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Каспинфо апрель 2000 |
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Название: Материалы на английском языке Главные Пункты: Примеры успешных американских общественных программ наблюдения и мониторинга. Подготовлено ИСАР-Вашингтон для семинара по общественному экологическому мониторингу, Баку, 16-18 марта 2000 г. (24.04.2000) Полный Текст Материалы на английском языке Examples of Successful Community Monitoring Programs Information compiled by ISAR-DC, February 2000 Beach Watch Volunteer Program Excerpt from the article OSurveying the ShorelineO by Leslie Grella. The Volunteer Monitor, Vol. 8, No. 2, Fall 1996 The Beach Watch Volunteer Program was started in 1993 by the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS), largely in response to a series of oil spills in the 1980s that killed thousands of seabirds. After the spills, Sanctuary staff realized that long-term baseline dataoin particular, information on the natural ebb and flow of wildlife mortalityowas needed to adequately assess environmental damages from future human-caused catastrophes such as oil spills. Accordingly, GFNMS designed a project in which volunteers routinely monitor beaches, recording such observations as live and dead animal counts and use of beaches by marine organisms and humans. The shoreline is often governed by multiple resource agenciesofederal, state, and local--and it is imperative that all of them understand and participate in the development and maintenance of long-term beach monitoring programs. In the case of Beach Watch, six state and federal agencies and two local organizations reviewed our protocols for survey design and data collection. The Beach Watch survey area includes 58 beaches in the GFNMS and the northern portion of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, currently being monitored by 120 volunteers. We use established beach boundaries shared by the National Park Service and California Department of Fish and Game. Following are a few protocols and techniques we've instituted that might be valuable to others who are considering developing a beach monitoring program. Systematic monitoring To ensure data quality, each beach should be monitored in a consistent, systematic way. Our volunteers survey their beaches a minimum of once every four weeks (with a five-day window in which to do the survey). The same person (or group) monitors the same beach, using the same survey techniques, each time. Beaches are monitored at either the same tide or same time of day, whichever provides the peak abundance for the wildlife species found on that beach. For busy or urban beaches, it's generally best to monitor early in the morning before lots of people arrive. A remote beach might have more wildlife at high tide. And some beaches are so narrow they can only be surveyed during low tide. Training and equipment We require our volunteers to attend an 82-hour training course, complete with written tests and practice surveys. The training covers such topics as identifying and counting live and dead birds and mammals, collecting oil samples, and documenting beach profiles. Basic equipment for beach monitoring includes binoculars, camera and film, clipboard, survey forms, writing materials, gloves, tide book, and field guides. Conducting the survey The first step in a beach survey is to record the time, tide height, visibility, and wind force, all of which may affect survey results. Volunteers also count people and dogs (both of which greatly affect the counts of live marine animals), and note human activities. On each survey, volunteers photodocument the beach profile every kilometer. They take the profile at the high tide or berm line. Beach profiles change dramatically from season to season and are useful in determining whether sand is being deposited or washed away. Surveyors also record observations on the opening and closure of lagoons and stream mouths. Live animal count Live and dead animal counts are the heart of the beach survey. Birds are by far the most abundant live animal that monitors encounter (followed by marine mammals). Birds are counted on the beach area and for 300 feet landward and seaward. Marine mammals are counted beyond the 300-foot rangeofor instance, whales spouting offshore. As the monitors pass a live animal, they count and identify, using a clicker to count abundant species. We instruct our surveyors never to guess at identification, but to carry the identification only as far as they are certain. This can mean recording a choice between two species, identifying to taxon level only, or simply noting "landbird species" and a brief description. In nesting areas, nests are counted, and in pinniped (e.g., seal, sea lion) rookeries, pups and adults are recorded separately. Tagged or marked animals are noted, and the information reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Animals in distress are reported to the appropriate government or rehabilitation agencies. Monitoring of live intertidal invertebrates (anemones, barnacles, crabs, sea stars, etc.) requires different techniques and is not included in the Beach Watch program. Dead animal count If a beach area is narrow and small, live and dead animals can effectively be counted at the same time. However, for most areas it's best to count live animals as you walk in one direction and beach-cast specimens on the return trip. As with live counts, monitors identify dead specimens only to the level of which they are certain. When only part of an animal is left, or the carcass is very decomposed, identification becomes difficult--but surveyors often enjoy this challenge. Some-times identification can be made with just one bone, as in the case of sea lion scapulas. Monitors also note other characteristics of dead specimens, such as age, sex, signs of decomposition or scavenging, presence of oil, and evidence of the possible cause of death (e.g., gunshot wound, entanglement, oiling, broken wing). Gunshot wounds are