Information Request for National Estuarine Research Rese

INFORMATION REQUEST FOR NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVES

(This information request is sent to the state’s National Estuarine Research Reserve manager. Citations in parentheses are the requirements of the CZMA for which the requested information is needed to evaluate the reserve’s performance and compliance.)

For the evaluation period (month/year through month/year):

Section I: Administration, Operations, Management, and Facilities (16 USC §1458(a); 16 USC §1461(f)(1); 15 CFR 921.40(b)(1), (3), and (6))

1. Provide an organization chart for:

(a) the reserve’s lead agency, and

(b) the reserve.

2. Provide a staffing list for the reserve, including:

(a) name and title of each staff member,

(b) full or part-time status of each,

(c) source of position funding for each,

(d) subject/topic area(s) of work and responsibility for each,

(e) loss or gain of positions during the evaluation period, and

(f) number of vacant positions with length of each vacancy at the time of the response to this request.

3. Identify any non-CZMA federal or state match program funding (i.e., other federal, state, and private funding) in the amount of $25,000.00 or more for each year of the evaluation period by source, amount, and how those funds were used.

4. Identify the composition of advisory committee(s) or board(s), meeting frequency, and the committee’s or board’s role.

5. If the reserve management plan is not up-to-date, please describe a plan and timeline for how this is being or will be addressed.

6. In one page or less, summarize how the reserve funds and maintains facilities and note any major changes to reserve facilities and infrastructure.

7. In one page or less, summarize the results and impacts of any geographic information system (GIS) products developed by the reserve and used by partners and reserve staff.

8. In one page or less, summarize how the reserve’s research and monitoring, education, coastal training, and stewardship programs and activities are integrated with one another.

9. The evaluator will contact stakeholders and partners for input into the Section 312 evaluation. Provide the names, e-mail addresses, mailing addresses, and phone numbers for 12-20 stakeholders and partners with whom the reserve coordinated or collaborated on projects and activities. Include at least one contact from each of the following categories, if applicable: other parts of the reserve’s lead state agency or organization; other state agencies; federal agencies, gubernatorial offices and staff; legislative representatives and staff; local government elected officials and staff; regional planning organizations; non-governmental organizations (e.g., chambers of commerce, trade associations); non-profit organizations (e.g., environmental groups); land management partners, local businesses and industry; and academia.

In a total of two pages or less:

10. Summarize any major changes to program administration, structure, operation, or management and any associated impacts or accomplishments.

11. Summarize any issues or challenges the reserve faced in regard to program administration, operation, or management, including grants management. Include influences and factors that have hindered program administration, operation, or management.

In a total of two pages or less:

12. Summarize the reserve’s partnership or activities with the state coastal management program, including any major initiatives or projects and their impacts.

13. Summarize the nature of major local, statewide, regional, and/or national partnerships and projects and the role that the reserve has played or is playing in them to achieve and/or complement reserve goals and to ensure protection of reserve resources.

Section II: Public Access (16 USC §1458(a); 15 CFR 921.40(b)(4))

In a total of four pages or less:

14. Summarize existing public access and public use, and any changes of uses at the reserve.

15. Summarize the results of any studies related to public access at the reserve and any activities undertaken as a result of the studies.

16. Summarize major public access projects or initiatives developed or implemented and their results or accomplishments, including how a project or initiative responded to emerging national, state, or local issues, and highlight successes in helping to resolve an on-the-ground coastal management issue, if applicable.

17. Summarize the challenges the reserve faced in achieving its public access goals and objectives.

Section III: Acquisition (16 USC §1458(a); 15 CFR 921.40(b)(6))

In a total of four pages or less:

18. Summarize the values of any land acquisition projects completed or in process.

19. Summarize major acquisition projects or initiatives developed or implemented and their

results or accomplishments, including how a project or initiative responded to emerging national, state, or local issues, and highlight successes in helping to resolve an on-the-ground coastal management issue, if applicable.

20. Summarize the challenges the reserve faced in achieving its acquisition goals and objectives.

Section IV: Research and Monitoring ((16 USC §1458(a); 16 USC §1461(f)(1); 15 CFR 921.40(b)(1) and (2))

In a total of one page or less:

21. Summarize any efforts to fill data gaps identified in the site profile.

22. Summarize how the reserve and others (if known) use the site profile.

In one page or less:

23. Summarize how Graduate Research Fellows were integrated into reserve activities and discuss how their research addressed coastal management issues, as well as the value of their work on a local, regional, and/or national scale, as appropriate.

