RESEARCH AND MONITORING

NERRS Policies and Priorities

The national research policy of the NERRS is to promote the use of individual NERR sites for short and long term studies and to develop a scientific information database to improve the management of estuarine resources. The long-term studies include the systematic monitoring of important estuarine variables throughout the NERR sites. An example of a short-term study may include a project that determines the composition or flow rates of groundwater to rivers and bays. The research policy of the Reserve is to provide data and information needed by resource managers and policy makers to assist and guide them when making coastal management decisions. The priorities are to preserve and protect ecosystems in their natural state, and manage the Reserve in a manner that keeps it compatible with the traditional uses of the area. The following policies serve to support research objectives of the Reserve:

o      All research funded through NERR grants conducted within the Reserve will be coordinated through the Research Coordinator and the Reserve Manager, with advice from the Reserve Advisory Board (RAB).

o      All field work will be performed in the least destructive way with minimal or no impact on the environment.

o      When a destructive impact of significant size (> 10m ) to the environment is unavoidable, restoration of the impact and notification to the Estuarine Reserves Division (ERD) is required.

o      All research activities and/or collection of specimens must be approved in writing by the NERR research coordinator prior to commencing any work.

o      All outside approvals/permits (federal and state) must be secured prior to obtaining written approval from the research coordinator to conduct work within the Reserve.

o      Results of research conducted within the Reserve by scientists other than NERR staff does not necessarily have the endorsement of the Reserve. All such NOAA funded research reports will contain an approved statement of disclaimer.

o      Abstracts and copies of final reports of all research projects within the Reserve will be provided by the Research Coordinator and ERD for inclusion in the Reserve database and/or library.

o      Site specific research data located with global positioning system coordinates are to be input into the Reserve geographic information system after appropriate reports and publications have been completed.

o      Any proprietary data restrictions will be respected.

o      Construction and operation of the System-wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) within the Reserve will be coordinated with ERD and other NERR sites.

o      Researchers working within the Reserve must acknowledge the Reserve’s role and support of the project in any written or oral papers or presentations.

o      Researchers working within the Reserve should promote the use of the Reserve to the scientific community.

NOAA Research and Monitoring Funding Priorities

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a significant source of research funding for both independent and NERR staff researchers. Regulations of the NERRS (15 CFR Part 921.50(a)) specify the purposes for which research funds are being used, which include:

o      Support research that will both enhance scientific understanding of the Reserve ecosystem and help meet the information needs of managers;

o      Provide information needed by reserve managers and coastal ecosystem policy makers; and

o      Improve public awareness and understanding of estuarine ecosystems and management issues.

NOAA encourages coordinated research among reserves and other scientists and, when appropriate, preferentially funds research proposals on specific estuarine topics that it has identified as national priorities. This unified approach promotes the exchange of research findings among reserves, state and federal agencies, and members of the academic research community. Research funding priorities for the NERRS were first established in 1984 when a group of leading scientists convened to evaluate the status of estuarine knowledge. The group identified a diverse set of estuarine issues that were to receive top priority for research funding. These included: (a) sediment management, (b) nutrients and chemical inputs, (c) coupling primary and secondary productivity, and (d) fishery habitat requirements. The NERRS research program was refined in 1991, 1994, and in 1996. The primary research objective for the NERRS is the study of causes and effects of natural and human-induced change in the ecology of estuarine and estuarine-like ecosystems. NERRS research funded through NOAA should be designed to provide information of significant value to the development and implementation of resource management policy governing the U.S. coastal waters.

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