difficult to detect in pinnipeds, so monitors carry a wire for probing possible gunshot injuries. Our volunteers photodocument all dead specimens, taking dorsal and ventral views when possible, as well as close-ups of key identifying features. Later their slides are examined by experts to verify the identification. This photodocumentation strengthens the reliability of our data. Volunteers mark dead birds by clipping their wings or toes to prevent recounting them on future surveys. When dead marine mammals are found, volunteers notify the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, which often sends personnel collect skeletal parts or tissue samples. Monitoring for oil Beach Watch volunteers are trained by the California Department of Fish and Game's Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) to collect "tar balls"osmall, weathered balls of oil. Tar balls are potential evidence in oil incidents, especially since lab analysis can sometimes "fingerprint" the sample (determine its source). For example, lab analysis of some Beach Watch tar ball samples has shown that they are of non-coastal California origins. Because contamination can interfere with lab analysis and make results indefensible in court, volunteers must adhere strictly to OSPR protocols, such as using special gloves and containers. Volunteers also look for oil on dead specimens, and collect oiled feather samples. They do not collect fresh oil, which is toxic, unless they have the appropriate training. If an oil incident occurs, beach monitors are contacted to conduct pre- and post-spill surveys. It is useful to do a survey right before oil hits a beach. Dead animals are marked and sometimes removed; later, the beach is surveyed for new arrivals. The value of beach monitoring GFNMS is committed to the Beach Watch program for the long term (25 years), and this long-term data will have many uses. Baseline data such as rates of dead birds washing up, bird oiling rates, tar ball fingerprinting, and tar ball deposition rates are very useful in the event of an oil spill. Beach monitoring can also detect other die-offs, either natural or human-caused. Over time, beach monitors become intimately familiar with their areas and become local experts. They will know if a lagoon or river mouth is open or closed on their beach, what's the easiest access to an area of the beach, whether nest sites are active, and which part of the beach is the collection zone where dead things wash up. Their intimate knowledge not only contributes to a valuable monitoring program, but provides personal satisfaction to the volunteers as they evolve into stewards and protectors of our magnificent ocean resources. Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) 500 Howard Street, #506 San Francisco, CA 94105 E-Mail: cbebucket@igc.org http://www.igc.apc.org/cbesf/ CBE is a regional leader in reforming petrochemical manufacturing in the San Francisco Bay Area through winning pollution prevention, policy reform, and community benefit commitments. CBE has two community monitoring components: Bucket Brigades, and the National Oil Refinery Action Network (NORAN). Bucket Brigades The Bucket Brigade effort began in Northern California in 1995, when residents near oil refineries and chemical plants grew tired of toxic releases and the lack of independent information on air pollution. Together with technical experts and funding from public interest attorneys, simple air monitoring devices (called OBucketsO) were provided to community members in one refinery neighborhood. Eventually CBE organized a regional effort to provide OBucketsO to five industrial communities in the San Francisco Bay area. CBE pressured County Supervisors to order the local health department to provide funding and support to officially further the effort. CBE then convinced the US Environmental Protection Agency to endorse and provide $90,000 to ensure the scientific credibility and pay for tests. The EPA has verified the scientific reliability of the OBucketO technology and community protocol for collecting air samples. National Oil Refinery Action Network (NORAN) CBE has the expertise and experience to make state-of-the-art pollution prevention models a national standard. CBE has helped to negotiate a comprehensive Good Neighbor Agreement that refinery neighbors can use as a model to get their local refinery to operate cleaner and safer. Grassroots groups across the nation are looking for this type of information to assist their work. CBE has begun to lay the groundwork for the Network through research, communication with other groups, and providing technical assistance to groups working on refinery issues in their regions. CBE's objectives regarding the network are to: i Research, plan, and explore the idea of a national network of community, labor, environmental justice and environmental groups working on pollution prevention, environmental justice, and community right-to-participate issues in states with major concentrations of oil refineries. i Create, publish, and nationally disseminate a community handbook on winning pollution prevention commitments and policies in the oil refining sector from both corporations and government agencies. i Organize a national network of various community, labor, and environmental justice and environmental organizations concerned with oil refinery pollution prevention. i Hold workshops to train refinery communities to win cleaner, safer industries. Our Goals are to: · Win commitments from corporations and government agencies that reduce or prevent multimedia petrochemical toxic pollution releases and that minimize toxic threats to workers and residents from oil refineries. · Translate the community's right to know about toxic hazards at nearby oil refineries into a right to participate in monitoring the facilities and in decision making processes relating to the industry. _____________ GREEN: Global Rivers Environmental Education Network Earth Force 1908 Mount Vernon Avenue, 2nd floor Alexandria, VA 