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Home , Albemarle Sound, North Carolina

Albemarle- National Partnership (APNEP)

North Carolina’s Connection to the Southern Watersheds of

Stacey Webb Feken Policy and Engagement Manager

City of Virginia Beach Sea Level Rise Summer Symposium Series September 19, 2018

V B G O V . C O M / B U I L D I N G A S H A R E D V I S I O N

All of Virginia Is *Not* in the Watershed

virginiaplaces.org Celebrate Week, September 15-22 www.estuaries.org

Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System: Nation’s 2nd Largest Estuary Chesapeake Bay

Albemarle

Pamlico Sound

Cape Hatteras

Cape Lookout Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System

• Complex estuarine system • Network of 8 major sounds –Back, Bogue, Core, , Currituck, Roanoke, Albemarle, Pamlico • Drained by 6 major river basins • Semi-enclosed lagoonal system • Approximately 3,000 square miles of open water.

Estuaries: Where Rivers Meet the Sea

 Over 28,000 square miles of land drain to the sounds through more than 10,000 miles of rivers and streams.  6 River Basins: Chowan, Pasquotank, Roanoke, Tar- Pamlico, Neuse, White Oak (Carteret County)  3 major basins originate in Virginia

Why is the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system important?

Estuaries: “Nurseries of the Sea”

• Among the most productive ecosystems in the world.

• Home to unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to brackish water.

• Many animals rely on estuaries for food, habitat, places to breed, and migration stopovers.

Ecosystem Services of Estuaries

 Economic Valuation of the Albemarle-Pamlico Watershed (RTI, 2016)

 Wetlands act as natural filters of pollutants

 Protection from floods and storms

 Reduce shoreline erosion

Over $3.7 billion from fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing

Annual value of $640 million for visits to national seashores, wildlife refuges, and state parks.

Preservation of habitat for nongame wildlife species ranges $133 to $202 million per year. Estuaries Support Fisheries • Over 75% of the commercially or recreationally valuable fish species of the Atlantic seaboard rely on the Albemarle-Pamlico system for some portion of their life cycle.

• Includes striped bass, summer flounder, blue crab and shrimp. Aesthetic value

National Estuary Program: Estuaries of National Significance

• Designated as an estuary of national significance by Congress in 1987.

• One of 28 National Estuary Programs established under Section 320 of the Clean Water Act (CWA).

• Funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a grant to the NC Department of Environmental Quality.

APNEP’s Mission:

To identify, restore, and protect the significant resources of the Albemarle- Pamlico estuarine system.

Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine Study (APES)

 Historically, APNEP’s approach to its has included:

 Research and monitoring to identify the abundant resources of the region (over 150 studies funded).

 Support of applied science initiatives to inform environmental decision- making

 Inclusive, collaborative, and consensus‐driven initiatives

 Ecosystem Based Management:  Holistic, systems based approach.  Recognize that humans part of the ecosystem.

How We Work: NEPs are locally based, stakeholder driven, non-regulatory programs

 Boundary organization: promote information sharing between scientists and decision makers

 Stakeholders are citizens, scientists, private sector/interest groups, NGOs, and all levels of government

 Partners involved in decision making that benefits region and estuarine system

 Committees and teams guide APNEP priorities and focus

APNEP Management Conference Established by ’s Executive Order Some form required of all National Estuary Programs

Leadership Council STAFF

Science and Implementation Technical Advisory Advisory Committee Committee

Monitoring & Assessment Teams Citizens, Implementation Action Managers, Teams Scientists Who We Work With:

