FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 12, 2015
ROOKERY BAY RESERVE COMPLETES THREE-YEAR
WATERSHED RESEARCH PROJECT
~Modeling tool developed to help manage water distribution~
NAPLES, Fla. – Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research
Reserve (RBNERR) has completed the “Restoring the Rookery Bay Estuary” project,
a three-year watershed-focused research project aimed at understanding
freshwater inflows to the Rookery Bay estuary and associated ecological
effects. A significant outcome of the research has been the development of a
hydrologic model, which is a tool that can be used by private and public
sectors to run different scenarios to help manage the volume and timing of
water entering the estuary.
Guided by a diverse advisory group comprising local, state,
federal and non-profit stakeholders, the project focused on gaining a better
understanding of altered freshwater inflows and gaining insights on how local
water resource decisions are made and implemented.
“Through this project, we have learned about changes in the
Rookery Bay watershed over the past 75 years,” said Kevin Cunniff, research
coordinator at RBNERR and applied science lead for the project. “Based on the
data, we learned that the overall amount of fresh water entering the estuary
has not changed significantly, but the
distribution and timing of fresh water entering the estuary is considerably
different. This new understanding can help us better develop and implement
strategies aimed at restoring a more natural hydrology within this watershed,
which will benefit the ecology of the estuary, while continuing to meet public
water supply and flood control needs.”
The project used an integrated watershed management approach and
hydrologic, biological and social science research to identify freshwater
distribution issues, estuarine ecological impacts and potential solutions for
mitigating impacts and restoring a more natural watershed hydrology. Results can be used to improve the quality, timing and volume of freshwater
inflows into surrounding estuarine and coastal environments. These improvements
can enhance downstream habitats, such as seagrasses and oysters, which support
robust fisheries and the recreational and commercial interests that rely on
them.
“We are pleased to partner with Rookery Bay on this project,”
said Lisa Koehler, South Florida Water Management District’s Big Cypress Basin
administrator. “Placing their model in our Model Management System provides
user-friendly access to model data saving time and money on future modeling
data collection.”
In addition to understanding changes in freshwater inflows to
the estuary over time, the project provided insights into how marine life in
the Rookery Bay estuary study area has responded to changes in salinity based
on historic fisheries research conducted in Rookery Bay since the 1970s. The
project also identified and mapped current RBNERR aquatic benthic habitat
resources through high-resolution aerial imagery analysis and specifically
assessed changes in seagrass within the Rookery Bay study area based on
historical imagery analyses. Lastly, the project conducted social science to
better understand local attitudes about water.
The project was funded in 2011 through an $815,000 grant awarded
by NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System’s (NERRS) Science
Collaborative funding program and commenced in 2012. RBNERR staff worked with
contractors such as hydrologists, engineers and university faculty on project components including aerial
imagery, maps and educational products. A comprehensive final project report will be available online at rookerybay.org in September.
Twenty-eight National
Estuarine Research Reserves from around the continental United States and
Puerto Rico were invited to apply for this grant. Of the 17 proposals
submitted, seven were funded including RBNERR’s proposal. The NERRS Science
Collaborative is jointly administered by NOAA and the University of New Hampshire.
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