22301 http:www.earthforce.org/green/ green@earthforce.org About GREEN The Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN) provides opportunities for young people to understand, improve and sustain watersheds in their community. GREEN offers participants a network of support, training manuals and affordable, high-quality water monitoring equipment. This award-winning program is aimed at teaching middle and high school-aged youth essential academic skills including critical thinking, teamwork, problem solving and decision making. GREEN teaches young people how to assess watershed health with the proper tools and then undertake projects to improve environmental quality based on their findings. A crucial element of the program is the involvement of community partners that assist teachers throughout the process, enriching the learning for all. History GREEN became an Earth Force program in 1999. GREEN was founded in 1984 by Dr. William Stapp of the University of Michigan. The seeds of GREEN were germinated when Dr. Stapp was called upon by a group of students to help them investigate cases of individuals who had contracted hepatitis from the Huron River. The students discovered the cause of the problem and worked with the local government to find a solution. Today, GREEN programs flourish in every state and a number of countries. From the original idea by one group of students, GREEN has grown into a global network of educators and students working to improve their watersheds. _________________ Mississippi Headwaters River Watch sponsored by the Mississippi Headwaters Board (MHB) Cass County Courthouse P.O. Box 3000 Walker, MN 56484 218-547-7263, fax: 218-547-7376 e-mail: 0999mhb@InforMNs.K12.mn.us www.mhbriverwatch.dst.mn.us Mission Statement The Mississippi Headwaters Board (MHB) is a joint powers board of the first eight counties on the Mississippi River. MHB is organized to protect and preserve the natural, cultural, scenic, scientific and recreational values of the river's first 400 miles. The MHB achieves its mission by: · regulating land use in a defined corridor on either side of the river, · monitoring water quality at nine communities on the river, and · providing for stewardship for land and water resources by assisting individuals and communities in protecting the Mississippi River. Excerpts from the Mississippi Headwaters River Watch Project Mission Statement In 1989, the Mississippi Headwaters Board proposed establishment of the Mississippi Headwaters River Watch, a community based river monitoring and protection program. Mississippi Headwaters River Watch is an ambient surface water quality monitoring and protection program, assessing the health of the Mississippi headwaters through nine indicators of chemical and physical tests and surveys of biological indicators of river health. This information will then be used by citizens and government to improve and protect water quality. The Mississippi Headwaters River Watch project produces credible water quality background information, acceptable for use by state and federal agencies. This information then can be used to establish a data base of water quality for the region. This database can be used to identify water quality problems and to set water quality management goals. Sampling stations will be established on the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Sampling will be conducted by volunteers from those areas, students at middle and high schools, or volunteers from community groups. Sampling will be organized and conducted by trained personnel provided by the Mississippi Headwaters Board. Equipment and supplies will be provided by the Mississippi Headwaters Board. All lab and field methods will follow U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other standard procedures and a quality control program will be followed. This monitoring plan provides the guidelines for the volunteer sampling program, including sampling site selection and descriptions, field and laboratory equipment requirement, sampling procedures, field and laboratory analysis methodology, reporting methods and quality assurance/quality control program (QA/QC). The inclusion of the QA/QC will assure the reliability and usability of the reported data. Goals of the Mississippi Headwaters River Watch Project · Monitor water quality of the Mississippi River using chemical, physical and biological indicators of river health. · Establish a data base of water quality for the Mississippi Headwaters, indicating trends over seasons and over time. · Determine sources of nutrient input to the Mississippi Headwaters. · Determine impact of nutrients on the river's health, especially impact of individual on-site septic systems and municipal sewage treatment systems. · Determine the impact of land use practices on the river's health, from development to recreation. · Establish a water quality index for the Mississippi Headwaters that includes an indicator species of macroinvertebrates. · Report results to communities in a variety of forms, from news media to informational programs to decision making bodies. · Build a partnership of schools, community groups, businesses, state and local · government committed to maintaining the waters of the Mississippi Headwaters as an "outstanding resource value" for Minnesota. · Use the data gathered by the monitoring program to design and carry out local projects to improve and maintain water quality. · Promote awareness and stewardship of the Mississippi Headwaters. River Watch communities have used the information generated by monitoring to bring failing septic systems into compliance, develop an erosion control program for private property, and investigate water quality problems. All of these measures contribute to improving river water quality. _______________ RIVER WATCH NETWORK 153 State Street Montpelier, VT 05602 802-223-3840 www.riverwatch.org What We Do RWN brings people together to monitor, restore, and protect their rivers. We work with concerned community members