 NC Sea Grant, Currituck County, Carteret • Our role is to Community College, Weyerhaeuser, Soil & coordinate and Water Conservation Districts, NC of Coastal Management, NC & VA Natural bring together Heritage, Land Conservancy, Division of Mitigation Services, UNC-IMS, CSI, Hampton multiple levels Roads Planning District Commission, NC of government, Division of Marine Fisheries, Environmental Education Fund, NCSU Water Quality Group, academia, UNC-CH, Partnership for the Sounds, Several RC&Ds, , Pitt County, NCSU NGOs, citizens, Extension, NC Forest Service, Resources, NC private sector. Coastal Reserve, NC Coastal Federation, NOAA, Elizabeth City State University, NC National • Common goal: Estuarine Research Reserve, USFWS, The Nature Conservancy, Mid-Atlantic Association protect and Marine Educators, NC Maritime Museum, East improve the , SALCC, Sound Rivers, Nottoway Riverkeeper, and more. . . sounds.

What: Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) Implementation

 Collaborative actions for protecting and restoring the Albemarle-Pamlico Ecosystem

 58 CCMP actions: including land conservation, fish habitat, environmental education, wetland & hydrologic restoration, water quality, sea level rise & climate change, ecosystem monitoring, applied research…

 Projects & initatives must align with objectives and actions in the CCMP.

How We Work: Integrate Regional Management Plans

 Survey of partners’ strategic / action plans

 Identify & fill gaps; avoid duplication of effort

 Leverage resources

 Support partners

 Adaptive management: assess progress and needs in the region

Where We Work: Headwaters to the Sounds Watershed Approach to estuarine protection

Water from 43 NC counties and 38 VA counties & cities drain into the sounds. 19 VA counties/cities are in management region. What do we share?

Intercoastal Waterway: Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal

The Albemarle-Pamlico System is hydrologically connected to the Chesapeake Bay system via the ICWW. Shared Waterways  Over half of the water entering comes from Virginia

 Upstream actions affect downstream water quality and ecological health of estuary Shared Waterways: Southern Watersheds of Virginia Beach

 Scale dependent:  Basin (NC)  Albemarle Sound Coastal Watershed (VA)

 Southern Watersheds (VA Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk):  North Landing River  Northwest River  Back Bay

History of Collaboration with Virginia

• 2001 Memorandum of Agreement

• Advisory Committee Members from VA

• Position in VADEQ Regional Office since 1990’s

• Participation in 1990 Back Bay Symposium

2017 Memorandum of Understanding • Facilitated by APNEP

• MOU between Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources, NC Department of Environmental Quality, NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

• Foster interstate collaboration throughout the Albemarle- Pamlico region to improve the ecological health and water quality in shared waterways. 2017 Memorandum of Understanding: Cooperative Conservation and Management Objectives of the Albemarle-Pamlico Region

 Coastal Resilience  Fish habitat and passage   Land Conservation  Water Quality  Hydrologic restoration of floodplains and streams  Public access to waterways, public lands, trails  Education & Outreach

IDENTIFY: Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Mapping

PROTECT: Coastal Habitat Protection Plan

PROTECT: Partnerships with Forestry  Water quality protection: bridgemat crossings on forestry operations

 River basin & watershed deck; outdoor classroom at educational state forest

RESTORE: Economic Analysis of Oyster Restoration Most significant economic benefits: . Expected benefits valued at $82 million . Every $1 invested provides $4 in return . Grant funding: . created over 50 jobs, . generated $7.9 million in revenue to businesses ENGAGE: Stewardship, Outdoor Experiences, Teacher Education

MONITOR: Albemarle Sound Monitoring Project

PROTECT/ENGAGE: Hydrilla Monitoring and Outreach APNEP – Virginia Partnerships

 Current Management Conference members:  Kirk Havens, VIMS  Carl Hershner, VIMS  Tom Allen, ODU

 Past members:  VA Secretary of Natural Resources  VA Natural Resources  VA Cooperative Extension  Blackwater Nottoway Riverkeeper  Many more….

