National Estuarine Research Reserve - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is a program of the United States government. The program establishes federal-state partnerships under the Coastal Zone Management Act

Coastal Zone Management Act

The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 is an Act of Congress passed in 1972 to encourage coastal states to develop and implement coastal zone management plans...

to create a system of estuarine research reserves representative of the various regions and estuarine types in the United States. The first reserve was established in Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

in 1974. As of 2010, the program has established 28 reserves.

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System was established by the United States Government to develop a partnership between individual states and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...

(NOAA) to coordinate the preservation of a network of protected areas spanning the coastal United States. The goal is the establishment of long-term research, education and stewardship of the critical coastal wetlands and estuaries. The partnership program oversees more than one million acres (4,000 km²) of estuarine land, wetlands, and water. This protected areas provides essential habitat for wildlife.

National Estuarine Research Reserves are protected areas representing a spectrum of biogeographic regions of the country, ranging from the pristine to those that have been significantly impacted by human use.

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System is a network of protected areas established for long-term research, education and stewardship. This partnership program between NOAA and the coastal states protects more than one million acres (4,000 km²) of estuarine land and water, which provides essential habitat for wildlife; offers educational opportunities for students, teachers and the public; and serves as living laboratories for scientists.

History

For thousands of years, coastal and estuarine environments have provided people with food, safe harbors, transportation access, flood control, and a place to play and relax. The pressures on the nation’s coast are enormous and the impacts on economies and ecosystems are becoming increasingly evident. Severe storms, climate change, pollution, habitat alteration and rapid population growth threaten the ecological functions that have supported coastal communities throughout history. As a network of 28 protected areas established for long-term research, education and stewardship, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System has a unique role to play in keeping coastal ecosystems healthy and productive.

The reserve system is a partnership program between the NOAA and coastal states that has protected more than 1.3 million acres (5,300 km²) of coastal and estuarine habitat since the program was established by the Coastal Zone Management Act in 1972. NOAA provides funding, national guidance and technical assistance. Each reserve is managed on a daily basis by a lead state agency, non-profit organization or university with input from local partners. Through careful stewardship, innovative science and education, and relevant training programs, the reserves encourage careful management and protection of local estuarine and coastal resources.

The Coastal Zone Management Act created the reserve system to protect estuarine areas, provide educational opportunities, promote and conduct estuarine research and monitoring, and transfer relevant information to coastal managers. For the next five years, core reserve programs will focus on four priority topics: impacts of land use and population growth; habitat loss and alteration; water quality degradation; and changes in biological communities. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System’s 2005-2010 Strategic Plan articulates how the strengths of the reserve system will be applied to address the major challenges of coastal management.http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Background_StrategicPlan.html

Program Goals

The program's goals are:

ensure a stable environment for research through long-term protection of National Estuarine Research Reserve resources
address coastal management issues identified as significant through coordinated estuarine research within the System
enhance public awareness and understanding of estuarine areas and provide suitable opportunities for public education and interpretation
promote Federal, state, public and private use of one or more Reserves within the System when such entities conduct estuarine research;
conduct and coordinate estuarine research within the System, gathering and making available information necessary for improved understanding and management of estuarine areas.