to: · Define the issues which are most critical to their rivers; · Design and execute scientifically credible studies which assess the condition of the river ecosystem. · Create strategies for conserving rivers through community action. How We Do It We offer workshops, organizational and technical support and consultation, publications, and other tools that help groups and individuals monitor and protect rivers. So rather than send do-it-yourself kits with instructions for water sampling, we guide people through an 11-step process developed during the course of our work with thousands of volunteers since 1987. We teach scientifically credible methods for collecting and analyzing water samples and documenting findings. Then we recommend actions for river protection and improvement, and develop plans for making sure that those recommendations are acted on by regulatory agencies and government authorities. RWN Programs Seek To: · Identify opportunities to make rivers a more valuable and enjoyable community resource · Reduce existing river pollution · Prevent pollution of pristine rivers · Identify achievable water quality goals for river segments · Gather scientifically-accurate information about river conditions Who We Serve RWN programs grow out of grassroots concerns for local rivers. We form partnerships with citizens, schools, businesses, service clubs state and local government agencies, and conservation groups, and provide the tools they need to solve river-related problems in their communities. How We Support Ourselves RWN is a 501(c)3 non profit organization supported by foundations, corporations, and individuals committed to keeping the world's rivers healthy. Our operations are covered by grants, corporate contributions, gifts, fees for service, membership dues, and bequests. Success Stories Living on the Edge: The Rio Grande/Bravo In the unregulated settlements along the Rio Grande/Bravo, where clean water access, paved roads, electricity, and trash collection services are rare, the poorest residents have long used their river for fishing, washing, and recreation. Over the years, residents of these colonias that straddle the Texas/Mexico border have also built shallow wells in the floodplains which are now infiltrated by river water and effluents draining into the river. Cancer, hepatitis A, respiratory, skin, gastrointestinal, and water-borne diseases have become facts of life. Once considered the most polluted river in the country, the Rio Grande/Bravo today shows more promise than ever of becoming a healthier river, thanks to a binational volunteer river monitoring group supported by RWN. Launched in 1992 by concerned citizens in Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas, the Rio Grande/Bravo monitoring project received technical support, sampling and analysis training, and monitoring equipment from RWN. The project was made possible with support from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Texas State Water Commission's Texas Watch Program, the El Paso Community Foundation, Ford Motor Credit Company, Coclisa, Autovidrio, and the Outfitters Conservation Fund. Over the next two years, the Rio Grande River Watchers evolved into a full-fledged organization seeking their own nonprofit status in both the U.S. and Mexico. Members and officers now come from both sides of the border to monthly meetings conducted in Spanish and English. Translations are available for the few who are not bilingual and documentation is in both languages. To date, 30 volunteers have been trained, 10 of who are now certified Water Quality Monitors. These volunteers sample Rio Grande/Bravo waters at nine sites, twice monthly, for conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and turbidity as well as fecal coliform bacteria. With more advanced training, they are able to immediately identify and report problem areas, such as untreated sewage discharges or high chlorine levels. Still other volunteers have conducted a cross-sectional epidemiologic survey of health consequences associated with exposure to the river among poor colonia residents in the El Paso and Juarez valleys. Follow-up interviews are helping to identify the needs of underserved, disenfranchised colonia residents who suffer disproportionately from river water contamination. The Rio Bravo River Watchers are busy fundraising and recruiting volunteers, keeping citizens apprised of the river's condition, and involving them in efforts to restore its health. They were recently awarded a grant from the North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation which will allow them to produce a film documentary on their work. Branching Out in Eastern Europe: In the Danube Watershed A pilot program on a badly damaged tributary of the Danube has spun off 64 new River Watch programs in Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, thanks to a determined group of citizens, business, and government who worked together to solve water quality issues. It started in 1991, when RWN formed a partnership the G?nc?l (gun-sul) Foundation, a Hungarian non-profit organization. Kata Barab+s, G?nc?l's education coordinator spent eight weeks working with RWN and the Adirondack Visitor Interpretive Centers (AVIC), the sponsor of the Hudson River Watch Program. She left with a plan for implementing a program. In April of 1992, staff from RWN, AVIC, and the Adirondack Teachers Center spent three weeks with G?nc?l staff in Hungary to evaluate their efforts and help move their new program forward. Students and citizens immersed themselves in the project over the next six months, shedding light on the badly polluted Gomb?s Creek. They worked with officials from the city of V+c and the regional wastewater treatment authority to approve a plan to 1) extend sewer lines to an industrial section of the city that was dumping raw wastes into the creek, and 2) seek funding for its completion. With funding from the Trust for Mutual Understanding and the German Marshall Fund, RWN and G?nc?l staff