In a total of two pages or less:

24. Summarize the reserve’s ongoing efforts to develop and maintain the System-wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) and to implement any new SWMP protocols (e.g., vegetation monitoring, sentinel sites).

25. Summarize any additional non-SWMP monitoring activities the reserve conducted or in which it participated or collaborated.

26. Summarize how SWMP and other reserve monitoring data is shared with and used by other researchers, partners, and stakeholders.

In a total of two pages or less:

27. Summarize the process for identifying, prioritizing, and monitoring the reserve’s research and monitoring needs to address coastal management issues and how, and the extent to which, collaborations occurred between research scientists at the reserve and coastal managers and coastal planners.

28. Summarize activities the research and monitoring programs undertook to promote the reserve as a research platform and the value and impact of reserve research and monitoring to external partners and reserve staff.

In a total of four pages or less:

29. Summarize major research and monitoring projects or initiatives developed or implemented and their results or accomplishments, including how a project or initiative responded to emerging national, state, or local issues, and highlight successes in helping to resolve an on-the-ground coastal management issue, if applicable.

30. Summarize the challenges the reserve faced in achieving its research and monitoring goals and objectives.

Section V: Education (16 USC §1458(a); 16 USC §1461(f)(1); 15 CFR 921.40(b)(1) and (3))

In a total of three pages or less:

31. Summarize the process for identifying, prioritizing, and monitoring/evaluating educational activities and audiences.

32. Describe how KEEP (K-12 Estuarine Education Program) is integrated or incorporated into the initiatives and activities of the reserve.

33. Describe how the reserve’s classroom curricula aligned with state standards. If not aligned, please summarize why and any plans the reserve may have to do so.

34. Summarize any professional development opportunities for teachers provided by the reserve alone or in collaboration or coordination with reserve partners.

In a total of four pages or less:

35. Summarize major education projects or initiatives developed or implemented and their results or accomplishments, including how a project or initiative responded to emerging national, state, or local issues, and highlight successes in helping to resolve an on-the-ground coastal management issue, if applicable.

36. Summarize the challenges the reserve faced in achieving its education goals and objectives.

Section VI: Coastal Training Program (CTP) (16 USC §1458(a); 16 USC §1461(f)(1); 15 CFR 921.40(b)(1) and (3))

In a total of one page or less:

37. Summarize any collaboration efforts the reserve’s CTP organized or in which it participated at the local, regional, and/or watershed scale.

38. Summarize how CTP projects and training have integrated NOAA’s and other external partners’ research and stewardship information or programs.

In a total of four pages or less:

39. Summarize the reserve’s progress in implementing the CTP strategy, including major CTP projects or initiatives developed or implemented and their results or accomplishments, including how a project or initiative responded to emerging national, state, or local issues, and highlight successes in helping to resolve an on-the-ground coastal management issue, if applicable.

40. Summarize the challenges the reserve faced in achieving its CTP goals and objectives.

Section VII: Stewardship/Resource Protection, Manipulation, Restoration (16 USC §1458(a); 15 CFR 921.40(b)(1) and (7)

In a total of five pages or less:

41. Summarize the process for identifying, prioritizing, and monitoring/evaluating stewardship or resource management activities at the reserve.

42. Summarize existing capacities and abilities, as well as changes, regarding the reserve’s land management and/or enforcement responsibilities.

43. Summarize major stewardship/resource protection, manipulation, and restoration projects or initiatives developed or implemented and their results or accomplishments, including how a project or initiative responded to emerging national, state, or local issues, and highlight successes in helping to resolve an on-the-ground coastal management issue, if applicable.

44. Summarize the challenges the reserve faced in achieving its stewardship/resource protection, manipulation, and restoration goals and objectives.

Section VIII: Overarching

45. In two pages or less, and from the reserve manager’s perspective, identify the two to four most significant impacts or accomplishments and the two to four most significant challenges (excluding program administration, operations, or management challenges discussed in item #9) the reserve had or faced during this evaluation period. If any of these are not already discussed in #16, 17, 19, 20, 29, 30, 35, 36, 39, 40, 43, or 44, please summarize them. Include influences and factors that have advanced or hindered the achievement of any reserve goals, objectives or outcomes.

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OMB Control # 0648-XXXX, expires month/date/year. OCRM requires this information in order to adequately evaluate the ongoing approval and financial eligibility of CZMA national estuarine research reserves. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 55 hours per response. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Kate Barba, Chief, National Policy and Evaluation Division, OCRM, 1305 East-West Hwy., N/ORM7, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. This reporting is required under and is authorized under 16 U.S.C. 1458(a). Information submitted will be treated as public records. Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.