Current Reserves

Sortable table
Reserve	State	Designation Year
Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve The Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, located in the U.S. State of Florida, protects the biological diversity of the Apalachicola Bay as well as the economic value of the natural resources and pristine conditions....	Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...	1979
Ashepoo Combahee Edisto Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve Ashepoo Combahee Edisto Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve The Ashepoo Combahee Edisto Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve is a reserve area located in the ACE Basin, one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the Atlantic coast of the United States...	South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...	1992
Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Maryland)	Maryland Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...	1985
Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Virginia) Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Virginia) The Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve contains a diverse collection of habitats including oyster reefs, seagrass beds, tidal wetlands, sandy shoals and mudflats. In order to address the diversity of habitats, the Chesapeake Bay-Virginia Reserve established a multi-site system from...	Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...	1991
Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve The Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve consists of two unique components, one on Blackbird Creek and the other on the St. Jones River . Freshwater wetlands, ponds and forest lands dominate the Blackbird Creek component. The St...	Delaware Delaware Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...	1993
Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve The Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is one of 28 National Estuarine Research Reserves established nationwide as field laboratories for scientific research and estuarine education. The Slough is located approximately south of San Francisco, California on the central shore of...	California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...	1979
Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is one of the most biologically productive estuarine ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico region, supporting several rare or endangered plant and animal species, numerous important marine fishery resources, diverse habitat types and archaeological...	Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...	1999
Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve The Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve encompasses a diversity of land and water areas around Great Bay, an estuary in southeastern New Hampshire...	New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...	1989
Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve on Florida's First Coast is part of a network of 26 protected coastal areas along the United States coast from Alaska to Puerto Rico, The National Estuarine Research Reserve System...	Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...	1999
Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve The Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve is a National Estuarine Research Reserve in the state of New York.Home to more than 200 species of fish, the Hudson River serves as a nursery ground for such important fish as sturgeon, striped bass and American shad...	New York New York New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...	1982
Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve The Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, located in southeastern New Jersey, encompasses over 110,000 acres of terrestrial, wetland and aquatic habitats within the Mullica River-Great Bay Ecosystem....	New Jersey New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...	1998
Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is a federally protected estuary in Aguirre, Puerto Rico. The bay is an intertidal tropical ecosystem dominated by seagrass beds, coral reefs, and mangroves. In an area of 1140 hectares, the reserve contains five distinct habitat types and provides...	Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...	1981
Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, on the western coast of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, is part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System and is managed jointly by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game...	Alaska Alaska Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...	1999
Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve	Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...	2011
Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve The Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve is a large contiguous complex of wetland, terrestrial, and marine environments on the Texas Coastal Bend in the United States. Named for the two major rivers that flow into the area, the reserve contains public and private lands and waters....	Texas Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...	2006
Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve The Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is a Marine Protected Area of the United States located on Prudence, Patience, and Hope islands in Narragansett Bay in the state of Rhode Island.see also: National Estuarine Research Reserve...	Rhode Island Rhode Island The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...	1989
North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve The estuarine system of the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve is the third largest in the country, encompassing more the two million acres . This system is of prime economic importance to the coastal area—90 percent of the commercial seafood species caught in the state spends at...	North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...	1985
North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve The North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, in the U.S. State of South Carolina, features the salt marshes and ocean dominated tidal creeks of the North Inlet Estuary plus the brackish waters and marshes of the adjacent Winyah Bay Estuary. North Inlet is a relatively pristine...	South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...	1992
Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve is the smallest reserve in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. It is also the only Great Lakes-type, freshwater estuary in the system. Located in Erie County, Ohio near Sandusky, the reserve features freshwater marshes, swamp forests,...	Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...	1980
Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve	Washington	1980
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Rookery Bay Reserve is at the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands on the gulf coast of Florida, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve represents one of the few remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in North America....	Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...	1978
San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve The San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is one of 27 reserves established as part of the United States National Estuarine Research Reserve System...	California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...	2003
Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve The Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve is a coastal plain estuary, located in the U.S. State of Georgia, protected on its seaward side by a Pleistocene barrier island....	Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...	1976
South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is a National Estuarine Research Reserve located on Coos Bay Estuary, in the U.S. state of Oregon...	Oregon Oregon Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...	1974
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve Tijuana River The Tijuana River is an intermittent river, 120 mi long, on the Pacific coast of northern Baja California in Mexico and southern California in the United States.-Location:...	California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...	1981
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve encompasses open waters, barrier beaches, marshlands and uplands on the south shore of Cape Cod in the towns of Falmouth and Mashpee...	Massachusetts Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...	1988
Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve The Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve a small estuary, about 3 sq. miles , receiving freshwater from the Magnolia and Fish Rivers, and drains a watershed into the portion of Mobile Bay...	Alabama Alabama Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...	1986
Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, located in Wells, Maine, USA, is of protected land headquartered at a restored saltwater farm called Laudholm...	Maine Maine Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...	1984

External links

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History

Program Goals

Current Reserves

See also

External links