CELCP | Targeted Watersheds
National Estuarine Research Reserve - Targeted Watersheds
CELCP’s 2009 authorizing legislation specifies that no less than 15 percent of appropriated program funds be reserved for acquisitions that benefit National Estuarine Research Reserves, or NERRs ( P.L. 111-11; 16 U.S.C. § 1456-1). Each NERR has identified a targeted watershed boundary, within which conservation activities provide direct benefits to the Reserve. CELCP applicants are encouraged to reference Reserves’ targeted watershed boundary maps (available below in pdf format) in project applications in demonstrating benefits to a reserve. Instructions for accessing GIS shapefiles for targeted watersheds are available here.
Northeast Wells, ME Mid Atlantic Jacques Cousteau, NJ Southeast North Carolina, NC Carribbean |
Gulf of Mexico Rookery Bay, FL Great Lakes Old Woman Creek, OH West Coast Kachemak Bay, AK |
Project applicants wishing to demonstrate benefits to a Reserve must also describe how the project helps meet the goals of the relevant reserve management plan or other watershed conservation plans developed by the Reserve or with Reserve input. These applications must include a support letter from the relevant Reserve Manager describing and/or validating benefits to the reserve. The application should also show the relative location of the project with respect to the NERR (with a map and a description), specifically identifying whether it is a buffer that protects core reserve resources or a buffer area within the reserve’s watershed.
For more information on the National Estuarine Research Reserves themselves, including contact information for Reserve Managers, please visit http://nerrs.noaa.gov. For more information on CELCP application requirements, please visit the CELCP Funding Opportunities web page.