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SEA TURTLE ADVISORS NEEDED

MOREHEAD CITY - The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) is looking for interested individuals to serve as advisors on a Sea Turtle Bycatch Working Group.

The working group will be composed of representatives from the commercial, recreational and scientific communities to assist in developing a Sea Turtle Take Reduction Plan for North Carolina.

The take reduction plan will characterize statewide sea turtle and fishery interactions, and recommend ways to reduce interactions while minimizing impacts on fishing operations. The plan will be prepared by the Division of Marine Fisheries and approved by the MFC. Individuals interested in serving as advisors should be willing to attend meetings at least once every other month and actively participate in the committee process. Advisors will be reimbursed for travel and other expenses incurred in relation to their official duties.

Advisor applications are available at Division of Marine Fisheries' offices or by calling 252-726-7021 or 800-682-2632. The advisory committee is scheduled to begin meeting in September 2003 so applications should be retuned as soon as possible to the Division of Marine Fisheries, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, North Carolina 28557, Attention: Kelly Mullen.

For information about sea turtles and the take reduction plan process, please contact Jeff Gearhart by e-mail at Jeff.Gearhart@ncmail.net or by calling 252-726-7021 or 800-682-2632.

DENR SCHEDULES MEETINGS ON COASTAL HABITAT PROTECTION PLAN

RALEIGH - The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources has scheduled a series of meetings around the state to gather public input on the plan the department is devising to protect critical marine habitats.

The first meeting on the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan, or CHPP, is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 23, at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.

Other meetings will be on Thursday, July 24, at the Mooresville Citizens Center in Mooresville; Tuesday, July 29, at the Brunswick Electric Membership Corp. in Supply; Wednesday, July 30, at the New Hanover County's Northeast branch library in Wilmington; Tuesday, Aug. 12, at Dixon High School in Holly Ridge; Wednesday, Aug. 13, at East Carteret High School near Beaufort; Tuesday, Aug. 19, at the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island in Manteo; Wednesday, Aug. 20, at the Town Council Chambers in Edenton; Tuesday, Sept. 9, at the N.C. Estuarium in Washington; and Wednesday, Sept. 10, at Pamlico County High School in Bayboro. All meetings start at 7 p.m.

People who attend the meetings can help shape the plan and the future of the state's fisheries by offering their suggestions and opinions.

"North Carolina's coastal waters are a natural treasure, and we need to protect this valuable resource for our children and future generations to come," Gov. Mike Easley said. "An important step in this ongoing process is the development and implementation of a Coastal Habitat Protection Plan. I encourage North Carolinians to participate and support this key environmental initiative to help protect and enhance our costal resources."

State legislators, recognizing the need to protect critical marine habitats, passed the Fisheries Reform Act in 1997. The law contains the directive to protect and enhance coastal habitats that are critical to fish and shellfish. To achieve that goal, the law requires the cooperation of the state's three main regulatory commissions. The Environmental Management, the Coastal Resources and the Marine Fisheries commissions must work together to prepare and adopt plans that protect and restore these critical habitats and to enact rules to implement the plans. The commissions also must ensure to the maximum extent practicable that they act in a manner consistent with the adopted plans.

The CHPP marks a historic turning point, said Bill Ross, secretary of DENR. It will require that the state's environmental commissions act in harmony to preserve and enhance valuable aquatic habitats, he said.

"We all have a stake in the future of the state's fisheries," Ross said. "What we do on the land determines what happens in the water. What happens to these habitats affects what happens to the fisheries. Ultimately, environmental programs such as CHPP are related to both our survival and our ability to have economic growth in sustainable ways. I encourage everyone to attend these meetings and give us your suggestions. We'll put them to work."

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has been assigned the task of formulating the CHPP. The agency has been working since 1999 with the Division of Coastal Management and several other state and federal agencies on the framework of the first plan, a sort of broad-brush examination of the six critical marine habitats coast-wide. Later plans will be more specific, examining those habitats in 11 geographic regions that closely follow coastal watershed boundaries.

The CHPP will be a detailed document that describes the habitats and includes scientific information on their ecological function and importance to marine species. It will also identify the threats to each habitat and recommend needed research and regulatory steps that should be taken to protect and enhance each habitat.

Drafting of the first coast-wide CHPP is under way. Two representatives of each of the three regulatory commissions sit on an oversight board called the Intercommission Review Committee that will review and modify the draft plan.

In addition to the meetings this summer, the public will have another opportunity to review and comment on the plan at meetings next year. The commissions will adopt the final plan at the end of 2004. All components of the CHPP are supposed to be updated every five years.

DENR has prepared a video about the CHPP for viewing at the meetings. A tabloid explaining the plan and why it is needed has been distributed in newspapers throughout the coastal region. Members of civic groups may be able to get a copy of the video to show other members. Call the Division of Marine Fisheries at 1-800-682-2632 for information.

People can also visit the division's Web site at www.ncfisheries.net/habitat/chpp1.htm to be put on the CHPP mailing list.

BIG MONEY AVALIABLE FOR BOATING FACILITIES

MOREHEAD CITY - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced another round of grants to help improve docking facilities for recreational transient, non-trailerable boats along the navigable waterways of the United States for federal Fiscal Year 2004.

The grants are part of the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program authorized by the Sportfishing and Boating Partnership Act of 1998 and funded by excise taxes on motorboat fuel.

The BIG program provides states with funding for mooring buoys, day-docks, transient slips, safe harbor facilities (including temporary safe anchorage or a harbor of refuge during a storm), floating and fixed piers and breakwaters, dinghy docks, restrooms, retaining walls, bulkheads, dockside utilities, pumpout stations, trash collections and recycling facilities, dockside electric, water and telephone capabilities, navigational aids and marine fueling stations.

"This is an excellent opportunity to strengthen ties between communities and recreational boaters, and promote economic growth by providing enhanced public access," said Maury Wolff, the BIG coordinator for North Carolina. "We encourage private marinas, municipalities and local governments to review the grant guidelines and criteria and take advantage of this program to improve their recreational boating facilities and boost their economy," said Wolff.

BIG program funds are distributed each year over a four-year period. To ensure that each state gets a share, funding is provided on a two-tiered basis. For tier one grants, all states get at least $100,000 per grant cycle as long as their proposals meet the program's guidelines. Tier-2 projects are designated for larger, more expensive projects and are awarded on a nation-wide competitive basis.

BIG transient facilities must be built in waters deep enough for boats 26 feet and larger to navigate at a minimum of six feet of depth at low tide. One-time dredging will be allowed to provide access between open water and a tie-up facility.

For information about grant availability in North Carolina's coastal waters, please contact Maury Wolff, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, by mail at P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, NC 28557; by phone at 252-726-7021 or 800-682-2632; or via e-mail at maury.wolff@ncmail.net. The deadline for applications is Sept. 15, 2003.