 New VA Liaison in VADEQ: Steven Hummel

Albemarle Chowan Watershed Roundtable

 Improve water quality in the Basin  Increase watershed awareness among public  Coordinate outreach, land conservation, monitoring, science, management, and policy efforts within the region.  Members include The Nature Conservancy, Cooperative Extension, Soil & Water Conservation Districts, VA Division of Forestry… APNEP Participation in Virginia Initiatives

• Red Mill Elementary Riparian Buffer Demonstration, VA Beach • Oil & Tire Recycling • E.W. Wyatt Nature Classroom, Emporia • J.E.J Moore Middle Nature Trail & Outdoor Classroom, Disputanta • Water quality lesson plans • Chowan Basin brochures • ACWRT Rivers Day IDENTIFY: Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences Ecosystem Assessment Tool

 Analyze the status and trends of water quality parameters within the Chowan and Pasquotank Rivers.

 Integrate data and management programs across state boundaries in shared waterways.

 Assess the state of the entire APNEP ecosystem using indices of environmental quality. IDENTIFY: NASA Develop Studies

• Evaluating the Application of NASA Earth Observations to Rapidly Detect Change in Wetland Types at a Regional Scale • Monitor wetland extent and health over a fifteen- year timespan (2000- 2015) in the Albemarle- Pamlico estuarine system. • NASA’s Landsat 5, 7 and 8 were used to collect imagery. RESTORE: Dismal Habitat Enhancement & Hydrologic Restoration

 Atlantic white cedar restoration  Friends of  Navy Volunteers  Boy Scouts  Hydrologic Restoration: Landscape-scale conservation  The Nature Conservancy  Dismal Swamp State Park  NC DEQ  NCSU  APNEP

ENGAGE: Virginia Watersheds Southern Watershed Area Management Program (SWAMP) Assistance  Protect and enhance the natural resources, sensitive lands and water supplies of the Southern Watersheds of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.

 Collaborative effort among the cities of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach along with the Planning District Commission (HRPDC) and the Virginia Coastal Program.

 APNEP provided funding for planning efforts.

 Participated in The Green Sea Blueway and Greenway Management Plan development. How can we work together in the shared watersheds? 2017 Memorandum of Understanding: Cooperative Conservation and Management Objectives of the Albemarle-Pamlico Region

 Data & Information sharing  Develop that cross interstate boundaries  Interstate workgroups: ACWRT, APNEP teams, MOU Task Force??  Joint scientific meetings & conferences  Leverage funding & resources  Educational materials  Foster regional stewardship

IDENTIFY/RESTORE: Chowan Basin algal blooms  Connect VA/NC partners; information sharing  VADEQ, Albemarle Commission, Albemarle RC&D, NCDWR  CWMTF grant to study causes of blooms PROTECT: Chowan Healthy Watersheds Initiative

 Surveys of rivers and streams throughout the Chowan Basin, as well as the integration of available data from both states.  Current focus on implementation: conservation & protection of high quality watersheds  VA Natural Heritage Program, VA Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia Commonwealth University, NC Division of Water Resources ENGAGE: Education & Outreach Materials

Economic Valuation of the Albemarle-Pamlico Watershed

. Economic benefits exceed $475 million for commercial sectors that depend directly on natural resources, including agriculture, forestry and commercial fishing.

. Forests in the watershed store over 400 million tons of carbon, providing an annual societal value of $1.7 billion per year. Additional estimates for wetlands and seagrass.

. Local governments in APNEP region have utilized report in comprehensive plan development.

. Next steps: quantify additional ecosystem services from wetlands & SAV including storm damage reduction and water quality improvements. ENGAGE: Assist state, regional, and local governments with incorporating climate change and sea level rise considerations into their planning processes.

 NOAA /VIMS Coastal Resilience grant: quantify benefits of natural features in building coastal resilience.  Information Sharing:  VA Sea Grant workshop in Camden last year: Dewberry / VA Sea Grant  NC Sea Grant / of Nags Head VCAPS  Future workshops in northeastern North Carolina

www.apnep.org

 Mailing list: e-newsletter

 Social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

 Soundings blog: Write a guest post!!

 Stacey Feken [email protected] 919-707-8657