The coastal program: caring for our coastal habitats

              U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The Coastal Program

Caring for Our Coastal Habitats

As Americans flock to the coasts to enjoy

their beauty and recreational and

economic opportunities, communities and

resource managers face the challenge of

integrating economic development with

conservation of coastal resources. The

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coastal

Program helps communities meet this

challenge.

Project Examples:

Alaska - Restored fish habitat by re-creating

pool, runs, and riffles and

removing barriers to fish passage. Project

monitoring will provide information about

the response of a stream system and the

fish and wildlife that live there.

Chesapeake Bay - Provided technical

assistance to Anne Arundel County,

Maryland to develop a reference reach

database for stream restoration design.

The county will use

this database for

reviewing stream

restoration projects

in Maryland’s

western coastal

plain, a region with

intense

development

pressure and

significant stream

modifications.

Delaware Bay -

Controlled invasive

Phragmites and cattails on approximately

1,382 acres of emergent wetland and 156

acres of upland habitat to improve habitat

conditions for native fish and wildlife.

Great Lakes - Removed a culvert,

excavated stream banks, and planted

native trees and shrubs to restore fish

passage for native brook trout and reduce

sedimentation.

Gulf of Maine - Worked in close

coordination with Beginning with Habitat,

the first major coordinated statewide effort

of several State and Federal agencies to

provide integrated data on important

habitats. In FY 2004 alone, 40 towns and

11 land trusts received presentations and

information. Contributed to the

partnership by producing maps, finalizing

written products and distributing

information and mapped data to town

planners and land trusts in Maine.

Hawaii - Helped implement the Waipa

Community’s watershed restoration plan to

remove alien riparian and coastal

vegetation and replant with native species

grown in local greenhouses. Partners

included the Waipa Foundation and the

Kamehameha Schools.

The Coastal Program Approach

• Partners with coastal communities to

improve the health of their

watersheds for fish, wildlife and

people.

• Identifies, evaluates and maps

important habitat and provides

technical assistance.

• Assesses the health of coastal

habitats and the wildlife resources

dependent upon them.

• Restores habitat.

Coastal Program’s Accomplishments

From 1994 - 2004

Restored -

• 112,000 acres of coastal wetlands

• 26,100 acres of coastal uplands

• 1,118 miles of coastal streamside

habitat

Protected - 1.33 million acres of

coastal habitat.

In FY 2004

• 19 partership agreements

Restored -

• 18,325 acres of coastal wetlands

• 1646 acres of coastal uplands

• 157 miles of streamside habitat

• 4 fish barriers removed

Protected -

• 28,589 acres of coastal wetlands

• 310,643 acres of coastal uplands

Note: Numbers refer to

USFWS Regions

For more information, contact the Division of Fish and Wildlife Management and

Habitat Restoration, Branch of Habitat Restoration at 703/358 2201. Our website at

http://www.fws.gov/cep/cepcode.html contains information about Coastal Program

activities, accomplishments and contacts.

February 2005

Puget Sound, Washington - Removed in-stream

blockages and installed fish-passable

culverts and weirs. This project

restored access to spawning and rearing

habitats for coho and chum salmon and

steelhead and cutthroat trout. Partners

included the Washington Department of

Fish and Wildlife, the South Puget Sound

Salmon Enhancement Group, the Thurston

Conservation District, and over 20 private

landowners.

South Carolina Coast - Provided technical

assistance and funding to help protect

1,228 acres of coastal wetlands, uplands

and riparian habitat from conversion and

loss due to expanding residential and

urban development.

Texas Gulf Coast - Used management

techniques including prescribed fire, and

grazing on 4,500 acres of coastal prairie

and wetlands to maintain and enhance

native vegetation. This project provides

habitat for migratory grassland birds and

potential habitat for the critically

endangered Attwater’s prairie chicken.

Threats to Coastal Habitats

• Habitat loss due to urbanization

• Fishery habitat loss

• Frequent oil spills

• Wetland losses of 50-90% from

historic levels

• Nutrient over-enrichment

• Dams and culverts which restrict

or limit the movement of fish and

wildlife

Why Care For Our Coasts?

Our Nation’s coasts provide

important fish and wildlife habitat

far beyond their limited

geographic extent. Coastal

ecosystems comprise less than

10% of the land area, but support

a much larger percentage of the

Nation’s:

• Migratory songbirds

(85%)

• Fish and shellfish (77%)

• Waterfowl (75%)

• Shorebirds (92%)

• Threatened and

endangered species

(45%)