Guánica Bay Watershed

A NOAA funded team of scientists and students from the
University of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Coral Reef
Institute (CCRI), in collaboration with the University of North Carolina Wilmington, have found thriving Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCEs) within a 12 mile span off the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico.

MCEs are light-dependent coral communities (and
associated communities of algal, sponge and fish species) that occur in depths of 30-100 meters. The scientists are primarily using remotely-operated vehicles (ROV), mixed gas, and rebreather technologies. The goals of the research are to characterize distribution, composition, productivity and susceptibility to stressors.

Mesophotic reefs may serve as potential sources to reseed
or replenish degraded shallow-water reefs. They may also serve as essential fish
habitat for important species. More information on the survey can be found at:
http://ccri.uprm.edu/media/Mesophotic_Web_page/index_dcres.html

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management and conservation of all types of forests. Healthy forest ecosystems are ecological life-support systems. The natural benefits that a forest ecosystem provides are known collectively as “forest ecosystem services.”Tropical forests provide many valuable products including fruits and nuts, meat, medicines and drugs, tropical plants (such as bromeliads and orchids), lumber, firewood, and charcoal.
Tropical forests also provide a number of services that are vital to human health and livelihood, such as air and water purification, flood and climate regulation, biodiversity, and scenic landscapes. For example, in the Guánica Bay Watershed, forests moderate stream flow. Trees slow the onslaught of tropical downpours, use and store vast quantities of water, and help hold the soil in place. When trees are cleared, rainfall runs off more quickly, contributing to floods and erosion.

On February 13-18, 2011, the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) will convene its biennial Aquatic Sciences Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Scientists from around the world will converge on the Puerto Rico Convention Center (PRCC) to discuss emerging science on limnology and oceanography in a changing world. (Limnology is the scientific study of bodies of freshwater). The goal of this conference is to bring together an international group of freshwater and marine scientists to meet the challenge of global change, exploring diversity and connections across the range of aquatic systems impacted by humans. The ASLO Aquatic Sciences Meeting is a widely recognized venue for scientific exchange across all aquatic disciplines. There will be several presentations that focus on issues in the Guánica Bay Watershed. The full schedule can be found at: https://www.aslo.org/meetings/sanjuan2011/full_schedule.html#sat12.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications proposing the development of assessments, tools and techniques, and demonstration of innovative technologies for providing information and capacity to adequately prepare for climate-induced changes in extreme events in the context of air and water quality management. A goal of this RFA is to seek a better understanding of the hazards (the extreme events) and to establish ways for climate scientists, impact assessment modelers, air and water quality managers, and other stakeholders to co-produce information necessary to form sound policy in relation to extreme events and their impact on air and water quality under a changing climate. Open Date: 01/20/2011. Close Date: 04/18/2011. More information is available at: https://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2011/2011_star_extremeevent.html.

The Guánica State Forest is a subtropical dry forest located within the Guánica Bay watershed. Subtropical dry forests occur in regions where there are several months of severe drought, with most rain falling during a (usually) brief wet season. The absence of precipitation during a prolonged portion of the year is what produces the dry forest, an ecosystem type characterized by plants and animals possessing specific adaptations to survive the dry season.

The forest encompasses almost 9,500 acres (38 km2) acres and is maintained by the Departmento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA). Due to its ecological importance, it has been designated as a United Nations International Biosphere Reserve.The forest offers 36 miles (58km) of trails through four forest types (deciduous trees, a coastal region with tree-size milkweed and nine-foot-tall prickly pear cactus, a mahogany forest, and twisted gumbo limbo trees). It is home to about 50% of Puerto Rico‘s terrestrial bird species, including the rare guabairo (Puerto Rican Nightjar), making it a bird-watcher‘s paradise.

In partial fulfillment of commitments to the Guánica Bay Watershed Initiative, USEPA performed a coral reef survey along the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico from November 27-December 15, 2010. The EPA dive team, which included divers from EPA Regions 2, 4 and 6, Office of Research and Development, Environmental Response Team and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, performed 432 dives at 73 stations on shallow hardbottom areas along some 50 miles of coast from Cabo Roja to east of Jobos Bay. Survey teams were housed aboard EPA‘s Ocean Survey Vessel (OSV) BOLD, which supports up to 20 scientists and is equipped for Nitrox diving (extending the possible diving time). Small dive boats were deployed daily to reach survey locations.

The primary objective of this survey was to assess the potential impact of sediments and other watershed stressors on coral reef communities. Pollutants, nutrients and litter enter near shore waters through rivers, streams, waste water and storm water runoff. Areas far from the coast can affect the clarity and quality of water flowing to the reef. The Guánica Bay Watershed Initiative is focused on mitigating pollution from agriculture and urban development in the Guánica Bay Watershed . (CLICK PHOTO to enlarge)Perhaps one of the biggest challenges confronting coral reef managers is distinguishing effects of human activity. One way to evaluate responsiveness is to measure the responses of potential indicators across a gradient of human disturbance. Measurements are made at sampling locations within and progressively removed from an area affected by humans. If human influence is significant, it can alter the responses of indicators that are sensitive to the activity.

