bay. The watershed consists of riparian corridors, agricultural lands, oak grassland, coastal chaparral, and relatively limited urbanization. 5 Wendt, D.E. Morro Bay Ecosystem Based Management Program Figure 2. Detailed view of the two major drainages in the Morro Bay Estuary watershed. Figure taken from MBNEP CCMP. The entire watershed is about 75 square miles. The distribution of habitats within the bay include eelgrass beds, mudflats, salt marsh, sandy beaches, and to a lesser degree emergent rocky substrata. The area outside the bay is dominated by both sandy and rocky intertidal and subtidal benthic habitats with extensive kelp beds north and south of the bay (Figure 1). The Morro Bay Estuary represents a unique opportunity to develop and implement an ecosystem based management model for several key reasons: · Morro Bay Estuary is an ecological jewel, arguably the least impacted and most naturally functioning estuary within Central and Southern California. · The coastal environment of San Luis Obispo County is important as it is within the transition zone between the Oregonian and Californian biogeographic provinces and is considered to be the most productive coastal upwelling zone in California. 6 Wendt, D.E. Morro Bay Ecosystem Based Management Program · Within Central California, the Morro Bay watershed has been identified as one of the most likely places on the Central California Coast to have strong land-to-sea linkages. Indeed, participants at an NCEAS-CCMI workshop in 2004 noted that “…the region encompassing Morro Bay, its watershed, and adjacent coastal areas (e.g., Irish Hills, Coon Creek, Diablo Canyon), is a particularly opportune region for integrated conservation planning and coastal ecosystem-based management (NCEAS-CCMI-3 workshop report, 2004). · The “Morro Bay Ecosystem” includes a functioning commercial and recreational fishing industry, a dense patchwork of coastal state parks, and an increasing population of tourists and retirees. · The Morro Bay Estuary and nearshore coastal area are at the center of several “live” conservation issues that would clearly benefit from our EBM program—the Los Osos sewer project, the Duke Morro Bay Power Plant and Pacific Gas and Electric Diablo Canyon Power Plant larval entrainment controversies, and the establishment of marine reserves as part of the Marine Life Protection Act. · Two established stakeholder entities, the Marine Interests Group of San Luis Obispo County (MIG) and the Morro Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) are utilizing ecosystem approaches to sustain and enhance the marine resources. · The MIG and MBNEP have established productive working relationships among stakeholders (including members from the fishing community, industry such as power companies, environmentalists,