developed a strategic plan for building a network of programs. G?nc?l staff then used the strategic plan as the basis for proposals to implement the Danube Basin River Watch Program. They succeeded in 1994 by obtaining a two-year $40,000 grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. RWN then helped G?nc?l design a three day organizational and training retreat for groups interested in getting the network started. Forty people representing 19 organizations from Hungary, Romania, Czechia, the US and Poland traveled to Hungary to participate. The group developed a plan, organized a governing structure, and declared their commitment to work together. Two years later, the network counted among its accomplishments: 64 local groups in the network; two 3-day annual meetings and training workshops; an organizational manual, biological monitoring workbook, and identification chart for water bedbugs; water quality monitoring equipment and training for core groups; a bi annual newsletter; annual reports; continuous technical support on-line; on-site support; and an annual Water Month filled with national and international events for network members and others. Helping this network continue to grow effectively is the next challenge. RWN is working with G?nc?l to collaborate with other river monitoring and conservation networks in Europe, including Global Rivers Environmental Education Network' (GREEN) European programs. It promises to be the start of something big in the campaign to improve and protect the Danube watershed. Reaching Across Cultures and Borders on the Missisquoi River The Missisquoi River watershed encompasses a large portion of northern Vermont and a part of Canada's province of Quebec. The river flows north from its headwaters in Vermont's rural Northeast Kingdom into the farmland of southern Quebec, then meanders westward into Vermont farmland and homeland of the Abenaki Nation. The river empties into Lake Champlain at the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Vermont. Two years ago, River Watch Network began helping organize groups in this region to improve and protect this international river, encouraging and promoting ways for them to work together. Members of the Abenaki community, for example, were concerned about the degradation of the river and possible health problems. So they obtained an EPA Environmental Justice grant which helped purchase several thousand dollars worth of monitoring equipment for bacteria. RWN worked with the River Keepers Project and local teachers to establish a laboratory for the group at a local high school. RWN consultant, Cynthia Lopez, a doctoral student at the Harvard School of Public Health, specializing in environmental health problems, laid the groundwork for a health assessment survey to determine whether there are health risks due to mercury exposure among people who eat fish from the river. Meanwhile, RWN staff are working with the Abenaki RiverKeepers and local volunteers to examine levels of bacteria in the river as well as mercury in the sediment, fish tissues, and water column. The Missisquoi River Keeper Project also invited the Boston-based group Alternatives for Community for the Environment (ACE) to help the local community block an oil company from placing underground storage tanks in a wetland area which drains into the river. After a hearing where members of the local tribe testified, the Vermont Water Resources Board denied the permit. Other initiatives spearheaded by individual groups in the basin have included: 1) a massive monitoring effort to identify stream bank erosion along the Canadian section of the river by Protection Missisquoi, and 2) a research project led by members of the Lake Champlain Walleye Association to develop an accurate methodology for estimating walleye populations in the river. RWN's efforts to encourage collaboration among these groups have paid off in even bigger ways: a new umbrella organization--the Missisquoi River Basin Association (MRBA)--was formed and a proposal funded to hire an organizer to coordinate monitoring and restoration activities initiated by individual groups in the basin, and to further develop interest and participation in the MRBA. RWN is excited to be a part of the continued growth, development, and cooperation of groups in the Missisquoi River Basin. It is encouraging to see the energy and enthusiasm citizens throughout the watershed have demonstrated for restoring and protecting their river. Bringing Pueblos Together in the Rio Grande Valley The people of the pueblos have a special relationship with the land and waters of the Rio Grande valley. Land and water provide physical and spiritual sustenance and are the foundation of everyday life. In some pueblos, ingesting the water is a part of sacred ceremonies. Not surprisingly, the pueblos take their stewardship of their waters seriously. In fact, a number have the authority to develop and enforce their own water quality laws and regulations and are recognized by the EPA on a level equivalent to the states. Given this special status, a number of Rio Grande pueblos have asked RWN to help design river monitoring programs that will help them determine if their waters meet their regulations. They have also expressed an interest in working with other pueblos in the valley to cooperatively monitor the river and tributaries. RWN has led two planning workshops on the design of a cooperative monitoring network among the pueblos bordering the river and its tributaries. This network is a two-phased effort where RWN will first provide direct technical consultation and training to the pueblos of Isleta, Sandia, and Taos. The purposes of this monitoring effort are to 1) develop a deeper understanding of the ecological health of each pueblo's waters, 2) determine the impacts of various human activities on those waters, and 3) assess the health risk associated with water contact-especially for ceremonial use. The involvement of a broad range of tribal members in the process is key. |