EPA used this sampling approach to select site locations that may reflect a gradient of human influence. Efforts were targeted to potential stress from watersheds adjacent to La Parguera, Guánica Bay, Guayanilla and Jobos Bay. Sampling locations extend across and beyond the presumed zone of influence.

Assessments included measurements of stony corals, octocorals, sponges, fish and megafauna at each location. Because aquatic plants and animals are constantly exposed to the effects of various stressors, these communities reflect not only current conditions, but also stresses and changes in conditions over time and their cumulative impacts.

Divers followed EPA and NOAA protocols. For stony corals, divers took three simple underwater observations (colony identification, size and percent live tissue). Octocorals and sponges were classified by morphology (shape and structure) and measured. Divers counted fish and identified them by species and size class. Photos and videos were used to document the reef communities observed at each station.

Similar surveys have been performed at St. Thomas (USVI) and along inner reefs of La Parguera (2009). Results of this type of survey, called a “human disturbance gradient,” are used for evaluating which indicators successfully detect human disturbance signals over natural variation, and lead to a better understanding of the type and intensity of stressors that impact shallow coral reefs. Once the links between stressor and condition are established, then reasonable controls in the watershed, such as those proposed in the Guánica Bay Watershed Management Plan, can be implemented and monitored for performance.

The governments of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have signed an agreement to coordinate planning for marine and coastal areas around the two U.S. Caribbean territories. Under the alliance, the directors of the coastal zone management programs from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will be responsible for coordinating scientific research, planning and technical issues at the local and regional levels to promote the sustainable use of marine and coastal resources. Puerto Rico Natural & Environmental Resources Secretary Daniel Galán Kercadó stated ―these marine ecosystems include important coral reefs and sea plants that warrant special protection.‖

The agreement stems from an executive order issued in June 2010 by President Barack Obama setting a new national policy for strengthening the way the U.S. manages its oceans and coasts, and the Great Lakes. A key tenet of the policy is a zoning process, known as marine spatial planning, that confines some recreational and commercial activities to designated areas. Proponents of the process say it will help balance and manage competing uses of the oceans.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is a congressionally established nonprofit organization. Its goal is to sustain, restore and enhance the Nation‘s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. For nearly a decade, NFWF has worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to build partnerships and leverage resources for effective stewardship of marine and coastal resources, and the communities that depend on them. NFWF has established the Coral Reef Conservation Fund to support NOAA and the US Coral Reef Task Force. The purpose of the Coral Reef Conservation Fund is to build public-private partnerships to reduce and prevent degradation of coral reefs and associated reef habitats (e.g. seagrass beds, mangroves etc.). Since the establishment of the Coral Fund in 2000, the partnership has grown to include several federal and private sector funders.

In December, NFWF hosted a Networking Workshop to bring together recent grant recipients and federal, territorial and non-profit agencies conducting work in the Guánica/Rio Loco watershed. The workshop provided grantees with an opportunity to network amongst themselves and with local agency representatives to learn about the ongoing projects and how everything fits together into the broader effort.

A folder for the workshop has been set up on the EPA Environmental Science Connector‘s Coral Reefs Puerto Rico project. The folder contains a workshop overview, handouts, and presentations. More information about NFWF and their coral reef programs can be found at: https://www.nfwf.org/coral.

The 25th bi-annual meeting of the United States Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) will be held in Washington, DC from February 22-25, 2011. The USCRTF was established in 1998 by Presidential Executive Order to lead U.S. efforts to preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems. The USCRTF includes leaders of 12 Federal agencies, seven U.S. States, Territories, Commonwealths, and three Freely Associated States. The USCRTF helps build partnerships, strategies, and support for on-the-ground action to conserve coral reefs.

The Business Meeting is open to the public and will be held on February 24th at the Department of the Interior Auditorium, 1849 C St, NW, Washington DC 20240. Registration is requested for all events associated with the meeting. More information about the meeting can be found at: https://www.coralreef.gov/meeting25/welcome.html.

Each year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) honors individuals, businesses and organizations that have contributed significantly to improving the environment and protecting public health in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight federally recognized Indian Nations over the past year. EPA is now seeking nominations for this annual award. Winners will be honored at an awards event in April 2011. Each winner will receive a plaque recognizing his or her environmental achievement at a ceremony in late April coinciding with Earth Day. The Agency is accepting nominations for its Environmental Quality Awards until February 22, 2011.

The awards recognize achievement in six categories:

• · Individual Citizen

• · Non-Profit Organization, Environmental or Community Group

• · Environmental Education

• · Business and Industry

• · Federal, State, Local or Tribal Government or Agency

• · Press and Media

For award criteria, prior winners and nomination instructions, visit EPA’s Environmental Quality Award webpage at https://www.epa.gov/region2/eqa.