Contact: Lore O’Hanlon
Organization Web Site: http://www.nationalestuaries.org
About the Association of National Estuary Programs
The National Estuary Program (NEP) was established in 1987 to identify, restore, and protect nationally significant estuaries of the United States. This voluntary, community-based watershed program focuses on maintaining the integrity of the whole system: its chemical, physical, and biological properties, as well as its economic, recreational, and aesthetic values.
The 28 NEPs encompass watersheds in 18 coastal states and Puerto Rico. These estuaries include 42 percent of the continental United States shoreline and are among the most productive in the nation. Each NEP was charged with collaboratively creating and implementing a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that addresses all aspects of environmental protection for the estuary, including issues such as habitat, living resources, water quality, and land use.
Stakeholders from each of the NEPs formed the Association of National Estuary Programs (ANEP) in 1996 as a nonprofit group that works to build support for the implementation of the CCMPs at the national level. The organization is dedicated to promoting responsible stewardship and a common vision for the preservation and restoration of our nation’s bays and estuaries.
About the Partnership
In 2007, NOAA’s Community-based Restoration Program established a new partnership with the Association of National Estuary Programs. The partnership is working to fund, implement, and monitor restoration projects within watersheds of the 28 NEPs. In the first year of the partnership, four projects were funded which addressed restoration of oyster reefs, marsh, and shoreline habitat, as well as erosion control and public education.
Request For Proposals
NOAA partners with ANEP to fund on-the-ground activities within watersheds of the National Estuary Programs that restore marine, estuarine, and riparian habitats and foster local stewardship of the coastal environment.
